Category: Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin responds to Steelers’ backloaded schedule

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin never shies away from what’s in front of him. And he’s not about to now.

Mike Tomlin never shies away from what’s in front of him. And he’s not about to now. The NFL backloaded the Pittsburgh Steelers’ schedule with six divisional games in eight weeks, but in typical Tomlin fashion, he doesn’t care.

“I don’t care,” Tomlin said in his weekly press conference. “I’ll play them whenever they schedule us. We’ve got no control over the schedule. Our goal is to beat everybody, but specifically week to week, we get singly focused on this week’s opponent, and so I’d be making it up if I told you I cared about the schedule of when we face people. I don’t.”

Pittsburgh’s brutal slate begins with the vaunted Baltimore Ravens this Sunday, Week 11. Three more divisional games follow with games at the Cleveland Browns, at the Cincinnati Bengals and back home to finish their Browns series.

In the final three weeks of the season, the Steelers have the Ravens in Baltimore, a home matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day and, finally, stay at Acrisure Stadium to finish the season against the Bengals.

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Mike Tomlin mum on Steelers ‘active’ plan at trade deadline

Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin offered insight into his team’s trade deadline plans.

As other teams make moves at the trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been quiet. While a few hours still remain until time is up, there has only been speculation regarding Pittsburgh’s interest in any particular player.

“We work the trade market not only at that position but all positions,” Mike Tomlin said of adding a wide receiver. “I think every team does, particularly those of us that are trying to lean in as the road gets narrow, and so I acknowledge that we’re active participants in trade discussions, but to be quite honest with you, we always are, and so I wouldn’t read too much into that behavior. I just think that’s normal prudent business for us. If you’re trying to be a developing world championship outfit.”

That’s a Mike Tomlin answer, if there ever was one. No surprise there. He’s been in this league for a long time and doesn’t have to think twice about giving away the Steelers’ true intentions.

Pittsburgh remains resolute on its plan: Always be on the lookout for talent and value.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes the Steelers could look to bolster defensive line depth. Steelers Nation has been pushing hard for their team to add a play-maker at wide receiver, but aside from making a significant move for someone like D.K. Metcalf or Courtland Sutton, pickings are slim. Adding New York Jets’ Mike Williams or Carolina Panthers’ Adam Theilen would not upgrade what they currently have at receiver. With Diontae Johnson now a Baltimore Raven, it’s doubtful the Panthers would be looking to move the 34-year-old Theieln, anyway.

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Colin Cowherd admits wrongful perception of ‘tone-deaf’ Mike Tomlin, Steelers

Media personality Colin Cowherd admits he was wrong about Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into the 2024 NFL season.

It takes a real man to admit when he’s wrong. Despite what you think of Colin Cowherd, he’s done just that.

One of Cowherd’s biggest topics heading into the 2024 NFL season was the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I think I was really wrong on Pittsburgh… We’ve always thought he’s incredible, but I think what Mike Tomlin has shown over the course of this season — and I’m wrong on this — is that I always felt he was a little tone-deaf to offense,” Cowherd said on Thursday’s Colin Cowherd Podcast. “But by pivoting off Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Justin Fields — who had a winning record — and settling on Russell Wilson, I think it shows that he is more aware than I gave him credit for.
Cowherd continued by saying that he knows defensive coaches can struggle with quarterback urgency but that Tomlin understands the weight of the situation. He gives Tomlin his just flowers for making a move that many Steelers fans and media were against.
“I think even though they were winning… it’s hard as a coach when you’re winning to make changes, right? Like you’re going to disrupt things; we’re four and two; I’m not going to disrupt the locker room. That takes a pair by Mike Tomlin at four and two to go in and say, Guys, we should be five and one. We’re a better team than this.
Cowherd knows, as Steelers Nation does, that Wilson isn’t what he once was but is capable. Though he favors the Baltimore Ravens slightly, Cowherd feels the Steelers can win the division.
While the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals aren’t who we thought they were, records are thrown out the window when rubber meets the road between division rivals.
The Steelers have a daunting task ahead to come out of the other side unscathed and playoff-bound, but with Tomlin at the helm and Wilson improving, the sky is the limit.

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Will Mike Tomlin choose loyalty over Beanie Bishop Jr. in Week 10?

Mike Tomlin has mishandled Steelers’ positional battles in the past. Could Beanie Bishop Jr. and Cameron Sutton’s situation may be next?

Pittsburgh is currently facing another positional battle, which is typically a good problem to have. However, CB Beanie Bishop Jr.’s selection as the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in October, along with his overall performance in 2024, has muddied the waters surrounding CB Cameron Sutton’s inevitable return. 

Bishop took the high road, stating that he is not only unfazed by potentially losing playing time to the veteran CB but is also excited for Sutton to rejoin the team. 

Tomlin, however, enjoys letting these positional battles unfold before making quick decisions. As seen with Roman Wilson’s usage prior to his hamstring injury, Tomlin may choose players he trusts, or those to whom he is loyal, over quality play. 

In Week 10, is Sutton the next player to ‘earn’ starting responsibilities over a younger, more dynamic player? Only time will tell, but it will be interesting to see how this positional battle unfolds before the Black and Gold faithful’s eyes. 

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Mike Tomlin offers poor excuse for illegal challenge flag in Week 8

Mike Tomlin has made some questionable game-time coaching decisions throughout his tenure, but perhaps the worst came in Week 8’s victory.

