HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ is one of the more well-known shows regarding the NFL. This year, the program expanded to the AFC North. Starting in Week 13, each team in the division was featured in the weekly episode. With all teams in the division now eliminated from the playoffs, the series came to a close this week. During Tuesday’s episode, Mike Tomlin is featured. He gave a speech to his team after their loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card round.
The scene began with Tomlin putting a message on the screens at the front of the room. The message reads ‘I don’t have the words…’.
“I’m not gonna pretend to have words for what we’re doing right now,” Tomlin said. “I don’t. I never, ever prepare for failure, to be quite honest with you, it’s a waste of time, I know it hurts. It hurts for me, I assume it hurts for you,” Tomlin says, addressing his team.
It’s far from a positive scene, but it represents how the last month of the season went for the Steelers. As Tomlin talks, the cameras pan around the room, showing the silent and solemn faces on the players. However, Tomlin tried to send an uplifting message as well.
“I can’t hurt too long, ’cause then it jeopardizes what lies ahead,” Tomlin said. “So as a leader, you got that commitment from me. I love what I do, I love who I do it with, and I love where I do it. I’m a competitor. That’s who I am, I’m comfortable with that.”
As soon as the Steelers were eliminated, speculation regarding Tomlin’s future with the franchise started to fly. His job in Pittsburgh was never in doubt, but that hasn’t stopped Steelers fans from questioning whether having another person in charge might be better. Tomlin’s committed to Pittsburgh though, and he reiterated his committment to his players in this speech.
The scene ends with a clip of the sun setting over the city of Pittsburgh, reminiscent of the way the sun set on the Steelers season. Pressure is only building, with Pittsburgh still searching for their first playoff win in nearly a decade.
Tomlin understands that pressure well, and he’s not running away from it.
“I love this game, I love this business at this level,” Tomlin said. “It’s what I do… I need this. It ain’t always good, but it’s me. I absolutely love it, even when it’s miserable.”
Tomlin doesn’t seem like a person that would ever feel anything but love towards the game of football. Unfortunately, Steelers fans don’t have much love for how the franchise has performed over the last decade. Tomlin will hope to change that tune, and the final episode of Hard Knocks helped show how much it means to him.
