PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers players getting an extra day off this week with the Monday night game, as head coach Mike Tomlin is hoping to use that time to get some injured players back.
He said tight end Pat Freiermuth (concussion) and guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) could practice this week. It allows a little more rest for a few injured in the game Sunday-center Kendrick Green and guard Trai Turner. Tomlin also hopes he’s buying a day to allow Devin Bush, Marcus Allen, Zach Banner and Isaiah Buggs to come off the COVID-19 list.
Oh Canada
He’s admitted he calls plays on the defensive side, what does Tomlin think about the play-calling from first-year NFL offensive coordinator Matt Canada. And if there has been a learning curve for Canada from calling plays in college to doing so in the pros.
“I have no reservations about the play-calling component of his job and what he’s done,” Tomlin said. “There is probably a learning curve for every job that pertains to the National Football League. That’s a reasonable discussion regardless of what we are talking about in our eco-system that is football.”
Game change
The point made to Tomlin that Diontae Johnson said they need better energy ‘getting off the bus’, would Tomlin be willing to do something different with his speech or preparation to help solve their first half issues?
“Certainly I’m willing to change it and I’m open to change it,” Tomlin said. “I think that’s a component of being consistently good, having a hardcore plan, but also be willing to change based on current circumstances. That’s a blueprint that I follow.”
“I’m fully engaged in preparation in all three phases of the game and have been. I absorb responsibility of what we put out there. That comes with what I do. I don’t run away from it, I run to it.”
Tomlin said glibly their intentions are to score touchdowns in the first half every week, but they’ve come up short.
“I’m not going to run away from that,” Tomlin said. “It is what it is. I’m not going to try and explain it away. We can sit in settings like this and talk about it all day. You could walk away feeling good about my answer and write a story. That doesn’t solve the problem, actions do.”
Tomlin did allude to what appears to be one change. He’s going to try and be upbeat about their situation and build on the things they’ve done well as opposed to the areas where they’ve struggled.
“Our ability to get singularly focused this week and bring the best out in ourselves,” Tomlin called it. “Show up in a stadium, not carrying the negativity that’s associated with the seven losses that we’ve had, but the positivity that comes with the good experiences that we’ve had. That’s the messaging, that’s the approach.”
A Ben End
Does Tomlin know if this is Ben Roethlisberger’s last home regular season game and would that impact their preparation?
“I don’t know that it’s going to impact anything relative to what we intend to do or what he intends to do,” Tomlin said. “Like I’ve mentioned several times when that subject is broached in these settings, Ben has really done a nice job of setting the pace regarding that throughout season.”
“He’s been singularly focused on the next challenge and where we are in terms of the here and now. It’s been easy to follow his lead in that regard and I’m sure we will all do the same as we press forward to Monday Night Football.”
Asked about his memories at Heinz Field of Roethlisberger.
“We don’t have enough time,” Tomlin said. “I’ve experienced 15 years of Hall of Fame caliber play as it pertains to Ben. My focus and his focus this week is this game and preparing for this game and performing well in this game.”
“I’m sure they’ll be an appropriate time in the future where I will get an opportunity to sing his praises, and I will gladly do so. It just doesn’t feel like this is the appropriate time as we zero in on this opportunity that is Monday Night Football this week.”