New Season, New Rules...

Mike Tomlin held a press conference yesterday. Talks with Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed are allegedly progressing well. Cool.

But that's not the big news. Oh no, the BIG news is that he didn't say "the reality of it," once.

Indeed, according to the "transcribed" press conference over at SteelCityInsider, not once did Big Mike utter the sweet nothing - "the reality of it." But, you know, it's a new year. Out with the old, in with the new...press conference diction. Apparently.

2007 was "the reality of." 2008 is "really." Which, uh, for now, is, uh, equally...funny? Let's just assume it is, because Tomlin managed to toss it out seven times in just a few minutes.

Now that's not terrible. One time I heard Domski use the word "shiteater" seven times in one SENTENCE. But the word "really," seven times, is I'd say, par for the course.

Ok, I can't keep this up any longer. You get the joke, right?

Anyways, Tomlin DID hold a press conference yesterday. He said (mainly) that Mendenhall and Sweed would be signed by Sunday, the Rooney Tunes saga could be a bit of a distraction during camp, and the most hotly contested battle in camp will be Hartwig vs. Mahan. Glad he cleared that last one up, because I thought it would be Max Starks vs. His Self-Esteem.

So since this was a pretty ho-hum press conference, I dreamed up a few things I would have laughed at if I had heard them. In no particular order, they are...

Q: Coach, have you been to a Pirates game recently?
A: The reality of it is that I don't watch soccer. And even if I did, that wouldn't change what we do in terms of preparing ourselves and getting ready for the upcoming season.

Q: Coach, what do you think about that guy who writes OFTOT?
A: The reality of it is that terrorism is everywhere. I mean there's probably terrorism somewhere in Oakland right now. But it doesn't change what we do in terms of our preparation and how we get ourselves ready for the season.

Q: Coach, what do you think about Browns fans chanting "Sup-er Bowl!"
A: The reality of it is that the season is 16 games, played September through January. They can chant "Tim Couch for President!" It doesn't change what we do in terms of how we come together and train for the 17 week season.

Q: Coach, who's going to be the 1st Steeler to do "Dancing with The Stars?"
A: Sean "Happy Feet" Mahan. Next question.

Q: Coach, what would change the way you prepare for the upcoming season?
A: The reality of it is that I don't think answering this question will change how we get ready for Week 1 or how we train between now and the beginning of September.

Anything you guys would've laughed at if you heard??? Do share.

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Mike Tomlin Press Conference [SteelCityInsider]
Tomlin Says Ownership Situation a Potential Distraction [Post-Gazette]
Tomlin says Sweed, Mendenhall talks going well [Trib]
Tomlin Holds Pre-Training Camp News Conference [KDKA]
Tomlin Says Mendenhall, Sweed Talks Going Well [WTAE]

"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?