If you saw the first episode of Hard Knocks: Season with the AFC North, you might have noticed that Mike Tomlin stole the show. In a Tuesday press conference, we got a behind-the-scenes peek at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, who used more than a few ‘Tomlinisms’.
Episode 1 was recorded last week as the AFC North prepared for Week 13 games. Obviously, we knew how the Steelers’ divisional road game against the Bengals would go (Pittsburgh won 44-38 in a shootout). However, we did not get an inside peek at the week’s preparations.
Episode 1 was recorded last week as the AFC North prepared for Week 13 games. Obviously, we knew how the Steelers’ divisional road game against the Bengals would go (Pittsburgh won 44-38 in a shootout). However, we did not get an inside peek at the week’s preparations.
Brown, at 6’8” and 345 pounds with 35” arms, dwarfs Nick Herbig, who is 6’2” and weighs 240 pounds. This resulted in a genuine David vs Goliath showdown in Week 13. But Tomlin was certain that Herbig could defeat the four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman. “Herbig, we’ve got Orlando Brown this week, so let’s work,” Tomlin said Nick Herbig at a defensive team meeting. The next day, Tomlin had the opportunity to talk with Herbig alone during practice. “You and Zeus,” Tomlin stated. “Do you know what I mean? Alex had three and a half to four sacks on [Jonah Williams] in two football games. They needed to go shopping. That’s why Zeus is present. “You’ve got to kill Zeus one-on-one, man.”
Herbig went on to record a game-ending strip-sack after knocking Brown over the edge. Linebacker Payton Wilson collected the forced fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Herbig’s fast pass-rush successes versus Brown earned him a 91.9 PFF grade, the highest of any player in the game.
Hard Knocks provided the ideal glimpse at the Steelers’ pre-game preparation.
The season’s first edition of Hard Knocks featuring the AFC North was entertaining. We were given an inside look at what a Mike Tomlin pep talk looks like and how calling out a guy in front of the entire team resulted to a tremendous performance. Hard Knocks also took us to various positional group meetings and showed us what it’s like for Tomlin and his team to study video in preparation for the next game. Additionally, Episode 1 provided insight into the preparations of AFC North adversaries.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told his squad before the game that it couldn’t get any better than beating the Steelers in Cincinnati, but that didn’t happen in Week 13. Maybe next season, Bengals.
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