November 21, 2024 • 13 mins
Steelers Historian Bob Labriola sits down with head coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers Week 12 matchup against the Cleveland Browns
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin king Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, coach, you said at your news conference that you
didn't watch video of the Ravens game because of the
short turnaround to tonight's game in Cleveland? Do you do that?
Do you do it in that way? Also to send
a message to your players that this week was all
about looking towards this game.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
If the message was received in that way, then great,
but that wasn't my intentions. There were really some challenges
this week. In terms of preparation. There's usually usually division
familiarity a great place to start in terms of your
general knowledge not only of the players in their division
of labor, but the schematics, the strategy component how the
(00:43):
Cleveland Browns play. Three weeks ago, they made a couple
of significant changes in the play caller in terms of
Ken Dorsey and that quarterback with Winston. That really created
some anxiety in me. And the more time I could
spend familiarizing myself with those men, their roles and how
it might change Cleveland's offense of personality, I thought that
(01:07):
was more worthy of my time.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Another thing you said about the short turnaround was that
you have learned about the importance of the final twenty
four hours before kickoff. How do you now like to
utilize that time?
Speaker 1 (01:19):
For me, I drowned myself in situational scenarios. I try
to have the feel of six or seven day preparation
on a four day work week, and so there's no
shortcut to that. I absorb a lot of video. I've
had as many formal and informal conversations with components of
my staff relative to circumstances. There's a great deal of
(01:45):
comfort and preparedness when you're on a seven day cycle,
and it's my job to get myself to that place
on a four day work week, and that's how I
spend my last twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
One of the things you often do in your post
game remarks is give credit to that day's opponent. Why
do you take that approach.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Because I understand how competitive this league is and how
fine the line is between drinking wine and squashing grapes.
To be quite honest with you, this is the ultimate
parody league. This is a humble man's game and business
because your next butt kicking is right around the corner.
(02:24):
It's just the nature of it. And so I've learned
to absorb and own negativity, while at the same time
I've gained an appreciation for tipping the cap to preparedness
on the other side and quality play on the other side.
As someone that has benefited greatly from being in this
ecosystem all of my adult life, I owe that to
(02:46):
the game is learning.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
How to deal with success, and by that I mean
the ability to refocus on the next opponent after defeating
the previous one. Is that the last piece of the
puzzle for a team to develop with designs on competing
for a championship.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
There's no question, because as the road gets narrow, man,
you gotta continually get better, and the only way you
get better is working with an edge. And you better
have that edge. Regardless of outcome of football games. You
better assume that the Jones is the people that you
don't see are doing similar things. You pay them that
(03:22):
respect because sooner or later, Man, as the road gets narrow,
it is going to be good on good in a bowl,
and you better be ready.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
It's mid November and Cleveland, and this game will be
played out thors in a stadium that borders Lake Erie
at Racetracks Thoroughbreds that perform well on off tracks are
referred to as mutters, and that's a compliment. Are their
NFL quarterbacks who are mutters.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
There's no doubt Old number seven for the Pittsburgh Steelers
that that that North Northwest Ohio boy. He was born
for ugly days. Man. I enjoyed working with him. He
was at his best in miserable conditions. Man, he was
you know, he thrived in it. To be quite honest
(04:08):
with you, some people are built like that. Some of
its mentality, some of it's just you know where they
where they're from, and what they're used to in terms
of their relationship with the game as young people. But
certainly there are people that that thrive in those circumstances
and and have a skill set, uh that's geared towards
those circumstances. Le'Veon Bell was another one, being a Columbus
(04:32):
Ohio boy and a guy that played college ball in
East Lancing.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Very rarely did he lose his footing. He had good balance,
his feet were always under him. It didn't matter what
the surface was like. He was virtually the same regardless
of of of ground conditions. As another example, have you
been around Russell Wilson long enough to know whether he's
a mutter. I haven't, and you know, I'm excited about it.
(04:59):
He likes to talk about the twelve or so months
that he's spent in Madison, Wisconsin. But the jury still out.
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Is there a best way to throw wet football for
a quarterback?
