Week 10 vs. The Saints

Steelers Digest Editor Bob Labriola sits down with Head Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers Week 10 matchup versus New Orleans

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin Day Podcast with Steelers Digest editor
Bob Labriola, Okay coach. One of the theories attached to
rookie quarterbacks is that if things don't go well for
them when they first get playing time, they could lose
their confidence. What would that loss of confidence look like?
And have you seen any of this from Kenny Pickett?
You know, I hadn't been around a lot of rookie quarterbacks,

(00:22):
but I think that could apply to any player at
any position. To be quite honest with you, there are
a lot of challenges and playing at this level, and
obviously quarterback is a unique one. The amount of attention
that goes with success and failure, I think more than anything,
it's a personality related thing. Um. A guy has to
have steely resolve, a guy has to be a flatliner,
if you will, a real competitor, a guy that runs

(00:43):
to action and competition as opposed to away and and
and so. Really, you do your due diligence UM on
gathering information on all of those things. Really, even before you,
you know, get in the plan with a guy that's
part of the selection process, we've vetted can uh we
like his mental mech makeup his his steady demeanor, his

(01:04):
competitive spirit, his belief in self. And I just think
that those are the things that you lean on when
when when the ball isn't bouncing your way and you're
not getting the results that you desire. And so from
my perspective, that work has already been done. We buy
into that young man. Um, we believe that he has
the physical characteristics and the intangible quality that's going to

(01:26):
allow him to ride the wave that his professional ball.
And and so really it's kind of a non discussion
for me and us when players talk about their study habits,
maybe they're making the point that they have to study
more or study better at the NFL level. What is
it that players are studying? You know, you do what
it is you need to do and and and that's
what I found the longer I've been in this league. Um,

(01:48):
we're not paid by the hour. We're paid based on results.
Some guys are quick studies and some guys aren't. Some
guys can be duly prepared simply by coming to work
and doing what's required while they're at work. Some guys
need to do extra on the front end to tee
up performance during the course of the work week. Some
people study with a review mentality where they look back

(02:09):
at the data they just executed, as opposed to the
front end work. The key as a professional is to
know what group you're in and what's best for you,
um and do what's appropriate. Um we're not, like I mentioned,
we're not paid by an hour. If you're not a
quick study, then you have to make the commitment whatever
that is, in an effort to be ready to perform.

(02:31):
You know, looking back, my recollection of studying for an
exam is that you know you you do it so
that you're able to regurgitate facts you know or other
information when you're asked about it. But I mean, football
isn't about that. I mean it's not a you don't
get a test that way. Isn't it more about how
you react in real time to things that are happening

(02:52):
around you were to you most certainly, and and so
the study component of it is different, although we use
that term study, um, it is somewhat different. Oftentimes, when
you're preparing yourself as a football player, you review on
your feet because you play on your feet, um it.
You know, you activate different responses standing on your feet

(03:13):
and sitting in the comforts of a chair, for instance,
And so oftentimes studying for us is ballroom adjustments, where
we move all the chairs out of the ballroom and
whatever hotel we're standing in, and we make adjustments and
we talk and we do things on our feet, because
the game is played on their feet. If there was
a football classroom that would be there might be desk

(03:34):
in it, but would be no chairs. You know, Um,
the thing you play the game on your feet, um,
And so you prepare with with with that understanding. Recently,
the NFL made it clear that it's okay for the
offense to push the ball carrier forward in order to
game more yards. But pulling the ball carrier forward is
not legal. I'm old enough to remember that when any

(03:56):
tactic like that pushing the pile, dragging the ball carrier
forward was a penalty. Um. Why did that change to
allow of pushing the pile? You know, I wasn't um
privy to the to the discussions, but I think it's
more of a natural act um, you know, the pushing
as opposed to the pulling. You know, you want to
be able to give guys something to do in an

