Mike Tomlin admits to mistake after Steelers defeat the Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have emerged victorious against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but head coach Mike Tomlin still took full responsibility for one particular play in the 15-10 victory.

It wasn’t a pretty win for the Steelers, but they still got the job done behind a 22-for-34, 266-yard, one-touchdown day by Ben Roethlisberger, while Najee Harris also ran for 91 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Tomlin’s defense also limited Baker Mayfield, as the Browns star quarterback had 20 completions on 31 attempts, good for 225 passing yards but was unable to find the end zone.

However, Tomlin proceeded to shoulder the blame on one particular play towards the end of the first half. With 1:45 left in the second quarter, the Steelers — on fourth-and-9 in the redzone — lined up for a field goal attempt, but kicker Chris Boswell received a direct snap and looked to pass. The fake field goal attempt, which ended in an incomplete pass, saw Boswell take a vicious hit and get shaken up.

“Everybody played a selfless game,” Tomlin said after the win. “They put the collective in front of personal agendas, and we fought, and that’s the only way you get out of those environments. Particularly, with some of the adversity we faced today, some of which was created by us; some of which was created by me. The fake field goal was a bad call because we poorly executed it, so I take responsibility for that. I appreciate the guys backing my play and fighting for 60 minutes of delivery and making it a sidenote.”

Tomlin shoots down USC rumors

Tomlin, the Steelers head coach, was one of the many high-profile names recently linked to the USC coaching vacancy, as the Trojans fired Clay Helton after Week 2 of the 2021 season.

However, last Tuesday, Tomlin made a point to vehemently deny those rumors, suggesting that under almost no circumstance would he leave the Steelers and accept a job at USC.

“I don’t have time for that speculation,” Tomlin said emphatically. That’s a joke to me. I’ve got of one of the best jobs in all of professional sports. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football?”

Tomlin has never been a head coach at the collegiate level, and he last coached college football at Cincinnati, serving as the Bearcats’ defensive backs coach in 1999 and 2000. However, he moved to the NFL shortly thereafter, and he’s been the Steelers head coach since 2007, where he’s since won a Super Bowl and became the youngest NFL head coach to ever accomplish that feat.

“Never say never, but never,” Tomlin added. “There’s not a booster with a big enough blank check.”