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: Highsmith Ruled Out Against Ravens, Herbig Poised To Return
Patrick Queen Will Have Plenty Of Chances To Be ‘Villain’ Against The Ravens
‘Routine For Us’: Mike Tomlin Doesn’t View Fake Punt As ‘Gadget’ Play
‘You Know I Don’t Care:’ Mike Tomlin Not Concerned With How Steelers’ Schedule Shakes Out
Russell Wilson ‘Still Writing That Story’ Regarding Why Steelers Turned To Him, Mike Tomlin Says
Mike Tomlin Expects Workload For Mike Williams, Preston Smith To Increase
Mike Tomlin ‘Not Gonna Overreact’ To Joey Porter Jr.’s Penalties Against Commanders
Remember Redman: Unsung Heroes Play Part In Beating Ravens, Too
NO LACK OF BELIEF AGAINST WASHINGTON
The Steelers were down two scores against the Commanders in their 28-27 Week 10 win, but they battled back and pulled off the win by outscoring Washington 14-3 after the Commanders took a 24-14 lead. Despite trailing by 10 points, Mike Tomlin said he never felt a lack of belief or focus from his players.
“Obviously, at one point, we were down by 10, but I never felt a lack of belief or a lack of focus individually or collectively. Guys realize how you get out of those circumstances is to make plays.”
A 10-point second-half deficit would’ve been a near sentence for the Steelers in the past, but with Russell Wilson firing on all cylinders, the Steelers were able to climb back into the game. The defense also had some clutch stops late, and it was a true team effort to come away with a win over a good Commanders team. It gave the Steelers some momentum they’ll look to carry into their Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
FAMILIAR WITH ZAY FLOWERS “SPECIAL” TALENTS
Mike Tomlin’s son Dino played college football with Zay Flowers at BC, so Mike Tomlin is quite familiar with the Ravens’ second-year wideout. Flowers is having an impressive sophomore campaign with 50 receptions for 688 yards and three touchdowns for the Ravens, and Tomlin talked about how special he is as a player.
“Zay Flowers is spectacular at wideout, obviously. I’m really familiar with Zay. I saw just about every game he played last year in college because my son was on his team. His talents are special. His ability to separate, his run after, his competitive spirit, his general playmaking. He can make plays in a lot of ways, and they distribute the ball to him in a lot of ways.”
Flowers will be Baltimore’s No. 1 weapon that the Steelers have to take away in the receiving game, and he’ll likely be lined up against Joey Porter Jr. for most of the game. Porter struggled with penalties against the Commanders and can’t afford to do so against the shifty Flowers. If Pittsburgh can successfully take him away, Baltimore’s options will be limited through the air, and it will be essential if the Steelers want to win.
POTENTIAL SNAP COUNT FOR NICK HERBIG
The Steelers won’t have OLB Alex Highsmith for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, but the team will have OLB Nick Herbig back from a hamstring injury. However, Herbig might not play a full amount of snaps, as Mike Tomlin said he could be on a pitch count depending on how he looks during practice this week.
“Have no idea. [Nick] Herbig has not gotten himself fully in the boat yet, and so I’d be speculating on both ends of that. The level of the pitch count and how we divide the labor up, all of that would be determined after he gets really solid with being an inclusive component of the plan and we get solid with it as well.”
With the addition of Preston Smith, the need for Herbig to play a lot of snaps is lessened. Smith had a good game in his Steelers debut, racking up a sack and two tackles for a loss, but the Steelers will need both Herbig and Smith to step up to replace the contributions of Highsmith. It will be a big test for both of them. While both have proven they’ve been able to play at a high level in the past, it could be harder for the collective if Herbig is limited.
