“Every day I walk by five Lombardi Trophies, not five rushing titles. Willie’s comments could be construed as selfish, which he is not.” (Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin)
On June 22, 2009, writer maryann posted an article on the behindthesteelcurtain.com website that used the above quote by Mike Tomlin as the theme. Ex-Steelers Super Bowl running back Willie Parker had expressed discontent with not being utilized enough in the offensive scheme of the Steelers. The Steelers defeated the Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL. Steelers’ second-year QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for a paltry 158 yards and the Steelers ran the rock for 181 yards. However, Willie Parker and the big nasty “D” salvaged a victory for the Steelers when things were beginning to look a bit shaky. When Mike Tomlin commented on the frustration of Willie Parker, Tomlin responded: “Every day I walk by five Lombardi Trophies, not five rushing titles. Willie’s comments could be construed as selfish, which he is not.”
The response by Coach T was filed in the “Tomlin-ism” archives under clever and witty. Willie Parker didn’t complain about being overworked, Parker just wanted the rock. When the career of Parker’s predecessor, NFL Hall-of-Famer Jerome Bettis, was winding down at warp speed, Parker did not whine and gripe, dishonoring the achievements of Jerome Bettis; he spoke of Bettis with honor and respect and patiently waited for his opportunity. Parker did not refuse to dress for a game or publicly call for the judges and juries in the media to elevate him, he let his performance do the talking.
It stands to reason that if it wasn’t for Willie Parker, Mike Tomlin would have been taking his daily stroll past four Lombardi Trophies instead of five, and it could’ve been thumbs down for Pittsburgh proudly showing off a numero cinco Super Bowl trophy. The Seattle Seahawks might have been the ones proudly displaying the Super Bowl XL trophy at Lumen Stadium. The post by maryann was based on sayings by Mike Tomlin. An excerpt from the article reads: “The Tomlinism Tournament featured a fine blend of colloquy: shorter and longer; previously spoken and original; timely and timeless; abrupt and philosophical; motivational and inspirational. Regardless of the label, what was clear is that different elements turn different folks on in different ways. I’ve heard a few arguments and even made a few of my own: ‘How can you vote for this over that?'”
The piece continued by pointing out that: “The significance of Mike Tomlin’s communication skills goes far beyond cliches, sayings and clever little nuggets. These things we call “Tomlinisms,” while fun to talk about and even make into a playful little tournament, simply represent the tip of the iceberg. Tomlin cuts to the bottom line, he makes no excuses, he separates the wheat from the chaff and has a profound respect for the organization for which he works and the nation for which he serves. “That’s what makes us all smile.”
Folks were not talking about Mike Tomlin, the coaching genius. Tomlin was being reduced to a young, glib, super hip coach who had elevated himself by talking and weaseling his way into a head coaching job with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maryann wrote: “That’s what makes us all smile.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t consider myself “one of us” and I am not smiling. Ladies, gents, boys and girls, please indulge me as I hit rewind. Former Steelers running back Willie Parker was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Steelers in 2004. During Parker’s senior year in college his coach John Bunting benched “fast Willie” during his final college game. Bunting wanted Parker to run inside the tackles instead of outside looking for big plays to gain tougher yards between the tackles.
“Macho, macho man,” John Bunting insisted that Willie Parker, who was also a sprinter, be. A fullback! Does that make any sense! For no apparent reason, Bunting ruined the final year of what could’ve been a great college career because of his “dominant culture complex.” Had Willie Parker been showcased, the sky could have been the limit. But Parker was convicted and sentenced to the “testosterone penitentiary” by the ego of his coach. Being cast as a free agent instead of being formally drafted cost Willie Parker not thousands, but millions of dollars. When it came to Willie Parker, the standard was not the standard because there was no standard.
Even when it comes to naming offensive and defensive captains, the selection process appears to be flawed. Willie Parker was named one of the captains of the offense only after he had performed admirably on the football field.
In 2022, QB Kenny Pickett was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The following year and without much fanfare, Pickett was named one of the team captains for the 2023 season. This came in only his second NFL season and first as a full-time starter.
Willie Parker received that honor of being one of the captains of the offense only after he had broken a record for the longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history and playing a major role in his team’s victory. As for Pickett, the only thing that he ever won as a Steeler was the “should I or shouldn’t I get dressed because I am pissed off” award.
In his second year with the Steelers, Willie Parker was an active participant and went on to win and sport a fat Super Bowl XL ring. In his third year, Kenny Pickett won a “benchwarmers” Super Bowl LIX ring with the Philadelphia Eagles.
This is a tale of two players. One player was ostracized and mistreated in college and undervalued in the NFL. The other player cut his steak with a solid gold knife in college and has been eating lobster chowder with a platinum bowl and spoon in the pros. Now read this…there are murmurings and whispers that there is a revolution brewing in the NFL. I don’t know whether that is true or not. However, I am sure that the revolution will not be televised. By the way, where is Madame Defarge when you need her?