Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said during his press conference today that anyone healthy is “scheduled to play” in their preseason opener on Friday night. Tomlin dove a little deeper into why, believing that playing everyone helps the team better prepare for the season.
“I just think, philosophically I lean toward playing in general. I know there are different approaches to the preseason and I respect the approaches and opinions of others, but that’s kinda always been in my comfort zone,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel. “If we’re gonna box, we have to spar. If we need to get ready for the regular season, then preseason is an avenue for which to do it for individuals and collectives.”
The obvious downside to starters getting time in the preseason, no matter how limited, is the risk for injuries. But injuries are a part of the game, and if a guy isn’t getting ramped up to get ready to be full-go for the start of the regular season, he could be more at risk for injuries just from having his body ready to go for a full game.
While I wouldn’t expect any significant guys to play a ton on Friday night, just getting that taste of live football can help them get ready. As Tomlin likened it to, it’s like sparring before a boxing match. You have to get ready and fight a little bit before things begin to count for real.
The Steelers are still a young team, and getting as much live game experience is going to be beneficial for them when the season kicks off. They get right into it with a Week One matchup against one of the best teams in the league in the San Francisco 49ers. If Pittsburgh wants to win everyone is going to have to be 100 percent ready. If that involves taking a few hits in the preseason to prepare for the physicality of the regular season, then so be it.
It’s not a philosophy everyone around the league might agree with, as some teams might prefer to rest starters and prevent whatever bumps and bruises they can before the season starts. But Tomlin sees it differently, and it’s a philosophy no one really seems to have any issues with.
It also helps gauge where each unit — starters and backups and third-stringers -is during a given point, which helps decide position battles and roster decisions. If some starters play and some are benched, then you can’t accurately assess the unit as a whole. So while guys might not play a lot, particularly on Friday night, they’ll play. It’ll be good to judge where Pittsburgh is and to see some football against a different opponent.
