The Standard is the Standard
If you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, you’re probably well aware of Coach Mike Tomlin’s quotes over the years. He has an interesting way of talking football. I think “the standard is the standard” is probably his most famous quote, and he still repeats it quite often. It means that he has a certain standard that is expected of the team, and that he holds the players accountable to uphold that standard. Here is a fictional interview with Coach Tomlin.
Rookies
Q: What do you make of Najee fumbling twice today?
Tomlin: We’re still squirrelling those nuts.
Translation: I’m still looking into it.
Q: How do you feel about Kendrick muffing a couple of snaps in practice?
Tomlin: I expect guys to make routine plays routinely.
Translation: There is nothing hard about snapping a football, so he shouldn’t be screwing it up.
Q: How about those jump balls Freiermuth attempted? He looked great even though he dropped the balls.
Tomlin: I don’t worry about the style points.
Translation: You can look great, but you need to catch the darn ball.
Q: What do you have to say about the new punter shanking five punts in a row today?
Tomlin: He’s had what I call junior varsity punts.
Translation: The punts were very poor and unacceptable.
Injuries
Q: How are you going to handle it if Ben gets hurt? Is Mason game-ready?
Tomlin: We don’t have backups, we have starters in waiting.
Translation: Every player is considered a starter, playing or not.
Q: What if T.J. Watt gets injured?
Tomlin: Next man up!
Translation: I don’t dwell on injuries. We expect the next player to perform at the same level.
Q: Do you feel like your backups can replace injured players successfully?
Tomlin: Anyone with a helmet is a playmaker for us.
Translation: Everybody contributes.
Trash Talk
Q: What are your thoughts about Vince Williams talking trash before the last game?
Tomlin: It’s not about what we say, it’s about what we do.
Translation: Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words.
Q: How about Juju getting hit and fumbling after putting down the other team before the game?
Tomlin: If you talk, you gotta walk.
Translation: You have to back up your trash talk with your play on the field.
Q: What say you about the sideline tantrums of Antonio Brown?
Tomlin: I’ll tolerate you until I can replace you.
Translation: If you’re a goon, you’ll eventually be replaced with a non-goon.
After a Win
Q: How do you feel about the win today? That was a complete effort.
Tomlin: We did the job today, we checked the boxes.
Translation: Everybody played well.
Q: What do you have to say about the defense? Three sacks and three interceptions.
Tomlin: That was varsity ball today. They stepped up and they stepped up big.
Translation: Everybody played well.
Q: Coming off three straight losses, this win must feel good.
Tomlin: Redemption Sunday!
Translation: The team redeemed itself after a bad stretch.
Q: How did you feel James Pierre did at cornerback today?
Tomlin: I thought his arrow was pointing up.
Translation: He played well and it looks like he will continue to play well.
After a Loss
Q: Cam Heyward had a tough day today. Do you think it caused the loss with all of those penalties?
Tomlin: It’s a one fail, all fail, proposition.
Translation: One person doesn’t fail. The entire team fails together.
Q: Ben is coming off two straight 500 yard days, but he was abysmal today. What happened?
Tomlin: It’s a fine line between drinking wine and and squashing grapes in this business.
Translation: You can be a hero one week and a goat the next.
Q: The team got outplayed, but fifteen penalties. Are they undiciplined?
Tomlin: We got our butts kicked and we kicked our butts too.
Translation: We lost, but we caused the loss with our own poor play.
Team Philosophy
Q: When Highsmith replaced Dupree today, he was amazing. Did you expect that?
Tomlin: What is adversity for some, is opportunity for others.
Translation: Highsmith seized his opportunity, while others might not.
Q: After losing five straight, are you worried about the Ravens next weekend?
Tomlin: We’re not going to live in our fears, we’re going to live in our hopes.
Translation: The team won’t worry about the Ravens. They’ll prepare for victory.
Q: Are you looking ahead to a playoff rematch against the Patriots?
Tomlin: We’re living in the here and now.
Translation: Our focus is on the next task at hand.
Q: How do you feel about the players saying that they lost because of the referees bad calls?
Tomlin: Excuses are tools of the incompetent.
Translation: Don’t make excuses because it makes you look bad.
Q: How do you feel about Claypool bragging about his big game on social media?
Tomlin: You can’t wear yourself out patting yourself on the back.
Translation: You shouldn’t brag. You should keep trying to improve. You don’t know what tomorrow brings.
Q: What are your thoughts after winning eleven games in a row?
Tomlin: It’s been popcorn.
Translation: It’s been very enjoyable.
