Former longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in his first season as an NFL analyst for NBC. And on NBC’s Football Night in America ahead of the Sunday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants in Week 1, Tomlin mocked an AFC North rival of the Steelers.
As Football Night in America showed highlights of the Jacksonville Jaguars beating the Cleveland Browns 34-10 in Week 1, Tomlin kept his analysis about the Browns brief, but his comments said a whole lot.
Football Night in America host Maria Taylor set up Tomlin to begin the highlights: “Deshaun Watson, starting for the first time since Week 7 of 2024, but it was not a good showing, Coach T.”
“No, not off to a good start here,” Tomlin said. “He throws an interception. In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Browns is the Browns.”
Mike Tomlin: “In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Browns is the Browns.” 🏈💀🎙️ pic.twitter.com/5jRJYeRgG1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 14, 2026
In January 2021, Smith-Schuster was asked by the media, “Do you feel this Browns team has a different vibe, a more successful vibe than what you’ve seen in the past from them?”
“No, I think they’re still the same Browns team I play every year,” Smith-Schuster responded. “I think they’re nameless gray faces. Yes, they have a couple of good players on their team. But at the end of the day, the Browns is the Browns.”
That was shortly before the Browns actually beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a playoff game that season.
But Tomlin did go 28-10-1 vs. the Browns (including the postseason game) over his 19 seasons coaching Pittsburgh. And the Browns have won eight total games since the start of the 2024 season, while looking like they will be one of the NFL’s worst teams again this season.
Tomlin has shown off his high football IQ and has delivered sharp analysis so far as an NBC analyst, but he’s starting to show off his personality and sense of humor more with each appearance.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at Awful Announcing and The Comeback.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@awfulannouncing.com.