U mad, bro?: Some readers are mad about Mike Tomlin’s contract extension; others are angry at criticism of it
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Thursday will feature Penguins/Capitals and Round 1 of the NFL Draft.
So we’re posting “U mad, bro?” a day early.
Also, coming off a vacation week when Mike Tomlin got a contract extension on the heels of another late-season collapse, we’ve got … hmm … a few comments stored up.
To say the least.
A guy named “Colonel Slade” tweeted me about Mike Tomlin’s contract extension.
Are we to be satisfied with a winning record in the regular season, and turn a blind eye to the failure of the post season. Aren't Championships the goal for all Sports franchises, if so 3 post season wins in 10 years is "below the line" and definitely warrants scrutiny.
— Colonel_slade (@slade_colonel) April 22, 2021
In the words Col. Frank Slade himself, “Hoo-ahh!”
Frank, I’d say based on the last four seasons of December collapses without a playoff victory? Yes. It appears that’s exactly what we are supposed to do.
As the original Col. Slade asked, “What is your motto here?!”
See, I always thought that — at Heinz Field — it was, “The standard is the standard.” And the standards you speak of, are slipping.
Ken also reached out to me about the Tomlin extension. He’s on the other end of the spectrum.
I get both sides, but I think what should be considered is do you want to always be in contention with a winning record and a CHANCE to win in the playoffs, or do you want to risk hiring a new head coach and have a bunch of sub .500 seasons?
— Ken (@kennyo66) April 20, 2021
Or do you want to take a chance on hiring the next Tomlin, Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll?
This argument always baffles me. Why do so many Steelers fans always assume the next coach is going to stink when the franchise’s greatest strength over the last 50 years has been hiring good head coaches?
Does Tomlin have the job for life, just because Art Rooney II should be afraid of having to replace him?
Trust me, if things keep going in the direction they have down the stretch of the last four seasons, that task isn’t going to seem so difficult.
David also chimes in on Tomlin’s new contract.
I didn't hear him once complain about the situation of the covid rescheduling and Ben getting hurt costing them any games when everyone knows they were big contributors. Not to make excuses, but the last 2 seasons were pretty crazy
— David Hadley (@DJHads) April 20, 2021
That’s the exact definition of making excuses. If they got to 8-5 without Ben Roethlisberger in 2019, then they should’ve beaten the New York Jets or Baltimore’s backups.
If they got to 11-0, they should’ve beaten the Browns once over the last two weeks and/or Washington and/or Cincinnati.
But that is me saying it… not Tomlin. You want to replace Tomlin, who you got? Who is on the short list?
— David Hadley (@DJHads) April 20, 2021
You know Tomlin wasn’t on the “shortlist” when he got hired in 2007, right? The shortlist was Ken Whisenhunt, Russ Grimm and Ron Rivera.
Then Tomlin emerged through the interview process. Come to think of it, the shortlist in 1969 before Noll came on board was Joe Paterno. That’s it!
Any shortlist for next year, before this year’s draft, isn’t so meaningful.
This Twitter follower is already playing the “I told you so” game about the Steelers.
In April.
They are kinda filling those “holes” you were melting down about 3 weeks ago. Throw in the draft and by God they may actually field a football team this fall. It was mid March everyone was losing it, and in one month much has changed.
— Dave (@PTDukie33) April 15, 2021
No, actually, with all those guys coming back, it’s staying very much the same.
And you do know that team finished 1-5 down the stretch, right?
“Matchbox Gimlet” replied to Tuesday’s post about Kevin Colbert’s comments regarding the prospect of drafting a running back in the first round.
Do you really think he's giving anything away in a public presser?
— matchbox (@matchboxgimlet) April 27, 2021
Did you read the column or just the headline? Because that’s literally the first thing I alluded to in the story.
And is Colbert “giving away” strategy? I thought he was just making a point.
I think people get way too hung up on the perceived “espionage” part of this whole pre-draft process.
We wrap up with Tom, who is a big fan of my work. He particularly seemed to enjoy this recent Steelers column.
“I get your Schlick. Write outrageous stuff and maybe people will read. It’s job security.”
I suppose we have different definitions of outrageous, Tommy Boy. I’d love to hear yours. I bet it would go something like this:
outrageous: (adjective) 1. Anything Tom disagrees with
2. Anything the deviates from a safe, commonly held opinion that is team-friendly toward the sports franchises Tom supports
3. Anything that actually makes Tom think
That close? I bet that’s close.
Oh, and by the way, it’s “shtick” not “Schlick.”
As in, “This ‘U mad, bro?’ column is a shtick I post every week to fire back at internet trolls when they come at me with overly aggressive attitu… um, I mean … to give a voice to the reader.”
Whereas, I’m guessing, “Schlick” can be used in the following way.
“You thought this email was pretty ‘Schlick,’ didn’t you?”
You were wrong.
Now, was that “outrageous”?