8/27/22 Pre Season Game 3 vs. Philadelphia

Steelers Digest Editor, Bob Labriola sits down with Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers 3rd and final pre season game of 2022 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin Day Podcast with Steelers Digest editor
Bob Labriola coach. UM today preseason finale against the Lines, Uh,
what were some of the factors you considered in making
the decision about how much the regulars would or would
not play in the game today? You know, if you're
gonna box, you need to spa and that's the reality

(00:21):
of it all. And on September eleven, we've got a
boxing match, and so this is our last opportunity to spar. UH.
We're gonna get some rounds in if you will, UH,
to make sure that we're that we'll fight ready. UM.
I'm just a firm believer in that. UM, not only
in words, but in action. That's why we probably practice
a little bit different than some UH in the in
the team development process. Every day we have our pads on.

(00:44):
There's some form of tackling, for instance, UM, how are
you gonna ask guys to break tackles or to make
tackles if you don't tackle, UM, the maintain possession of
the ball. It's just certain components of the game that's
tough to replicate unless you're playing the game. And so UM,
we're gonna allow those guys to work. Um, we want
to see their ability to execute great detail from an
assignment standpoint, to execute some game planning, to be able

(01:07):
to do some of those things that that are major
component of September level football. How many roster spots would
you say or at stake based on what happens in
today's game. Whenever you're going into this game, you always
got probably sixty or so varsity like candidates and and
and I always try to have an inclusive mentality as
opposed to excluding people. UM leaning in on this game,

(01:29):
there's probably guys, probably sixty or so guys that are
showing varsity like traits and they get an opportunity to
put an exclamation point on their work. Uh today, final
cuts to get the roster down the fifty three or
do by four pm on Tuesday. With respect to those decisions,
how is it the time going to be spent between
the end of today's game and that deadline? You know,
some decisions you know instantly the moment you walk off

(01:51):
the field, are even moments in game. You know, I
think about Stefan Logan years ago runs that putt back
eight yrs in Carolina by the time he got to
the end zone he was on our roster for example. Um,
those are the type of things that happen UM in
the eleventh hour when you get an opportunity to really
put an exclamation point in your case for inclusion and

(02:12):
so UM it's ongoing. UM, there's a lot of information
to gather. Um. It starts, you know yesterday, It's an
ongoing process in your job here with the Steelers. You've
never had to pick a starting quarterback coming out of
the preseason for any reason other than a short term
absence of Ben Roethlisberger. But this year it's a bit

(02:32):
different because you're making a decision kind of from scratching.
It's a longer term situation. What we'll go into that decision.
You know performance, um, you know, the ability to lead, UM,
the ability to do the things, the unwritten things and
the informal things that the job prescribes for them to
do and be uh to assist in the growth and

(02:53):
development of young offensive eligibles and things of that nature,
but ultimately man its production and the things that that
are critical of debt position is the ability to anticipate
pinpoint NFL like accuracy. What do you do as plays breakdown?
Or as you extend plays, are you able to minimize
negativity while also having the potential for splash? Um, those

(03:16):
are variables. All the guys have represented themselves very well.
I've been pleased with the playmaking. Um, but it kind
of comes to a close as we walk out of
the stadium and it's time to make some hardcore decisions
to move forward. But I'll say this, UM, you know,
it's not necessarily decision making, it's just really calling what
you see and um, and and the guys hold the power.

(03:38):
The quality of their play is the determining factor, and
so I'm excited for him. Are you truly still undecided
on an opening day starter at quarterback? Or is it
just the case where you want the candidates to sprint
to the finish line of this competition. It's a little
bit of both, you know. Um, you know, I certainly
have some hardcore feelings about the direction that we're headed,

(03:58):
while at the same time, I'm light on my feet, man,
because in stadium performances waited differently, and UH, as it
should be, because that's where the game is played. Practices
football like uh, preseason games is football, And so UM,
we'll get an opportunity to see the Detroit Lion regulars
for an extended period of time. Tonight there'll be some

(04:20):
varsity ball out there, and and and so it's gonna
be a big week. Following today's game, there's nearly a
two week break in the schedule before the start of
the regular season. Do you handle that similar to an
end season by or is it something of a return
to training camp. How's that gonna work. It's it's an
end season by with with with higher intensity work. What

(04:41):
I mean is the first week we're focused on US
Stealers versus Steelers. The second week, obviously, we're leaning in
on the opener. And that's the general approach that you
take with a buy um. But a bide provides everyone
with what it is they need. Some guys need rests,
some some guys need rehabilitation, uh, some guys need work. Um,
at this stage of the journey, almost all of them

(05:02):
need work. And so it's like a bye with a
higher level of intensity and workload on the front end
of it. This is a relatively new part of the
NFL calendar, this break at this time. So do you
think or have you seen that that this time frame
makes it more conducive for teams to add players, uh
and then be able to get them ready for the

(05:23):
regular season. I think time will tell that component of it.
But also I think that I don't think life is
going to change that much for organizations, um, in terms
of how they conduct business. It's just whether or not
you're playing Carolina at the end of next week or not.
And under this system, were not in the old system,
we did. But under the old system you were multitask
and you had certain veteran players that you had leaning

(05:44):
in on the opener, some veteran players you were you know,
you were preserving. Um. It's really not a lot of
difference between the two schedules other than the fact or
whether or not you're stepping into a stadium to play
an opponent or not. But I mean, are you more
willing or do you think the league league wide teams
might be more willing to say, let's claim this guy
on waivers because we've got two weeks now, we can

