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 from the press conference:
Injury Update: Tomlin Says Three Steelers Unlikely To Play Against Colts
Tomlin: Justin Fields On Track To Start Against Colts, Team ‘In Same Place’ With Russell Wilson As Last Week
Mike Tomlin ‘Not Surprised’ By Broderick Jones Having ‘Bounce-Back’ Game In Week 3
‘Keep Working’: Mike Tomlin Has Simple Message For Rookie WR Roman Wilson
Tomlin Explains Why He’s Declining To Name A Starting Quarterback
Mike Tomlin ‘Excited’ To See DeMarvin Leal Play Increased Role
Tomlin: Week 3 Guard Rotation Was Planned, ‘No Stage Is Too Big’ For Mason McCormick
‘Got That Level Of Confidence In Chris Boswell:’ Mike Tomlin Believed In 62-Yard FG Attempt
Mike Tomlin Explains What He’s Liked Out Of Justin Fields
‘One’s Young And The Other One’s Little:’ Mike Tomlin Enjoys Challenging Steelers CBs
‘That Just Speaks To His Talents’: Steelers Intended To Use Cordarrelle Patterson As RB/WR, Tomlin Says
NEED TO STOP COLTS ON GROUND
The Indianapolis Colts boast an impressive running back in Jonathan Taylor and a quarterback who can use his legs in Anthony Richardson, and the Colts will scheme runs for Richardson. Mike Tomlin said ahead of Week 4, that stopping the run will be a big emphasis.
“Man, we got a big challenge in Jonathan Taylor. I think that challenge is intensified because of Richardson’s ability and their willingness to use schematics regarding Richardson’s mobility. So man, it’s a big run-game emphasis for us as I sit here right now at the early outset of the week,” Tomlin said.
Pittsburgh did a good job limiting the Los Angeles Chargers, another run-heavy team, on the ground last week, although the designed-run aspect for Richardson will throw another wrinkle into Pittsburgh’s defensive game plan this week. With both guys capable of hurting the Steelers on the ground, they will need to be up to the task in preventing the Colts from winning on the ground once again, and the road environment in Indy could make things more difficult. There’s no doubt that for Pittsburgh to win, it will have to remain stout against the run.
NOT CONCERNED ABOUT OWN RUN GAME
The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled to move the ball on the ground through the first three quarters against the Los Angeles Chargers, but Tomlin isn’t worried about the lack of run-game success. He said that it’s the byproduct of facing good defenses and that the Steelers needed to stick with the run, which they did.
“When you play good defenses, particularly in the early stages of the game, it’s gonna be tough. When they have guys like Derwin James spinning down into the box and blitzing off the edge and so forth, it’s gonna be tough,” Tomlin said. “The key is to not absorb negativity when you’re behind the chains, where it affects the next down, and you better maintain your commitment to it in order to win the war of attrition. You’re not always gonna have efficient runs early on, especially when you’re playing good people.”
Pittsburgh never abandoned the run in its home opener, and the ground game got going in the fourth quarter, as the Steelers took advantage of a tired Chargers defense and closed the game out. Pittsburgh ended the day with 114 yards on the ground, and the grind-it-out, wear-’em-down style worked. While the Steelers obviously want to have more run success early in games, the fact they stuck with it and it worked is a testament to their style on offense and something we’ll continue to see out of the Steelers.
NOT SURPRISED BY FIELDS’ ACCURACY
Justin Fields had his best game through the air on Sunday, going 25-of-32 for 245 yards and a passing touchdown. He also made a few big throws and showed off better accuracy than expected. Mike Tomlin said the accuracy didn’t surprise him, and it’s something they Steelers have seen on tape dating back to Fields’ Ohio State days.
“Very much so. It’s something that we saw in draft prep, dating back to his days in Columbus. And that’s often the case with us. Our interest in people, in terms of pro personnel, oftentimes can be traced back to draft evals, and that was a component of his game that was really impressive in Columbus, certainly,” Tomlin said.
It was an impressive performance for Fields, and it was something that was evident in college, but poor decision-making made his accuracy look like a question mark at times with the Chicago Bears. Fields also missed some throws early in the season, but he was able to make a lot of plays through the air on Sunday. If he continues to do so, it’s going to be hard to bench him when Russell Wilson gets back to full strength.