It seems like challenge flags bring Head Coach Mike Tomlin nothing but trouble. With the score tied 6-6 in the second quarter, QB Russell Wilson seemingly hit WR George Pickens on a solid touchdown pass to potentially put the Steelers up 13-6. However, as all scoring plays are automatically reviewed, it was determined by replay assist that Pickens did not get both feet in bounds. Tomlin, unaware of the referees stating aloud that further review took the play away, threw a challenge flag he wishes he could have taken back. He was not permitted to challenge a play that had already been reviewed, and a timeout was deducted from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tomlin’s excuse for the botched challenge was less than acceptable, as he claimed ignorance regarding whether or not the play was reviewed by officials. 

All 32 NFL coaches understand that scoring plays are automatically reviewed, and thankfully, the Steelers were able to pull off the win in Week 8, no thanks to the poor decision to challenge the automatically reviewed play.

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Does Mike Tomlin need to bench RT Broderick Jones again?

Broderick Jones’ penalty woes continued in Week 8, taking an opening-drive TD off the board. Does HC Mike Tomlin need to intervene again?

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive unit appears much more dynamic under Russell Wilson’s leadership, issues on the offensive line continue to hold the offense back.

Specifically, several backup offensive linemen are stepping up in a big way for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet 2023 first-round draft pick RT Broderick Jones is struggling, arguably making him the weakest link on offense. In 2024, Jones has had issues in all aspects of blocking, with penalties being his greatest weakness. 

On a key play during the Steelers’ Week 8 opening drive, Wilson rolled out to his right and connected with WR George Pickens for a touchdown, only to have it nullified by a face mask penalty from Jones. The penalty yardage proved too much to overcome, forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. 

Jones was benched earlier in the year by HC Mike Tomlin for similar issues, and the team may need to consider it again to prevent the offense’s momentum from stalling.

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What exactly does Roman Wilson need to prove to Mike Tomlin?

Mike Tomlin stated that ‘moving on’ from Roman Wilson was due to the rookie not showing enough, but what exactly does he need to prove?

When is the last time Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin openly spoke about moving on from a rookie? Roman Wilson and questions about his gameday availability appear to be a thorn in the sides of Tomlin and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith, as both have seemingly alluded to the rookie’s availability as vaguely as humanly possible. 

It was confirmed last week that Wilson’s hamstring injury was not the reason he was held out of Week 7’s contest, but rather that he didn’t prove himself enough to Tomlin. That seems to be the big question: what exactly does the rookie third-rounder need to do? 

Wilson will also miss Week 8’s Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants with the supposed hamstring ‘injury,’ but those who have seen the rookie in practice have stated that Wilson looks like he is the definitive WR2 for the offense. 

In Wilson’s debut game, the rookie was only used on five snaps, with zero targets and zero receptions to show for it.  It is clear that Tomlin is either seeing something that everyone else isn’t, or the rookie wide receiver has ruffled the feathers of his head coach in some way.

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Predicting Tomlin’s plan for rookie CB with Sutton’s imminent return

Rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. is coming off an elite Week 7 performance. With veteran CB Cam Sutton returning in Week 9, what is Tomlin’s plan?

Just when one positional battle seems to end, another one begins.  Pittsburgh Steelers rookie slot cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. turned heads on Sunday Night Football with his dominant Week 7 performance, picking off the three-time league MVP, Aaron Rodgers, not once but twice!

However, his elite play created more questions than answers at the slot cornerback position, as cornerback Cameron Sutton is returning from suspension in Week 9.

Sutton was suspended for the first eight weeks of the 2024 season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, and his inevitable return to the slot cornerback position conflicts heavily with the rookies currently level of play.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin may choose to handle the situation similarly to how he allowed the QB battle to play out.  In Week 9, Tomlin could allow Sutton to get the starting nod, and steal the starting duties away from Beanie if the veteran produces.

What do all of you think?  How should Tomlin handle the upcoming slot cornerback battle?

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Is Mike Tomlin making another Wilson-sized mistake?

Although rookie Payton Wilson continues wreck offenses on Sundays, he is still being used sparingly. Could this be a mistake by Tomlin?

It appears to be a Wilson-eat-Wilson world for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While QB Russell Wilson has finally been given the opportunity to succeed, it seems HC Mike Tomlin has ‘moved on’ from rookie WR Roman Wilson. Now, LB Payton Wilson could be the next ‘Wilson-sized’ mistake by the Steelers’ head coach. 

The young linebacker has not only excelled through seven weeks of football, but Wilson is also playing like one of the best rookies in the league. Meanwhile, LB Patrick Queen, one of the biggest signings from the Steelers’ 2024 free agency class, hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. While Queen’s play has struggled to say the least in 2024, he continues to get almost double the playing time of his rookie teammate.

Should Wilson be considered for more snaps? And if so, could the Steelers implement a three-linebacker rotation between Queen, Wilson, and the elite Elandon Roberts? Similar to the Week 8 quarterback decision, only one man can get the rookie onto the field more often, and Tomlin may once again be choosing loyalty to a subpar player over another Wilson. 

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Mike Tomlin hilariously outsmarted Aaron Rodgers in Week 7

Mike Tomlin showcased high-level coaching on one specific play that got the better of Aaron Rodgers in comedic fashion.

What was supposed to be a wonderful reunion for Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams turned sour as the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled the welcome mat out from under the pair in Week 7. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did not make things any easier on the veteran quarterback as he showcased some high-level coaching late in the contest.

Midway through the fourth quarter, with Pittsburgh having all but slammed the door on a potential New York Jets comeback, Rodgers tried to pull a sneaky veteran move on fourth down with four yards to go, attempting to catch the Steelers defense with too many men on the field. The subsequent penalty on Pittsburgh would have allowed the Jets to not only automatically get the first down but continue their efforts in scoring. However, Tomlin proved to Rodgers that there are levels to this game. 

Tomlin’s smile paints the satisfying, symbolic picture of what many Steelers fans heard from doubters and naysayers surrounding the team leading into Week 7, and how good it felt for the team to silence the critics.

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