Tomlin Tidbits: Everything Else Mike Tomlin Had To Say (October 15)

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 Update: Tomlin Rules Out Two Including Zach Frazier, ‘Optimistic’ Alex Highsmith Can Return
Russell Wilson ‘In Consideration’ To Start This Week, Says Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin Explains Roman Wilson’s Limited Snaps Against Raiders
Dual Threat: ‘Certainly’ A Scenario Where Both Justin Fields, Russell Wilson Play Against Jets, Mike Tomlin Says
Russell Wilson Doesn’t Have Justin Fields’ Mobility, Which Could Change Offense, Tomlin Admits
‘Stats Are Often For Losers:’ Mike Tomlin Unconcerned With ‘Comfort Food’ Numbers
Mike Tomlin Explains His Level Of Comfort With Russell Wilson’s Readiness
Tomlin Details Why QB Calculation Is Different This Year Than With Kenny Pickett
‘I Love The Trajectory’: Mike Tomlin Pleased With Patrick Queen’s Performance
‘Doesn’t Change Our Expectations:’ Steelers Confident In O-Line Despite Rash Of Injuries
Ryan McCollum A ‘Heck Of A Communicator’ And ‘Mature Beyond His Years,’ Tomlin Says

NEED TO BRING IT DEFENSIVELY AGAINST AARON RODGERS

The Pittsburgh Steelers could have their hands full defensively on Sunday, with Aaron Rodgers coming to town on Sunday Night Football. Mike Tomlin talked about all the things the defense will need to do to try to slow Rodgers down.

“We’re playing an Aaron Rodgers-led group on offense, and that means certain things. When you got a quarterback who’s had the resume that he has and had the type of success that he’s had, it’s a challenge, regardless of who the eligibles are. You better carry enough defense. You better have enough types of defense. You better pressure him, you better play man, you better play zone, you better bogus pressure him, you better tie it all together with good pre-snap looks, you better make him read things out post-snap. That’s what you do when you play a guy of his caliber.”

While the Jets’ offense has had its struggles at times this season, the acquisition of Davante Adams could really bolster the New York offense if he plays. Rodgers is coming off a solid performance in Week 6 despite taking the loss to the Bills. He threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns, and he and Garrett Wilson have formed a really nice connection the last two weeks. The Steelers’ defense will have to be at their best, and if they aren’t, Rodgers will make them pay.

We’ll see how Teryl Austin and the defense look to mix and match and try to confuse Rodgers on Sunday. It’s a big opportunity for the Steelers to get to 5-2 with the New York Giants up before their bye week, and if the Steelers can get to six wins before the bye, they should be in a good spot to compete for the postseason.

LESS SELF-SCOUTING COMPARED TO LAST YEAR

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a Week 6 bye week and were able to evaluate themselves as a team and do some self-scouting to evaluate what they needed to improve on. This year, the bye isn’t until Week 9, and the Steelers have dealt with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball. Tomlin said that’s limited what they can do in terms of self-scouting, and just putting a game plan together with the players available has been the focus.

“I haven’t done a lot of it, particularly relative to last year. We’ve had so much fluidity in terms of who’s available to us. We’ve been having some real issues regarding putting together a plan that’s appropriate for the people at our disposal. Sometimes, immediate needs and concerns override the self-scouting or the balancing component that’s associated with self-scout.”

Not having the week to go back and fully reflect minimizes the amount of self-scouting the Steelers can do, but the injuries are certainly another component. Pittsburgh hasn’t had the same starting lineup on both sides of the ball once this season due to the team’s many injuries, so it’s not as if there are the same amount of major takeaways from the collective they can make compared to last year.

It makes sense that the immediate emphasis and focus is on getting the group ready week-to-week and doing what it takes to succeed with different guys rather than the broader emphasis on self-scouting.

EXCITED FOR JEREMIAH MOON

OLB Jeremiah Moon made his first start for the Steelers last week at outside linebacker. Still, his biggest contribution came on special teams, as he blocked a punt against the Raiders and set the Steelers up deep in Raiders’ territory. Mike Tomlin talked about his excitement for Moon getting an expanded role and said they had other guys step up in a bigger role.

“I was excited for [Jeremiah] Moon last week about his expanded opportunity on defense and in kicking. And that came through for us. We had a couple other guys that had some really solid contributions in expanded roles, and that’s football, man.”

The Steelers have tasked several guys that they weren’t relying on with major roles due to injuries, and along with Moon, C Ryan McCollum and DL Isaiahh Loudermilk also have played more than expected, with McCollum filling in for Zach Frazier after he suffered an injury. OG Mason McCormick has also started this season due to injuries to Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels, and the contributions of some of Pittsburgh’s depth pieces have really been essential to their success.