Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 1-19-18

Sports
Some Steelers Minority Owners Reportedly Want Mike Tomlin Fired
DeSean Jackson: Jameis Winston
Mike Tomlin has faced a lot of criticism in the wake of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ shocking loss to the Jack- sonville Jaguars last week- end, and some of the people who own pieces of the fran- chise are reportedly calling for the head coach to lose his job.
A source with knowledge of the situation told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that some of the Steelers’ lim- ited partners — a small group of fans who own equity in the team — plan to pressure Art Rooney to fire Tomlin. Florio notes that the part- ners, who became involved with the team back in 2009 when the NFL ordered the Steelers to restructure their ownership to come into com- pliance because of their deal- ings with horse and dog racing, do not have any say in management decisions. How- ever, they have a line of com- munication to Rooney and are planning to use it.
Tomlin, of course, has taken the blame for several in-game blunders in recent years. Most recently, the Steelers had a pair of ques-
MIKE TOMLIN
tionable play calls on 4th- and-short situations against the Jaguars. They also at- tempted an ill-advised on- side kick with 2:18 remaining in the game when they were trailing by a touchdown and had two timeouts left. Tom- lin, who has made similar mistakes in the past, was blasted after the loss.
In addition to the com- plaints about situational foot- ball, the limited partners are also reportedly concerned about a lack of discipline from Tomlin’s players. Le’Veon Bell made it clear on social media last week that he was already looking ahead to a rematch with the New England Patriots that never came. There have been sev- eral incidents like that in ad-
dition to the embarrassing situation with Antonio Brown and his Facebook locker room video last year.
The Steelers have had just three different head coaches since 1969, and they pride themselves on continuity. Tomlin is unlikely to be fired, but he needs to prove he can keep his team focused and advance past the Patriots when the postseason comes around. If his plan is to wait until Tom Brady and/or Bill Belichick retire, he may not have a job by then.
Marcus Williams Thanks Fans for Support After Playoff Disaster
MARCUS WILLIAMS
It’s fair to say that New Or- leans Saints safety Marcus Williams has had a rough 24 hours, but he took time Mon- day to thank his loved ones, teammates, and “real fans” for their support.
Williams was largely re- sponsible for the Minnesota Vikings’ walk-off touchdown in Sunday’s NFC divisional game, and was subjected to a torrent of abuse afterward. On Mon- day, he logged back into Twit- ter and sent a message to those who were still with him.
Williams was obviously devastated after that mistake, and has taken full responsibil- ity for what happened. He had a very good season for New Or- leans, and seems to be handling this error as best as he can, which bodes well for his future.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star wide receiver DeSean Jackson thinks he has a lot more to offer than he showed in his first year with the Buc- caneers.
And he thinks the same can be said for quarterback Jameis Winston.
During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Jackson said he thought Winston was often trying to do too much last year, as part of a year that saw the Bucs fall far short of the lofty expectations that were placed on him.
“I think he needs to con- tinue to be what he was that made him be Jameis Win- ston,” Jackson said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I think he has to come in there, which he is al- ready doing and just being professional, and just go back to the steps when I was a young kid or I was in high school and just have fun with it. You try to impress and say, “Hey, I want to do this,’ and show them ‘I can do this or
JAMEIS WINSTON AND DESEAN JACKSON
show them I can do this or that.’ But you’ve got to kind of get away from that and just going back to playing ball in the yard. How we were playing when we were young. That’s what I tell him. You’ve got to go back to getting comfortable and being Jameis Winston who we all know he can be. The past two years, he had 4,000 yards passing so I just stressed onto him, everything, all the intangibles he has everything.
“I’ve seen him play. I’ve seen him on the practice field, he has the leadership. He has everything to be their guy. It’s just going back, have fun and not trying to impress the world. Just be yourself.”
Just Needs To Be Himself
Martavis Bryant Wants To Return To Steelers Next Season
Martavis Bryant has come an awful long way since he publicly demanded that the Pittsburgh Steelers trade him back in October. Suddenly, the wide receiver wants to be back with the team in 2018.
Bryant, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, told reporters this week that he will not ask the Steelers to trade him this off- season. Why? Because he wants to keep contending for championships.
This is the same Bryant who said before the trade deadline that he wants out of Pittsburgh if he doesn’t get the ball more, and not much changed after that. He aver- aged around six targets and just under five receptions per game in the six games he played after making the de-
MARTAVIS BRYANT
mand. His workload in- creased over the final three weeks when Antonio Brown was out with a calf in- jury.
Perhaps Bryant realized that he has little to no lever- age. He’s under contract for just over $700,000 in 2018, so the Steelers would much rather keep him and get what- ever they can from him. If he wants a big contract, he’ll have to play well next season heading into free agency.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES Sunday, January 21
AFC Championship Game
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots:
3:05 p.m. ET, CBS NFC Championship Game
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles:
6:40 p.m. ET, Fox
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2018