Don't believe what you hear about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the hot-button departures of Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell and several other former players calling the team out for its supposed preferential treatment of Ben Roethlisberger, cornerback Joe Haden insists ever-stoic coach Mike Tomlin is in total command of the Steelers' locker room.
“He has complete control of the team,” Haden said of Tomlin during a Thursday appearance on NFL Network.”You have two totally different situations with Le'Veon and with Antonio. It is what is. It's a business. You can't blame coach T for that.
“He's one of the best coaches I've ever played for,” he continued. “You can only ask for honesty. He keeps it real with you. He lets you know exactly where you stand. He lets you know exactly how he feels about you, if you're productive, if you're not. He treats everyone fairly, but I'm gonna say not everybody gets treated the same.”
Haden signed a three-year deal with Pittsburgh in August 2017, shortly after being released by the Cleveland Browns, with whom he spent the first seven years of his career and played for five head coaches. Obviously, the two-time Pro Bowler appreciates the stability provided by the Steelers, who enjoyed rare roster continuity before growing crossways with Brown and Bell, that he never had with his first NFL team.
It's also worth noting that Bell never had much of a problem with Tomlin. Even Brown considered his relationship with Pittsburgh's longtime head man more a part of his overall problem with the organization rather than the driving force behind it. Until the Steelers get back on the field, though, testimonials regarding their squad's tumultuous offseason from those currently wearing black and gold probably deserve a grain of salt.
Follow Us
Subscribe