(04:17):
effort to assist their teammates. Um, when they're combatd with confrontation,
and so there's a more natural act would be my assumption.
So pushing the pile, though, now seems to be a
pretty much a part of every quarterback sneake and every
goal to ghost situation. So what's the defense supposed to
do in that situation? Just lay down at the guy's
feet so you know, you push them over and feel

(04:39):
it's it's really um, those downs are usually one and
loss before the component of the push becomes a factor.
To be quite honest with you, Um, it's about It's
about beating the offense a line to the punch and
getting penetration your bigs versus their bigs. And to be
quite honest with you, the push the linebackers, the secondary
people that coming to the fray are less significant. Those

(05:02):
downs are won and lost on the initial charge of
the office and defensive lines. Um. Something I saw while
watching football last Sunday that happened during the Rams Buccaneers game.
It was a field goal attempt. Bobby Wagner jumped over
the line of scrimmage blocked to kick. Uh. Now one
is that legal? How one? Is it illegal? As long

(05:22):
as you don't aid the jump. He cleared him. I
saw it. He cleared him, he came down. He didn't
elevate off of anyone. Um. You know, they left that
component in the game to to encourage guys to add
excitement to highlight athleticism. Uh, there's a limited number of
guys that are capable of doing it, and doing it

(05:43):
in football equipment and doing it legally. And so really
it's just as kudos man to Bobby Wagner, Um, that
safety out there in Denver, that Boston College safety is
a guy that that everybody knows is capable of doing that. Um,
as a limited number of people in the league. And
so it's a unique skill set and talent and and personally,
I like the provision that the National Football League had

(06:06):
regarding that in an effort to you know, maintain the
level of excitement in those plays. Provided a guy that
used people his opponents or or his teammates and the
effort to elevate, he doesn't come down on anybody. It
is a legal football play. So what's the field goal
protection units supposed to doing that? Stand up? No, keep
your eyes up. Um, you can't stand up because if

(06:30):
somebody is pushing you, Um, you might get pushed back.
So the key is to know when you're playing somebody
that has those capabilities. And let's let's be honest. You
don't see that every week, but when you do, and
when you know somebody has those capabilities, it's important that
they keep their paths down but their eyes up and
if they're happy to get a jumper, punch them, uh

(06:51):
is the coaching term. And not punch them in a
you know, in a boxing sort of way, but in
a football sort of way. Um is the coaching point. Okay,
on Thursday, you put Chris Boswell on injured reserve, which
means he has to miss at least four regular season games.
And you had used Josh Seba as a filling kicker
against the Eagles before the bye see but didn't miss

(07:12):
any kicks in Philadelphia. But then you waived him from
the practice squad and signed matthew Right off Kansas City
practice squad before Boswell went on i R. What did
you like about right to decide to go with him. Well,
we've been with Matt before. Matt's bang with us before
in games. Uh, Matt bang with Jacksonville last year. He
was twenty one or twenty four on the season. Uh,

(07:34):
he's got a couple of plus fifty yard kicks this
year already for Kansas City, and so we were extremely
comfortable with his resume and the fact that we've been
exposed to him before and if Bos is gonna be
out for an extended period of time, a number of weeks,
then we just felt really comfortable with that certainty and
that more extended resume than Nick had. You've been through

(07:55):
a few of these kicker tryouts too, So it is
that pretty much the um resume, the experience, uh, something
that really separates one of those guys from others, and
this is this it's about our shared experience. Um Matt's
more experience. Um Matt's more experienced with us. Matt's more
experienced in the National Football League last year, the year before,

(08:17):
and this year. It's just a higher floor and a
more predictable outcome when you're dealing with a guy with
a resume like that. So it's really not apples and apples.
We've had firsthand experience with both guys, and so we're
comfortable with both guys, and so when that's the instance,
the resume wins out. You've often said that you'd rather
say woe than sick him, and I'm sure that applies

