During his lengthy tenure as the Pittsburgh Steelers ' head coach, Mike Tomlin became known as someone players longed to play for. Not everybody, though.
Ex-Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones detailed an odd pre-draft meeting with the Steelers on a recent episode of "The Script" podcast.
"I walked in and the first thing Coach Tomlin said to me is, 'Man, I hate your social media,'" Jones said . "I'm just like, 'Nice to meet you to.' Someone — I couldn't even see who this guy was — he was probably in the very back of the room, where it had to be 20-25 people in this room, and he's asking a question to me. We don't even make eye contact, and he's asking how (does) my day go at Ohio State, 'Take me through a normal day.'
"And every time I'm trying to get into detail, he's cutting me off. So I turned into a straight jerk. … I went full-blown, 'Eff you, eff Steelers, I don't even wanna be here anymore.'"
Jones is known for stepping in for Urban Meyer's Buckeyes late in the 2014 season, vaulting them over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, then downing Alabama and Oregon to earn the inaugural College Football Playoff crown.
In a scouting report after the following go-round, NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein described Jones as "a complicated meal that may or may not have all the ingredients present and will likely take a long time to prepare." Jones wound up being selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round (No. 139 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He spent one season as the Bills' third-string passer behind Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel , then was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers . He also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks before being out of the league entirely by 2019.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Former Star College QB Details Awkward Pre-Draft Meeting with Steelers, Tomlin
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