There are certain coaches people will run through a wall for. Dan Campbell is one of them. People love Andy Reid.
This is why players love Mike Tomlin. He basically said, “Y’all don’t know what I know what I know,” with the Russell Wilson-Justin Fields move. A lot of Steelers veterans were upset that Tomlin went to Wilson, and it didn’t look good in the first half.
Tomlin is a guy who believes what he believes. More often than not, what he knows is correct. He proved that again Sunday with the way Wilson responded in the second half and the way the Steelers got after the Jets.
People in Pittsburgh are not happy with the lack of postseason success, but remember: The Mike Tomlin era as the Steelers’ head coach is shoved in between the greatest dynastic run in the history of football from 2000-2019 (the Patriots) and the next great dynasty (the Chiefs). You can’t dismiss that narrative when talking about the Steelers.
If Tomlin were a coach in any other era, we might be looking at him completely differently. Steelers fans want more than his two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win. I understand that. But understand what he’s dealing with and the things that he’s had to deal with throughout his entire career as a head coach.
Sunday’s decision wasn’t a move made by metric. It wasn’t a move made by analytics. It was a move made by his gut, and this is a guy who’s gut is usually right — and I love that about him.
Thursday is a big test for the Vikings
This is a big week for Minnesota.
Up until Week 7, the last nine teams to start a season 5-0 that were coming off a bye and playing at home were 9-0, with an average margin of victory of 20 points.
Of course, Minnesota faced a very good Lions team. But now the Vikings have a short week and have to play a Rams team that is feisty, for a lack of a better term.
This is a big game for Minnesota, let’s not sugarcoat it. You go 5-0, that’s great. Then you lose two in a row?
This is a gut-check test for Kevin O’Connell and the resurgent Sam Darnold. This is a bigger game for them than people realize.
Blame game continues in New York
Tell me how you’re 4-3 with Zach Wilson and Robert Saleh, but 2-5 with Aaron Rodgers, if Wilson and Saleh were the problem.
This is what happens when you give over ownership of an entire franchise to one player.
When Rodgers was asked how to “get everyone to keep the belief” in this team, he said “Stop listening to you guys, number one.” Just for once, be the lead and say, “I’ve got to be better.” He said it afterwards, but the first thing he wanted to do was take a shot. The first thing out of his mouth should have been, “Guys, I have to be better.”
We will never dispute Rodgers’ talent. That is beyond reproach, But being a quarterback is not just about being a talented thrower of the football. It’s also about being a leader.
We are seeing real questions through this exercise about his ability to lead. Is he being responsible? Is he elevating players? Or does he just want guys who do it his way?
Jerome Bettis once told me, “If everywhere you go, it smells like (crap), it might be you.”
People in New York have got to do a lot of soul-searching over this. They have handed over this franchise to Rodgers, and it isn’t working.
Super Bowl rematch was telling
The 49ers had to beat the Chiefs.
San Francisco has now lost five straight games to the Chiefs with Kyle Shannahan as the head coach and Patrick Mahomes as the starting quarterback. You had them at your place. You had them with no wide receivers.
The Chiefs weren’t fazed. They just ran it right at the 49ers.
And everyone’s talking about Mahomes’ eight interceptions and six touchdowns. There’s nothing wrong with Mahomes. He doesn’t care about any of that. The Chiefs care about winning. The Chiefs are built for this. They do not care about stats.
But with San Francisco, Shannahan was talking with Brock Purdy for five minutes at his locker Sunday. I’d like to know what that was about.
There are real concerns in San Francisco.
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