Mike Tomlin previews Packers game, talks player development in preseason

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin held his weekly pre-game press conference ahead of Thursday’s preseason game in Green Bay. Each week, we will take a glimpse at what stood out from coach’s comments about the previous week and heading into the Steelers next game.

Opening Statement

Good Afternoon. Excited about this next opportunity in terms of team development. Really, our mentality in terms of [Thursday’s] game is very similar to what it was a week ago. I am looking for a few specific things. It’s reasonable to expect last week’s experience to aid all these guys in some form or fashion. And I’m looking forward to watching them build on the positive aspects of the last performance and work to minimize the negative aspects of the last performance.

If anything, the last performance is a baseline and I’m really interested in the evaluation of the subsequent performance with those adjustments in mind and really challenging the guys based on those in a lot of ways. We’ll focus on the young quarterbacks. They’re going to play and play exclusively, talking about Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph. They’ll allocate the work, haven’t detailed out exactly the division of labor, but those two guys will be featured. There’ll be a little bit more of a volume in terms of the game planning and that’s very thoughtful.

We want these guys to be able to perform at an acceptable level in terms of detail and execution, but at the same time, we want to challenge them intellectually. So, there will be more volume in all three phases of the game this week than it was a week ago, not reflective of what a true week’s preparation is like, but we will push the envelope a little bit in that area and challenge them. We will not play selective veteran players, Ben [Roethlisberger] won’t play, A.B. [Antonio Brown], Cam Heyward and maybe a few others, just in an effort, it’s not about those guys, it’s about an opportunity to really get a legitimate evaluation of the guys that do play. And to challenge them, not only in terms of the snaps they get, but to see how they respond to a large volume of snaps.

We have a number of guys that are dealing with injury. The guys that can be characterized as week-to-week obviously won’t play, the Vance McDonald’s, the Ramon Foster’s, guys like that. Guys that are dealing with more day-to-day injuries, the guys that have missed partial work or maybe a day or two here, we’ll leave the light on for those guys with the hope that they’re participants, in an effort for everybody to take advantage of this evaluation process.

Excited about going to Green Bay, Lambeau Field, legendary venue. The guys that haven’t even thought about that to this point I’m sure at some point they will. I’m sure I’ll make a point to those guys, legendary venue as someone who appreciates football and football history. We understand and appreciate that element of it. But it is about the development of these guys and this process as we draw training camp to a close.

It has been a really positive experience. We’ve been challenged in some ways, weather and so forth, but you know, that can represent the journey. That is a football season. From time to time you are going to be challenged with things that are outside your control and how you adjust, how you pivot, how you navigate those things oftentimes defines you. So, it’s been productive. I’m excited about moving forward in the developmental process with these guys and what’s going to happen in Green Bay obviously is a part of that.

Landy [Jones] will or won’t play?

He’s not scheduled to play at this juncture, no.

What’s the impact of starters not playing a lot and missing time?

We are just one-fourth of the way through the preseason schedule. We’ve been in one stadium. We have three [remaining], so I am not ready to paint with a broad brush yet. Some of the guys you mentioned may be participating in this football game, so we’ll keep an eye on that and look at the totality of that as we get closer to the end of the process.

Does Aaron Rogers wanting to play make you want to have your first team defense out?

No. We are not concerned about what they do or their plans in terms of their team development. We are focused on ours. I hope he does play. You know you like those challenges of the quality players but it’s not going to affect what it is we do or how we approach our prep and play.

Are you excited to see where your defense stands against a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers?

You always want to compete. You always want to play against the best so that never changes.

How do you plan to split Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph’s reps?

I hadn’t decided yet.

Is Bud Dupree out of concussion protocol?

He is out of the protocol. Bud [Dupree] is playing.

Is Sean Davis week-to-week or day-to-day?

Day-to-day.

The tight ends being involved in the new offense under Randy Fichtner, do injuries slow that integration

Again, we’ll probably gain some understanding about the totality of that as we push through the process right now. Like I said, we are just a fourth of the way through the preseason games themselves. I’m sure it is affected in some way the totality of that we won’t know until we are further down the road.

What have you seen in evolution at that position in this offense with Randy Fichtner?

I think they we are still discovering what that is. We are going through a transition with Randy [Fichtner] as a coordinator, but we do have continuity in that he’s been here and been a part of us. The language and terminology and things are changing so a lot of the things that you are referring to or clarity that you are seeking is going to be revealed in play calling and rhythm in terms of how the game is played out. So we’ll continue to get prepared and that will be revealed to all of us as we push through the season.

