{"id":883018,"date":"2026-10-15T09:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/883018\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T09:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:44:14","slug":"mike-tomlin-offers-blunt-take-on-nfl-players-only-meetings-i-think-youre-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/883018\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Tomlin offers blunt take on NFL players-only meetings: \u2018I think you\u2019re dead\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Dallas Cowboys\u2019<\/a> uneven start continued in Week 5, when they fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and dropped to 2-3 through five games.<\/p>\n

Much of the scrutiny has centered on Dallas\u2019 defense, which has struggled to find consistency during the team\u2019s early-season stretch. Against that backdrop, the Cowboys reportedly held a players-only meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.<\/p>\n

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach and current NBC Sports NFL analyst Mike Tomlin offered his perspective on what a players-only meeting can signal about a team\u2019s state of affairs.<\/p>\n

\"Mike <\/p>\n

Mike Tomlin is preparing to give fans a look at his much-talked-about Minecraft city. (Photo by Justin Edmonds\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

MIKE TOMLIN’S COACH CRITICISM MAKES HIM BETTER TV ANALYST BUT RAISES QUESTION WHETHER HE’S EYEING COWBOYS JOB<\/a><\/p>\n

“I think you\u2019re dead,” Tomlin told ESPN\u2019s Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, during the latest episode of the brothers\u2019 “New Heights”<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n

Tomlin later clarified that his concern was less about whether a players-only meeting had occurred than about the fact that it became a subject of public discussions. “If it did occur, I\u2019d like to not hear about it,” Tomlin said. “The fact that you hear about it is what makes it BS.”<\/p>\n

\"Brian <\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Oct. 26, 2025. (Ron Chenoy\/Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

JERRY JONES GOES ALL IN AS COWBOYS TRADE FOR STEELERS’ JOEY PORTER JR IN HOPES OF SUPER BOWL PUSH<\/a><\/p>\n

Jason Kelce\u2019s visible support for the Philadelphia Eagles during broadcasts has drawn attention since he retired from the only team he played for and moved into broadcasting. Travis Kelce then asked whether Tomlin had faced criticism for speaking fondly of the Steelers during “Football Night in America” broadcasts.<\/p>\n

“To be honest with ya, I don\u2019t 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 \u2019em? Not root for \u2019em? Not be for \u2019em? I\u2019m not gonna pretend that I\u2019m not. I can\u2019t do that. Certainly, I got a job to do, and I\u2019m gonna do it. But everybody knows where my heart is and where my support is, and I\u2019m not apologizing for that.”<\/p>\n

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Matt Eberflus served as the Cowboys\u2019 defensive coordinator last season under head coach Brian Schottenheimer. He joined the San Francisco 49ers as assistant head coach\/defense for 2026, with Dallas turning to Christian Parker to lead the defense.<\/p>\n

\"Mike <\/p>\n

Assistant head coach\/outside linebackers coach Mike Pettine of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Diamond Images\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Cowboys have shown modest improvement under Parker in some areas, but they still rank near the bottom of the NFL in yards allowed per game through five weeks.<\/p>\n

Shortly after last Thursday\u2019s 24-16 loss to the Bucs, Schottenheimer began making changes to a Dallas defense that has largely struggled thus far. One of those changes included adding a familiar face to the coaching staff.<\/p>\n

OUTKICK IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE FOX NEWS APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD<\/a><\/p>\n

Mike Pettine will join the Cowboys<\/a> as senior defensive assistant. Pettine has also worked with Parker in the past.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys will travel to historic Lambeau Field on Sunday night for a Week 6 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.<\/p>\n

Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys\u2019 uneven start continued in Week 5, when they fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":883019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[2205,1816,349,259870,99,1306],"class_list":["post-883018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-betting","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-nfl","tag-outkick-sports","tag-sports","tag-trending-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/883019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}