8/19/22 Pre Season Game 2 vs. Jacksonville

Mike Tomlin's pre game interview with Steelers Digest Editor Bob Labriola ahead of the second pre season game against the Jaguars.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coach, all your time at St.
Vincent's College has ended for the summer after two years
away from Latrobe as your training camp site. Was the
time spent here every everything you expected it to be,
it was and then some. I'm just such an appreciator
of of the atmosphere in the environment and what it

(00:23):
does for us from a team development standpoint. Uh, the
informal time to the togetherness. Uh, the opportunities that guys
get to know one another and gain an understanding and
appreciation for one another. Uh, it's worth his weight in goal. Um.
You can't measure it, but we all acknowledge that good
teams have it, and it's a component of getting out
of stadiums, and that's why we pour into it. And

(00:46):
it has been a good experience. So you'll come back
here next year. I'm sure we will. That's up to
Art Rooney. That's above my pay grade. Um, but I'm
all for destination camping for sure. What have you learned
about your quarterbacks as a result of this process so
far that you didn't know before? Just how solid a
guys they are you know, when you're competing the way
that they're competing, it's challenging. But I just love how

(01:09):
all three have handled it, how they've supported one another
and been stand up dudes, been good teammates throughout the process.
And you can't say enough about that. I don't take
that for granted. I value that that spirit in which
they bring is aided the process and probably helped all
of them from a performance standpoint. What boxes still need
to be checked? All of them? You know, Um, we've

(01:32):
been in one stadium and that's just the reality of it.
Obviously saying it's starting to run through the hour glass.
But boys, so many stories are gonna be told over
the course of the next couple of weeks. Um, you know,
I would I would hesitate to say that any box
is completely checked at this point. In terms of being
September E level type ready, there have been three inside

(01:52):
linebackers rotating through the lineup with the first group. Those
three are Devin Bush, Miles Jack and Robert Spillane. Are
you looking for two to emerge or is it going
to be a three player divisional labor there? You know,
I'm I'm for letting it sort itself out in terms
of quality of play. But it's not only happening at
that position. That's happening at the corner position. We've got

(02:12):
you know, Spoon and Sutton and Levi Wallace. We've got
two guys working at at left guard, uh In kg
and Dotson, And so there's some of those things going on. Um,
And I've just learned over the years, you keep snapping
the football and and and the play provides the clarity.
And that's what I mean when I say we got
two additional weeks here in front of us, and and

(02:33):
and I'm committed to allowing the play to do the sorting.
Stevin Bush was productive as a rookie, I believe in
many of the ways you had in mind when the
team moved up in the draft to pick him. A
knee injury ruined his second season, and he appeared to
be trying to rediscover himself last season. Where is he
now in that process. I think all the things that
you outline are accurate, and I think he's ready to

(02:55):
move beyond that and be um what he's capable of being.
I know that that is been the nature of our discussions,
and and so he's going through the process. He's competing,
he's making some plays, and I'm excited about him answering
some of those questions. Uh, we get challenged in this
business at this level. It's it's just our life. And UM,

(03:15):
you know, he's he's very cognizant of it. Um. He's
a guy that was born into this game. His dad
played the professional game. Uh, he has a level of
maturity in terms of understanding that component of it. And
and he realizes that his play is gonna do the talking.
And and I appreciate, Uh that mentality or any remaining
hurdles physical or mental, do you think you know, I

(03:36):
think he could be described as a hundred percent healthy.
And so you know, the things that the challenges for
him are are that confidence, that that rhythm that comes
with when you're on top of your game. And and
he's working to find that. Kevin Bush was one of
the guys and this has happened to other players too,
It's not just him. Where the team has decided to
decline to exercise the fifth year option on his rookie contract.

