The other 12th Man

December 6, 2013

I am of course eager to blog about Monday's glorious decanonization of the Saints and Sunday's showdown in San Fran, but I have to get something else off my chest, first.

Mike Tomlin is a cheater. I don't normally blog on non-Seahawk matters, but it's sickening how many NFL coaches, players and analysts are claiming that the Steelers head coach made an innocent mistake on Thanksgiving when he trespassed on the playing field and impeded the progress of Ravens returner Jacoby Jones.

If you watch the entire play from the end zone view behind Jones, you can see that Tomlin started the play off the field on the sidelines behind the white buffer reserved for the officials, with his back to the play, watching the action on the stadium JumboTron. After Baltimore's return team set up its blocks and opened a clear path for Jones up the Steelers' sideline, Tomlin crossed the white strip and planted a foot on the field of play, thus becoming Pittsburgh's literal 12th Man, the only Steeler on the field between the returner and the end zone. Jones veered slightly to avoid the coach, which helped one of Pittsburgh's legal players to overtake and tackle him. Tomlin's illegal act robbed the Ravens of yards and possibly points. (The drive ended with a Baltimore field goal.)

Throughout the action, Tomlin kept his back to the play and his eyes on the big screen to disguise his cheating as an innocent error.

This is preposterous. JumboTrons are HUGE and are mounted high. Nothing impeded Tomlin's view of the screen from his starting position. Thus, there was no need for him to move onto the field, except to cheat. Like any highly capable coach, Tomlin is totally focused and in his element on the sideline. At all times, he knows exactly where he is and what he's doing during games. He cheated. On purpose. We need to dispense with disingenuous politeness and frankly acknowledge the problem of cheating in sports.

Sports should be where adults and kids learn to compete within the rules, not a place where cheating is modeled and taught and rewarded.