Speaker 1 (05:10):
You know, I think that's a very individual thing. And
you know, hand size and arm strength and arm talent
are components of the equation that make every discussion a
little bit different. Russ has very big hands, like Ben
has very big hands, and it really allows them to
manipulate and control the ball. I would imagine that, you know,
(05:34):
he's gonna have a solid aptitude in terms of cutting
the wind and controlling the ball in less than ideal circumstances.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Does Justin Fields' willingness to put his hand in the
pile as the Scout team quarterback and its general work
ethic play any part in wanting to utilize him in
packages during games.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
It does not, But it doesn't mean that we don't
appreciate it. You know, we utilize them in because we
feel like we have two really capable quarterbacks. And you know,
I hate not utilizing talent, and particularly talent that is unique.
His physical skill set is rare, and you know, when
(06:12):
given an opportunity to infuse that in games, we're certainly
going to do it. But at the same time, obviously
we're certainly appreciative of his efforts in terms of the
things that he's willing to do in terms of helping
our group prepare.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So in talking about rookie inside linebacker Peyton Wilson, when
asked about the play he made to come out with
that interception on the Lamar Jackson past to Gus Edwards,
you called Wilson legitimately humble. What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
You know, he asked good questions. He gathers information from
from anybody that's capable of helping him on his professional
football journey. I see him interacting with coaches formally and informally,
veteran players formally and informally. He's got no ego and
(07:01):
being legitimately humble man is an awesome place to begin
in terms of getting better. We had two guys, young
guys that are playing critical roles on our defense, he
and Beanie Bishop, and both guys have that same spirit.
I think it makes them attractive little brothers. It makes
the older guys want to help them in terms of
(07:22):
their journey to get better. And it also gives the
older guys patience for when they make mistakes. And let's
be honest, when you lack experience and on the job,
you're gonna make mistakes. And I think the spirit in
which they go about their business makes them attractive young
co workers. And that's what I mean when I talk
about being legitimately humble.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
You always speak highly of Chris Boswell and his statistics,
as you like to say, need no endorsement from me,
But what can you tell me about him when it
comes to having social presence in the locker room among teammates.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Biz is well liked man in our locker room. Man's
at your typical kicker, if you will. He has a
social standing within the locker room. And I just think
it's probably his mentality more than anything else. Forget the job,
that you hold belief in self, a competitive spirit allows
(08:19):
you to fit in. And just the way he goes
about his business, Bis is the type of guy if
he's lining up for a forty nine yard kick, he'll
want to move the ball back of yard and that
resonates with guys. Guys connect with that mindset regardless of
the job description, and so he is an integral part
of what we do, not only in terms of his
(08:41):
ability to kick the ball and put it through the uprights,
but socially speaking, guys respect him. He's been on the
job a long time. He's right minded. He has an
NFL football player's mentality.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
You're very hands on as a head coach in dealing
with players. How do you handle Chris Boswell or is
it just the case of it ain't broke?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Leave him alone? Man I stayed a heck away from
those specialists. Man I just you know, I'm not superstitious
in any way, but when it comes to specialists, man
I got a rabbit's foot, I put my left sock
on first, et cetera. You know it is it is.
There's a scarcity of talent in that space. There's also
(09:19):
a scarcity of expertise in that space. I got a
lot of experience on the offensive side of the ball,
both playing and coaching. I spent the majority of my
coaching career on the defensive side of the ball. Very
rarely am I gonna get uncomfortable in any form of
conversation in offensive defensive play, including the biggs. But I
(09:42):
was a punter on my like eighth grade team. I
wasn't a very good punter. I pulled a ball down
and run half the time I was giving the green
light to do so. And other than that, man, I
don't have a lot of expertise in terms of that space.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Jameis Winston starts tonight for the Browns. He was the
first overall pick of the twenty fifteen draft by Tampa
Bay and during his five seasons there, he was the
primary starter from day one. He was sacked and averaged
thirty thirty times on a season, and in twenty nineteen
he led the NFL in attempts, yards and interceptions. Who
(10:19):
or what is Jameis Winston? Now?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
You know, I think he's still that same guy in mentality.
He's a gunslinger, and I say that respectfully, in that
he has unbelievable arm talent. He's got arm strength, he
has the ability to place the ball in the tight spaces,
and he has the courage to do so. He's a competitor.
You know, gunfighters get shot and when you play a
(10:44):
guy that has talent and belief in himself like he does,
something's gonna happen. And I just say that in a
real respectful way. Man like you better catch your interceptions
when given an opportunity, because he's gonna come at you.
