Tag: Hard Knocks

Steelers will learn if it’s really ‘not about the paycheck’ for Russell Wilson

Rumors swirl as the 2025 NFL offseason nears: Will Russell Wilson re-sign with the Steelers or test free agency for a bigger payday?

As the 2025 NFL offseason approaches, rumors are swirling about Russell Wilson‘s potential free agency and a possible extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson’s brief tenure in Pittsburgh has reignited the team’s playoff aspirations, but the big question remains—at what cost?

This week’s “Hard Knocks” episode featured an extensive segment with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.

When a young boy at a Boys & Girls Club event asked whether he’d re-sign with the Steelers, Wilson indicated his desire.

During the segment, Liev Schreiber narrated:

No doubt Wilson is a money player. But it’s never been about the paycheck. For him, competition is the juice.

The Steelers are about to find out if it’s really “not about the paycheck” for Wilson.

Will Russell Wilson’s contract demands allow Steelers to keep roster intact?

Wilson’s contract demands could shape the Steelers’ offseason strategy. Following the precedent set by legends like Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady, both of whom took pay cuts to build stronger rosters, fans wonder if Wilson will prioritize team success over a massive payday.

The Steelers have critical free agents to consider, including dynamic running back duo Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, linebacker Elandon Roberts, and dependable offensive lineman Dan Moore Jr. Add contract seasons for T.J. Watt and George Pickens to the mix, and general manager Omar Khan’s cap wizardry will certainly be put to the test.

If Wilson insists on a blockbuster deal, Pittsburgh risks losing the depth and talent that makes them contenders. But if he embraces a team-friendly contract, it could open the door to re-signing key players and bolstering their Super Bowl hopes.

This decision will be pivotal for the Steelers’ future. Can they keep the core intact while building around Wilson, or will his potential demands break Pittsburgh’s bank? The coming months will test the organization’s ability to balance cap space, player loyalty, and championship ambitions.

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Mike Tomlin on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’: ‘Their agenda is different than ours’

Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is focused on winning and not the HBO camera’s on site to film “Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North.”

Mike Tomlin is a no-nonsense kind of coach and has rarely wavered from that mentality. So when Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers were ordered to participate in HBO’s “Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North,” you can only imagine his reaction.

Cameras tend to change how a person acts, especially in the age of going viral. But, for Tomlin, it’s the opposite.

“It’s kinda been a nonissue for me and for us,” Tomlin said Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show. “I just go about my normal business. [HBO’s] agenda is a little bit different than ours. Our business, man, is winning football games. I try to just remain focused on that.”

“More than anything, I want the guys to mirror the behavior that I display. I’m not gonna not be myself or be different under those circumstances. I think that’s when it becomes a distraction. So I’m focused on being my normal self and I think the players have done the same thing as well.”

“Hard Knocks” began filming on-site last month and airs on HBO Max on Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

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Will the Dallas Cowboys be featured this week on Hard Knocks?

The close-up look at how teams prepare for their opponent and things that happen in a game that matters brings the Cowboys into focus for Week 14.

The NFL has added two new wrinkles to their Hard Knocks franchise in 2024. Every summer, fans are able to track the happenings of one team during their training camp build up to the regular season. This year Max (formerly HBO) added a look at the offseason component when it profiled the New York Giants through free agency and the draft.

And starting last week, fans got their first in-season view of football operations as Hard Knocks profiles the four teams in the AFC North. The premiere episode came out last week as it looked at closely at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals before their head-to-head matchup, and the Baltimore Ravens as they got set to face the Phiadelphia Eagles.

With the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14, it stands to reason they could make an appearance on the show’s second episode.

The Cleveland Browns took on the Denver Broncos in Week 13, but were not featured in the game action that spanned the last third of the episode. That game, like the Cowboys’ gut-punch, 27-20 loss to the Bengals, was a Monday Night Football affair. If the logic is that game was too late to be included in the episode, it stands to reason Dallas’ game won’t see any airtime on Episode 2, and would potentially be part of Episode 3 when the Bengals are profiled.

WATCH: Steelers NT Keeanu Benton snatches miraculous INT in Week 14

Pittsburgh Steelers NT Keeanu Benton amazes with a highlight-reel interception in Week 14, turning the tide against the Cleveland Browns.

