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Hard Knocks Shares Special Moment Between Steelers' Mike Tomlin, Nick Herbig

The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach had one of the most electrifying moments of the first episode.

Noah Strackbein

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig has become a force within the defense during his second NFL season, and in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he made his mark on the rivalry. During HBO's first episode of Hard Knocks' AFC North series, cameras and microphones caught a special moment between Herbig and head coach Mike Tomlin after a game-changing play.

Herbig got to quarterback Joe Burrow during the fourth quarter of the 44-38 victory, where the sophomore linebacker stripped the ball lose, which was picked up by linebacker Payton Wilson and taken into the endzone.

Hard Knocks showed clips from throughout the week where Tomlin spoke about Herbig needing to beat Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown, highlighting the matchup during film study and during practice. Then, as Herbig rounds the corner and creates a play, you watch Tomlin's reaction.

As Herbig celebrated with his teammates on the sideline, he and Tomlin meet, where the head coach grabs his head and tells him, "this is what you brought here to do."

"I'm not gonna act surprised. I'm not gonna act surprised," Tomlin said. "That's what you brought here to do. Let's not act surprised. This ain't a lightning strike, man. You built for this. You built for this."

The opening episode showed plenty of moments between Tomlin and players, which comes as no surprise. The head coach has always been known to have the right words and the perfect time, and deliver them better than anyone else.

And with the Hard Knocks cameras in the building as the Steelers go on a playoff push, there's probably many more epic moments coming.

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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