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PITTSBURGH — In an unusual move, pittsburgh steelers Coach Mike Tomlin openly raised questions cleveland browns and thanked general manager Andrew Berry for the decision to execute the midseason trade that sent the quarterback Joe Flacco till cincinnati bengals,
“It was shocking to me, to be honest,” Tomlin said Monday. “Andrew Berry would be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think is good enough to be your opening day starter to a division rival that is hurting in that area, but that’s just my personal feelings.”
Tomlin does not often field questions or criticize other teams or their personnel in his news conferences, making his response to a question about Flacco’s trade surprising.
Tomlin’s comments come a day after the Steelers (4-1) defeated the Browns and the rookie quarterback dillon gabriel 23-9 And just three days before facing the Bengals in a primetime game on Thursday night in Cincinnati.
The Browns traded the 40-year-old Flacco, who had started the first four games of the season, to Cleveland after signing a one-year contract as a free agent in the offseason, along with a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick on October 7. shadure sandersBengals sign Flacco jake browningWho has struggled since taking over, throwing six touchdowns to eight interceptions joe burro Burrow missed Week 2 turf after suffering a toe injury.
Although Tomlin questioned the trade from Cleveland’s perspective, when asked if Flacco fit with Bengals coach Zac Taylor, the Steelers coach acknowledged that it was a good move for Cincinnati.
“It certainly makes sense from Cincinnati’s standpoint,” Tomlin said. “…He can throw the football, and he’s always been able to throw the football – arm strength, arm accuracy, anticipating the passer, fluid movement through progressions. That’s always been his game.”
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, asked about Tomlin’s comments on Monday, said he had no comment.
Not everyone in Pittsburgh was shocked by the trade.
“Honestly, I wasn’t surprised by Flacco’s move,” said Brown, the Browns-turned-Steeler. juan thornhill Said after Sunday’s win. “They took him out there, they put him on the bench, so I felt like it was the next guy. They kind of worked with him. I’ve been there before. I’ve seen that picture before. Once they put you on the bench, you can’t get back there, and I thought maybe they had a chance to get something out of Flacco, so they sent him to Cincinnati.
“I’m excited to play Flacco, man. He’s a great guy.”
Tomlin most recently faced Flacco last season when the veteran filled in for the injured indianapolis colts starter Anthony Richardson Sr.Defeated the Steelers 27–24 in the first quarter. Flacco completed 16 of 26 attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
In his assessment of the veteran quarterback carson wentz taking over for the inexperienced JJ McCarthy facing forward from pittsburgh minnesota vikings In Week 4, Tomlin recalled the fits that Flacco gave him when he came into the game last season.
“We were in a similar situation a year ago,” Tomlin said on September 23. “We were playing in Indianapolis, and I told people to stay [Anthony] Richardson straight. don’t put [Joe] Flacco was in the game, and Flacco was over in the game. I think sometimes when you meet someone with experience, some of those things can come up, at least from a short-term perspective.”
On Monday, Tomlin praised Flacco after his first outing as a Bengal, where he threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. 27-18 damage to green Bay PackersThat game marked the first time in five starts this season that Flacco threw multiple touchdowns and no interceptions. Flacco posted a season-best QBR of 68.6 in the loss, significantly higher than his 13.9. detroit lions in Week 4 and 29.8 in his first game as a member of the Browns in Week 3 against the Packers.
“On the offensive side, the story is Joe Flacco, and it’s reasonable to expect he’ll be much better in Week 2 [as a Bengal],” Tomlin said. “…I think he worked hard the week before on developing timing and consistency. I think it’s a significant step forward after doing it in some live football situations. I also saw him make some anticipated throws last week, and so I thought he was much better as the game went on.
“Obviously, we’ve got a full week of work to do in terms of minimizing the amount of experienced, savvy, talented thrower like him that they have, as well as the capable players that they have, and so that’s definitely where we’re focused.”
When asked at midseason about the challenge of preparing to play two games in short succession as the starting quarterback for a new team, Tomlin again praised Flacco.
“It doesn’t seem to be difficult for Joe Flacco,” he said.
Flacco is 10-11 with a 59.3 QBR as a starter against Tomlin and has completed 61% of his passes with 25 passing touchdowns to 12 interceptions. According to ESPN research. As a starter, he has been sacked 56 times by Tomlin’s defense.
