The NFL still hasn’t implemented a rule to force players to respect the flag during the national anthem.
While some team’s management has turned a blind eye to players kneeling during the anthem, others have been strict with disrespecting the flag.
And you’ll be shocked to learn which NFL coach made their players stand.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin lost control of his team when his players began kneeling earlier in the season.
Tomlin actually kept his players in the locker room during the anthem at one game so as not to upset fans.
But offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva refused that order and stood in the tunnel during the anthem – maybe it was because he was a Captain in the United States Army and understands the sacrifice made on behalf of the flag.
Nevertheless, not only are the Steelers now on the field during the anthem, but Tomlin has done a great job since then in making his players stand.
Breitbart reported:
“Not a great slate of Sunday NFL games, with only one contest featuring teams with winning records. One game that should have been a marquee match-up, Green Bay at Pittsburgh, is now a dud, due to the absence of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (broken collarbone).
The Steelers have bounced back nicely from their early-season dysfunction, to emerge as the best team in the AFC outside of New England.
The Steelers were a house divided early in the season, trying to figure out how to handle the Colin Kaepernick-created anthem mess, and actually lost to the lowly Chicago Bears in September.
However, their coach, Mike Tomlin smoothed things over and now they’re all standing and the team is rolling.”
Most NFL experts predicted this Sunday Night Football game to be an embarrassing blowout.
But, shockingly, it was the complete opposite.
Although Rodgers was sidelined because of his broken collarbone, backup Brett Hundley played surprisingly well, compared to previous weeks.
Despite their defense underperforming, in the end Pittsburgh survived a close battle and kept their #1 playoff seed.
But on December 17th in week 15, the Patriots and Steelers face off before the two best teams in the AFC, which will be a prelude to their likely meet in the playoffs.
At least, Mike Tomlin thinks so.
NFL.com reported:
“Mike Tomlin didn’t shy away from looking down the road to a Week 15 tilt versus the New England Patriots that could be for home-field advantage in a possible AFC title rematch if all goes according to script.
In an interview with NBC’s Tony Dungy before Sunday night’s 31-28 primetime win over the Green Bay Packers, Tomlin said he has the team that can “win it all” and noted the Patriots game would be key.
“I’m going to embrace the elephant in the room. (The game is) going to be fireworks,” Tomlin said before Sunday’s win, via ESPN. “And it’s probably going to be Part 1. That’s going to be a big game.
“But probably, if we’re both doing what we’re supposed to, the second one is really going to be a big game. Then what happens in the first is going to set up the second one, which is going to determine the location of the second one.”
This might be the greatest matchup of the regular season.
Let’s just hope everybody is standing for the anthem.