One day after leading his team to a 23-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Mike Tomlin wasn’t done beating up on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ AFC North rival.
Taking the podium for his Monday media availability, Tomlin discussed the Steelers’ upcoming matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. And when it came to the Bengals’ new starting quarterback, the Super Bowl-winning head coach admitted he was stunned to see Joe Flacco find his way to Cincinnati.
“To be honest, it was shocking to me,” Tomlin told reporters of Cleveland’s decision to trade its Week 1 starting quarterback to another AFC North team. “[Browns general manager] Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us, because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening starter to a divisional opponent that’s hurting in that area. But that’s just my personal feelings.”
Well then.
Obviously, there are several factors at play here, not the least of which is likely Tomlin expressing frustration that he now has to face a much more capable Bengals quarterback than he otherwise would have. It’s also worth noting that the Steelers head coach went out of his way to place the blame for the trade on Berry, perhaps suggesting some sort of solidarity with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who has come under fire following Cleveland’s 1-5 start to the season.
Meanwhile, many Browns fans — and Berry — would likely argue that the circumstances of the trade aren’t cut and dry as Tomlin made them out to be. Ultimately, Cleveland benched the 40-year-old Flacco due to his ineffective play and is now focusing on a youth movement with a quarterback room that currently consists of rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
But regardless of the reasoning behind Tomlin’s mini-rant, it’s not often you see an NFL head coach call out another team’s general manager by name over a specific transaction. In fact, it’s almost as rare as a team trading its Week 1 starting quarterback to a division opponent.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.