There will be a total of 17 days between last Thursday’s preseason finale on the road against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the 2023 Week One matchup against the San Francisco 49ers at Acrisure Stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That’s a long time off between in-game action.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin has done this before though, and has a plan of attack for the Steelers over the next two-and-a-half weeks. It might sound simple in the buildup to a massive season-opener against the NFC powerhouse 49ers, but Tomlin has the Steelers focusing on “doing the routine things extraordinarily well.”
“Feel really directed in terms of how to use these block of days. Fundamental things. Man, we’ve gotta do routine things extraordinarily well,” Tomlin said to reporters Saturday after practice, according to video via Steelers.com. “And so, flat tackles, angle tackle, the science of tackling, the tackle types based on matchup, angles to the ball, space are some of the things that we’re focusing on the defensive side of the ball. The precision component of offensive play, rhythm throws, timing, pace, intentional use of pace, are a couple of things that really have our attention as we lean in on these block of days.”
It’s a long, long time between now and kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 10 against San Francisco to start a season that has a ton of promise for the Black and Gold, but these next two weeks are a big opportunity for the Steelers, especially after they cut the roster down to the initial 53-man roster and the 16-man practice squad.
There’s only so much the Steelers can do from a physical standpoint, due to the current CBA and the restrictions on padded practices, but that’s not going to stop Tomlin from creating an intense atmosphere while having the Steelers focus on the routine. That includes tackling, correct angles to the football, spacing and more defensively, while also emphasizing pace, timing and overall tempo offensively over the next two weeks.
The tackling portion of the preparation will be key. Pittsburgh missed just 19 tackles over three preseason games, which is a strong number overall when dealing with a 90-man roster that might feature a handful of guys that aren’t exactly NFL caliber getting playing time. In fact, only six of those 19 missed tackles were made buy guys that could be considered “regulars” for the Steelers in 2023.
For many around the league, the break between the end of training camp and the preseason and the start of the regular season is a welcomed one, especially after an intense few weeks competing in hot temperatures and intense environments. That won’t be the case for the Steelers, even with the team canceling practice Sunday for a team-building exercise.
Tomlin knows what buttons to push, which days to really get after it as a team, and which days to pull the reins back a bit. Routine things will be the focus moving forward until the team truly starts the push for preparing for San Francisco. We’ll see if it pays off.
