Mike Tomlin defends player against negative media narrative: ‘Keep writing’

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has a way with words.

And during his postgame press conference following a hard-fought 18-16 win over their AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens, Tomlin wasn’t going to buy into any media-driven narratives.

Fielding a question about the status of right tackle Broderick Jones’ starting job after multiple holding penalties on Sunday, Tomlin clapped back with a classic Tomlinism.

“I am not worried about that,” Tomlin began. “You guys can write all you want. Broderick Jones is playing right tackle for us. He’s gonna continue to get better. He’s a top quality player in terms of his talent. He’s a young guy. He’s experiencing some on the job training. He and I will not blink. Keep writing.”

There’s an argument that Tomlin is one of the great orators of our time. In just twenty seconds Tomlin fully defended his player, dismantled what he sees as a media-driven narrative, and made sure there was absolutely no ambiguity about Jones’ status as a starter.

Oh, and he did it in a manner that was very memorable. Tomlin has quite the reputation for his diction. Twice this season he’s made headlines for the manner in which he speaks. During a halftime interview on Sunday Night Football earlier this year, Tomlin told NBC’s Melissa Stark that, “if we stop kicking our own butt we can start focusing on theirs,” which is a great spin on the “we’re beating ourselves” trope that coaches love to put out there.

And also, during his weekly media availability after a Week 2 win, Tomlin answered to why he gave quarterback Russell Wilson a game ball despite being sidelined with an injury by saying, “I can’t give you all the ingredients to the hot dog, you might not like it.” That quote has proven memorable enough to become a regular drop on The Rich Eisen Show.

But as for today’s game and second-year right tackle Broderick Jones, it seems that Tomlin’s way with words will accomplish exactly what he wants. It’s hard to imagine that any reporter would suggest that Jones’ starting job is in jeopardy after that answer.

Steelers reporters will have to “keep writing” about another story.

[X/@steelers]