Tag: Mike Tomlin press conference

Mike Tomlin shares injury outlook on Steelers rookies, veterans ahead of 2024 season opener

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin provided an injury update heading into the Week 1 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

Some injured Pittsburgh Steelers players are getting healthier as preparation continues for their Week 1 matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons.

Though minor, injuries hit the Steelers extensively during the offseason and preseason.

In his Falcons preview press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin shared an update on rookies Roman Wilson (ankle) and Troy Fautanu (knee), as well as veterans Jaylen Warren (hamstring), Cory Trice (groin) and Isaac Seumalo (pectoral).

Aside from Seumalo, who Tomlin ruled out for Week 1, the Steelers above worked in a limited fashion on Monday. The team returns to practice on Wednesday, when they’re expected to increase reps.

Tomlin had this to say regarding player availability:

We had some guys dealing with some short-term misery regarding injury, but those guys that I mentioned appear to be turning the corner and moving toward availability. We’ll watch as we go through the week and make sure we don’t get any negative trends, not only from a health standpoint. Some of these guys don’t have extended resumes and so we’ll be watching the quality of their play as well as we reengage them in this ready and process.

While Trice is in his second year as a pro, 2024 will be his first on the field after being sidelined with a torn ACL early in training camp last summer. Wilson has zero NFL experience and Fautanu injured his knee 25 snaps into his rookie debut.

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Mike Tomlin: Roles of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are ‘continually evolving’

Mike Tomlin says the roles of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren continue to evolve in this offense.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to keep pace with the rest of the AFC and get the offense on track, they must get back to running the football. This is how they did it last season after the bye week and it would behoove them to do it again this time around.

This means Tomlin and his staff must sort out who they utilize running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in terms of workload and scheme. When asked about it in his Tuesday press conference and frankly offered up an answer too convoluted to take very seriously.

Some of it is very black-and-white informational, some of it is gut-oriented, some of it is a mix of the two. And that’s how it gets done. So I try not to do it specifically with a cookie cutter because you miss opportunities to get better your variables and unique variables and all circumstances that require analysis.

And so I’m comfortable enough in my skin and in my position that I don’t make cookie-cutter decisions I view them on an individual basis. I’ve outlined in great detail that both guys are going to be significant components of what we do and have been and will continue to be and how we choose to divide the labor up on the game in the game out basis is continually evolving.

So when you read the last paragraph could you infer it means Warren is finally going to start seeing the football more? Warren has been the better back this season, in part because the offensive line is struggling and Warren has a better skill set to create for himself when things break down.

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Mike Tomlin tips hand on position of interest for the Steelers in the 2022 draft

Did Mike Tomlin hint at the direction the Steelers might take at No. 20?

Did Mike Tomlin hint at the direction the Pittsburgh Steelers might take in the first round of the NFL draft?

Maybe.

Not surprisingly, the quarterback position was the most discussed topic in today’s pre-draft press conference with Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert.

Tomlin noted that the Steelers’ due diligence with the combine, Pro Days and pre-draft visits pertaining to quarterbacks is similar to what they did with running backs last year.

And we all know that resulted in Pittsburgh taking running back Najee Harris at No. 24 in the 2021 NFL draft.

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“I enjoy the process of having a heightened urgency per a position,” Tomlin shared. “It seems like a year ago we really chopped up the running backs in a similar way.”

Could that indicate the Steelers selecting Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis or one of the other top quarterbacks at No. 20?

Tomlin was quick to quash that thought with a Tomlin-esque disclaimer that their deep, intense dive into the quarterback position this offseason shouldn’t imply anything.

“The process that we’ve gone through in terms of getting to know the quarterback pool has gained some attention, but it’s not an irregular process for us in terms of locking in and getting a feel for a certain pool within the pool if you will.”

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin offers update on DE Stephon Tuitt

Mike Tomlin spoke briefly about Stephon Tuitt during today’s pre-draft press conference.

The NFL draft is just days away but one question on the mind of many has nothing to do with rookie prospects and everything to do with the status of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

As usual, Steelers media live-tweeted from this afternoon’s pre-draft press conference featuring both head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor noted that Tomlin grinned when asked about Tuitt’s status, as it’s a question he expects to hear at each media availability.

It’s well known that Tuitt’s younger brother Richard Bartlett III was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in June of 2021.

Tuitt, 28, missed all of last season for both mental and physical health purposes. Tuitt was not only dealing with a knee injury, but the Steelers were giving him the space he needed to heal mentally from the insurmountable tragedy.

Just as Tomlin said there’s no update but that Tuitt is “doing well,” there’s no update on the case of Bartlett. Because of the nature of the accident, it’s difficult to begin to solve a case without at the very least the driver’s license plate number.

“Despite the best efforts of law enforcement and a $17,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, the case remains unsolved,” Tom Reed of DK Pittsburgh Sports wrote last month.

