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: Mike Tomlin Shares Health Of Steelers Ahead Of Bengals Game
Tomlin Explains Why Steelers’ Defense Lacks Sacks
Browns’ Actions On Hail Mary Prevented George Pickens From Making A Play, Says Tomlin
Mike Tomlin: Steelers Coaches ‘Need To Adapt And Adjust To Replay Assist’ In Short-Yardage Situations
Mike Tomlin On George Pickens’ Browns Comments: ‘I Don’t Tell Them What To Think Or Say’
‘Something To Conquer:’ Tomlin Wants Steelers To Handle Hard Knocks Disruption Better Than Rest Of Division
Tomlin: ‘Strategic Component’ To Bringing In Justin Fields Mid-Drive
With Steelers Getting Healthy, Mike Tomlin ‘Inclined’ To Keep T.J. Watt In His ‘Home Spot’
‘We Felt Good About It:’ Tomlin Defends Long Third-Down Pass Attempt By Justin Fields
JOE BURROW “MVP-CALIBER’
The Steelers will have another tough AFC North matchup on Sunday, their third divisional game in a row, when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals. While Cincinnati is just 4-7 this season, QB Joe Burrow has played some of the best football of his career, throwing for 3,028 yards and 27 touchdowns with just four interceptions this season. Mike Tomlin called him “MVP-caliber” in his press conference.
“Joe Burrow, if you look at the tape, he’s MVP-caliber in what he’s doing for them,” Tomlin said.
He added that the Steelers “better have enough schematics” and need to bring enough defense while complimenting Burrow and the Bengals’ offense for being able to “come on like gangbusters” in the fourth quarter.
Burrow will be one of the best quarterbacks Pittsburgh will face this season, and they will need to bring everything they have to slow down Cincinnati’s passing attack. The Bengals’ defense has been a problem this season, but their offense has been humming, with Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase having elite seasons. We’ll see if the Steelers can do enough in a tough road environment to avoid dropping two games in a row for the second time this season.
MIKE WILLIAMS’ ROLE WILL GROW
After acquiring WR Mike Williams at the trade deadline, he has just one reception in three games with the Steelers, a 31-yard game-winning touchdown catch in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. While Williams’ one catch came in a big spot, his lack of involvement over the last two games has been notable, but Tomlin said he expects Williams’ role to grow throughout the season.
“He’s done a nice job just fitting in, learning our football and how we go about our business, and getting himself ready for what we’re asking him to do week in and week out. And it’s reasonable to expect that to continue and grow the longer he’s here.”
It’s tough for a player to acclimate to a new system during the middle of the season, and Williams’ touchdown catch only came because WR Calvin Austin III was out of the game at that point with an injury. Pittsburgh’s offense has struggled over the last two games, and they’re going to need to improve what they’ve done. Incorporating Williams could help give Pittsburgh another weapon down the stretch.
FOCUSED ON RED ZONE
Pittsburgh’s red zone offense has been the third-worst in football this season, while its red zone defense has been better, coming in at No. 11 in the NFL. But it’s been the worst in football over the last three games, with the Steelers allowing touchdowns on 88.89% of red zone drives, per teamrankings.com. Tomlin said those two areas got a lot of focus in practice today.
“We had a bonus-like day today with our players. Really focused on ourselves and a couple of areas of play we feel like we need to shore up, particularly red zone offense and some red zone defense.”
Tomlin added that the coaching staff looked at those two areas during their mini-bye. The Steelers will have to be better in those two areas down the stretch if they want to be considered a real contender and look to make a run in the AFC. The coaching staff has targeted those as areas of improvement. Hopefully, the work put in over the last few days will begin to show itself with better execution on the field.
