STEELERS' MIKE TOMLIN BROUGHT IN COWBOYS MALIK HOOKER FOR SPECIAL MEETING: 'I JUST LOOKED AT IT AS A BLESSING'
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most coveted organizations in all of professional sports. The franchise's rich history is nothing but respectable, and they are considered a prime example of consistency. Players often want the opportunity to wear the black and gold. This is because of the long resume of success and Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin is one of three head coaches that the Steelers have had since 1969, which is one of the more impressive feats in all of professional sports.
Tomlin is one of the most respected coaches in the league. Current Dallas Cowboys safety, Malik Hooker, sat down with Tomlin while he was going through the pre-draft process back in 2017. Hooker is from Pittsburgh, so the thought of playing there was obviously exciting. Hooker recently went on All Gas No Brakes With Keyshawn Johnson, where he told the story of his meeting with Tomlin and discussed how he felt.
"I'm from Pittsburgh, so Mike T had brought me in and talked to me. But he pretty much already told me he probably wasn't going to get me, he was just bringing me in to chop it up about life. Just being able to go there and you know sit in front of him and knowing the historics and the stuff the Steelers have done as an organization. Being able to even be thought of in that way, like you're able to come in here and play, I just looked at it as a blessing."
Hooker considers having the opportunity to play for a historic organization like the Steelers a blessing. He later would say he feels the same way about playing for the Cowboys, who are right there with the Steelers when it comes to notable franchises. There are only a handful of team's in the NFL that have the same level of historic significance as the Steelers and the Cowboys.
Pittsburgh needed safeties going into the 2017 NFL Draft, but Hooker was a highly touted prospect and the Steelers had the 30th overall pick. There was virtually no chance that Hooker would fall to Pittsburgh, but Tomlin still wanted to meet with Hooker and pick his brain. The safety would end up being selected with the 15th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts, and signed with the Cowboys after his rookie contract expired. The Steelers still did alright in the 2017 NFL Draft, as they wound up selecting TJ Watt.
Hooker talked about the Steelers and the Cowboys as if it's an honor to wear the uniform; which is a breath of fresh air in a time where NFL players motives seem to be mainly driven by money. Dallas and Pittsburgh together are a large part of the NFL's history, as they have combined for 11 of the 58 Super Bowl titles. The two franchises have also clashed in the big game on three occasions.
Steelers And Cowboys Rivalry Has Died Down In Recent Years
Pittsburgh and Dallas are a marquee rivalry in the NFL, mainly due to the three meetings between the teams in the Super Bowl. The Steelers captured two of their Lombardis in wins over the Cowboys, while they lost Super Bowl XXX to Dallas in 1995. A game hasn't been played between the two organizations since the 2020 season, but they are scheduled to clash in Week 5 of the 2024 season on Sunday Night Football.
Hopefully the game during the 2024 season reignites the rivalry, the two franchises always play closely contested games. The past two matchups have been memorable. The Steelers crawled out of a deficit in 2020 and scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to win 24-19. In 2016, Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown to Antonio Brown on a fake spike towards the end of the fourth quarter. Ezekiel Elliott was still able to rip off a touchdown run to win the game for Dallas.
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