Pittsburgh Steelers Tight End Pat Freiermuth spoke to Aditi Kinkhabwala on her show Off the Field on 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday. The show features a different Steelers player in each episode. Freiermuth, who just finished up his second season in black and gold, has become part of the backbone of the offense. He not only catches and runs, but he also blocks, making him the most complete TE since Heath Miller.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 30: Heath Miller #83 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on October 30, 2011, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Steelers Pat Freiermuth Shows Tomlin Some Love
It is no secret that players respect and admire Head Coach Mike Tomlin and during his chat with Kinkhabwala, Freiermuth expressed how much he loves playing for him and the organization.
Kinkhabwala took him back to the bye week, and the transformation the team underwent. She told him that it is easy for people to dismiss the success because the offensive line improved or because Naj (Najee Harris) got healthy, but what did he feel transpired during that bye week that brought change?
"I felt everyone was clicking on the same page after the bye week. It was a good time of the season to go home and reflect. Maybe people weren't as bought in as they were at the beginning. So you kinda go home and reset, evaluate how the individual was playing. After the bye week, more people bought in."
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth (#88) gets ready for a favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. | Photo Credit: Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
Next, Kinkhabwala set up a scenario, mentioning coaches that were all in bad situations at that early part of the season and yet found a way to rally and win. She included Doug Peterson, whose team she said had "PTSD from the playoffs" the prior year, and Dan Campbell who had a young team that just didn't know how to win. But both Jacksonville and Detroit rallied late. Last, Tomlin was sitting in 2-6, seemingly inoffensive disarray, missing the best defensive player, and yet they find a way to rally. She asked him when she talks about those three, what is the "magic?"
"It goes back to him (Tomlin) having full trust in the locker room and I can see similarities between Tomlin and Dan Campbell, they never change if things are going bad. Dan Campbell is under pressure, and the same with Coach T (Mike Tomlin), they never change up their narrative or what they believe in. It was a slow start for both teams but when you have the trust in the locker room and the full trust in your head coach that he is not going to switch up regardless of how things go."
Freiermuth said that he appreciates that Tomlin trusts in his players and always keeps his cool.
"As a player the worst thing is the leader of the team or so-called leader of the team, freaking out in front of you guys. And you're thinking we're supposed to look to you as a voice of reason."
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 31: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 31, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. The Steelers defeated the Browns 15-10. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Kinkhabwala noted that Tomlin is not a "robot" despite the fact that he has a great poker face. She recalled multiple situations where players had made a mistake, missed a kick or didn't catch a ball, but Tomlin just told them, don't worry I am coming back to you. Freiermuth agreed.
"You wanna play for a coach like that because you'd like to make every single play but in reality, you're not. In those times you don't make a play you question your confidence in yourself but he comes right back to you. Which is awesome."
She then asked him which coach he would most want to play for if he couldn't play for Tomlin. She guessed it was Bill Belichick since Freiermuth is from New England, but he dismissed that immediately,
"Not gonna lie, I wouldn't want to play for Bill Belichick, heard some stories, and I'm good not playing for him."
He said his top choice would be Sean McDermott, coach of the Buffalo Bills. He said that they are good guys, and he runs things the right way and he puts his players in the best position to win, like Tomlin. What do you think about the Steelers' turnaround? What do you attribute it to? How much of a role did Tomlin play? Comment below.
#SteelerNation
