Love or hate Steelers Mike Tomlin, Hard Knocks would reveal the truth

As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I have mixed emotions. I would imagine most of us do. By now we’ve all heard the news in some way, shape, or form. The “Stillers” are favorites to be on the HBO Series, Hard Knocks, and many of us cringe at the idea for several reasons.

I can easily compile a list of why we should hope this doesn’t happen. Nobody wants any of the “secret sauce” to leak out to other teams. The Steelers brass has long been great at keeping the inner workings of the black and gold out of the public eye, and there’s great value in doing so.

Beyond that, while the human-interest stories are great, nobody wants to lose the next James Harrison or Willie Parker to another team’s 53 man roster when it might be possible to stash them on the practice squad.  It’s already difficult enough to keep a rookie free agent like Tuzar Skipper a secret in a world where literally everything is reported via articles like this one. It’s nearly impossible to do so when the entire training camp process is laid bare for the nation in each weekly episode.

But for every angel on every left shoulder of fans like you and me, the devil is whispering in the right ear about how much fun Hard Knocks could be if our favorite team gets the call. Think about it. This would be a dream come true for both Tomlin supporters and the “pitchfork and lanterns” crowd that wants everyone from the head coach to Kevin Colbert and Art Rooney II sent up or down the Monongahela River.

Each side would likely find vindication for their belief, but setting that aside, who wouldn’t want to learn how Tomlin approaches his craft, how the Steelers’ leadership handles difficult cuts, and how players like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward assert leadership throughout the locker room? The more I think about it the more I’m all in. Let’s look at the top reasons we would all like to see it happen.