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 so far from the press conference:
Injury Update: Tomlin Rules Four Players Out Against Raiders, Three More Doubtful
Russell Wilson Scheduled To Be Full Participant At Wednesday’s Practice, Tomlin Says
Justin Fields Running With 1s, Russell Wilson With 2s To Open Week Of Practice
Tomlin Doesn’t Have ‘Any Outlying Issue’ With George Pickens Effort, Has Privately Addressed Behavior
Pickens Isn’t Part Of Steelers Core Blocking Scheme, Says Tomlin: ‘Handled By Guys Like Van Jefferson’
Mike Tomlin Says Isaiahh Loudermilk Will Be EDGE Option With Steelers Thin At OLB
Mike Tomlin ‘Not Surprised’ By Backup QB Kyle Allen Showing ‘Confidence’ Against Cowboys
Steelers Excited About Practice Squad EDGE Rusher Options
Defensive Communication Wasn’t ‘Up To Snuff’ Against Cowboys, Mike Tomlin Says
Despite Injuries, Payton Wilson Isn’t An Option To Play Outside Linebacker
Despite ‘Rolodex Of A Lineup’ Steelers Will ‘Benefit From Some Of The Challenges’ Along O-Line, Tomlin Believes
GAME WRECKERS ON DEFENSE FOR LAS VEGAS
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to look to get back on track on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders after back-to-back losses, but they’ll have their hands full with a talented Raiders defensive front. In particular, Mike Tomlin singled out EDGE rusher Maxx Crosby as someone who has Pittsburgh’s attention.
“Maxx Crosby’s a game-wrecker, to be quite honest with you, it starts there. You gotta minimize his impact on the game, particularly in one-dimensional passing moments, and it’s more than just wishing someone good luck in terms of blocking him. You gotta do some schematic things to minimize him with body position and two people,” Tomlin said.
He also cited DL Christian Wilkins, who signed with the Raiders this offseason, as a player the team needs to pay attention to.
“He’s got a well-rounded game. He’s disruptive in the run. He’s disruptive in the interior in terms of passing,” Tomlin said. “Looks like he’s really catching his stride over the last two-and-half weeks or so in terms of his disruption, negativity that he’s creating in his playmaking.”
The Steelers are going to need to have a good plan to give whoever starts at quarterback time to throw and prevent Las Vegas’ front from disrupting the game. Wilkins is also going to be a presence in the middle against the run, and the Steelers are going to need to establish the run better than they have the last two weeks. It’ll be a good test for the Steelers, especially on the road, and they’re going to need to find a way to contain Crosby and Wilkins to help their offense click.
FREIERMUTH FUNCTIONING AS RECEIVER
While there’s been question marks about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receivers, Tomlin said he’s happy with the contributions of different guys in the room. In particular, he made a point to shout out tight end Pat Freiermuth, whom he said is a receiver in the sense that he’s a key part of their passing game.
“I like the contributions of different guys over different times. There’s been moments, Calvin [Austin III] had a big game a couple weeks ago,” Tomlin said. “If you’re talking specifically about the passing game, you can’t exclude [Freiermuth]. He is a tight end, but he is a receiver in that he’s a central component of what we do in the passing game.”
Freiermuth has 20 receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns through five games, and the Steelers undoubtedly want to continue to get him involved. His touchdowns have come in back-to-back weeks, and he had his best game in Week 4 with five catches for 57 yards and a score.
Week 5 was his lowest output of the season with only three receptions — he had at least four in every game coming in and also had just 22 yards — but he’s at least been fairly consistent in terms of receptions. He’ll continue to be targeted and essentially function as the No. 2 pass-catcher in Pittsburgh’s offense.
PRESCOTT CREDITED FOR EXPLOSIVE PLAYS
The Steelers allowed too many explosive plays against the Dallas Cowboys, and while coverage busts were a big component of it, Tomlin also credited QB Dak Prescott.
“He’s very good with the ball in terms of seeing the full field and making good decisions and utilizing all his eligibles,” Tomlin said.
He also blamed the defensive communication for the issues, but said he’d be doing a “disservice to the game” if he didn’t talk about Prescott’s impact.
Prescott is one of the better quarterbacks in football, but the Steelers defense simply wasn’t good enough and made too many mistakes in coverage. That allowed Prescott to pick them apart to the tune of 352 yards. It was especially noticeable when Nick Herbig left the game with an injury and the pass rush struggled to get home. But the defense has to be better and clean up its communication to prevent so many explosives going forward.
