Former Steelers OG Ramon Foster Says Mike Tomlin Made Being Late An Expensive Habit

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the oldest and most respected franchises in the NFL. Everyone from the Rooney Family, General Manager, Omar Khan to Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, have high expectations for the players. While there are certainly incidents from time to time, fans don't always hear stories about players going wild or displaying undisciplined behaviors. 

Oddly enough, the "well-behaved" persona of the Steelers' players causes many critics to call coach Tomlin a "players' coach." This is used as a derogatory term to describe some coaches, particularly ones that have good relationships with their players. While the term means different things to different people, it generally refers to a leader who displays empathy and understanding about the challenges and experiences that are unique to NFL players.   

Usually, a "players' coach" is one who has played football before. They understand, not only the business of football, but also what players put their bodies through. Sometimes, they are criticized for not being hard enough on players.

Regardless of the definition that is used, it is a term that is constantly applied to Tomlin. Ironically enough, the Steelers do not have the discipline problems you would expect from a coach that presumably takes it easy on the players. Recently, a former Steelers' offensive guard was asked about punctuality by the players on the team and what Tomlin did if they were late.  

Former Steelers OG Ramon Foster Dishes On Coach Tomlin Disciplining Late Players

Ramon Foster, who played for 11 seasons with the Steelers, now co-hosts a podcast that airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports called The Ramon Foster Show. He and his co-host, Dejan Kovacevic were answering fan questions during a recent show and Foster was asked about late players and how they were dealt with. Foster is, of course, not going to name names, but says that the Steelers never had that rule where five minutes early is on time, instead he feels they were treated as adults. 

"For our room (offensive linemen) just be there before the door closed for the most part. I know some organizations put that five minutes early is on time, but we never really subscribed to that in Pittsburgh."

Some teams, Foster noted, like the New York Giants when Tom Coughlin was in charge, were notorious for their many rules and regulations. He said Tomlin expected the players to be on time and participate in the business of football. Tomlin felt that having to focus on things like punctuality, instead of game planning, took away from what was really important. 

"Tomlin felt like if we got to talk about non-football issues then we're not talking and planning for football games and for us getting better. So the small stuff we really didn't harp on."  

Coughlin was a coach during an era when his style of coaching was a bit more common. Foster said he had friends who played for the Giants and they would tell him about playing for him. They would say that, as a team, they were focused on things like sock height and matching shirts and shorts. To Tomlin, worrying about those kinds of things takes away from the business of playing the game. It adds pressure to an already stressful and difficult job. Foster said that the focus on what really matters to Tomllin is why he gets labeled a "players' coach." In reality, he is really just focused. 

Kovacevic asked Foster if players being late was much of an issue. He said that it really wasn't because they just didn't make such a big deal out of it. There were expectations and the players knew it. Tomlin did have a league-sanctioned way of dealing with tardiness.   

"Coach would say, 'Hey that's a fine' and then move on, it wasn't even a discussion. It was just like I have the power to get a monetary transaction from you and I'll use that power if you abuse the freedom."

This was the first time that Kovacevic has heard about the fines and he was absolutely gobsmacked. Foster explained that the fine was $1,500. He said there was some flexibility in their contracts, but tardiness or being overweight were two of the reasons players could be fined. After the first $1,500, Foster said they can build up from there if the infraction is egregious or happens multiple times. 

Foster said the team was primarily a veteran-led group. The vets helped keep the younger guys in line and would "police" them themselves. He said, in particular both he, Maurkice Pouncey and Ryan Clark, would tell the newer guys that they needed to be on time and pay attention, among other things. Well, where the money from the fines go? Foster said it always went to a good cause.    

"Charity. Whenever we got fined in our meetings too, it went to charity, or at the end of the year it went to Kevin and his cook staff, to our janitorial folks, the trainers, office staff, training room, or equipment staff because their salary is way below ours. That went a long way around Christmas time." 

What do you think about Tomlin being called a players' coach? Do you think that term is derogatory or accurate? What do you think about the way that Tomlin manages team behavior? Do you think he is tough enough? How about the policy of fining late players and giving the money to a charity or to the staff as a bonus? Click to comment below. 

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