September 7, 2025 • 11 mins
Steelers historian Bob Labriola sits down with Head Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coach, the last time we talked,
you had yet to cut the roster down to fifty three.
How did that process go?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
You know, it was a challenging process because we had
a good ninety. And that's how I always view it.
If you want to have a good fifty three, it
first starts with a good ninety. You take them through
a fair and transparent process, which we worked to do,
and they do the rest. And they did. We had
some tough decisions, some really competitive competitions for roster spots,
(00:35):
but that's as it should be, and so it was
a difficult process for us.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So you mentioned about having a good ninety. I would
guess that was reflected in the fact that you got
down to fifty three. You didn't claim anybody off waivers,
and then you also put together your first practice squad
all guys that you had in camp.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Certainly that is reflective of the ninety.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Okay. Another part of the process leading up to the
start of the regular season is the selection of the captains.
What is that process?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's really simple process for us. Our captains are voted
on by the peers, and so on Monday, a game week,
at the very beginning of our team meeting, everybody gets
a ballot. They vote for one offensive captain, one defensive captain,
and one special team's captain, and we tally up those
votes and we let the results speak for themselves. And
so we've got full quality guys representing us in that
(01:28):
space on offense, and Rogers on defense, TJ Wide and
Cam Hayward and on special teams Miles Killerbrew, do.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
You have any opinion on how it turned out, either
or the number of players selected or who the players were.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
It was very definitive from a number standpoint, and so
I was not surprised at all. Very deserving men, and
I'm sure those guys have been captains before.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Do you have a sense of your team's readiness for
the start of this regular season?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
You know I do, and I based that sense on
what I've seen in preparation. You know, I think we're
doing the things that'll make us a tough team to beat.
I don't anticipate us being highly penalized. That's being sloppy offensively.
That's displayed by pre snap penalties, shifts and motions on
defense that's displayed by off sides and things of that nature. Certainly,
(02:18):
I don't anticipate us playing perfect and nobody does. But
the penalties that we do get I wanted to occur
in play technically related, not lack of knowledge of the
game or lack of situational awareness. I feel good from
those perspectives, all of those things, the controllables, if you will,
We've done a nice job checking the boxes in the process.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So the stuff that you just talked about, did you
see that from the team during the development process that
started up at same Fencent College.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yes, I have. And you know it's critical not just
to talk about those things, but to take tangible action.
For example, all week Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we had
a fish work our practice. I know that penalties are
a major component of the week one football at every level,
and so as opposed to talking to the guys about
(03:08):
it all week how significant it is to play clean,
we brought officials to practice and we officiated all three
of our practices in an effort to make a point
of emphasis in that regard.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Is there any type of unique challenge posed to either
the coaching staff or to the players in opening a
season with a starting quarterback who was new to the.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Team, No, not at this juncture. Certainly, there's some things
that we'll discover along the way as a collective, But
in our particular instance, particularly because Aaron is so experienced
and seasoned, I don't anticipate his newness being an issue
for us in terms of continuity, communication and things of
(03:49):
those natures. Things of that nature. He is just so
good in those spaces.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Today's opponent is the New York Jets, and their starting
quarterback is justin Fields, who started the first six games
of last season. For you, will you be able to
take anything from the relationship you developed with him last
season and use it in trying to defend him today?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Most certainly. But I'm sure he's in position to say
the same thing about me. You know, we spend a
lot of time together talking about likes and dislikes, comfort zones,
and so forth, so I have an intimate understanding about
the things that he prefers schematically, how he sees the game,
his potential strengths and weaknesses. But the same could be
(04:32):
said about his perspective regarding us. Those last weeks that
he didn't start, He faced our defense every day in practice,
and so he got an in helmet perspective on the
nuances of our defense, the communication and so forth. And
so there's gonna be some things that he knows about us,
there's gonna be some things that we know about him.
(04:52):
It'll probably be a wash in the big scheme of things,
and ultimately the playmaking is going to determine the winner.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
You said you tuesday news conference that there are some
global things teams generally do in terms of designed quarterback runs.
