PITTSBURGH -- The well-worn storyline from the haze of the Pittsburgh Steelers' AFC divisional round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars was that the team looked ahead to the New England Patriots and felt emboldened to do so by their head coach, who promised Patriots fireworks in an on-camera interview with Tony Dungy back in late November.
But Mike Tomlin said something more pointed than any Patriots fodder during his end-of-year news conference Tuesday.
"We are all a product of the end result," Tomlin said. "It starts there, whether it is players or coaches.