Mike Tomlin holds 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 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 about so far today from the press conference:
Injury Update: Mike Tomlin Offers More Info On Aaron Rodgers, Other Hurt Steelers
Tomlin Outlines What Rodgers Must Show To Play Sunday
‘He’s A Sharp Guy:’ Mike Tomlin Doesn’t Rule Out First-Team Reps For Will Howard
Slay To Play: Mike Tomlin Says Steelers Corner Will Have Role Once Healthy
‘Do What Comes Natural:’ Mike Tomlin Reacts To Jalen Ramsey Punching Ja’Marr Chase
‘We Might Just Be Discovering Him’: Darnell Washington’s ‘Freakiest’ Plays Don’t Surprise Mike Tomlin
‘Not Overly Concerned’: Tomlin Downplays Steelers’ 3rd-And-Long Struggles
Mason Rudolph Earns Big Praise From Mike Tomlin: ‘Always Found A Way’
GAME SLOWING DOWN FOR ROMAN WILSON
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Roman Wilson served as the team’s WR2 in their Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Wilson out-snapped WR Calvin Austin III 37 to 19. That came on the heels of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith saying that Wilson’s role could expand. Mike Tomlin has also praised Wilson’s growth throughout this season.
“He’s a guy that’s getting better with exposure, but that’s a reasonable expectation. He’s a second-year player. He’s getting more comfortable within the framework of what we ask him to do. I think the game’s slowing down for him. I certainly don’t wanna speak for him, but it’s evident in watching him play.”
Wilson was slow to get going this season, but he’s had a more impactful role the last few weeks. He has scored the first two touchdowns of his NFL career over the last four weeks. With him taking more snaps, his production could increase, and the team giving him the nod over Austin shows their increased confidence in him. The Steelers haven’t had much production out of their receiver room this year. Maybe Wilson can be the player to help them take a jump down the stretch.
NO DETERMINATION OF LABOR BETWEEN HOLCOMB, HARRISON
LB Cole Holcomb has missed the last three games with an illness. In his place, the Steelers have used Malik Harrison as their base linebacker next to Patrick Queen. With Holcomb returning, Tomlin said the Steelers haven’t yet determined how to divide those reps, but offered praise for how Harrison has performed.
“We’ll determine that. He’s [Harrison] done a nice job in the interim. I don’t view these juggling things as issues, to be quite honest with you. Not having options is an issue. And so if Cole is cleared to play, man, we’ll have an issue in terms of how we divide the labor up between those two.”
Obviously, having more options and more depth is a benefit for the Steelers. The team could limit Holcomb’s reps upon return until he gets back into the swing of things. But he could cut into some of Harrison’s defensive snaps. Both are capable players, and having the option of playing one or the other is far from an issue for Pittsburgh.
RUN DEFENSE NOT ABOUT OPPONENT
The Steelers’ run defense struggled in the first matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. It rebounded in the second matchup, although there were still some blips. This same run defense slowed down Jonathan Taylor, and Tomlin said that being good against the run isn’t matchup dependent; it’s more on the Steelers doing their job.
“It’s about us, it’s not about our opponent. It’s not, respectfully…it’s about being in our gaps, communicating, adjusting, and being solid that way.”
When the run defense struggles, the biggest issue is linemen being pushed out of their gaps. Defending the run is an area the Steelers have proven they can be good at, but they haven’t been consistent enough this season. Building that consistency will be key, and as Tomlin said, the onus is on them to ensure they can shut down the run.
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