During an appearance on Good Morning Football on Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen opened up on Mike Tomlin stepping down as the Steelers' head coach after 19 seasons.
"It was crazy, especially when you come to a team for a guy like that," Queen said. "You want to be coached by the best, and that's how everybody looked at him. That's how we still feel about him. It sucked. It was random, like it just sucked the energy out of the entire place where, like, people started crying on the spot."
Tomlin was profoundly respected in the locker room. He received a standing ovation after he finished his resignation speech to the team, according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic .
At the end of the meeting, Tomlin tipped his cap and went to the door. He gave every player a hug on their way out.
"It was just a moment I don't think a lot of people experience unless you went through something where the players were connected with the coach like that. So it definitely sucked," Queen said. "I learned a lot from Mike T. He was a good guy, good coach, one of the hardest workers I've ever known. Loved football, loved the game, loved to watch it all day. It's just unfortunate that he left a little early."
While the Tomlin era is over, Warren is excited about new head coach Mike McCarthy .
McCarthy addressed his team for the first time last week during voluntary workouts. Queen is excited about the future with McCarthy.
"He's fired up, man. He's a good dude," Queen said. "You can tell he loves football. He's very organized, detailed. It's just the way he approaches it.
"We'll know more going into the next few weeks of how he wants everything done and what to expect and all that. But from what I can tell … he's really energetic and really thinks Pittsburgh football can get back."
Tomlin is enjoying time with his family and being a dad. There's also speculation that he will enter the media landscape soon. According to Front Office Sports, Tomlin has signed with longtime sports media agent Sandy Montag, who along with former sportscaster Alex Flanagan will represent the ex-Steelers head coach in potential contract talks with networks and streamers.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers LB Patrick Queen Speaks Out on Mike Tomlin's Departure
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