Bound and Gagged: Tomlin Giving Into NFL, Tells Steelers To Stay Mum

[Boomer]

I would think that he's telling players to keep quite to the outside media folks, but you gotta think that when it's just the players and coaches in the locker room, they are mad as hell and are letting it show. We'll know Monday night if they are mad and take it out on SF or if they have given in to roger the retard and just roll over and quit.

[Bayz101]

Originally Posted by Boomer

I would think that he's telling players to keep quite to the outside media folks, but you gotta think that when it's just the players and coaches in the locker room, they are mad as hell and are letting it show. We'll know Monday night if they are mad and take it out on SF or if they have given in to roger the retard and just roll over and quit.

He wants them to do their talking on the gridiron. The Steelers have never been a media franchise, and they've never needed to be. We've always came from under the radar. Brady and his Patriots get the airtime, and we win number 5&6. Now it's the Packers added to the mix with the perfect Rodgers. Time to come from under the radar and stomp on the competition!

[skip]

Originally Posted by SCMom

Listen, if they're really that pissed off about this, maybe they should stage a coup, or at the very least quit their jobs, or resign from the NFL. Start your own league...others have done it before, with great success.

Tomlins only mistake (IMO) was not telling his players to keep their damn mouths shut to the media earlier. There's no need for it anyway. You can be pissed off about something and not have to air it out to the media, you know. You'll still be as pissed off, but you won't have to deal with the attention (unless you want it). Simply put, don't spout off about something unless you're prepared to take action against it...and I'm going to go ahead and assume that the players in todays high paid NFL system aren't going to risk their paychecks to find a newer and crappier job.

If you're not going to quit the league though, or start your own league, just shut up and play. All the rest is just media fodder.

Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. Voicing individual opinions to the media on this issue is not an effective strategy for change. The corporate media are going to spin everything to serve their own interests anyway. And if they can't do that, they just won't print it. They only print what's consistent with the interests of owners and elites, because they're pretty much the same people.

The only real bargaining power that players have is through their union. But, as you mentioned, there is a serious lack of solidarity among its members. There are various reasons for this, mainly the enormous disparity in salaries across the league. Getting the union to organize around an ostensibly narrow issue like penalty fines & suspensions is not going to happen unless the players understand what's really at stake. There are broader implications to consider. As a fan on another message board pointed out, imposing huge fines disproportionately protects certain players while hurting others. When you single out for punishment individuals who are only doing their jobs, it has the effect of further weakening solidarity among players and puts the owners in a position to impose further constraints.

That said, fans are right to demand that players step up and speak out against these fines/suspensions, which are highly disruptive. The fans are the players' strongest advocates. If players are serious about opposing these hit restrictions, then the union needs to stand together and make some demands. That's the only way they can raise the costs high enough for the owners to win a compromise. They owe at least that much to the fans.

[wera176]

I agree with SCMom, Boomer and others. Tomlin is handling this 100% correct. There is NOTHING to be gained by the players or Tomlin whining to the media. Most of them have voiced support of their team mate in public, enough said. Fact is that it is hard to argue it in the current climate. Regardless if any of us or them agree with the suspension, James did NOT need to hit him in the head, it WAS an illegal hit, and James knew it. He's STILL my favorite Defensive player and even I'm ticked at him. I hate that he is missing a game, but he brought it on himself. As soon as he hit McCoy, I started to scream at him on the TV. If that was Suggs or Lewis hitting Ben the same way we'd all be scream for blood and probably ticked it was only 1 game. I know I would be....

It's what goes on behind the locker room doors that really matters anyhow. He has their support, and that's whats important.

[Whodis]

Insinuating that Harrison isn't playing within the rules is far from "supportive". It seem as if most players on defense disagree with the punishment and how it's levied. I wonder if Tomlin has the locker room?

If it were Suggs or Lewis? Hasn't it already happen? It's obvious that the Steelers are held to a different set of rules. There is no rhyme or reason to the way punishment is handed down. I believe that is the point.

[Curtain_of_Steel]

Another of my favorite threads... lol

Tomlin needs to practice what he preaches. If he doesn;t want his players talking, than he should heed his own advice. Equally do not toss your player under the bus like he did with Harrison.

[4xSBChamps]

Originally Posted by Bayz101

We've always came from under the radar. Brady and his Patriots get the airtime, and we win number 5&6. Now it's the Packers added to the mix with the perfect Rodgers. Time to come from under the radar and stomp on the competition!

a perfect ending to this season would be the Steelers throttling the Packers in SB46, with Harrison drawing 6 holding-calls, making a dozen unpenalized tackles, a pair of clean sacks that cause Rogers to leave the game with minor injuries, another game-changing interception return for the game-winning TD, and earning the MVP award:
upon getting onto the stage with Ms. Goodell, he should smile, take the microphone, tell her to 'stick that silver football up your azz ~ I'm retiring, beeyotch!!!', and walk-away from the game

[Dodens Grav]

Tomlin did not throw anybody under the bus. The insinuations in this thread are absurd. Does anybody seriously doubt whether or not Tomlin "has the locker room"? The same person that came in second in a poll of players about who they would want to play for? Of course Tomlin has the locker room, he's one of the most respected coaches in the league. Every time a player false starts or holds or does anything that gets a flag, he's "playing illegally", and that's a factual statement. Acknowledging after one of your players gets suspended that the hit he got suspended for was against the rules is by no means throwing him under the bus. It would be completely idiotic for a head coach to deny it. And it would be pointless to act like nothing ever happened in your press conference as if questions are not going to be asked about it, Do you really think it would be beneficial for the team if it appeared to the league that the team's head coach doesn't understand the rules and that he's fine with his players giving people concussions? Do you want that kind of attention and scrutiny from the league? Tomlin said that Kemo was playing illegally and that if he doesn't stop he won't get another chance to play too, but I don't hear anybody whining about Tomlin throwing HIM under the bus. Is it because the fans have already done so to such an extent that his body was rent asunder by the tires already?

[Steelerindc]

I hate the rules and the way the rules are applied as much as any of you but clearly the NFL is not a democracy. There really is no way to keep the commissioner in check or veto a ruling.

So to keep wafting to the rafters doesn't benefit them at all. Just keep playing ball and win.....win again and again.

That's the only way the Steelers get justice.

[FanSince72]

Originally Posted by 4xSBChamps

a perfect ending to this season would be the Steelers throttling the Packers in SB46, with Harrison drawing 6 holding-calls, making a dozen unpenalized tackles, a pair of clean sacks that cause Rogers to leave the game with minor injuries, another game-changing interception return for the game-winning TD, and earning the MVP award:
upon getting onto the stage with Ms. Goodell, he should smile, take the microphone, tell her to 'stick that silver football up your azz ~ I'm retiring, beeyotch!!!', and walk-away from the game

That works for me!

Except I could think of having him add at least a paragraph of something far more colorful than just "beeyotch".

And of course the image of Goodell hobbling around with a Lombardi trophy sticking out of his back door would be priceless!