Austin Powers would be so disappointed.
He’s a big believer in “mojo.” Mike Tomlin? Evidently, not so much.
During his Tuesday press conference, Tomlin told reporters the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense needed some confidence. Some mojo. The feeling that they could go out there, kick butt, and take names, instead of it being the other way around the first two weeks. It’s a value impossible to quantify but felt true, even backed up by center Mason Cole who admitted confidence might be an issue.
Alas, Tomlin doesn’t really think that’s a problem nor a solution. In his weekly pregame interview with Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola, he said he was just trying to answer a question and move on.
“It was a means of avoiding the question for me,” he told Labriola. “Some things you just can’t talk about. We’re not performing as well as we would like, and it just simply requires more work. But when you get in press conference settings, I always think of something that you can talk about or something that’s tangible, and they want to hear what’s new and different and shiny and appealing.”
It certainly was a new answer from Tomlin and despite his Doc Emrick-like vocabulary, was probably the first time he ever used the word “mojo” in a press conference. Although there is one thing Tomlin said inaccurately. He wasn’t asked a question about “mojo” or confidence. The comment he made were part of his opening remarks before opening the floor to reporter questions. Maybe he was preempting inevitable questions about the offense’s struggles (which he still received) but if you missed it, here’s what Tomlin led off with Tuesday.
If you missed it, here’s what Tomlin said Tuesday.
“Offensively, we have to get our mojo back. We have to get the mojo that we had in the preseason, where we’re playing fast and fluid with confidence. Individually and collectively, we’ve lost that, to be blunt, in the last several weeks.”
Now, Tomlin denies that really being a factor hampering this unit. He says he was just helping write a nice headline for the papers (and us).
“Sometimes I provide a little color in an effort to help the media do their jobs, but I meant absolutely nothing by it,” he told Labriola.
It certainly worked and became one of the top headlines following his presser. As much as he may want to deny it, and as tough as “mojo” is to quantify, there still feels like a level of truth to it. Pittsburgh isn’t playing confidently nor asserting their will. Gone is the talk of “bully ball” and being the more physical team up front. Slow starts haven’t gotten this team feeling good about anything aside from the occasional splash play.
Players, like Cole, have discussed the team not acting like the way they did in the summer. Obviously, it’s hard to have confidence when you’re the worst offense in football, and there’s a chicken-or-egg element to all of this (will confidence create more success or does success create the confidence?) and nothing replaces sound technique and proper execution.
Regardless of what the team needs to do to play well – mojo, technique, divine intervention – it needs to happen tonight against the Las Vegas Raiders. If they can’t, they’ll be another word Austin Powers loved to use.
Shagged.
