Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin holds his weekly press conferences every Tuesday. 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. As always, I’ll start with a synopsis or an outline of some things relative to our last performance and I want to talk about a few specific things because I understand that some of it’s been bounced around since our last performance. First, regarding Ben [Roethlisberger]’s health, what transpired during halftime and subsequently after that. Ben sustained an injury at the end of the first half. We went in at halftime, he needed to be evaluated. An X-ray was a part of that. Getting the X-ray executed was not a fluid thing. Oftentimes, it’s not a fluid thing to be honest with you, new and unfamiliar venues and things of that nature. Ben was accompanied by our medical staff and Kevin Colbert, our general manager. They went through their procedures. Even after getting the X-ray, we didn’t have great clarity to be honest with you, wasn’t able to read the X-ray to our satisfaction. It was probably a dated piece of equipment or what have you. So, we really never fully had a complete understanding of specifically what the injury was at the stadium site. Nevertheless, our medical staff doing their due diligence, treated him to the best of their abilities and medicated him. We took the group back out on the field not knowing if he was going to be available or not. We have been in this situation before, obviously Ben has been our quarterback for a long time. Really, we followed a very similar template that transpired in Cincinnati in the playoffs I think in 2015. Because of the lack of information, we thought that the best thing to do, the most prudent thing to do, was to be only to make Ben available in emergency-like situations and that’s exactly what we did in Cincinnati a couple years ago because of lack of information.

Obviously, he’s got to be a willing participant in that. The doctors have got to get to a level of comfort but acknowledging that level of comfort is including a lack of clarity in some instances because the X-ray was not clearly readable. Ben has been with us a long time. He does a great job of communicating, we all do. We have continuity in that regard. We did a great job of communicating throughout. Once they came back out on the field, I continued to communicate with Ben to see that effectiveness of the medication to see how he felt he would be able to perform in terms of function and being able to do the things that he needed to do. We continued to talk about it. While talking about that, obviously, the game is going on. We said that because of lack of information and the situation not being a comfortable or ideal one, we would only re-insert him into the game if we felt it was necessary.

As the game unfolded, it obviously became necessary. We really appreciate what he was able to do and the effort that he was able to provide and those around him to give us a chance. Obviously, it didn’t end in the way we would like, but that’s just kind of an outline of what transpired. And again, like I mentioned, it’s really the same template that transpired in Cincinnati when we had him getting X-rays and being evaluated in unfamiliar territory. Kevin Colbert was included in that dialogue as well and we came to the same subsequent decisions for the same reasons. When you don’t have a lack of information, you better move and move prudently. We did, but we are also committed to playing and playing to win. This is professional football. When we got to that point in the road, we decided to re-insert him into the game and he performed and gave us an extraordinary effort. So, that’s the outline regarding Ben and his health, what transpired at the stadium, why and when we re-inserted him into the game.

Another thing I think that I didn’t talk about quite a bit after the game was Chris Boswell and that question has been brought up repeatedly and appropriately so. Here’s our position as we push into this next opportunity: We acknowledge that Chris has struggled, we acknowledge that Chris has struggled to find consistent footing. We are willing to explore options that gives us the very best chances of that ball going through the upright this weekend. That being said, those options include Chris. This time of year, we are cognizant of what’s available and the prudent approach is to include Chris and those options and that’s what we intend to do. His performance merits us turning stones over and looking at our options, but the easy decision for us to do is to assign blame or to shoot a hostage or to do things of that nature regarding Bos. That’s not our intention. We want to do what’s right for our football team and what’s right for our football team is to ensure that we give ourselves the very best chance of winning and that ball going through the upright this weekend. So, we are looking at all options available to us, including Chris. That has been displayed to him. He will be given an opportunity to play his way into this thing this weekend and we will go as I just outlined. That is the approach that we intend to take.

Other things regarding the game, obviously it was very disappointing how the game ended particularly because we weren’t able to stand up in that moment defensively and really, that’s the second time in two weeks we weren’t able to stand up in that moment. We accept responsibility for that. We also acknowledge that Oakland made some plays and we would be less than professional if we didn’t tip our caps to Derek Carr and that group. Man, he made some really, really tough combative throws and they made some tough combative catches. We have to do a better job of finishing things at the point of attack. We were in position for a lot of those plays. They made the combat catches and we didn’t, and so there’s obviously consequences of that. The consequences are we lost the game but there are also reasons why that happened and we have to look at all reasons, what we are doing as coaches in terms of putting those guys in position to take advantage of those opportunities, who we are utilizing and the detail to which they’re working. Very much like the kicking scenario, we are open to all possibilities as we stand here this afternoon in preparation and an effort to change that outcome. One thing we aren’t going to do is we are not going to hope and wish. We are not going through our processes in which we have and just hope that the outcome changes. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are going to do things dramatically different, but we are not going to sit on our hands. We are not going to hope. That’s not what professionals do, particularly ones in the position that we’re in. We are going to actively seek victory. We are going to actively seek the change necessary to change the outcome of a few plays which will thus change the outcome of a game. That’s life for us.

