Entering Saturday’s must-win matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on the road at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers have one directive from head coach Mike Tomlin: don’t be fragile.
In recent weeks, the Steelers have largely been just that: fragile. When opponents make a play, it seems to throw the Steelers into a disarray. That showed up time and time again in losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the New England Patriots.
And, at times, the Steelers appeared soft and had some perceived effort issues in certain situations.
Now, Tomlin wants them to not be fragile in a primetime matchup with the Colts, which is the biggest game of the season for the Black and Gold with much riding on a playoff spot.
Speaking with KDKA-TV’s Bob Pompeani Friday for the Keys to the Game segment of the Mike Tomlin Show, Tomlin was rather pointed in his words regarding his team.
“One thing is we can’t be fragile. Indy’s gonna make some plays. It is gonna be a tough and competitive game, and we can’t let recent events quell us or take away from our fight,” Tomlin told Pompeani, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “We gotta be really solid. We gotta be mentally tough. We gotta smile in the face of adversity. Those are things that we value all the time, but based on a couple of recent performances, we can’t take that for granted.
“We gotta understand that they’re gonna make a play or two. That’s football, particularly at this level. We’re capable of it as well, and we gotta be prepared to play 60 minutes.”
That playing for 60 minutes comment is a follow-up to one he made Monday ahead of the matchup with the Colts. Tomlin downplayed the concern about the slow starts but added that the Steelers have to play 60 minutes of football, rather than worrying about the first 30 minutes.
But the “can’t be fragile” comment is an eye-opening one. Is that potentially a peek inside Tomlin’s current viewpoint of his team? One that is fragile right now, isn’t smiling in the face of adversity, isn’t rising up to the challenge in the moment?
It might be.
He did state Monday that he believed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was talking about guys not smiling in the face of adversity, though that wasn’t what Fitzpatrick was saying. That said, there might be some truth to that there from Tomlin. The team has seemed to crumble in big spots in recent weeks, even after thriving in close, low-scoring games for much of the season.
Injuries and new faces in the lineup might play a part in that, but with the added days off from last Thursday’s loss to the Patriots, and the urgency of the week, the Steelers cannot afford to be fragile when the Colts make some big plays Saturday. Far too much is on the line. Plays are going to be made by the Colts. The Steelers have to answer back.
That’s what good football teams do. If the Steelers want to be viewed as a good football team and make the playoffs, they have to do that in abundance on Saturday — and down the stretch the rest of the regular season.