(04:00):
Is that a message? I think it's beyond the message
just business. You know, guys understand the business. Um, and
they understand what the business means. Man, we didn't exercise
that and so it puts a lot of you know,
it puts a lot of weight on performers this year
for him and Um, he's embracing it. Um like like

(04:20):
others before him. What are the elements to go into
making that decision one way or the other? You know,
there's so many moving parts. It's not only the person involved,
but um, it's the people around him to make up
of our team, salary cap like things. Um, there's a
lot of layers to that discussion. On the offensive line,
you added a couple of veteran free agents to the interior.
Kendrick Green, as you mentioned, has moved from centers now

(04:42):
working a guard with Kevin Dots And how would you
assess the development of that unit? You know, I think
I've been I've been pleased with the general progress, um,
but I definitely think we're not September eleven ready at
this juncture, um Man. We got a nice challenge going
into the stadium this week, man, particularly with those high petting,
read edge Russias that they have in Jacksonville, UM and

(05:03):
Walker and Allen, it's gonna be a big game for
the likes of Cheops and and Dan Moore. They got
some pocket pushers inside. Um, This is a big step
for us, particularly going into a road game environment and
some of the challenges that comes with being an offensive
line unit in the road game environment. Um, you know,
potentially having to work on silent counting and and you know,

(05:23):
potentially getting beat to the punch in short yard circumstances
because of it when you're one dimensional from a past standpoint,
um to get off component. And so there's some challenges
environmentally that I think is a big component of collective
development that that we get to address and answer. UM.
With this outing, you mentioned the communication in the hostile environment.

(05:44):
I noticed that it used to be when Ramon was here,
he was the guy that would slap pounds and start
the whole process going. Now you move that to James Daniels.
Is that because he has more experience or you're playing
two guys in left guard? What's the thinking? They're two
guys at left guard, and so it's one guy, um,
And so we got a little bit more consistency there

(06:04):
um from a communication and rhythm standpoint. Okay, Coach. At
a recent practice, you talked about the challenges the team's
gonna face tonight against the Jaguars. UM. What specific challenges
do you believe this matchup at this vengeance at this
venue will pose. First of all, they're they're a week
ahead of us from a developmental standpoint because they played

(06:24):
in the Hall of Fame game. Um, they've also been
in one additional stadium. We've been in one game, they've
been in two, and so from a collective maturation standpoint,
they're a different stage of development. And that's an awesome
challenge for us. An exciting one is one that I
hope that that our group is excited about. Um. I'm
sure there's gonna be more extensive game planning for them

(06:45):
because of where they are in their journey. Their starters
might play longer, uh than hours, and so boys really
gonna give our second team as an opportunity to get
some exposure, to get some frontline NFL players. There's a
lot to be excited about. You think about the nature
to match up from those perspectives, and and additionally the venue. UM,

(07:06):
just playing in a road game environment. What it means
to situational football, red zone, shortyard is goal line um
for your offense? And what they need to do to operate. Um,
it's it's an awesome challenge one that I think, UM,
we're ready for. You know, you talked about wanting to
practice in the heat of the day here up at camp. Um,
you haven't had much heat of the David's these last

(07:27):
few days. I've even been wearing a jacket. What do
you expect down there in that respect? You know, it's
j vill man, It's gonna be muggy and nasty, and
it's gonna be a good barometer from a conditioning perspective
to see where we are, particularly the young guys, the
guys that are you know in the kick covers units
and and things of that nature. In the second half
of the game. Uh, they're really gonna be challenged from

(07:48):
a conditioning perspective. Do you go in there with a
plan about that kind of thing or do you take
it as it comes over the course of the game.
I take it as it comes. Um. There are certain
guys obviously that I'm watching more than others from that perspective,
but generally I take it as it comes. Uh. Over
the off season, you made some changes to your defensive staff.
Tarall Austin was promoted the defensive coordinator. Brian Flores was

(08:11):
hired as senior defensive assistant slash linebackers coach. On game day,
where's Austin? Where will Austin and Flores be and how
will the typical game day responsibilities then be divided up?
You know, T as the coordinator, so he's doing coordinator
like work. UM Flow is going to coach the linebackers essentially,
and that's kind of the division of labor in terms

(08:31):
of where they're located. We're we're we're exploring, as you
should this time of year in terms of what what's
the bets mix and utilization of our talents. And so
week one, TA was upstairs, Flow was down Um today
we're gonna have Ta downstairs and Flow upstairs, and and
we're just going to utilize the preseason for what it
was intended to be too, to do some things differently,

(08:54):
to look at some things, and the effort to find
uh the best mix and utilization and by skill sets
whoever it ends up being upstairs? What are you looking
forward from that guy that bird's eye view? Um, you
gotta be able to see all twenty two UM in
an instant. You gotta have a feel for the contour
defenses and how offense has come together and and be

