Still Curtain
FanSided

Why Le’Veon Bell should be nervous about Mike Tomlin’s dinning schedule

By Noah Strackbein

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sidelines in the first half during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on October 22, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sidelines in the first half during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on October 22, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, loves to meet his future draft picks before he selects them.

Team meetings, NFL Combines, Pro Days and personal visits are all great ways to get to know a player. But for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, there’s nothing that connects a prospect and coach more than dinner.

During the annual NFL Owners Meeting, Tomlin spoke with a number of Pittsburgh reporters about his approach to the NFL Draft. When it came to getting to know his prospects, something interesting stood out in his approach.

“I love getting out and meeting a young player in his environment,” Tomlin told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

By “his environment,” Tomlin is talking about choice of dinning experience. Because, when the Steelers head coach has his eye on a player, he attends their Pro Day to get a feel for them on the field. Then, he takes them to dinner to understand them off it.

Tomlin spoke to reporters about his last two dinning experiences before the draft. 25th pick in the 2016 Draft, Artie Burns, took the coach to Joe Stone’s Crab in South Beach. T.J. Watt escorted Tomlin to The Great Dane Pub and Brewery Company in Madison prior to being selected 30th in the 2017 NFL Draft.

This year, the name heading to dinner with Tomlin is LSU running back, Derrius Guice. A projected late first-round pick, Guice hasn’t been the first name tossed around in the Steelers considerations. But following dinner, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the LSU product is on his way to Pittsburgh, April 26.

For Le’Veon Bell, this is nerve-wracking. Negotiations have stopped, and despite Pittsburgh’s confidence in re-signing Bell this offseason, the two sides have made little progress in getting a long-term deal done.

Eventually, Bell is going to have to either give in or move on. That doesn’t necessarily mean this summer, but as some point, the Steelers are going to get tired of trying to work something out with someone who isn’t willing to compromise.

Next: 3 first-round options for the Steelers

If Tomlin’s dinning ritual is real, Bell should be worried. It could be time a new running back takes over the backfield. Even if it’s not the smartest move right now, Pittsburgh could be thinking of moving on. Something very real, that should be very concerning to No. 26.

Home/Steelers Draft