Mike Tomlin has his press conference early in the week before each game, breaking down 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 Coach T. had to say.
For the full press conference visit the Steelers’ YouTube channel.
Before we get into tidbits, here is everything we have written about so far today from the press conference:
Injury Roundup: Mike Tomlin Provides Russell Wilson Update, Dan Moore Jr. Dealing With Ankle Swelling
Tomlin: Russell Wilson ‘Feels Better Today Than He Did,’ Still Taking Wait-And-See Approach
Tomlin: Steelers ‘Really Excited’ About Bringing Back Corliss Waitman
Steelers Explain Why Team Brought Back SS Terrell Edmunds
Steelers ‘Expect An Uptick’ In Practice Participation For WR Roman Wilson This Week
Mike Tomlin Declines To Answer If A Healthy Russell Wilson Will Resume QB1 Role
‘I Did A Straw Poll, Man’: Mike Tomlin Explains How Scotty Miller Became Emergency Holder
‘It Was A Lot Of Good:’ Mike Tomlin Evaluates Justin Fields’ Performance
Mike Tomlin Pleased With Donte Jackson, DeShon Elliott: ‘Just The Stuff You Get From’ Veterans
‘Reasonable To Expect’ Good Health To Reflect Better Play From Larry Ogunjobi, Mike Tomlin Says
Tomlin: Rookie UDFA CB Beanie Bishop Jr. Off To A ‘Really Good Start’ For Steelers
Jaylen Warren Is ‘Healthy Enough’ Despite Not Receiving Heavy Week 1 Workload, Says Mike Tomlin
DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT IN DENVER
Playing in Denver is never easy with the elevation, and especially early in the season when the weather is hot, it can take a toll on a team. For the Steelers, making sure they’re well-conditioned this week will be key to combatting what Mike Tomlin called a “hostile and challenging environment.”
“The first thing that I think about when I think about going to Denver is the environment. Particularly at this portion of the season,” he said. “It is a hostile and challenging environment in a lot of ways. From a crowd noise perspective, from a conditioning perspective. And so we can’t run from that. We have to run to that to prepare with those things in mind this week.”
The Broncos are wearing their all-white uniforms on Sunday, which means the Steelers will have to wear black. That adds another layer to the conditioning aspect with a high of 87 expected in Denver. There’s some excitement too among the Broncos faithful with Bo Nix at quarterback. While Justin Fields is in line to start, a lot of Broncos fans may have bought tickets expecting to see Russell Wilson’s return, which could make for a loud environment.
It’s a challenge the Steelers will have to face head-on, and Steelers fans likely won’t be taking over Empower Mile High Field like they did Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
PAYTON WILSON PLAYS WELL
Rookie LB Payton Wilson made his NFL debut against the Falcons on Sunday, and he immediately burst onto the scene with a touchdown-saving tackle on the game’s first possession.
“I thought it wasn’t too big for him, which is a good start for a young guy,” Tomlin said of Wilson’s overall play. “Just in general, like what I saw from Payton in terms of production or demeanor.”
The Steelers rotated Wilson and Elandon Roberts based on skill set, with Roberts being more of a downhill thumper and the speedier Wilson giving the team a better option in pass coverage. Tomlin said that this week, things could look a little different, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Wilson’s role grow more and more as the season progresses.
He offers a lot of intriguing traits at the linebacker position, and Week 1 was definitely a good start for Wilson. If he can build off that performance, he could wind up being a really nice contributor for the Steelers this season.
POSITIVES TO TAKE AWAY FROM FRAZIER/ANDERSON
Both C Zach Frazier and OG Spencer Anderson made their first NFL start against the Falcons, and generally, the line was pretty impressive on Sunday, only allowing two sacks and getting a good push in the run game.
“I’m appreciative of the efforts and demeanor of a guy like Spencer, of a guy like Zach Frazier, who in regular-season stadiums and starting capacity for the first time, definitely a lot of positive things to build from. I like the attitude, their demeanor and their finish. We’ll keep working on the fine details.”
There’s definitely a lot to build off when it comes to Frazier and Anderson, and it was a really solid debut for Frazier while Anderson held his own. Both aren’t finished products by any means, but it was good to see both perform well, and when it comes to Frazier, to see him rebound after snap issues early in the game. It was a good starting point for both, and I’d expect both to be a little bit better against Denver on Sunday.
