Something new we’re doing for Steelers Depot. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin gives his press conference early in the week before each game, outlining what happened the previous weekend and focusing on the upcoming one. While we’ll write about the most notable things Tomlin had to say in separate articles, we’ll throw in a couple of smaller nuggets of information in this post. A one-stop shop for the rest of what Tomlin had to say.
If you want to hear the full press conference, check out the Steelers’ YouTube page here.
Before we get into tidbits, here’s everything we’ve written so far today:
Mason Rudolph Expected To Start, Mike Tomlin Doesn’t Rule Out Kenny Pickett’s Return
Mike Tomlin Wanted Checkdown From Mitch Trubisky Before Controversial Punt
Injury Update: Minkah Fitzpatrick Ruled Out, Kenny Pickett Considered Questionable
Mike Tomlin Explains Why The Steelers Are Turning To Mason Rudolph
Tomlin Not Focused On External Criticism: ‘Nobody Outside Our Locker Room Is Going To Make A Play’
Tomlin: Steelers Must Adjust Schematics To Compensate For Attrition On Defense
‘Not A Dirty Player:’ Mike Tomlin Defends Damontae Kazee’s Reputation
Mike Tomlin Says LB Myles Jack, S Eric Rowe Are ‘In Strong Consideration’ For Playing Time
Mike Tomlin: George Pickens ‘Still Has Room For Improvement’ In Showing Better On-Field Effort
STEELERS COULD HAVE AVOIDED END OF HALF COLTS RALLY
Mike Tomlin pointed to this sequence as a turning point in the game. The Steelers got the ball back with 3:23 left in the first half. They ran six plays before having to punt, and the Colts promptly drove 74 yards in three plays to score a touchdown to take the 14-13 lead at halftime. Had they not missed on third down, the Steelers could have had a chance to put more points on the board. At the very least, they could have prevented the Colts from touching the ball again and maintained their lead at halftime. Here is what Tomlin had to say.
“I thought we had a chance to avoid that,” Tomlin said of the defensive breakdown. “If we converted on a very makeable third down on the front side of that two minute when we still had the ball. I think we had Freiermuth over the ball in the middle of the field versus zone defense, and we weren’t able to connect there.”
Here is the play he is talking about.
TOMLIN WANTS TO GET BACK TO WINE, NOT SQUASHING GRAPES
Tomlin gave a particularly Tomlinism-filled answer when asked how he could do better as a coach.
“We’re gonna work every day. We’re gonna have a can-do attitude. We’re not gonna be helpless, we’re gonna be helpful. The collective individuals. I’m excited about getting started to work tomorrow. I think that’s one of the beautiful and challenging things of our league, man. It’s every week in this league. One week you’re drinking wine. The next week you’re squashing grapes. Obviously, we’ve squashed a lot of grapes of late. I’m interested in a little wine.”
He was asked the same question again after that remark and gave a non-answer, saying there is a change in tone, but he would “not disclose or talk openly” about it in this setting. While Tomlin prefers to deflect these types of questions to the media, he did acknowledge that things have changed behind the scenes.
DON’T EXPECT THE SAME JAKE BROWNING
The last time the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals met, the Steelers won 16-10 while playing QB Jake Browning in his first career start. It did not go well for Browning in that game. He completed 19 of his 26 attempts for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. A good chunk of his yardage was gained on two deflected passes that happened to fall into the hands of WR Ja’Marr Chase. Since then, he has won three straight games with an average of 318 passing yards, 1.67 touchdowns, and a 76.7 completion percentage per game. Tomlin spoke about this in his press conference.
“He’s new to playing, but not new to their program, and I think we talked about that last time, but I think that that is increasingly evident as he’s gained more in-helmet perspective on play over the last three weeks.”
The Bengals are in the thick of the playoff hunt in the AFC wild-card race. They will potentially be without WR Ja’Marr Chase, but they were missing him for part of their last win, and guys like Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins stepped up. Especially with the state of the Steelers’ safety position group, Browning and the threat of the passing game this Saturday will be difficult to contend with.
BENGALS DEFENSE HOLDS STRONG IN RED AREA
One of the things the Bengals’ defense has been excelling at is creating splash plays and turnovers on defense while defending the red zone. Last week, against the Minnesota Vikings, former Steelers CB Mike Hilton intercepted a pass in the red zone. They also had one other red zone turnover earlier in the game. The Steelers struggle in the red zone as is, so the threat of a takeaway in that area will be something for the team to keep in mind. Tomlin spoke on this in his press conference.
“They’re playing really good situational ball, standing up in big moments. Mike Hilton, big interception in the red area, I thought, really kept that thing in striking distance for ’em the other day. But we know and are familiar with Mike. He is a big catalyst for them. I think he’s third or fourth in tackles for them. He’s always had an appetite for the big play.”
The Bengals have forced a league-leading ten turnovers in the red zone this season. Six interceptions and four forced fumbles. The Steelers have the fifth-worst red zone touchdown percentage, with 46.67 percent of their red zone attempts ending in a touchdown.