As Colbert mentioned in a February press conference, the Steelers and Tuitt have been communicating. “We’ve been in contact with Stephon
and we’re very open to continue to help him and we will continue to evaluate that position and his availability to us. We just hope for the best for him as he tries to come back and be a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

As usual, the Steelers brass is keeping Tuitt’s status close to the vest. There’s no doubt they know more than they’re leading on and, hopefully, Tuitt’s been open enough for his team to make an informed draft selection if needed.

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Mike Tomlin calls Bengals RB Joe Mixon ‘tough nut to crack’

Next on the docket for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24th-ranked run defense is Bengals running back Joe Mixon.

Next on the docket for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24th-ranked run defense is Bengals running back Joe Mixon.

Though he didn’t find the end zone in the Steelers-Bengals Week 3 meeting back in September, Mixon still played a big factor in the offense, rushing 18 times for 90 yards at five yards per clip.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin previewed this week’s matchup in today’s press conference. He said while Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, Tee Higgins, C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Boyd all present challenges, it’s Mixon the defense should be concerned about.

“We’d better not underestimate Joe Mixon and his impact,” Tomlin said. “The Bengals run game needs no endorsement from me. He and they have been really consistent and good not only this year but for a number of years.”

“In our current state and some of the things we’ve given up in recent weeks, albeit the quarterback scramble, [the run game] is deserving of attention from us.”

Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed 1,266 yards on the ground — eighth-most in the league — and eight rushing touchdowns.

“We’ve got to work to formulate a good plan and position our people to not allow Joe to control the game. He’s capable of that.”

Tomlin pointed out that Mixon was a significant component of Cincinnati’s win over the Raiders in Vegas last week, rushing for 123 yards and two scores.

“We’d be naive if we don’t think that he’s going to continue to be a central component of what they do in terms of allowing them to possess the ball and being a tough nut to crack. It’s easier to get behind people and allow one to do the things that he does when Joe Mixon is rolling.”

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Pittsburgh Steelers injury update heading into divisional matchup with Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin provided a brief injury update during today’s press conference. Three players were injured in-game on Sunday: Eric Ebron (knee), J.C. Hassenhauer (pectoral), Arthur Maulet (neck). Tomlin didn’t mention …

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin provided a brief injury update during today’s press conference.

Three players were injured in-game on Sunday: Eric Ebron (knee), J.C. Hassenhauer (pectoral), Arthur Maulet (neck). Tomlin didn’t mention Maulet but said that Ebron and Hassenauer are still in the process of being evaluated. The two are deemed as questionable at this point in the week.

The play of the Steelers secondary suffered greatly without Fitzpatrick in the lineup. Tomlin anticipates the All-Pro safety, who’s been on the Reserve/COVID-19 list since November 15, to return this week.

As usual, their availability during practice this week will dictate if and how much they play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Steelers get back on the practice field tomorrow.

Here’s a preview of this week’s participation:

Steelers are preparing Mason Rudolph to start vs. Chargers

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger remains on Reserve/COVID-19 list, so the team must prepare for Mason Rudolph to start.

With Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger still on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the team can only prepare Mason Rudolph to start this week.

“We’re going to build our plan around getting Mason ready to play with highlight his talents and skills relative to the opponents that we’re intending to play,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said.

As for when Roethlisberger will return to the Steelers, no one knows the answer. Vaccinated players on the reserve/COVID-19 list need to be asymptomatic for 48 hours and produce two negative tests 24 hours apart to return to the active roster.

We know that Roethlisberger was not asymptomatic. The first step for the quarterback is to be symptom-free for 48 hours.

Last November when Roethlisberger landed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list as a close contact to Vance McDonald. He didn’t practice all week but cleared protocols and came out and had a four-touchdown game that Sunday.

“If we get to a point in the week where Ben has an opportunity to get on a moving train, that’s exactly what he’ll do,” Tomlin said. “He’ll be capable of executing the game plan. I really have no reservations about that.”

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Mike Tomlin: Steelers will ‘leave light on’ for T.J. Watt

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin isn’t ready to rule T.J. Watt out vs. Chargers just yet.

After T.J. Watt went down in the third quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers game on Sunday, silence fell over the stadium. Players kneeled down around their teammate. Moments later, a collective sigh of relief came when Watt walked off the field under his own power, but there was concern about the extent of his injuries.

Prior to Watt’s MRI on Monday, there was talk of injured reserve. When the test results on his knee and hip came back negative, it became a question of how long it would be until Watt would play again.

By the tone of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, it could be sooner than later.

“I’ll always leave the light on for T.J. Watt,” Tomlin said during his weekly press conference. “The things that he does routinely are not things that are done routinely by others.”

As usual, Tomlin said Watt’s practice participation will dictate whether he plays this week.

The Steelers travel to Los Angeles to take on the 5-3 Chargers on Sunday night.

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