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Steelers TE says what many won’t about Mike Tomlin vs. Mike McCarthy
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- Steelers TE says what many won’t about Mike Tomlin vs. Mike McCarthy
Mike Tomlin's coaching style has been called into question this past week , and one Pittsburgh Steelers tight end has revealed a key difference between the former head coach and the Mike McCarthy regime.
On a new episode of The Banner Show , Steelers tight end J.J. Galbreath revealed that Tomlin ran a more strict environment as head coach during his final season in Pittsburgh.
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"Coming in, I felt like there was a tension in the air being around Mike Tomlin," Galbreath said. "That also could just be because I'm an undrafted free agent rookie, so you're trying to make every interaction positive. … It's hard to kind of gauge, but I would say it was a lot more tension-based. Just like, 'This is our schedule, and this is exactly how it's going to be, on point.'"
Galbreath continued, comparing the tension under Tomlin to McCarthy's "easygoing" approach.
"So far this year, we've had a little bit of slack here and there," Galbreath said. "We had our voluntary veteran camp, and that was supposed to be three days. We got, like, two good days of work, and they were like, 'Hey, you know, we're good. You guys can have the rest of the week off. We got good work in.' … I would just say that. It seems more easygoing."
Tomlin may have been more strict in 2025, but retired Steelers cornerback Joe Haden actually criticized his former head coach over allowing veterans to have more leeway than they should've. But Galbreath's comments appear to highlight a difference under McCarthy: Rewards aren't based on seniority, but are a product of hard work.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers TE says what many won't about Mike Tomlin vs. Mike McCarthy