(09:15):
able to take a global picture and and digest what happened.
And you know, both of those guys are highly experienced guys.
It's a non issue. It's really just about comfort zones
for us, uh and probably more importantly for t A.
You know, as a play caller and coordinator, what's the
best environment for him to be in to make the

(09:35):
decisions that he needs to make on game day. Over
the course of this this preseason process, there's been a
lot of attention paid the number one pick, can he
pick it? He is a quarterback? And the number one
pick George Pickens as well number two. Uh, what can
you tell us about the progress made by number three pick?
The Marvin Leale, the defensive lineman from Texas A and
M tell you he's really done a nice job. And

(09:56):
and as you mentioned, some of the others have garnered
attention and appropriately so. UM I just was. I was
impressed with what he did between the spring and camp
in terms of his conditioning. You could tell that he
was working extremely hard and he came back ready and
and and that's a great platform, uh, from which to begin. Uh,

(10:18):
he's growing and learning every day. Uh. He's in a
veteran group around guys like Cam Hayward and Wormley and
Larry Oh. Um, he's getting that type of tutelage. Um,
he's showing flashes of his pedigree and talent and so
um the process is running his course. He's got got
some development to do, someplace to make. Uh, some growth

(10:39):
and development needs to transpire. But I like the general
trajectory of where where it's had over your course of
your career. Here, you've had various degrees of success bringing
in veteran free agents. Um, the Angelo Williams was a
great success. LA. Gareth Blunt not so much. Uh, Larry Ogan,
Joe By. Where's he on that spectrum? You know, I

(10:59):
think he We are still writing that story. Um. You
know he's he's coming back from surgery and that's a
component of it as well. We've been so thoughtful about, um,
that component of it, because not only is he coming
back from surgery, but he's new to us, and so
we don't want to take steps backwards as we progress
and move forward. And so it's been to get to

(11:19):
know his talents are obviously gonna be a big asset
to us getting to know him. He's a quality guy
and a football lover and a professional, and so I
think he's gonna be a major component for us. But
we're gonna write that story. Is no need to tell it.
So you have no concerns about him fitting in because
of the situation that happened in Cleveland that he was
tangentially involved in pushing Mason down. I mean, there's no

(11:43):
I don't know the guys remember that kind of stuff,
not hardly. And this guy's that had a fight out here,
uh at a training camp practice, that didn't go have
dinner together. That's that's football. You're last week at St.
Vincent included a couple of training camp traditions, home run
derby and the Rookie Show? Can he pick it one
of the home run derby? Is he legit? Or is

(12:03):
he just the best of a mediocre group? He's the
best of a mediocre group. You know, it's kind of
like a three point contest of the football training camp
as well. You know, it doesn't mean that guy's a
dead eye shooter. It just means he's the best of
the bunch. Uh. No, Kenny did a nice job. Mr
Bisky did a nice job. Christian Coon's did a nice job.

(12:23):
We had some guys that represented themselves. I thought it
was as competitive of a home run derby as I
can remember. What's what happens at the Rookie Show? I mean,
is that there's any talent there? Or is it a
version of the Gong Show? Is it more like a roast?
No matter what happens, Um, you know, the veteran guys
are going to be entertained. It's just whether it's quality

(12:44):
entertainment or they're laughing at them. Either way, it's a
good evening for the veterans. But more than anything, it's uh,
it's an opportunity for guys to let the personality show
too too, for guys to get to know him and
and and for guys not to take themselves too seriously.
I just think us a component of team Um. You
gotta be able to laugh at yourself. You gotta be

(13:04):
able to be able to be selfless and unguarded, and
I think things like that traditional things like that really
kind of are an avenue to to to develop those
components of team. Ever, anybody ever had the guts to
get up there and doing Mike Tomlin imitation, Are you kidding?
Every single year anybody any good at it? Ever? Cresden

(13:25):
Butler remember that name. Yeah, he did one on the
bus all the way over to Friday Night Lights as
a rookie. Cresden Creston. I'd let I'd give Creston a
few minutes at the beginning of team meetings. From time
to time, he was so good.