What are some of those things.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You know, the things that this generation of mobile quarterbacks
have grown up doing, zone rate concepts, quarterback follows, and
so forth. There are some right handed runs, if you will,
some global right handed runs that all mobile quarterbacks at
all levels per take in. And that generally is the guts,
(05:31):
if you will, of base quarterback running game.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
What kind of runner is justin fields? In terms of
quick or fast, strong or shifty things like that? How
would you if you had to put out a scouting
report on him for somebody else?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
He certainly is straight line fast for the position. But
I think more unique than his straight line speed is
his ability to run at angles his knee and ankle flexibility,
his ability to run horizontally, to create space that way,
to change direction. He really is a talented athlete below
the ways for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
So what do you expect that from him in situations
short yardage, goal line? Is that how you see them
using him in terms of some of these designed running plays.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know, certainly it's going to be a component of
of of what they do. But there's a risk associated
with running your quarterback and you have to weigh that
component of the equation as well. They got to keep
that guy upright, I imagine for seventeen weeks. And so
most people, although quarterback mobility is a is a significant weapon,
(06:39):
they're proven in their usage and so oftentimes they only
deploy it when it's aligned to gain or in search
of points. And so globally in the National Football League,
you'll see a lot of quarterback runs on possession downs,
third down, and fourth down. You'll see a lot of
quarterback runs in the red zone where you're searching for
that four point swing. But to do it on the
(07:00):
minus twenty five at first and ten is is is
risk oriented in today's game, because most NFL team's got
eleven defenders that hunt quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
How do you expect defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes to utilize
Sauce Gardner today?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
You know, Sauce is a is a very talented bump
and run man, a man corner. They've they've given him
a new contract and so I expect coach Wilkes man
to utilize him for his known talents. He's gonna travel
and play man to man and he normally he lines
up on the defenses left, the offense is right, but
(07:39):
he's capable of matching. We'll see if he matches and
travels with DK. He's certainly capable and compensated to do.
So it's all about, you know, how many variables they
want to put into their pre snap process in week one.
A lot of times people think about matching the receiver
as easy business focus is only Sauce, But there's someone
(08:02):
that has to play opposite of Sauce, that has to
travel opposite, and so there are multiple people involved when
you start talking about traveling. So I don't know whether
or not he's going to travel, but certainly he is
a talented bump and run corner, and I expect coach
Wilkes to utilize those skills.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You know, there's a big difference in terms of age
and experience, but in terms of playing style and what
he means to a defense. Is Sauce Gardener similar to
Jalen Ramsey.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
You know, I wouldn't. I'd compare Sauce to Joey Porter.
They're outside long bump corners. Joey came out a year
after him, and that was a part of my draft summary,
if you will, the comparison of those guys, the length,
the physical structure. Jalen is a different animal man. There's
(08:50):
so much physicality in his game. He's safety capable, he's
inside nickel capable, he's outside capable. He's a unique animal
well in terms of his in terms of his position
flex that doesn't make that apples and apples conversation.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
In last season's opener in Atlanta, part of the offensive
plan was to have your quarterback avoid the middle of
the field because of the presence of safety Jesse Bates,
Is there ever any area of the field you would
instruct Aaron Rodgers to avoid?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
You know, not at this juncture. I just got so
much respect for his experience and expertise. There's certainly conversations
about the capabilities of those we compete against and the
potential schematics that guys like Stephen Wilkes will deploy. But
I hadn't put any guardrails or boundaries and so forth
(09:43):
on him like I've done more less experienced quarterbacks or
less established quarterbacks. But nothing of that is you know,
you know, jaw dropping. To be quite honest with you, you
make decisions based on the tools that you're working with,
and certainly I'm working with a guy who's got some
experience and expertise in that space, and so shame on
(10:07):
me if I don't utilize those things.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I've asked you this question many times, and that question
being what do you need from your starting quarterback today?
Now I'm gonna ask it again now? And does the
answer change it all? Because that's starting quarterback is Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
You know it certainly changes because you know, we make
plans based on capabilities, and we got a great belief
in what these guys capabilities are, and so certainly we
expect his contributions to be significant in other scenarios with
(10:44):
less experienced guys, you just want them not direct the
ferrari if you will. If I'm talking to Duck Hodges.
I'm like, don't throw the ball to the other team duck,
you know, for example, And so certainly not having those
conversations with Aaron Rodgers and so oh. Expectations are based
on experience and capabilities, and that's just truth. I think
(11:06):
anything other than that is misleading. And so I have
high expectations for him from a performance standpoint, as I'm
sure he does for himself.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
So is it fair to say he needs to be dynamic?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
I don't think any of us are scared of that.
You know, that conversation. I know that's on his agenda,
and so why wouldn't it be online.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
That's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast. Subscribe and download
new episodes every week and check out all of the
other shows we have to offer on the Steelers podcast
network that's available on the Steelers Mobile app, the iHeartRadio app,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
He's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coach, the last time we talked,
you had yet to cut the roster down to fifty three.
