Mike Tomlin Calls Joe Flacco Trade “Shocking”
Mike Tomlin Criticizes Browns GM For “Shocking” Joe Flacco Bengals Trade
Turns out that Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is just like the rest of us when it comes to the head-scratching decision by the Cleveland Browns to trade starting quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“To be honest, it was shocking to me,” Tomlin said Monday, ESPN reports. “Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening-day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area, but that’s just my personal feelings.”
It’s rare for Tomlin to speak about another team, especially a team that his Steelers just beat three days before, 23-9, which was the beginning of third-round draft pick Dillion Gabriel’s time at quarterback.
Flacco started the first four games of the season for Cleveland after signing a one-year contract as a free agent. Flacco struggled during this season with the Browns and was ultimately traded.
Tomlin noted that the trade makes sense for the Bengals considering Flacco is still a decent quarterback.
“It certainly made sense from Cincinnati’s perspective,” Tomlin said, ESPN reports. “… He can throw the football, and he’s always been able to throw the football — arm strength, arm accuracy, anticipatory passer, fluid movement through progressions. That’s always been his game.”
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about Tomlin’s remarks Monday and had no comment.
Some players saw the Flacco trade coming.
“I’m being honest, I wasn’t surprised about the Flacco move,” Brown-turned-Steeler Juan Thornhill said after Sunday’s win. “They took him out of there, they benched him, so I felt like it was next man up. They were kind of done with him. I’ve been over there before. I’ve seen that picture before. Once they bench you, you’re not getting back in there, and I felt like they had an opportunity maybe to get something out of Flacco, so they sent him to Cincinnati.