The health and safety of some of these guys as we push into this week, Ben obviously we got him evaluated when we got back. He has a rib or several rib contusions that will be addressed throughout the week. We anticipate him being available to us. Pain management through the week probably be the storyline in terms of what he’s able to do from a physical preparation standpoint. But again, Ben has played a lot of football and we’ve been in this situation with him a lot. We will walk that tightrope and go into the stadium with no excuses there. Some of the older injuries, James Conner with his ankle, he had a really impressive week last week. We will see what this week holds and obviously his availability being based on first his health, and then his preparedness. We will see his availability throughout the course of the week and let his availability and the quality of that be our guide. Same with Marcus Gilbert, hadn’t checked in with him. I think he’s downstairs as we speak getting a workout in today. Some other bumps and bruises associated with play, we will sort through those things as we get into our work week.

Now as we prepare for New England and looking at the challenges that they provide and obviously they provide significant ones. They are a well-coached and well-balanced tea in all three phases. We have been in situations with them in the past. Hopefully we can glean some learning experiences off of some of those situations, but some of the match-ups and elements of play are new and exclusive to 2018 for them and for us. Obviously, minimizing [Tom] Brady and his arsenal of weapons is essential to the discussion. Gronk [Rob Gronkowski] has missed some time this year, but he’s finding his rhythm. He’s been playing here for the last several weeks, had a big game this past week. You know the match-up issue that he is for everyone globally and he is and has been for us in the past. We are thoughtful of putting together a plan to minimize him and his impact on the game. They have some new components in the passing game that’s new to them, but we’ve played against in the past. Guys like Josh Gordon, who’s a big time outside receiving threat. [Cordarrelle] Patterson, who’s shown some versatility, not only as a receiver but as a running back and in the return game. Obviously, he’s got some known components like [Julian] Edelman, the guy who’s adept at dominating on the interior element of play and reverses and things of that nature. He’s very talented. [James] Develin as emerged of late as a short -yardage component of play for them. Their talented fullback, mentioned him in the past, hadn’t mentioned him a lot as a ball carrier, of late, he has become a particularly of situational ball carrying component for them. They do a great job collectively up front of getting hats on hats and blocking people in the run game and in the passing game and obviously, Brady does the rest.

On the defensive side of the ball, man they got a veteran-laden secondary that very rarely is out of place. They’re very good with their eyes and very good at the ball. They do a good job of playing the ball when they’re in a position to play the ball. They do a great job of not panicking when they’re not in position of playing the ball and playing through the receiver’s hands and oftentimes they are successful when they employ that technique. Yards and the interior portions of the field with demerit of man concepts and robber systems that they employ are difficult at times. They’ve done that for a number of years coupled with a good collective rush. They are getting quality rushes from a number of people, linebackers included. They’ve always have had that element in their attack. They are very ball-aware. They hunt the ball, bury it in the run or in the pass and it produces turnovers for them and creates opportunities for them.

They are sound in the kicking game. I mentioned Patterson earlier, he’s a dynamic return man but they also have guys like [Nate] Ebner and [Matthew] Slater who are, Slater is a wide-receiver. Ebner is a defensive back but boy they’ve earned their stripes in the National Football League for an extended period of time for the dominant performances they’ve been able to provide in teams. Those guys are building blocks along with others, Devlin, the fullback that I mentioned earlier. Well-rounded group.

We are licking our wounds as we should when you are unsuccessful in this business, but not a lot of time for that. We understand that as well. Sunday is coming, man we are excited about an opportunity to compete and get this negative taste out of our mouths as I am sure New England is. They are coming off of a bitter, disappointing game. It’s going to be high stakes obviously. It’s going to be a big-time atmosphere. Excited about it and look forward more importantly to this week’s preparation for the opportunity. A lot of work to be done.

Are the problems the team is facing more schematically or more of a personnel problem?

