Steelers HC Mike Tomlin’s expectation for Friday’s game: ‘Make routine plays routinely’

Mike Tomlin isn’t focused on the spectacular play.

When Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to Bob Labriola of the team’s official site, he was asked about his expectations for his team in Friday night’s preseason game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tomlin answered it perfectly and exactly the way you would hope a coach with his level of experience and success would answer:

Oftentimes people think NFL football is spectacular. Particularly for the guys who are new to us or new to the NFL, I’m looking for them to make routine plays routinely. That’s something that I’ve been harping on. Catch the catchable balls, make throws, and put people in position to run after-the catch. Make tackles, leverage the ball appropriately on defense. Be where you’re supposed to be and looking at what it is you’re supposed to look at. I want to see routine things done at a routine level. And I think that would be a good platform to build upon as we step in and out of this stadium.

This mentality is especially true of guys on the roster bubble. Yes, those big, flashy plays catch the eyes of the fans but the coaches are far more interested in players doing all the little things right and being consistent.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin explains chunk plays in the run game

How will the Steelers generate big plays in the run game this season?

A strength of this Pittsburgh Steelers offense heading into the season is going to be the run game. The front office has made several moves to improve the offensive line and support the talented tandem of running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.

Head coach Mike Tomlin talks a lot about the offense getting chunk plays and when he was interviewed by the official team site, he clarified what that means in terms of the run game as opposed to just the passing game.

“Ten yards or more. That’s the global analytical definition from an NFL perspective. Runs of 10 yards or more are big runs in today’s game, and it’s kind of become a global thing in the analytics community, and I think we all kind of use that as a frame of reference.”

As Tomlin pointed out, across the league, the 10-yard rush is what is universally accepted as a chunk play in rushing. That number feels like a huge one for a Steelers run game that only averaged 4 yards per carry between its top two backs. If the Steelers want chunk plays on the ground it could be dependent on things like jet sweeps and quarterback runs by Kenny Pickett.

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Steelers vs Bucs: Expect high temps to impact gameplan for both teams

The heat could be a factor in the Steelers first preseason game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some hot, muggy days at Saint Vincent College during training camp. Hopefully, those scorching days will prepare them for tonight’s preseason game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Temperatures at kickoff Friday night will be in the mid-90s with lots of humidity. Pittsburgh had several players succumb to the heat at training camp practice this season but head coach Mike Tomlin has always supported the idea of practicing in the heat as a way to prepare for situations just like this.

Tomlin also noted that every healthy player will be on the field. Player substitutions and division of labor will be more important than usual on Friday given the heat. As much as the coaches want to use these games as an opportunity to evaluate players, the well-being of those players must be considered as well.

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Ben Roethlisberger offers up praise to young Steelers quarterbacks

Ben Roethlisberger is watching these young quarterbacks and likes what he sees.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have three young quarterbacks battling it out to be the guy to replace a legend. That legend is Ben Roethlisberger, the greatest quarterback in franchise history. Roethlisberger took to Twitter after the Steelers first preseason game of the year and offered praise to the trio of quarterbacks looking to take over his job.

Pittsburgh signed Mitch Trubisky as a free agent shortly after Roethlisberger’s retirement. In addition the Steelers also kept veteran Mason Rudolph and drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.  All three played well versus the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday and it was great to see Big Ben was watching.

Roethlisberger spent 17 seasons with the Steelers, won Two Super Bowls and is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Those are some big shoes to fill but all three guys on the roster are up to the challenge.

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Steelers WR George Pickens highest-graded rookie from Week 1

George Pickens shined in his NFL debut.

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Last weekend, rookie wide receiver George Pickens put on a show for the rest of the NFL that the Pittsburgh Steelers already knew was coming. Pickens stellar effort earned him the highest grade of any of the 2022 rookie class by Pro Football Focus.

Pickens hauled in three catches for 43 yards and two of those catches really illustrated what sets him apart from the other receivers in this draft class. The first was a ridiculous touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone from Mason Rudolph. Pickens shielded the defender off of him, pulled in the catch and then drug his toes to be sure to secure the score.