What have you thought about Ola [Olasunkanmi Adeniyi] and Keion Adams?

They’ve had their moments. They’re both adjusting. Guys that played defensive end like positions at times in college. Not displeased with what I’ve seen. We have more work to do in both instances. It’s less about outside linebacker play and more about they’re adjustments in the special team’s phase of the game. How they get accumulated to playing in space and some of the responsibility associated with that play as well. You can’t evaluate young outside backers or young defenders specifically without including that element of the equation in the evaluation.

Do you see two quarterback spots open or the two-young mean battling for one spot?

It’s funny you talk about quarterback spots open like some of them are closed. That’s what we are doing here, that is the process of team development. We have four NFL capable quarterbacks. Some teams keep two, some teams three, very rarely do teams keep four.

Those are the variables. We’ll see where the road leads. More than anything I’m trying to create an environment where these guys have an opportunity to show what they are capable of and get better. So far so good. I like the approach of the group. I’m not overthinking it and I do not want any of those guys to overthink it. We’ll see where the road ends.

Is Damoun Patterson an example of a guy you referenced earlier – establishing a baseline and now seeing where they go, and what have you seen of him that you like?

It’s safe to say you can characterize that as a positive first performance. Let’s see if he can build upon the positive aspects of that performance and some negative within that performance that I’m sure we’re not discussing – see if we can minimize that. He is just an example. All of those guys that played in that game have aspects of their play that fall into those categories, and those are the ways that we’re challenging them as we step into the second stadium.

A lot of those guys you had thoughts about maybe what they’re capable of. You see evidence of it out here. But until you step into a stadium and you’re playing football, with all of the moving parts and variables that occur in a stadium, you don’t know. It is a big opportunity to build and to accentuate the positive and work to minimize the things that weren’t

You had a great deal of success when Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders were rookies in the same year – that two dogs, one bone philosophy. Do you play a little bit of that with him and James Washington?

That’ll be determined if they both make it, if they continue to ascend. I think that’s only become the AB [Antonio Brown] and Emmanuel Sanders story is only interesting because they became AB and Emmanuel. There’s been other aspects of that, there’s Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown, but you guys don’t ask about that two dogs, one bone. So, we’ll see.

Is that something you still do though? The two dogs, one bone setup?

It’s annual. Like I said, it just depends on what becomes noteworthy and what doesn’t, from your perspective.

Damoun Patterson said two areas where he would like to improve were coming back to the ball more often and on special teams, are those critiques you gave him?

And then some, yes.

Re: Ben Roethlisberger‘s camp

Roethlisberger? Man, he’s been awesome. Been really sharp, but not only in terms of what he does, just how he’s communicating and helping in aiding the development of some people that are going to work alongside him. It’s been a very positive experience.

Re: B.J. Finney – do you need a third guy to back him up?

We haven’t established roles in that regard, I’m not even willing to even say that regarding him at this juncture, that’s what we’re doing here with this process is carving out roles.

What are you going to do with yourself, given that camp is almost over?

Man, the wheels keep on turning, just change the settings, we’re excited about obviously what we’ve been able to accomplish here, but we also know that the real world is waiting on us and that process and so we’re excited about getting back to Pittsburgh and continuing on.

Is there something in particular that comes to mind when you think of Lambo Field?

Just the frozen tundra of Lambo Field. I mean, you’re kidding me. If you’re an appreciator of football and football history, I know for me when I’m walking in that tunnel, to come out into that bowl, there’s an excitement associated with it because I appreciate the ground in which I walk on.

Re: it won’t be snowing there tomorrow, right?

Well, you know, in my head and in my mind, snow will be coming down. You know how it goes.

What was the coldest game you had?

I was with the Vikings on Christmas Eve in 06 on a Thursday, I was miserable.

Re: one of most respected members of our group was called a clown by Antonio Brown, do you have any plans to talk to him

I don’t know anything about that. So, I am not in position to speculate or comment, sorry.

Re: If I publicly told you what he said

Then I will address it privately. I won’t address it in this setting. I do not think that is appropriate. I do not have a lot of details regarding it. I am just not going to talk about whatever you are referring to in this setting. I’ll address it at a later time after I get an opportunity to gain information if necessary but I won’t address it in this setting because you are my only source so that is not appropriate from my perspective, respectfully.

Transcript provided by the Pittsburgh Steelers


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