January 1, Tomlin Warns Cowboys Defense Meetings Mean Trouble

Wyatt’s Take

• Mike Tomlin says players-only meetings signal a team in trouble and should stay private
• The Dallas Cowboys defense continues to struggle early in the season
• Tomlin refuses to hide his loyalty to the Steelers while doing his analyst job

The Dallas Cowboys defense is drawing heat after another rough showing in Week 5. The unit gave up key yards and points in a loss that dropped the team to 2-3.

Word got out that Dallas players held a private meeting to sort things out. Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did not mince words about what such meetings often mean.

“I think you’re dead,” Tomlin said on the New Heights podcast.

Tomlin stressed that the real problem is not the meeting itself but the fact it became public knowledge.

“If it did occur, I’d like to not hear about it,” Tomlin said. “The fact that you hear about it is what makes it BS.”

Host Travis Kelce asked Tomlin about taking heat for still rooting for the Steelers after nearly two decades with the team. Tomlin made clear he will not fake neutrality.

“To be honest with ya, I don’t care if I do,” Tomlin said. “How can you be somewhere 19 years, man, and had really a personal stake in most of the guys being there and not care for ’em? Not root for ’em? Not be for ’em? I’m not gonna pretend that I’m not. I can’t do that. Certainly, I got a job to do, and I’m gonna do it. But everybody knows where my heart is and where my support is, and I’m not apologizing for that.”

The Cowboys have made staff moves in hopes of fixing the defense, including adding Mike Pettine as a senior assistant. The team now heads to Lambeau Field for a primetime matchup with the Packers.

Wyatt Matters

Hardworking Americans expect straight talk and loyalty. Tomlin’s refusal to hide his roots shows the kind of honesty that still matters in sports and in life.