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 Roundup: Tomlin Says CB Cory Trice Jr., Several Others ‘Have A Chance’ To Play Against Commanders
Tomlin: Steelers ‘Active Participants In Trade Discussions’ Ahead Of Deadline
Cameron Sutton’s Return Puts Entire Secondary ‘On Notice,’ Says Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin ‘Didn’t Want A Small Problem To Become A Big Problem’ With Justin Fields’ Injury
Steelers’ Complementary WRs ‘Can’t Wait To Show’ What They Are Capable Of, Tomlin Says
FOCUSED ON WINNING SUPER BOWL
During the press conference, Tomlin was asked if he thought eight games was enough of a sample size to show how good the Steelers are. Tomlin said he’s not worried about the sample size and overanalyzing, and he’s turning his attention to winning Pittsburgh’s seventh Super Bowl title.
“I’ve learned not to overanalyze, to be quite honest with you. There’s an axiom in coaching: you are what your record is, so I don’t waste a lot of time pondering, to be quite honest with you. I’m just trying to focus on No. 7.”
At 6-2, the Steelers are a good team. There’s no questioning that, and while the team hasn’t played any divisional games, it’s hard to argue with wins. They’ve beaten some good teams in the first half. Tomlin also sees the Steelers in practice and the facility, so his sample size of what this team can do isn’t just their eight in-stadium games at this point, so a limited sample size isn’t worth considering.
NOT TREATING JAYDEN DANIELS LIKE A ROOKIE
As Pittsburgh’s head coach, Mike Tomlin has a 25-6 record against rookie quarterbacks. The Steelers will face the best rookie quarterback so far this season, Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels. Tomlin said he’s not treating Daniels like a rookie and is just going by what he sees on tape to build a plan to stop him.
“I don’t view it any differently. I don’t categorize what I’m looking at as rookie or veteran. I just look at what’s on tape and building an appropriate plan relative to it. I don’t think you’ll find anybody that would say he’s playing like a rookie,” Tomlin said.
Daniels has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season, and his ability to use his legs and be one of the most accurate passers in football makes him a threat. He’s going to be difficult for Pittsburgh to stop, and Tomlin isn’t leaning on the fact he’s a rookie without a lot of experience in looking at ways to gameplan against him and beat him. It’s the smart thing to do, and it’s one reason why Tomlin is so accomplished against rookie quarterbacks.
NEED TO RUN FOOTBALL AS A COLLECTIVE
Najee Harris is coming off one of the best stretches of his career, having run for 1,000 yards in three straight games for the Steelers. But Mike Tomlin talked about the need to run the football as a collective and make sure they control the line of scrimmage.
“We don’t define ourselves by [Harris’s] 100-yard games. We gotta run the football as a collective. Obviously, he’s a significant component of that, but we got a bunch of capable people. Jaylen [Warren]’s capable, [Cordarrelle] Patterson’s capable. And so if you’re talking about a running game, certainly, we desire to have an effective running game and control the line of scrimmage to minimize one-dimensional moments.”
Pittsburgh’s rushing attack has stepped up this season with Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, and all three of Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Cordarrelle Patterson have flashed at times this season. Patterson and Warren have also dealt with injuries, and Patterson hasn’t returned yet from his injury suffered in Week 4, but when he played, he looked good. The Steelers need to continue to pound the rock, and in the last few weeks, they’ve shown that they’re not a one-dimensional team. That must continue with a difficult schedule awaiting them after their bye week.
