Category: Mike Tomlin press conference

Mike Tomlin creates new AFC North competition via Hard Knocks demands

Mike Tomlin aims for the Steelers to outshine their AFC North rivals in handling the distractions brought by Hard Knocks: In Season.

The AFC North is no stranger to intense and competitive matchups for divisional supremacy. However, it appears Head Coach Mike Tomlin is looking to introduce another competitive aspect to the division.

Tomlin wants his team to handle the distractions brought by the new Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North better than their three divisional rivals.

During Tuesday’s press conference, ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor noted that Tomlin views this opportunity, like many others, as a chance to push his team to conquer the challenges that being featured on Hard Knocks would bring.

In what will be the first-ever feature of an entire division, Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North will debut on December 3rd at 9:00 PM EST. In the meantime, the Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for Week 13 to take on a formidable divisional opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Mike Tomlin teases Alex Highsmith’s potential Week 13 return

Mike Tomlin provides an encouraging update on Alex Highsmith’s potential return as the Steelers prepare to face the Bengals in Week 13.

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Alex Highsmith rejoice!  Highsmith had tweaked his ankle during the Steelers Week 10 contest against the Commanders, and subsequently missed the team’s Week 11 and 12 contests.

Starting off Week 13’s Tuesday press conference with a bang, Head Coach Mike Tomlin delivered positive news for Steelers fans while discussing Sunday’s matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals: “We got Alex Highsmith leaning in on a return. We’ll let his participation and the quality of that participation be our guide in terms of whether he gets back in or what degree he gets back in.”

This update further supported what ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor stated on Tuesday—that Alex Highsmith would know by Thursday or Friday if he would be available to make his return for the Steelers in their Week 13 contest.

Highsmith’s addition on defense would be greatly appreciated, as the Pittsburgh Steelers defense struggled to contain the Cleveland Browns’ offense late in Week 12’s contest. Fans should keep their eyes glued to the Steelers’ injury report updates for Week 13’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Mike Tomlin confirms Steelers worked on fixing huge offensive weakness

Mike Tomlin tackled the Steelers’ red zone struggles as the team prepares for a tough six-game stretch to finish out the 2024 season.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Russell Wilson-led Pittsburgh Steelers offense has come under fire for a lack of scoring, particularly in the red zone. The Steelers are currently ranked in the bottom three in red zone touchdown percentage, and Wilson is playing some of his worst football in this critical area of the field. However, Head Coach Mike Tomlin is well aware of the team’s struggles and sought to ease concerns during Tuesday’s press conference.

In reference to Tuesday’s practice, Tomlin stated, “We had a bonus-like day today with our players and really focused on ourselves and a couple areas of play that we feel like we needed to shore up, particularly red zone offense and some red zone defense.”

Tomlin went on to explain that the Steelers’ staff treated the past few days as a bye week in preparation for their Week 13 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, focusing heavily on schemes in these key areas of concern.

Fans will rejoice if the hard work the offense is putting in pays off when the Steelers take on the Bengals in Week 13, on December 1st, at 1:00 PM EST.

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Mike Tomlin defends strange Week 12 coaching decision

Mike Tomlin stands by his Week 12 decision to use Justin Fields over Russell Wilson on a critical third down, despite growing criticism.

One of the strangest decisions from Week 12’s contest was keeping QB Russell Wilson on the sideline while a questionable Justin Fields package saw the backup QB miss an important throw to WR George Pickens.

When asked about the call during the Week 13 press conference, HC Mike Tomlin stated, “We felt good about it. It was a weighty moment. It was third and medium. They had eleven guys within five yards of the line of scrimmage. We had GP matched up on a corner not named Denzel Ward. That feels like more than a fifty-fifty ball to me, and so we were comfortable with that decision.”

The reporter didn’t let Tomlin off the hook that easily, continuing to question the choice, especially since Fields hadn’t thrown in an NFL game for over a month. Tomlin was dismissive, keeping it short and to the point, stating that the decision would have been made regardless of the possible rust on Fields’ arm.

Tomlin offered zero regrets about the risky third-down play call, but the Steelers should stick to the basics as they prepare for the Week 13 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Mike Tomlin highlights what led to fake-punt decision in Week 10

Mike Tomlin shed additional light on the decision to call the fake-punt against the Washington Commanders in Week 10.

While taking risks on special teams has paid off for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the past, the team hit a snag in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. A failed fake punt nearly cost them the game, leading to plenty of questions for Head Coach Mike Tomlin.

In Monday’s press conference leading up to the Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Tomlin explained what prompted the decision to attempt a fake punt in Washington: “We’re just not gonna allow people to do unorthodox and potentially unsound things against us. I’m not gonna allow people to over-stress our punt protection unit by leaving people uncovered when we have people capable of throwing and catching the football.”

Interestingly enough, though the play didn’t work as intended, Tomlin added that these special teams plays are a focus in 2024, and as routine as offensive or defensive calls.