How did that process go?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
You know, it was a challenging process because we had
a good ninety. And that's how I always view it.
If you want to have a good fifty three, it
first starts with a good ninety. You take them through
a fair and transparent process, which we worked to do,
and they do the rest. And they did. We had
some tough decisions, some really competitive competitions for roster spots,
(00:35):
but that's as it should be, and so it was
a difficult process for us.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So you mentioned about having a good ninety. I would
guess that was reflected in the fact that you got
down to fifty three. You didn't claim anybody off waivers,
and then you also put together your first practice squad
all guys that you had in camp.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Certainly that is reflective of the ninety.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Okay. Another part of the process leading up to the
start of the regular season is the selection of the captains.
What is that process?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's really simple process for us. Our captains are voted
on by the peers, and so on Monday, a game week,
at the very beginning of our team meeting, everybody gets
a ballot. They vote for one offensive captain, one defensive captain,
and one special team's captain, and we tally up those
votes and we let the results speak for themselves. And
so we've got full quality guys representing us in that
(01:28):
space on offense, and Rogers on defense, TJ Wide and
Cam Hayward and on special teams Miles Killerbrew, do.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
You have any opinion on how it turned out, either
or the number of players selected or who the players were.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
It was very definitive from a number standpoint, and so
I was not surprised at all. Very deserving men, and
I'm sure those guys have been captains before.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Do you have a sense of your team's readiness for
the start of this regular season?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
You know I do, and I based that sense on
what I've seen in preparation. You know, I think we're
doing the things that'll make us a tough team to beat.
I don't anticipate us being highly penalized. That's being sloppy offensively.
That's displayed by pre snap penalties, shifts and motions on
defense that's displayed by off sides and things of that nature. Certainly,
(02:18):
I don't anticipate us playing perfect and nobody does. But
the penalties that we do get I wanted to occur
in play technically related, not lack of knowledge of the
game or lack of situational awareness. I feel good from
those perspectives, all of those things, the controllables, if you will,
We've done a nice job checking the boxes in the process.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So the stuff that you just talked about, did you
see that from the team during the development process that
started up at same Fencent College.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yes, I have. And you know it's critical not just
to talk about those things, but to take tangible action.
For example, all week Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we had
a fish work our practice. I know that penalties are
a major component of the week one football at every level,
and so as opposed to talking to the guys about
(03:08):
it all week how significant it is to play clean,
we brought officials to practice and we officiated all three
of our practices in an effort to make a point
of emphasis in that regard.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Is there any type of unique challenge posed to either
the coaching staff or to the players in opening a
season with a starting quarterback who was new to the.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Team, No, not at this juncture. Certainly, there's some things
that we'll discover along the way as a collective, But
in our particular instance, particularly because Aaron is so experienced
and seasoned, I don't anticipate his newness being an issue
for us in terms of continuity, communication and things of
(03:49):
those natures. Things of that nature. He is just so
good in those spaces.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Today's opponent is the New York Jets, and their starting
quarterback is justin Fields, who started the first six games
of last season. For you, will you be able to
take anything from the relationship you developed with him last
season and use it in trying to defend him today?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Most certainly. But I'm sure he's in position to say
the same thing about me. You know, we spend a
lot of time together talking about likes and dislikes, comfort zones,
and so forth, so I have an intimate understanding about
the things that he prefers schematically, how he sees the game,
his potential strengths and weaknesses. But the same could be
(04:32):
said about his perspective regarding us. Those last weeks that
he didn't start, He faced our defense every day in practice,
and so he got an in helmet perspective on the
nuances of our defense, the communication and so forth. And
so there's gonna be some things that he knows about us,
there's gonna be some things that we know about him.
(04:52):
It'll probably be a wash in the big scheme of things,
and ultimately the playmaking is going to determine the winner.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
You said you tuesday news conference that there are some
global things teams generally do in terms of designed quarterback runs.