You know, it’s all of us. You don’t fail and then conveniently pinpoint one particular area. This is a very complex game and because it’s a complex game, because of the number of people involved, whenever you are talking about particularly consistent failures like we’ve had in recent weeks, it’s usually a multitude of things. We better look at the schematics, we better look at who we are asking to do what and we better look at the detail in which we they are doing it. So, it’s all of the above and that’s our intentions. We are open to change. We will have discussions regarding change, but I don’t want you to believe that these changes are going to be dramatic and maybe even noticeable to the naked eye. In our world, very much necessary and very much significant, oftentimes you make very subtle changes and they have very significant outcomes and so we will look at all of the things that I mentioned.

Are you having kicking tryouts this week?

Yes, we will. But also, I mentioned that Bos [Chris Boswell] is a viable option as well.

On when these tryouts will be

I’m not going to get into the details, but I feel comfortable that I gave you guys enough insight in terms of what we intend to do and why we are doing it and why we are taking the approach we are taking. The minutiae of when people are coming in, who they are, I’m not getting into that in this form.

If this has been in the back of his mind before last week’s game?

I came to this decision and we came to this decision in the last 24-hours or so. It’s as simple as that.

If he is judging them based on the tryout performance or what they have done in the past?

In part, yes. Part of who you bring in is based on what they’ve done in the past.

Is this an overreaction as it was partially a fault of his shoe as well as his mechanics?

I am not getting into the minutiae. I am just getting into the fact that we need the ball to go through the uprights. He needs the ball to go through the uprights and he hasn’t been consistently, and I’ve outlined that for you guys in great detail. I’ve told you our intentions and really that’s all I have to say on the matter.

At what point did you actually receive the correct results of Ben’s X-ray?

We got the result of the X-rays. They weren’t readable.

Did you get them during halftime?

No, it was into the third quarter by the time we got through the logistics of actually even getting the X-rays and then they were less than readable.

Did Ben voice his opinions about the matter?

We had a lot of communication and we always do when we are dealing with matters relating to his health and participation. It was ongoing and that’s why I said what I said after the game that he and I had discussions prior to him returning to the game about him potentially returning to the game.

Were the doctors’ concerns about a broken rib or a punctured lung?

They were worried about a myriad of things. Obviously when you don’t have clarity in terms of specifically what you are dealing with, there are a number of concerns that slow down the process and makes you have extended conversations and things of that nature and that’s why we took the course of action that we took.

Can you clarify what you said post-game about wanting to bring Ben back earlier when today you mentioned he was only to return in emergency-like situations?

Again, we didn’t have a lot of information, so dialog was a part of the discussion. How he felt, whether or not the treatment they provided him in addition to the X-ray was going to be effective, there were several conversations over the course of the third quarter or whatever after he came back to the sideline after getting done what he needed to get done. Communication was a part of the ultimate decision to put him back into the game or whether or not we were even going to consider putting him back into the game.

Really, I have tried to be as transparent as I can be. I’m not going to get into any more of the minutiae. I know you guys have a job to do. I want it to be as completely transparent as I could. I was not interested in discussing it after the game because I am not a comfort seeker. I don’t want to blame others. I don’t care about the equipment, the speed in which the thing transpired and whether or not we were able to read it. That was the same equipment for both teams, etc., so I said very little after the game. But obviously, this thing has had legs and it has grown and we want to minimize the senseless distractions, so I am being very transparent with you in terms of what transpired, how, and why.

It has legs because people don’t understand what you mean by an emergency-like situation and the rhythm of flow you intended on the offense with Josh Dobbs?

If we felt like we needed Ben to win the game, we were willing to do it.

You know, whether or not we were ahead or behind, it had nothing to do with whether or not we inserted him into the game and that was my reference in terms of rhythm of flow. It doesn’t necessarily mean we had to be behind to re-insert him, it just meant were we fluidly moving the ball that we had a chance to put ourselves in a position to win.

The plan was to put Ben back in regardless if Oakland scored on their second to last drive?

He and I had a conversation and it got to the point where we said regardless of what transpired, he was going in on the next series and he did.

Is there a league standard for X-ray equipment to be aware of?

I am not getting into that. That’s why I didn’t get into it after the game.

Is there a formal complaint filed?

There will be none.

Was it the same machine the Raiders would have used if someone was hurt?

Again, I am not getting into that.

You said that both teams had the same medical equipment?

I assume that.

Did he think about throwing a challenge flag on the play in the third quarter when the Raiders ball carrier sprinted to the line of scrimmage thinking the catch may not have been good?

