More insight into the Tomlin culture - Spillane

[CoolShades]

Robert Spillane spoke out recently about how his time with the Steelers came to an end.

Thought you all might find this interesting.

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Former Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane did not paint a pretty picture of how he left the franchise for Las Vegas following the 2022 campaign.

In the spring of 2023, Spillane signed a two-year, $7 million contract to play in Vegas.

“Before I went into free agency, they told me, ‘Go out, test the market, see what you get. We’re going to offer whatever they give you. We want to make you a Steeler. We love you,’” Spillane said on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast. “I call them, ‘I got an offer from the Raiders. I want to come back. What’s the deal?’ They were like, ‘Good luck, have fun.’”

Spillane was bothered about how things transpired leaving Pittsburgh.

“They didn’t (want me back),” Spillane said. “It hurts to say that. It hurts to feel like that because you felt like you made all these great connections. You felt like you poured your heart on the line. You felt like you did everything to be a good team player. But at the end of the day, this is a business. They don’t always want you back.”

Now a New England Patriot, Spillane claims that experience added to the “chip on his shoulder,” but he appreciates the Raiders having faith in him.

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I really hope when the Tomlin book is closed, the former players who bit their tongues will finally open up and tell the world how over-rated and dysfunctional Tomlin really was. You know there are more players out there who want to criticize Saint Mike but feel they can’t. And I hope the dirt comes out before he gets eligible for the HOF.

The bloom has come off the rose in the last 5 years or so. More and more players have wanted to leave and have criticized him, either directly or indirectly. Harris and Pickens are two that immediately come to mind. I don’t think Minkah was too happy either.

He’s a fraud and a liar, and he’s destroyed the Steelers organization and the culture from the inside out.

[Deebo]

While I'm all aboard the Tomlin hate train, this seems more like a Front Office thing vs a Tomlin decision.

I was hoping he'd talk more about how he didn't learn shit here or that Tomlin didn't know what the fuck he was doing.

[.Kodiak]

While I'm all aboard the Tomlin hate train, this seems more like a Front Office thing vs a Tomlin decision.

I was hoping he'd talk more about how he didn't learn shit here or that Tomlin didn't know what the fuck he was doing.

Yeah, kind of the opposite of what the OP intended. Spillane wanted to come back. Can't see how that's a shot at Tomlin.

[CoolShades]

While I'm all aboard the Tomlin hate train, this seems more like a Front Office thing vs a Tomlin decision.

I was hoping he'd talk more about how he didn't learn shit here or that Tomlin didn't know what the fuck he was doing.

Tomlin would tell Khan if he wanted him back though, right?

I don’t see these decisions made in a vacuum, without Tomlin’s input, but maybe they do.

I have a feeling that most current players won’t directly criticize Tomlin because he has a very high profile and it gets the player nothing in the short term. Few teams want a disgruntled player who will criticize their coach. Harris and Pickens both came very close to criticizing Tomlin directly. So did Pickett. But they nip at the edges. James Harrison blasted Tomlin, especially when he want to NE and saw how their org. was run. But he was retired when he did that.

Let’s see what comes out when Tomlin is gone.

[CoolShades]

While I'm all aboard the Tomlin hate train, this seems more like a Front Office thing vs a Tomlin decision.

I was hoping he'd talk more about how he didn't learn shit here or that Tomlin didn't know what the fuck he was doing.

Yeah, kind of the opposite of what the OP intended. Spillane wanted to come back. Can't see how that's a shot at Tomlin.

I just think it’s another example of a Steeler player feeling like he was lied to, and I think it reflects poorly on the culture of the Steelers.

Spillane clearly wanted to come back. If the Steelers made him an offer, he may have not even tested FA. Who knows? But he thought he was going to get an offer from them to stay. At the minimum, he thought the Steelers would match any offer.

The “we love you, we want you to be a Steeler” seems like an odd thing to say. I’ll bet they didn’t say that to Najee.

If the thought is Tomlin had nothing to do with this, I would disagree. But maybe I’m wrong. I am of the opinion that Tomlin has a heavy hand in roster construction and if he wanted Spillane back, he would have been back.

[langer]

Let’s see what comes out when Tomlin is gone.

He will never be gone. Ever.

He will be in a casket and wheeled out on Sundays.

[K_C_]

Yeah, I doubt this is a Tomlin thing and it's telling Spillane, who played damn good football for the Raiders, is now in New England.

Why didn't the Raiders wrap him up? They preferred taking Elandon Roberts from the Steelers, who I believe will be sorely missed in Pittsburgh.

That fucking dude just loved to hit people, hard as fuck. Damn near won the Dallas game last year at the goal line by himself by causing that fumble that rolled right back to Dak.

[.Kodiak]

Spillane clearly wanted to come back. If the Steelers made him an offer, he may have not even tested FA. Who knows?

I think the simple answer is the offer was more than they were willing to match. What did you expect them to say? "Sure, we'll match any lowball offer you get"

[CKSteeler]

Spillane should be pissed that they continued to trot Devin Bush out there in front of him and that some segment of the fanbase clapped like seals because he supposedly couldn't cover. Bush couldn't cover and actively avoided contact as a fucking LB. Didn't even want to play football.

One of the uglier moments of the Tomlin era, frankly. Which is saying something.

[CoolShades]

Spillane clearly wanted to come back. If the Steelers made him an offer, he may have not even tested FA. Who knows?

I think the simple answer is the offer was more than they were willing to match. What did you expect them to say? "Sure, we'll match any lowball offer you get"

I think that’s exactly what they DID say, at least according to Spillane.

“they told me, ‘Go out, test the market, see what you get. We’re going to offer whatever they give you.”

I’m not sure how to read that any other way.

[CoolShades]

Let’s see what comes out when Tomlin is gone.

He will never be gone. Ever.

He will be in a casket and wheeled out on Sundays.

I think this is accurate. I figure they will stuff him and stand him up on the sidelines. I wonder how long it will take before anyone notices?

[bradshaw2ben]

The accurate version of what the problem was in Spillane's case (and we're about to see it replayed for Payton Wilson/Cole Holcomb) was that the real reason Spillane got buried in Pgh and why they let him go was because they were stuck on a turd who got grossly outplayed but still got reps over Spillane, who was pretty damn great when he played.

Call it loyalty, call it getting too enamored with "your guys"... whatever, it's not what great teams do.

I feel similarly about Darnell Washington. make him your TE1. He fits your offense to a T, and let the other guys play at the H-Back spot, packages, 2-minute drill. If you weren't so enamored with Pat and now Jonnu... you'd be better at doing what you want to do on offense.

[.Kodiak]

Call it loyalty, call it getting too enamored with "your guys"... whatever, it's not what great teams do.

Tomlin is not the only HC that does this, but I believe he places far too much importance on playing mistake free, at the cost sometimes of getting the more talented player on the field. A belief that player success is all about scheme and execution, which is shocking for a scheme that relies on timely/impactful playmaking from studs.

Tomlin can't comprehend that a more athletic, less experienced player might more than make-up for mistakes. But when you play not to lose - when you play for NHALS - you go with the "safe" player. Again, often times you get fewer mistakes, but you get even fewer impact plays.

Even assuming Tomlin could have developed Harrison and Ike Taylor, would he have given them the playing time to learn and grow while they were still making mistakes? (remember, Cowher benched Ike at least once for making too many mistakes).