Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn’t break any laws Thanksgiving night in his jaunt onto the M&T Bank Stadium turf that appeared to re-route Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return.
Tomlin didn’t rob any banks, didn’t take the tag off a pillow and, as far as can be ascertained, he didn’t attempt to rebroadcast a game without the express written consent of the commissioner.
This is all worth noting in the wake of reaction around Charm City following Thursday’s game, where Tomlin, already unpopular around town, given his status as Steelers head honcho, is as liked as an IRS agent on April 15.
But did Tomlin do anything that any other coach or player wouldn’t do, if they could get away with it?
The axiom that wafts over stock car racing is if you ain’t cheatin,’ you ain’t tryin.’ There, making ever-so-slight modifications to a car to make it go a little faster and to get that racer’s edge is supposedly the way to go. And if no one notices, that’s all the better.
It’s the same in other sports.
In baseball, if the Orioles are facing a team that likes to run, shouldn’t the Camden Yards grounds crew water down the infield and the dirt in the base paths to help give the home team a little edge?
And isn’t a runner who reaches second expected to at least transmit to a batter at the plate where the ensuing pitch is going to be and what the pitch will be, if he can get away with it?