What are some of those things.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You know, the things that this generation of mobile quarterbacks
have grown up doing, zone rate concepts, quarterback follows, and
so forth. There are some right handed runs, if you will,
some global right handed runs that all mobile quarterbacks at
all levels per take in. And that generally is the guts,
(05:31):
if you will, of base quarterback running game.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
What kind of runner is justin fields? In terms of
quick or fast, strong or shifty things like that? How
would you if you had to put out a scouting
report on him for somebody else?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
He certainly is straight line fast for the position. But
I think more unique than his straight line speed is
his ability to run at angles his knee and ankle flexibility,
his ability to run horizontally, to create space that way,
to change direction. He really is a talented athlete below
the ways for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
So what do you expect that from him in situations
short yardage, goal line? Is that how you see them
using him in terms of some of these designed running plays.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know, certainly it's going to be a component of
of of what they do. But there's a risk associated
with running your quarterback and you have to weigh that
component of the equation as well. They got to keep
that guy upright, I imagine for seventeen weeks. And so
most people, although quarterback mobility is a is a significant weapon,
(06:39):
they're proven in their usage and so oftentimes they only
deploy it when it's aligned to gain or in search
of points. And so globally in the National Football League,
you'll see a lot of quarterback runs on possession downs,
third down, and fourth down. You'll see a lot of
quarterback runs in the red zone where you're searching for
that four point swing. But to do it on the
(07:00):
minus twenty five at first and ten is is is
risk oriented in today's game, because most NFL team's got
eleven defenders that hunt quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
How do you expect defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes to utilize
Sauce Gardner today?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
You know, Sauce is a is a very talented bump
and run man, a man corner. They've they've given him
a new contract and so I expect coach Wilkes man
to utilize him for his known talents. He's gonna travel
and play man to man and he normally he lines
up on the defenses left, the offense is right, but
(07:39):
he's capable of matching. We'll see if he matches and
travels with DK. He's certainly capable and compensated to do.
So it's all about, you know, how many variables they
want to put into their pre snap process in week one.
A lot of times people think about matching the receiver
as easy business focus is only Sauce, But there's someone
(08:02):
that has to play opposite of Sauce, that has to
travel opposite, and so there are multiple people involved when
you start talking about traveling. So I don't know whether
or not he's going to travel, but certainly he is
a talented bump and run corner, and I expect coach
Wilkes to utilize those skills.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You know, there's a big difference in terms of age
and experience, but in terms of playing style and what
he means to a defense. Is Sauce Gardener similar to
Jalen Ramsey.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
You know, I wouldn't. I'd compare Sauce to Joey Porter.
They're outside long bump corners. Joey came out a year
after him, and that was a part of my draft summary,
if you will, the comparison of those guys, the length,
the physical structure. Jalen is a different animal man. There's
(08:50):
so much physicality in his game. He's safety capable, he's
inside nickel capable, he's outside capable. He's a unique animal
well in terms of his in terms of his position
flex that doesn't make that apples and apples conversation.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
In last season's opener in Atlanta, part of the offensive
plan was to have your quarterback avoid the middle of
the field because of the presence of safety Jesse Bates,
Is there ever any area of the field you would
instruct Aaron Rodgers to avoid?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
You know, not at this juncture. I just got so
much respect for his experience and expertise. There's certainly conversations
about the capabilities of those we compete against and the
potential schematics that guys like Stephen Wilkes will deploy. But
I hadn't put any guardrails or boundaries and so forth
(09:43):
on him like I've done more less experienced quarterbacks or
less established quarterbacks. But nothing of that is you know,
you know, jaw dropping. To be quite honest with you, you
make decisions based on the tools that you're working with,
and certainly I'm working with a guy who's got some
experience and expertise in that space, and so shame on
(10:07):
me if I don't utilize those things.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I've asked you this question many times, and that question
being what do you need from your starting quarterback today?
Now I'm gonna ask it again now? And does the
answer change it all? Because that's starting quarterback is Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
You know it certainly changes because you know, we make
plans based on capabilities, and we got a great belief
in what these guys capabilities are, and so certainly we
expect his contributions to be significant in other scenarios with
(10:44):
less experienced guys, you just want them not direct the
ferrari if you will. If I'm talking to Duck Hodges.
I'm like, don't throw the ball to the other team duck,
you know, for example, And so certainly not having those
conversations with Aaron Rodgers and so oh. Expectations are based
on experience and capabilities, and that's just truth. I think
(11:06):
anything other than that is misleading. And so I have
high expectations for him from a performance standpoint, as I'm
sure he does for himself.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
So is it fair to say he needs to be dynamic?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
I don't think any of us are scared of that.
You know, that conversation. I know that's on his agenda,
and so why wouldn't it be online.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
That's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast. Subscribe and download
new episodes every week and check out all of the
other shows we have to offer on the Steelers podcast
network that's available on the Steelers Mobile app, the iHeartRadio app,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
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