Mike Tomlin is in his first year away from the sideline and on TV screens, but he is already making his presence felt.
After 19 years in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin resigned at the end of last season and was quickly snapped up by NBC Sports to join the cast of ‘Football Night in America’.
And in the very first week of the new season, he took a savage jab at one of his old AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns, after they lost heavily to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
‘In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, ‘the Browns is the Browns,” Tomlin said.
Those words clearly struck a chord in the Browns locker room. And after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 in Week 2, head coach Todd Monken aimed a foul-mouthed shot back at Tomlin.
‘Browns are gonna Browns – f— that, OK?’ Monken said after the game. ‘The guys took that to heart.’
Todd Monken took a shot back at Mike Tomlin after his comments on the Cleveland Browns
Tomlin responded to Monken’s comments live on air on NBC’s ‘Football Night in America’
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson backed his coach as he added: ‘Monk said what he said. That’s how we all feel.’
Those comments were immediately put back to Tomlin, and he seemed to take no issue with the offense he had caused as he laughed off Monken’s response.
‘I’m glad that I can still motivate although I’m not coaching anymore,’ Tomlin said. ‘It’s good to be heard. … You’re welcome. You’re welcome.’
While Monken is in his first year as Browns head coach, he spent the last three years coaching another of Pittsburgh’s fierce AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, as offensive coordinator.
Tomlin spoke to NBC back in April about the decision to move into a new chapter in broadcasting after deciding to step down from his Steelers role.
He explained: ‘I just thought it’d be a great way to stay connected to the game and the awesome people in it, players, coaches, executives, and excited about doing that on Sunday night and traveling to different venues and getting that feel for the environment.
‘And lastly, I just thought it’d be awesome to share insight with fellow football lovers. I love to talk football. And so that’s just an exciting component for me.
‘I got to admit, though, there’s going to be some anxiety about stepping into a new space, but good anxiety. It’s good to be uncomfortable, the growth associated with that. And so man, I’m fired up about it.’
But he has insisted he will not rule out a return to coaching if the circumstances are right.
Deshaun Watson led the Cleveland Browns to a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2
Tomlin is enjoying life in his new role after stepping aside as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach
Speaking during his NBC debut, he said: ‘It’s certainly not a 32-team league for me, but I’ve also learned to never say never.
‘I love to coach. I love all the challenges of the profession. I love to be a part of growth and development of young people individually.
‘I love the measurement of the seven-day cycle, but also have enjoyed, man, the last six months life on this other side that I had no idea about.’