I did, but I chose not to. I thought he caught the ball and so did my guys on the field.

In terms of match-ups versus Gronk, is there something in their techniques that he has to alter?

I think when you play a guy like him, it’s going to take multiple people and multiple techniques, so yes.

Have you seen anything work over the years?

Yes, but we haven’t been a part of it. We are looking to be.

Did you say or address anything particular to Sean Davis after the game?

I don’t remember. I’m sure I did. Due diligence and reviewing performances is what we do but I can’t say that I can remember any specific conversation as I stand here today.

What are the changes to the running game?

You know, I don’t know. Obviously, who we utilize is an element of it. Game circumstance is obviously an element of it. We are on a losing streak here and we haven’t been running the ball effectively, so we better analyze that as well among some of the other things that we’ve discussed here.

Did you think about using any of their timeouts after the two-minute mark after they hit the big play down the field or following the Raiders’ first run?

I did, but to be quite honest with you I chose not to. I was more interested in stopping them. Particularly I knew if I didn’t utilize the timeout that the run game would be an element of the sequence and I felt comfortable about our ability to stop the run. I was more interested in winning the sequence and less interested in the number of timeouts I was holding if we were to lose the sequence. We had our chances, we got them to fourth down, fourth-down-and-six. We utilized the timeout to put ourselves in the very best call and have discussions that we thought were pertinent in winning that circumstance. We like the people that we had on the field. We like the call that we had. They executed better than we did, so such as life. I like to hold the timeouts so we can utilize the full field if we get in those circumstances. I was able to hold one, they scored, we got the ball back. When you have that timeout, you are able to utilize all components of the field. I think that helps you in those dire circumstances and makes them have to defend the interior part of the field, etc., It gave us a chance.

When you are coming off of a defeat, and so is your opponent, how much does that factor in the game?

I don’t know. Particularly as it pertains to the taste in their mouth. I can speak about the taste in our mouth, we don’t like it.

They are probably feeling the same way in preparation for you?

Again, I can’t speak or speculate regarding their agenda and how they feel. Our focus is us and appropriately so.

How do you feel about the overall health of your team?

I am comfortable with that. I do not overanalyze that. I just look at who is available to us and then focus on the utilization of those people. Acknowledging that injury is a part of this thing, not only for us but for everyone so from that standpoint we are all on a level playing field, we all have critical decisions to make week-in and week-out about those people who are available to us and really the allocation of reps that are suspect, etc. I think that just one of the components of this thing that makes it fun and challenging.

If Marcus Gilbert is available this week, could he go back into the starting lineup?

Again, it depends on what he looks like. First, he’s got to get medical clearance then we base it one his performance so it’s availability and performance. That’s not exclusive to him, it’s the same for James Conner or anyone else we kind of talked about in this capacity. That is why I am thoughtful about the words I say every week. We’ll let his availability be our guide and then the quality of his work within that availability.

What’s the latest on James Conner’s ankle and availability?

Again, I don’t have that information. He is still in the building today. I am sure he’s got a big work up today and preparation for what maybe lies tomorrow.

Do you expect the offensive line to block the same for every running back?

I think there are some nuances that are based on the ball carrier but that is nothing new. I think that is nothing new. I think that is always ongoing whether your feature running is available to you or not and you are simply giving him a break and someone else comes in and I just think the plays we call, we do it with the acknowledgement of who’s at running back and sometimes is schematic specific. It’s the plays themselves that you call the highlights specific talents of a runner. Then there are adjustments if you will of the run styles that probably include the suggestion that you included there.

Were the running backs tentative getting to the holes?

We didn’t do a good enough job at sustaining blocks. I thought our footing was an issue in that at times not only in terms of the line but the runners, such as life, footing is going to be an issue from time to time when you play on natural surfaces outside. We got to be better.

Do players taken several pairs of shoes to adjust to the ground?

Yes.

Were you satisfied they had the correct shoes?

Yes, but again we still slipped in some instances.

Would you call it easier to call a game if you had James Conner than not?

Sure. You have you starters, it’s probably easier to call it.

What do you think of criticism from Rocky Bleier?

I didn’t know that. Those guys are entitled to an opinion, they care and care deeply. We appreciate them and respect the fact that they care and care deeply. Trust that we’re equally or more disappointed than Rocky but get an opportunity to do something about it so that’s where focus our energies, and we meaning those of us that play, those of us [that] coach, and are in this thing day to day right now. We havea big week ahead of us in terms of the work that we do, forget how we feel.

Transcript provided by the Pittsburgh Steelers.