Can fans of the Black and Gold expect more trick plays moving forward, or will Tomlin be forced to dial it back after the failed Week 10 attempt?

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Mike Tomlin hilariously shrugs off risky play-calling inquiry

Mike Tomlin had an interesting response when asked if offensive success contributes to riskier play calls on defense and special teams.

Taking risks, making bold moves, and securing victories any way they come are just a few aspects of Mike Tomlin’s high-level coaching that benefit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout their Week 10 contest against the Washington Commanders, the Steelers executed a variety of risky play calls across all three phases of the game—some of which succeeded, while others fell short.

During Monday’s press conference, when asked if Russell Wilson and his dynamic deep-threat ability affect riskier decision-making, Tomlin responded with a smirk: ‘No, we’re gonna take risks on defense and special teams anyway.’

While fans may argue against the destructive potential of relying on risk over strategy, Tomlin has managed to balance this razor-thin line, combining both elements when calling plays and securing critical victories in 2024 as a result.

The Steelers may need to once again lean on Tomlin’s willingness to take risks as they face a pivotal Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on November 17th at 1:00 PM EST.

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Mike Tomlin on the villainous Week 11 matchup with Baltimore

In the Steelers-Ravens rivalry, ‘villains’ like Patrick Queen and Arthur Maulet are set to add fuel to the fire in Week 11.

There is no love lost between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. Within an AFC North rivalry that burns so intensely hot it could mimic the sun, there are bound to be players deemed ‘villains’ by opposing sides.

During the Monday press conference, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin highlighted former Steelers CB Arthur Maulet, now in Baltimore, and former Raven, current Steelers LB Patrick Queen, as two players who have crossed over to the other side of this heated rivalry.

Early in the 2024 offseason, Queen further stoked the flames, declaring, ‘I wanna be that villain; I wanna be that guy.’ When asked about Queen’s potential to embrace this ‘villainous’ role against his former team in Week 11, Tomlin responded emphatically, noting that while Queen will have his opportunity, he won’t be the only one: ‘There’s a lot of villains on both sides of this rivalry.’

With both teams hosting a variety of potential villains, including Queen, Maulet, and newly acquired Ravens WR Diontae Johnson, this matchup’s bad blood will be on full display in Week 11 on November 17th, at 1:00 PM EST.

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Mike Tomlin impressed by Commanders’ offense ahead of Week 10 matchup

During media availability on Tuesday, Mike Tomlin spoke highly of the team’s Week 11 opponent, the Commanders, and their offensive success.

It’s safe to say the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers have their work cut out for them in an extremely difficult Week 10 matchup against the 7-2 Washington Commanders.

While some coaches shudder at the idea of solving the difficult puzzle that is Washington’s offensive prowess, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin welcomes the opportunity.

Tomlin spoke during media availability on Tuesday and praised what the Steelers’ Week 10 opponents are doing right on offense.

“They lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns,” Tomlin stated. “His [Jayden Daniels’] quarterback mobility is a component of that. They’re eleven of eleven on fourth-down conversions.” He continued to highlight what the Commanders do well, including their impressive ball security, noting that the team has only turned the ball over three times, which Tomlin called “a record of some description through nine games in the NFL.”

While Tomlin seems in awe of Washington’s offensive capabilities, make no mistake—his game planning and preparation will be exactly what the Steelers need to win in Week 10.

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Social media gives Mike Tomlin leaving the podium the meme treatment

Social media had a field day with the video of Mike Tomlin leaving the podium after Monday’s loss.

After Monday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did his best to hold a somewhat cogent press conference. But with very little to say about what went wrong, he was asked about having one year left on his contract, to which he stared blankly and walked away. Here is what social media has to say about it.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin says ‘elite teams’ overcome bad refereeing

The referees’ calls favored the Jaguars, but a now-calmer Mike Tomlin knows it’s up to the play of his Steelers to overcome it.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson was vocal about the crew officiating the team’s 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While it certainly appeared the referees’ calls were one-sided, as Johnson indicated, a now-calmer Mike Tomlin knows it’s up to the players to overcome it.

“It is our desire to win definitively, where potentially controversial calls are less significant,” Tomlin said in his weekly press conference. “That’s what elite teams do. It is our desire to be a good and elite team so that we’re not as flimsy and become a component of some debatable calls and things of that nature.”

From the roughing the passer penalty on Keanu Neal to the offsides call that negated an initially successful field goal, it was clear the officiating crew was against the Steelers. But the ineptitude and inconsistency of NFL officials rears its ugly head in each game — there’s nothing teams can do in the moment but outplay it.

“I like to focus my energies on the things that are within our control, the quality of our execution. When you do that definitively, it makes those discussions more relevant, and that’s the point that I want to make to our football team moving forward.”

“You just simply got to make those discussions less significant by the quality of your play by winning and winning definitively, and we didn’t play well enough for that to transpire.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers are far from elite and not even good right now. The fact that they couldn’t overcome the poor officiating is no surprise.

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