Players and coaches are often described as being “in the zone” during games. For Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, that includes halftime.
While walking past a fan in the hallways of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during Week 13, a fan tried to give Tomlin some words of encouragement. The fan decided to record the moment on his phone as a memento to keep from a rare Steelers visit to the Georgia capital.
But the Steelers coach didn’t have time for any of that.
“Man, I’m f****** working,” said Tomlin back to the fan.
Isn’t halftime technically a break from work? @Tomlin_Sense
‘No Hurt Feelings’ From Fan in Tomlin NSFW Video
There isn’t much context to the video posted from the fan. But Fernando Perez, presumably the fan in the video, explained in a follow up tweet that he was a fan with seats in a suite next to where the players and coaches walk through.
Perez also stated that he thought Tomlin’s reaction to his words of encouragement “was funny” and that he had “no hurt feelings” from the coach not wanting to engage in a conversation.
@MikeyFitzPGH @Tomlin_Sense Fan with a ticket, our suite was next to the players walkway. I thought it was funny. He was in the zone and didn’t feel like talking; no hurt feelings.
The Steelers jumped out to another halftime lead against the Atlanta Falcons, so it’s probably a little surprising to fans that Tomlin wasn’t in a better mood at halftime. Pittsburgh was ahead by 10 points at halftime and scored on four of its five first-half possessions. The only time the Steelers didn’t score was when they started a drive with 29 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
But Tomlin has been around long enough to know that games in the NFL can flip on a dime, which is pretty much what happened in the third quarter of Week 13.
The Falcons scored their first touchdown on their second possession after halftime, which brought Atlanta to within six points. The Steelers then punted on their next possession for the first time in the game, and the Falcons were threatening to take the lead.
But Atlanta settled for a field goal, which ended up being the final points of the game.
Despite the win, though, the Steelers have been outscored, 44-21 in the last three second halves combined. That’s probably enough for any NFL coach to be cranky at halftime.
Tomlin ‘Working’ to Avoid First Losing Season
The playoffs are likely out of reach for the Steelers this season, but that doesn’t mean that Tomlin and Pittsburgh have nothing to play for to end 2022.
In his first 16 seasons as head coach, Tomlin has yet to have a losing season. The Steelers have the longest active non-losing season streak in the NFL. Pittsburgh last lost more games than it won during an individual season in 2003.
Starting the 2022 campaign 3-7, it seemed all but a foregone conclusion that those long streaks would end. But having now won two in a row and still a relatively favorable schedule to end the year, the Steelers could end on a hot streak and avoid a losing season for another year.
It’s not an important goal to all Steelers fans. Winning playoff games and championships are far more vital. But it could be a goal in Tomlin’s mind and be another reason he was “in the zone” even during halftime in Week 13.
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Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Caught Yelling at Fan in Viral Video