LATROBE, Pa. -- B.W. Webb was preparing for a drill during offseason workouts when he hears a familiar voice boom from the sideline.
"Waffle House!"
He didn’t have to look around to know the voice belonged to coach Mike Tomlin. He also knew his coach had ammunition for future ribbing sessions. Webb, a third-year Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback, was wearing a sleeve that said 'Waffle House.' He’s a big fan of the restaurant chain.
"Coach Tomlin will say anything," Webb said.
Tomlin has a unique style of running practices that borders on comedy. His words are predictable in media settings but not on a field, where arbitrary slogans or points of view prevail.
He’s constantly pacing, and talking.
"He talks about everybody," guard David DeCastro said. "He’s easy to talk to and be around, and there’s definitely some back and forth, but at the same time he’s still the coach and he knows where the line is."
When defensive tackle Steve McLendon walked into the dorms Saturday wearing a tanktop, Tomlin yelled from his open window on the second floor, 'Put your shirt back on.'
For Tomlin, the good-natured teasing builds camaraderie.
"I don’t really think a great deal about it. It’s part of team development," Tomlin said. "There’s also a time to enjoy each other and laugh a bit."
Here are a few examples of Tomlinisms blurted out since camp opened Sunday.
Mike, what you doing, getting naked?
Tomlin spotted safety Mike Mitchell re-adjusting his pads. As a result, he looked like he was taking his shirt off. So, Tomlin called him out. Mitchell joked that he was getting "acclimated" to the weather.
Seven shots, tackle football
This doesn’t really mean anything, which means it’s an effective Tomlinism. This could be a reference to the offense getting seven tries to move the football into the end zone.
We’re Feastin' over here
The defense had two interceptions in red-zone drills, so Tomlin started barking the feast line to the defensive sideline. "Man, we're feastin' over here. We're feasting right now," Tomlin said.
That’s a way to hunt
This can be heard after a defensive player pursues a ball-carrier with authority.
It gets sticky in there, young fella
This was Tomlin’s reaction when wide receiver Eli Rogers caught a ball over the middle and got smashed by two defenders.
Eli, 84's over there working. But you don’t have to stay. Don’t worry about it.
Rogers was walking off the practice field when Tomlin yelled clear across a field. When Rogers turned his head, Tomlin paused for dramatic effect, then points to wide receiver Antonio Brown, who’s known for his post-practice mini-workouts, and delivers his line.