![Steelers Mike Tomlin Reveals Thoughts on Super Bowl 45 Loss: "If We Win that Game, Hines [Ward] is in the Hall of Fame" (Steelers News)](/img/legacy/hines-ward-super-bowl-2-1633011879-1600x900.webp)
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin sat down on The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor and spoke about several topics in the episode released Wednesday. Friday night, The Pivot Podcast released an additional video from that same interview. Clark and Tomlin got a chance to discuss the Super Bowl XLV loss to the Green Bay Packers.
ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Brett Keisel #99 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks off the field after losing to the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
After Tomlin brought up to Clark that he walked off with him when the Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV, Clark responded, "I remember that more than anything."
Tomlin continued on the experience of a Super Bowl loss:
"You don't think about it. Like when you lose a Super Bowl and that confetti raining down, there's another team on the field. Just families that's trying to get off the field. Like, you think about all the confetti and the celebration and stuff. You're thinking about the winners, their faces, their families, people trying to get kids to them, the podium and all of that stuff, and just the pomp and circumstance.""In the midst of all of that, there is another team that's like, 'yeah, alright, we've got to get out of here.' And we lost to Green Bay and the game ended. All of that stuff started happening and that confetti started raining down. And I'm looking around like, 'I got to get out of here.' And he was standing right there and he was just still," pointing at Clark.
"And I remember putting my hand on your shoulder, I said, 'come on, man, let's go, let's get out of here.' And we walked off that field together with that confetti raining down for Green Bay. We've been in some real cool places together, but we've been in some dark places, too."
Mike Tomlin Speaks On The Day The 2000's Steelers Died
YouTube: The Pivot Podcast
Clark and Tomlin both agreed that they never even "considered losing" that game. Clark said, "You know what the worst part about that was, Coach? And it's like it had never registered to me that we could lose that game."
Taylor gives Tomlin a follow up question about walking off the field after the Steelers' loss to the Packers in Super Bowl XLV, "Do you take away anything in that moment? From that moment?"
Tomlin responded:
"It didn't hit me, man. Probably until I got back here and I sat down here in this basement, man, and I started thinking about the ramifications of losing that game. Careers, gold jackets, because that's what we was hunting, that's what we were talking about. That was the third one this collective had been to in about five years. So we was on that type of tip, that legacy, that football immortality.""When I sat down here in this room and the gravity of that, it was tough. When it's all moving and things of that nature, particularly when you lead, I can hide behind taking care of others, you know what I mean? Checking on others. When I got home, when I got here, man. Crazy, because you realize what's lost. It's more than a game, man. We talking about lifetime scholarships for people. We talking about gold jackets, we're talking about a lot."
Clark mentions talking to Steelers Hall of Famer, Troy Polamalu about the same topic and how when a team wins three Super Bowls, they are seen as a dynasty, and the Hall of Fame starts recognizing more and more people off of those dynasty teams. Clark says, "Like, it probably stole some of that away from dudes."
Tomlin doesn't mince words with his next sentence:
"No question, it did. We win that game, Hines [Ward] is in the the Hall of Fame, right now."
Check out the entire clip below!
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