(06:07):
get him ready, as opposed to you know, if you
played Thursday like that year, then you played the following Thursday.
I think conventional wisdom says yes, but I but I
just know the NFL. I think people in the NFL
are always about acquiring talent and keeping theirs and keeping
their cards close to the vest, and so seemingly it
might be more activity, but people would like it to

(06:30):
be more activity, but not necessarily as it pertains to
their decisions and their roster, and so I think it's
not gonna be as much as maybe we would anticipate. Okay,
So when you're making a decision on whether to cut
a particular player, is it ever consideration that he's the
best we have, so we keep him, or is there
a Mendoz aligned where uh, he's just not good enough

(06:52):
to play in this league, so getting rid of we
we gotta do something else. Yeah, I think that's always
an ongoing discussion. And that's why I used terms like
varsity in jv UM. You know, you have an idea
of positional numbers that you want to keep at certain positions.
But provided all of those guys of varsity, you don't
wanna you don't want to be thin in the position
and keep somebody that's j V when you got the

(07:13):
global field out there, and and that's why playing well
is so important for all of these guys. Forget how
they stack up within the rooms or within you know,
the environment that they're in. There's a global component to
this thing. And if your varsity and your players varsity,
you might not do enough to to be employed in
this environment, but you might be employable in another environment.

(07:35):
And so it behooves all the guys man to put
their best foot forward and play well and to be varsity.
And that's what I was talking about when I was
talking about going into the last game having an inclusive
mentality about who potentially makes our roster, it being potentially
six guys that have shown a certain level of consistent
varsity traits. Um, you just gotta you just gotta, you know,

(07:57):
be open to guys surprising your uh, you can't care
about what means guys got here. You gotta give a
guy as an opportunity to show that they belong and
they have to believe that and in turn they make
that reality. I cannot imagine it's easy for a player
added who's added to a roster once training camp the
training camp train has left the station. But one guy
who fits into that category is hamilca Rashid, and he

(08:20):
was at the roster in August the eleventh. What made
him an attractive prospect, and what have you seen from
him since he got here. I think NFL experience is
a major component of getting on the moving train that
you describe. Um, he's not a rookie. He's played NFL football,
He's been in NFL circumstances, and I think that that's
the component that gives them realistic opportunities. I think undrafted

(08:43):
college guys that get on that moving train are gonna
get consumed by it. All. Um, he's new to us,
but he's not new to the professional game. He's been
in the last preseason game before and had to state
the case for himself in an effort to make a
ball club and stuff like that. He's been exposed to
some schematics and often times he's just learning what we
call something as opposed to learning something. And so those

(09:05):
are the things that really give guys like him an
opportunity to make it and stay the case for themselves.
And why it's so difficult for maybe people that don't
have NFL experience to to make a legitimate push under
those circumstances. So he entered the NFL in one undrafted
from Oregon State. So he was part of your draft
process for that year. What what do you remember about

(09:27):
him from that? He had fourteen sacks as a junior.
He came back for a senior year and had zero
on a COVID shortened year. Um, he had some schematic
changes defensively that probably played a role in that he
dropped a significant amount more. I think they maybe even
had a coordinator change or philosophical change, and so there
were some things that made him somewhat attractive that could

(09:48):
have made him a valuable guy with where he was
slotted in the draft that got our attention. He also
has prototypical outside linebacker measurables, and that gets our attention
some of those guys a college defensive ends, and there's
a transitional component to you know, maybe being being attracted
to those guys were attracted to guys that play on

(10:09):
two feet that have the prototypical measurables. He had some
production in his junior year that captured our attention. There's
some tangible reasons why he lacked a production in his
senior year, and so it merited investigation and all of
that has brought us to this point. But that's just
an example of how we pour into guys and draft
preparation and how we stay connected to him and and

(10:31):
in many instances maintained an interest even after they come
into the league. UM, when the Dolphins were deciding to
move Maka, it wasn't a long discussion about whether or
not we were interested in Inca. We had done network
twelve months or so prior when he came out in
the draft. UM. As an example, Uh, in a situation
like the one in the game against Jacksonville, when it

(10:51):
comes to the offensive line, how do you tell when
it's a case of just a bad performance or whether
the players are below the line and then changes have
to be made there? You know, the component of what
transpired in Jacksonville that I didn't talk a whole lot
about because really it's irrelevant in this setting is the
lack of game planning. To be quite honest with you,

(11:14):
the preseason component of play. UM, it was highly probable
that they were going to get after us because they
were playing their third preseason game with more game planning
in detail regarding schematics and matchup related things, and we
were playing our second in their environment. I'm not seeking
comfort there, I'm not providing out but that's just the
realities and so if you bring an old conversation up,

(11:36):
I'll give you that truth. UM. But this week game
planning UM being personnel matchup conscious, there's a reasonable expectation
that we don't see the things that we saw last
week in this stadium. But failure and misery is good
for growth and development. And that's why I didn't mind
what transpired a week ago. So on cutdown day and
then the twenty four hours after and your experience, what

(11:59):
position players, what positions are the most in demand by
teams looking at the waiver wire. Big bodies, UM, there's
there's a big man scarcity on the planet and UM,
and big bodies always UM attract a certain amount of attention.
Old basketball guy always told me, UM, one out of

(12:20):
four seven footers at some point in time plays in
the NBA in their life. American males that a seven
foot tall one out of four at some point in
their life is going to spend at least one game
on the NBA bench. And that just kind of highlights
the scarcity of big men on the planet. And so
it's the same if you recreated the football bodies, you
know there's a scarcity of six six pound men on

(12:41):
the planet, and that attracts a certain amount of attention