data-mm-id=”_pwzvln0l8″>For a former Super Bowl winning coach, Mike Tomlin came into the 2019 NFL season with plenty to prove. Well, he's done just that, authoring his finest coaching performance for the Steelers, which is saying something because, again, he's won one Super Bowl and appeared in another. Remarkably, after starting the year 0-3, after losing their starting quarterback in Week 2 and having two unproven quarterbacks rotate in and out since, after losing their Pro Bowl running back James Conner for most of the season because of the injury, the Steelers are now 7-5 and in position to make the playoffs. Even more remarkably, they've done it by completely changing their identity, something Tomlin has to get full credit for. Previous to this year, they were a pas…

data-mm-id=”_dm6ir6qnq”>The novelty of NFL broadcaster Tony Romo has worn off, but he still seems to be a pretty well-liked voice on CBS broadcasts. One person who is done with Romo and his play-predicting and football-explaining, however, is Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. Russo, who gets paid to talk about sports all day, doesn't want to hear someone talk about the sports he's watching. Transcription via the New York Post: :”“I know he’s a PhD in football, I get that. He knows the plays, he’s on top of the sequence,” Russo said Monday on his SiriusXM show. “But every single … he just never shuts up. Poor Nantz, he never gets to do anything. It’s just not a conventional broadcast with him. I don’t want an education, I’m not looking for an education. A litt…

data-mm-id=”_gqkqgr38t”>Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin appeared on First Take this morning to once again defend quarterback Mason Rudolph and take issue with an Outside The Lines report ESPN aired over the weekend. The segment in question featured an interview with Myles Garrett, who doubled down on his claims Rudolph had directed a racial slur at him before the helmet-swinging incident last fall. Tomlin, speaking to Stephen A. Smith, said it was important to properly support Rudolph."It was a thorough investigation done by us and the National Football League, I don't think that that was represented during that piece," he said. "Nobody on that field as a member of the Cleveland Browns or the Pittsburgh Steelers corroborated what was said by Myles Garrett. Tha…

data-mm-id=”_kpso0x56p”>The lack of sports during what's supposed to be one of the best times in the sports calendar has really hammered home for me just how much I miss the emotions the truly special moments inspire. Of course, as a member of sports media, I'm reliant on sports for a lot of things, but right now, when we're all supposed to be enjoying the NBA and NHL playoffs, I miss the fan aspect deeply. The moment of realization while watching that you're seeing an exceptionally special moment. That's what I was thinking about this afternoon when I realized that it's been three years to the day since Isaiah Thomas scored 53 points against the Wizards in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That feat alone is remarkable, but the circumstances around it el…

data-mm-id=”_omvuyd4rv”>Sometimes they say you have to take one for the team. Johan Santana did that for the Mets eight years ago today, throwing the first no-hitter in the franchise's history, but also effectively ending his career somewhat prematurely. The year was 2012 and the Mets still didn't have a no-hitter to their name. Santana was taking the mound against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The biggest call of the game came when Carlos Beltran hit a liner up the third-base line in the sixth inning that was ruled foul. Replays showed it clipped the line and should have been fair. Mike Baxter also made a great catch in the outfield in the seventh inning to preserve the no-no, slamming into the wall so hard that had to be removed from the game. Bey…

data-mm-id=”_2eafq6wwo”>The Los Angeles Clippers blew out the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night, running up a big 154-111 win in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. While the Clippers absolutely dominated a huge game, the Internet is buzzing about a small, largely unnoticed moment from the contest. At one point early in the third quarter after the Clippers made a basket, forward Marcus Morris moved into the paint as Luka Doncic was preparing to receive an inbounds pass. Morris appeared to intentionally step on the 21-year-old's bad ankle. Did he actually do it on purpose? You be the judge:An NBA basketball court is 4,700 square feet, and Marcus Morris steps directly on Luka’s publicly injured left ankle… coincidence? You tell me. pic.twitter.com/U6Mfb2fD5e— Emmanuel Ach…