May 20, 2008

"The Reality" Of Coach Mike Tomlin...


Now, I want to make this abundantly clear from the get go - I love Mike Tomlin. I think he's a great Coach and a great fit with the Steeler team he has in place.

But has anyone besides me noticed that his favorite catch phrase is "the reality"? Or "a reality." Or my personal favorite, "the reality of it." Not that there's anything wrong with that. But I went back over some of Tomlin's quotes from this past season, and "the reality of it" was that this man uses that phrase in press conferences about as often as the Redskins draft Wide Receivers.

And that's cool. I mean, that's cool. I'm just pointing it out.

So for kicks, below is a list of all the Tomlin quotables from his Week 11 press conference after the Jets debacle game in which he made full use of his ol' standby. And keep in mind, this was just ONE press conference. Someone should really make a highlight reel of all this...

  1. "But the reality is that if we are going to be a good football team we need to kick the ball away, we’ve got be able to run down, cover it and tackle people, on or inside the 20. That’s what good teams do."

  2. "The reality is that when you’re talking about Santonio (Holmes) and Troy (Polamalu), it’s going to require multiple people to step up and fill the roles that they provide for us."

  3. "Most of the time, the most physical team has a chance to win. That is not a reality we shy away from."

  4. "That is the reality of this business and that is why you step into stadiums prepared to play these games and plan to the best of your ability."

  5. "We work together as a football team. We do what we need to do to win. The reality is that both elements let us down and that is probably why we lost. If we had one or the other we probably would have had a chance to win, but the reality is that we didn’t."

  6. "Very rarely do plays unfold the way you diagram them. That is the reality of it."

  7. "As a coach, your level of expectation is that they are wired and ready to play on a weekly basis. That is what this business is about. The reality is that sometimes that is not the case and their play is usually an indication of that."

  8. "Every team in this league is a dangerous football team. This is the ultimate parity league and that is the reality of it."

  9. "You have to walk in and be ready to show and prove on a week in and week out basis. That is the reality of this league."
So what do you guys think about "the reality" of Mike Tomlin? Are you Tomlin fans, like me? If Tomlin really were chosen for a reality show, which one do you think it would be?

I'm thinking "I Love New York 3," myself...Hair or weave?

9 comments:

domski43 said...

The reality is that Tomlin would be best suited for The Apprentice w/ Donald Trump.

Tomlin keeps it real, yo!

Why did you have to bring up the Jets game from last year? That was the biggest waste of my time and money. There is nothing like walking into a stadium almost 100% sure you are going to win and watching Thomas Jones and the Jets' defense/special teams tear the Steelers apart.

Cotter, I cant wait for Tomlin's next press conference, thanks for bringing this repeated phrase to light.

Anonymous said...

I never noticed him saying that. I've only noticed that he says "It is what is is" quite often.

Cotter said...

Domski ~ If it makes you feel any better I was crying while writing this in remembrance of that awful day.

Christy ~ Yep, I've heard that one a few times. The man is a quote machine.

Anonymous said...

I've heard him say it too, but i haven't heard enough of his live talks to get any sense of how often he uses the term.

He definitely tends to the terminology of the "realist" though; always saying things along the lines of "...the truth..", "..reality...", "..facts...".

It seems to be in vogue bnow in the NFL to pretend to be super-pragmatic. Nobody gives much of his opinion anymore. I kinda miss the good old "...and I think..."'s....

We all know i give my opinion around here plenty :-)

Anonymous said...

And- Tomlin got handed a good team last year. I'm curious to see what comes of this season, with his hand much more in the stew....

Maybe he'll be forced to say something more substantial than the status quo tuff-talk?

The Chief said...

I was absent for a little while, Cotter... but I'm back!!!

I like how you really have gone as in-depth as you have! Nice research, dude!

The reality of it is he says the reality of it so many times you forget the reality of it!

Still A. Fan said...

in reality, it's not nice to point that out

Anonymous said...

Dude - you really need to start posting your blogs over at:

http://stillers-forums.com/forums/index.php


Excellent hardcore Stiller fan base over there ..... They would love your stuff

Anonymous said...

I'm a Cowboys fan and live in Dallas area. I got on this site to see what a real head coach has to say. Some of you Steelers fans are complaining about Tomlin... Are you kidding me. You should read Wade Phillips quotes. Worse, you should watch his team play. Not tough and smart like your Steelers, who just happen to be the best team in the NFL. You a great coach.. be happy about that. You can send him our way if you don't want him. Just like all the talk radio in Dallas complaining about Tony Romo. Now they are saying it is the end of the world since we lost him last night. Don't know what you have til its gone.