Sunday morning, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports turned heads when he reported that the Washington Redskins are willing to send draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for head coach Mike Tomlin. As it turns out, this rumor has been circulating all week, which caused reporters to ask the head coach about his feelings on the matter.
During a press conference, Tomlin responded to the rumors about this potential change in head coaching location by saying that he’s not actually worried about it right now. There are far more important things for him to focus on, such as playing the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.
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“I’m not too worried about it, to be honest with you,” Tomlin said to reporters. “You’re actually the first person to mention it to me in a public setting.
Redskins blowing up your phone Mike?
Mike Tomlin: Of course, but All Money Ain’t Good Money, feel me? pic.twitter.com/T4E6xH4TVG
— Daniel Dudley (@DDisBORED) October 8, 2019
“Guys, I’m the head coach of a 1-4 football team that’s going on the road to play a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback with my third quarterback,” Tomlin continued. “You think I’m worried about anything this week other than that?”
To Tomlin’s point, his week six will be defined by a matchup with quarterback Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers in primetime. The commentary duo of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will be watching these two teams face off on Sunday night on NBC, along with the rest of the nation.
Without starter Ben Roethlisberger in the lineup due to an elbow injury, the Steelers were originally going to move forward with backup Mason Rudolph, but he was knocked out of last Sunday’s game after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas.
The Steelers will now be putting their trust in the arm of undrafted rookie Devlin “Duck” Hodges. The national duck-calling champion will make his first career start after nearly leading a comeback against the Ravens. The 2-3 Chargers may not look competitive on paper after falling to third place in the NFC West, but this is a team that went 12-4 and reached the playoffs in 2018 with essentially the same roster.
Considering that Duck will be facing off against a defensive line featuring Joey Bosa, as well as a secondary with cornerback Casey Hayward, it’s not a surprise that Tomlin has no time to worry about his future. He has to focus on getting Hodges ready to perform in primetime. Trade rumors can take place after the game is over.