(08:38):
to t J. Watt. Can you trust him to take
care of himself today by not trying to do too
much or uh, you know, playing too many snaps or
is he gonna have to be monitored? No, you can't
trust him. But that's what makes t J t J. Uh.
That is a good problem to have, as we say
in the coaching business, and that's what we mean when
we say you'd rather say whoadan sick him. You want

(08:59):
guys aggressive that have a can do attitude, that are
competitors and it's our job as coaches to protect them,
and sometimes that means protecting them from themselves. That's a
much better discussion than than trying to sick somebody on someone. So, uh,
that is very real as it pertains to t J. M.
We've gone uh through great lifts to make sure that

(09:19):
we're doing what's appropriate with him and monitoring him. Not
only is we leaning on the game, but in preparation
for the game throughout the course of the work week.
We're excited about that, We're excited about having them back.
It does require some some work on our n um
but but it is the it's the type of work
you run to. I mean, does it come down to
having somebody in the box with a little piece of

(09:40):
paper and marking down every time he's on the field
and he gets to a certain number. It's more than that.
It's the types of plays. UM. It's not just the
play count, it's the types of plays. UM. This guy's
coming off an upper body injury or shoulder injury, and
so you know maybe some of the short yardage and
goal line things you might want to protect them from. UM.
There's a lot of layers to the discussion. UM, make

(10:03):
no mistake, he's completely healthy. We have no reservations about
that component of it. But it's more than just a
snap count, UM. And I just used that as an
illustration to display that what does t J. Watt's presence
in the lineup allow the defense to from a lot
of defense to do from a coverage standpoint that it
might not otherwise be able to do. It's really not

(10:25):
about what what we're able to do from a cover standpoint,
it's what the offense can't do. When TJ is on
the edge, there's gonna be somebody besides the tackle assisting
that tackle with protection, and oftentimes that is ineligible. It's
a tight end, it's a running back, and so that's
one less eligible receiver in the route and one less
guy you gotta deal with. And that's the benefit from

(10:47):
the secondary perspective. It's not his presence allows us to
do more schematically. He's a guy, he's one of eleven.
We have no restrictions in terms of the schematics whether
he's in there or not. But it's it's the number
of people in the passing route concepts that you have
to deal with where his impact is felt. And to
be quite honest with you, and significant moments one dimensional downs,

(11:10):
you know, whether it's two minute, third down, etcetera, etcetera,
there's gonna be an eligible assisting that tackle, and so
there's one less guy you gotta deal with in the routes.
And that's why guys like him are significant from a
coverage standpoint. But it has nothing to do with the
defensive schematics. One of the defensive wrinkles you worked on
over the summer was a three safety look, which sometimes

(11:30):
you've called it big nickel uh, and your version of
that had the Monte Kauze and the role is the
third safety. What makes him effective in that role. You know,
safeties match up well with tight ends, and so the
big nickel or the three safety defense is the thing
that that that that manages two tight end personnel groups
pretty well, particularly when one is really athletic. And so

(11:53):
sometimes people throw two tight ends that you our offense
is capable of throwing two tight ends that you Zach
Gentry and and and Friar move with. Um. Fried Muth
is oftentimes too big for nickel corners to manage, Um
but too athletic for linebackers to manage. And so that's
the third safety or the big nickel component matching up

(12:13):
against athletic like tight ends and and doing similar things
that you're doing nickel, but getting a bigger body, bigger
than the nickel, more athletic than a linebacker. Um, it's
just about a continued specialization of the game on offense
and defense and one matching the other and just evolving.
So you think that's like a a way with new

(12:35):
way of the future that doing it that way as
opposed to you know, regular nickel or looking forward, we're
already here. Um, it's not a way of the future.
It's been going on for a couple of years now.
We're we're we're in the midst of it. Um most
of the time, when you see two tight end personnel groups,
particularly when one of them is really athletic, you'll see
defense is matching that with with a big nickel group

(12:57):
of some kind. Um. It's going down there every week
and every stadium almost That's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast.
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