Nose tackle Keeanu Benton’s talent has truly come to form in year two of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. From showcasing his incredible leadership abilities on HBO’s brand-new Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North to blowing up run plays on gameday, Benton has been nothing short of remarkable in 2024.

Trailing the Cleveland Browns 7-3 at the start of the second quarter, the Steelers needed a splash play—and big Keeanu made it happen. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston tried to let a screen play develop for running back Nick Chubb, but Benton channeled his inner defensive back, leaping several feet into the air to intercept the pass.

Benton’s extraordinary effort on the interception is a play that Pittsburgh Steelers fans could watch on repeat for years to come. The young nose tackle truly shifted the momentum in the Black and Gold’s favor, and the team’s victory might not have been possible without his elite level of play in Week 14.

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Kevin Stefanski addresses F-bomb laden ‘Hard Knocks’ segment

Stefanski talked a bit about the viral “Hard Knocks” scene

The new AFC North “Hard Knocks” aired this week, putting Cleveland Browns assistant offensive line coach Roy Istvan under the spotlight in Tuesday’s episode. Head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke on the viral moment.

In the episode, we get an inside look at the offensive line room, the assistant offensive line coach can be seen getting passionate while discussing protecting quarterback Jameis Winston. Also in the room, Istvan addresses the quarterback directly as well, giving him instructions on how to help the offensive line out.

Within the interaction, however, Istvan did let a great deal of F-bombs fly. Stefanski was asked about it during his media availability:

“Well, first of all, as it relates to Hard Knocks, nothing staged. I think we’re just — you’re coaching and what they pick up, they pick up. Roy does a great job in our meetings and each one of our coaches has a different area that they present to the players and sometimes you get excitable.”

You already know that a regime that loves to be as tight-lipped as possible does not love having cameras in their building. However, they seem to be taking it in stride, and the assistant offensive line coach Istvan has already gained some fans.

Hard Knocks showed just how Mike Tomlin puts on a coaching masterclass with the Steelers

Hard Knocks showed us why Mike Tomlin is one of the greatest coaches of all time.

Mike Tomlin has been an NFL head coach for nearly 18 years. The Coach of the Year candidate has never seen a losing season with his Pittsburgh Steelers, who are almost always relevant as perennial playoff contenders. Anyone who follows the NFL regularly is unsurprised by Tomlin’s success. He is effectively a made man in Pittsburgh — for as long as he wants — because of how well he manages his team.

But Tomlin’s “tough love” player-centered style of coaching, in which he gets the pulse of everyone on his roster, can sometimes be hard to quantify if you’re not personally hanging around the Steelers’ locker room.

This is where programs like Hard Knocks, fortunately, come in.

With the NFL documentary series centering its latest in-season edition on the AFC North, we got a firsthand look at Tomlin’s in-game work during the Steelers’ win over the rival Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday.

And let me tell you, with just two sample clips to work off of, it’s clear Tomlin put on a coaching masterclass. What else is new?

The first video shows Tomlin planting a seed in Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig’s head. In the lead-up to the game with the Bengals, Tomlin wanted Herbig to think about beating Cincinnati left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. like a drum with a speed move. He kept talking about it.

With the Steelers needing a big defensive play to permanently tilt the matchup in their favor in the fourth quarter, Herbig came through — just like Tomlin encouraged him to.

It’s a small thing after the fact, but please note how Tomlin ensures he tells Herbig that he’s not shocked he made an impact play. That’s cultivating a small but not insignificant dynamic between coach and player where the player understands their coach has a strong belief in their abilities, no matter the situation. Not everyone can pull that kind of move off as a leader and come across as sincere.

Tomlin is, of course, not like everyone.

The other Hard Knocks clip showcases Tomlin’s relationship with the fiery George Pickens, who, in charitable terms, has been known to wear his heart on his sleeve. But Tomlin, likely better than anyone, knows how to keep people’s emotions in check.

After the Bengals notched an early pick-six off Russell Wilson in the first quarter — thanks to Pickens falling down, which let Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt catch the ball unimpeded en route to the end zone — Tomlin wouldn’t let Pickens sulk over his unforced error.