Then Pickens opted for something a big more mundane for him. Pickens hauled in a little out route, full extension with a defender drapped all over him but thanks to his sticky toes and a spin, he secured the ball and stayed in bounds

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Check out Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s best plays from Saturday

Kenny Pickett more than held his own in his first NFL game.

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On Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers got their first look at rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. The Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks in the team’s first preseason game on a game-winning touchdown pass by the team’s first-round pick.

Pickett was sharp and showed plenty of confidence on Satuday. Pickett was 13-for-15 passing for only 95 yards but did throw a pair of touchdown passes. Pickett also tucked the ball and ran it three times for 16 yards.

Here are all the best plays from Pickett’s first game as Steelers fans get their first look at the future of the franchise.

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Steelers preseason: Pittsburgh gets strong performances by reserve wide receivers

The Steelers have a very deep wide receiver room at this point.

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Traditionally, the Pittsburgh Steelers have kept five wide receivers on the final 53-man roster. But based on how things went in Saturday’s preseason win over the Seattle Seahawks, the team might need to reconsider this if things continue.

Pittsburgh has their top four receivers fairly locked in at this point. Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens and Calvin Austin III are all in place and barring something health related, will make the team.

This is where things get a little more complicated. There are four guys who can make a strong case to be that fifth player.

First up we have Gunner Olszewski. Olszewski was signed to replace Ray-Ray McCloud as the team’s primary return man but he showed off his route running and receiving early in the game.

Anthony Miller, a guy many assumed would make the team, missed Saturday’s game after suffering a shoulder injury in Friday’s practice. Miller has experience with Mitch Trubisky but is no lock at this point.

There there are guys like Tyler Vaughns, Steven Sims and Miles Boykin. All three made some nice catches Saturday with Vaughns catching the game winner. Even Cody White got into the action and has experience in the offense.

This could force the Steelers to keep an extra wide receiver on the 53-man roster and hope they can stash a guy on the practice squad. Adding an extra wide receiver would likely mean the Steelers keep one fewer running backs or offensive lineman.

After the first preseason game, here is what I would do with the wide receiver depth chart.

Diontae Johnson

Chase Claypool

George Pickens

Calvin Austin III

Gunner Olszewski

Steven Sims

Ideally Pittsburgh could tuck Vaughns away on the practice squad and Miller ends up the odd man out. Let us know in the comments what your wide receiver depth chart looks like after the first preseason game.

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Kenny Pickett’s late-game heroics leads Steelers to win over Seahawks

The star rookie threw two touchdowns in a half of work to lead the Steelers to a win.

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Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett kicked off his career on Saturday night in preseason against the Seattle Seahawks. And you couldn’t have scripted a better ending for the first-round pick to kick off his legendary status with the team.

The Steelers beat the Seahawks 32-25 on a walk-off touchdown pass from Pickett to wide receiver Tyler Snead. But in fairness, all three Steelers quarterbacks were effective in putting points on the board. Pickett played the entire second half and finished with 95 yards on 13-of-15 passing and two passing touchdowns. Pickett also ran the football three times for 16 yards.

Next up the Steelers will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars and we expect to see a shift in the quarterback rotation to get Pickett some reps against better defenses and with better skill players.

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Steelers vs Seahawks: Pittsburgh secondary beat up in 1st half

The Steeelers are down three defensive backs in the first half.

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The injury bug bit the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary hard in the first half of their preseason showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. Through two quarters the Steelers are down three defensive backs with injuries.

First the Steelers saw reserve safety Karl Joseph go down with an ankle injury. Then starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was shaken up on a big hit and looked to have some sort of shoulder injury. Then, at the end of the first half, another reserve safety, Damontae Kazee went off with an undetermined injury. This leaves the Steelers secondary pretty thin for the second half.

The Steelers lead the Seahawks 17-10 at halftime.

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