Ryan Clark caught the attention of the NFL world on Friday when he gave his two cents on whether Mike Tomlin should stick around with the reeling Pittsburgh Steelers beyond this season.
Clark, who played under Tomlin’s tutelage for several years with the Steelers, made waves after saying Tomlin should leave the organization.
Ryan Clark Says Mike Tomlin Should Move On
Making an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” a morning sports talk show regularly hosted by Mike Greenberg, Clark began a segment by stating that he feels Tomlin should move on from coaching the franchise he has led since 2006.
“Coach Tomlin should now move on from Pittsburgh,” Clark said. “Everyone should line up to hire him because the fricking man knows how to do it, but he shouldn’t do it there anymore.”
Clark played for Tomlin from that first year in 2006 up to the 2013 season, making one Pro Bowl appearance in the process. He purportedly built up a strong relationship with Tomlin through those years that has persisted to this day, something Greenberg highlighted before Clark went deeper into his reasons why Tomlin should leave Pittsburgh.
“I think he got settled into that, ‘If I let these dudes be who they are, if I let these dudes just play, if I put them in the best position to get to Sunday and treat them a certain way, they’re going to reward me,'” Clark said. “These dudes ain’t rewarding him. These dudes are taking advantage of him.”
Clark’s point about Tomlin’s hands-off style of coaching coming back to bite him comes on the heels of a controversy involving Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. The video clip shows Pickens letting off a block, which led to running back Jaylen Warren being tackled short of the goal line.
Criticism quickly came for Pickens’ actions, though he attempted to justify his actions by saying he was avoiding a potential risk of injury.
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“I didn’t want to get injured,” Pickens told reporters. “When you stay in and block somebody, you can get run on very easily.”
It’s just the latest controversy that has emerged in Pittsburgh’s wide receivers room that has seen the likes of Antonio Brown and Chase Claypool become apparent issues for the team.
Clark’s implication seems to be that Tomlin’s hands-off style has been taken advantage of by these players and is ultimately costing the team games as a result.
The Steelers currently sit at 7-7 after taking three straight losses to the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts over the last three seasons. Arizona and New England are a combined 6-22 on the season (3-11 each) and both represent embarrassing losses for a team that looked well-positioned to make the playoffs before its recent skid, though it is still certainly in the running.
Time will tell whether Pittsburgh ultimately faces its first-ever losing season under Tomlin this year, along with whether he and the franchise remain together moving forward.
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