Mistakes like that happen all the time in a chaotic game like football. As Tomlin tells Pickens while holding him close, you have to fight for another day even when you screw up. Tomlin’s message appeared to resonate when Pickens responded with a touchdown of his own on the Steelers’ next possession:

It’s not every day you get to see a player’s coach like Tomlin thriving in their environment while wearing a mic. Thanks to Hard Knocks and NFL Films, we now have an even keener sense of why the Steelers coach will one day stroll into Canton. That’s because Tomlin’s work with Pickens and Herbig here was undoubtedly only scratching the surface of his coaching and mentorship.

And by the time Tomlin is up for a gold jacket and bronze bust, knowing his track record, he’ll likely be able to point to at least 30 consecutive winning seasons with the black and gold.

Mike Tomlin wins over critics in debut of Hard Knocks

Mike Tomlin was the star of the first episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks.

The latest season of Hard Knocks debuted on Tuesday night on HBO and while all four AFC North teams were represented, one man stole the show. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin showed exactly why so many Steelers fans love him and we are willing to bet he won over plenty of critics as well.

Watching Tomlin interact with wide receiver George Pickens and edge rusher Nick Herbig gave everyone a great look behind the curtain as to why so many players want to come to Pittsburgh and will run through a wall for him.

Tomlin even opened up the team meeting on Thanksgiving by opening his home to any players who didn’t have anywhere to be on the holiday.

2024 marks Tomlin’s 18th season as the Steelers head coach. It also marks his 18th straight season without a losing record. During his tenure with the Steelers Tomlin is 182-102-2, has made the playoffs 11 times and won a Super Bowl.

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Mike Tomlin is far from thrilled for Hard Knocks: AFC North debut

Mike Tomlin reaffirms his disdain for Hard Knocks through his refusal to watch the Steelers and AFC North debut on the series.

It’s safe to say fans know one man from the Pittsburgh Steelers organization who will not be watching HBO’s Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North premiere. Head coach Mike Tomlin has long made his disdain for the reality sports documentary well known. While the 2024 season has been highly successful for the Black and Gold, it also marks the Steelers’ debut on Hard Knocks. In a series first, the show will follow not just one team but the entire AFC North division.

During the team’s press conference on Tuesday, Tomlin was humorously asked if he would be watching the debut of the AFC North’s Hard Knocks series. The head coach kept his answer short and sweet: “Absolutely not.”

Tomlin has frequently expressed his dislike for allowing reporters or cameras access to the inner workings of his coaching methods. It is likely this transparency, integral to Hard Knocks, that he finds so unappealing.  However, Tomlin still appreciates the challenge that having these cameras brings to the Pittsburgh Steelers organization.

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RB Najee Harris hilariously references QB Russell Wilson’s alter ego

Najee Harris hilariously revived Russell Wilson’s ‘Mr. Unlimited’ alter ego after the QB’s dominant Week 13 performance.

Quarterback Russell Wilson was serving up ‘Dangerwiches’ on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, cooking their secondary with an impressive stat line of 414 passing yards and three touchdowns. However, Wilson wasn’t the only Steeler delivering an elite performance; running back Najee Harris accumulated an outstanding 129 total yards in Week 13.

In a moment that can only be described as ‘real recognizing real,’ Harris took it upon himself to revive Wilson’s nickname, ‘Mr. Unlimited,’ hilariously complimenting his quarterback with a nod to Wilson’s alter ego.

Wilson’s talent was truly unlimited on Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Harris’ recognition of the spectacular performance will hopefully bring back ‘Mr. Unlimited’ to stay for good. Wilson and Harris’ hilarious backstage interaction could set the tone for more entertainment behind the scenes that fans can witness on HBO’s Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North, debuting on December 3rd at 9:00 PM EST.

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Mike Tomlin creates new AFC North competition via Hard Knocks demands

Mike Tomlin aims for the Steelers to outshine their AFC North rivals in handling the distractions brought by Hard Knocks: In Season.

The AFC North is no stranger to intense and competitive matchups for divisional supremacy. However, it appears Head Coach Mike Tomlin is looking to introduce another competitive aspect to the division.

Tomlin wants his team to handle the distractions brought by the new Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North better than their three divisional rivals.

During Tuesday’s press conference, ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor noted that Tomlin views this opportunity, like many others, as a chance to push his team to conquer the challenges that being featured on Hard Knocks would bring.

In what will be the first-ever feature of an entire division, Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North will debut on December 3rd at 9:00 PM EST. In the meantime, the Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for Week 13 to take on a formidable divisional opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals.

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