Mike Tomlin sparked a major controversy a few days ago when he said he didn’t understand why the Browns had traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. A direct shot at Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry.
“To be honest, it was shocking to me. Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us, because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening-day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area. But, that’s just my personal feelings.”
Flacco proved that Tomlin was right by throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in the Bengals’ 33-31 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the end of the game, this was the veteran quarterback’s opinion on what the head coach had said about the trade.
“I have so much respect for Mike and the battles that we’ve had in Pittsburgh, in Baltimore. I played them last year in Indianapolis. I always find a way to play them. I love playing them. Those games against those guys have been different in my career than others. Just the physicality and the energy. Mike’s been doing it so long and has those ready to play every single week. Nothing but respect for him.”
Why did the Browns trade Joe Flacco?
The Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals because they had already benched him to give rookie Dillon Gabriel a chance. Since the veteran was no longer going to play, they decided to get a fifth-round pick in the move.
What’s difficult to understand is how an AFC North team gave new life to another team in the same division by handing them a Super Bowl–winning quarterback on a silver platter. That’s what sparked Tomlin’s comments.