If you catch the ball, you may have an opportunity
to win, to gain, like the Chargers a couple of
weeks ago. If you don't catch the ball, like the
Ravens a couple of weeks ago, he's gonna throw for
(11:06):
three fifty and beat you. You just know that going
into a game against a guy with a mentality like that,
and you gotta respect it. There's no different than a
than a three point shooter in basketball. You better get
out there and get a hand in his face. If not,
you know he's gonna he's gonna kill you. And and
that's the approach that he takes to play. And I
(11:28):
doubt that that has changed at all during the course
of his career.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Uh, the Ravens used to be the Browns and Steelers.
Ravens is salty in part because of that past relationship.
Now is Steelers the new Browns also salty.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
You know, selfishly, I want to have a rivalry with
everyone in the division. To be quite honest with you.
I want the Ravens to hate us. I want the
Browns to hate us. I want the Bengals to hate us.
You're not doing it at a high level unless you
got some hate your life, unless you got some some
some testy games, some you know, some challenging circumstances. And
(12:07):
for me, we respect the North, the competition in the North,
the organizations, the talented players and coaches, But make no
mistake about it, we want to be in the middle
of every conversation and discussion. We want to be everybody's
chief rival because you know, we realize there's no way
of circumventing what it is that we're hunting. You got
(12:29):
to go through it. And in the a FC North
is a good place to start.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
In terms of decorated players on their roster, I think
number one on the Browns roster would be Miles Gareth.
What do you expect from him tonight?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
You know it's primetime television, it's at his house. We
can't allow him to wreck the game. It's not possible
that a guy like that rises up in a moment
like this. It's probable. You don't get to be who
he is. You don't get to be who TJ is
without an appetite for grasping moments, and so we respect it.
(13:06):
We understand the venue that we're in. We understand that
this is primetime television that all the eyes are watching,
and guys like him generally rise up. It's like playing
the Lakers on Christmas. You know, Lebron's gonna give you
some points. You just know that. And that's how I
view these primetime games where you're talking about significant players
(13:26):
in the National Football League. You're playing on Sunday night,
Monday night, Thursday night. Guys like Miles Garrett, TJ, Wide, etc.
They've done it all their lives and so you shouldn't
be surprised when they do.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
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 king Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, coach, you said at your news conference that you
didn't watch video of the Ravens game because of the
short turnaround to tonight's game in Cleveland? Do you do that?
Do you do it in that way? Also to send
a message to your players that this week was all
about looking towards this game.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
If the message was received in that way, then great,
but that wasn't my intentions. There were really some challenges
this week. In terms of preparation. There's usually usually division
familiarity a great place to start in terms of your
general knowledge not only of the players in their division
of labor, but the schematics, the strategy component how the
(00:43):
Cleveland Browns play. Three weeks ago, they made a couple
of significant changes in the play caller in terms of
Ken Dorsey and that quarterback with Winston. That really created
some anxiety in me. And the more time I could
spend familiarizing myself with those men, their roles and how
it might change Cleveland's offense of personality, I thought that
(01:07):
was more worthy of my time.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Another thing you said about the short turnaround was that
you have learned about the importance of the final twenty
four hours before kickoff. How do you now like to
utilize that time?
Speaker 1 (01:19):
For me, I drowned myself in situational scenarios. I try
to have the feel of six or seven day preparation
on a four day work week, and so there's no
shortcut to that. I absorb a lot of video. I've
had as many formal and informal conversations with components of
my staff relative to circumstances. There's a great deal of
(01:45):
comfort and preparedness when you're on a seven day cycle,
and it's my job to get myself to that place
on a four day work week, and that's how I
spend my last twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
One of the things you often do in your post
game remarks is give credit to that day's opponent. Why
do you take that approach.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Because I understand how competitive this league is and how
fine the line is between drinking wine and squashing grapes.
To be quite honest with you, this is the ultimate
parody league. This is a humble man's game and business
because your next butt kicking is right around the corner.
(02:24):
It's just the nature of it. And so I've learned
to absorb and own negativity, while at the same time
I've gained an appreciation for tipping the cap to preparedness
on the other side and quality play on the other side.
As someone that has benefited greatly from being in this
ecosystem all of my adult life, I owe that to
(02:46):
the game is learning.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
How to deal with success, and by that I mean
the ability to refocus on the next opponent after defeating
the previous one. Is that the last piece of the
puzzle for a team to develop with designs on competing
for a championship.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
There's no question, because as the road gets narrow, man,
you gotta continually get better, and the only way you
get better is working with an edge. And you better
have that edge. Regardless of outcome of football games. You
better assume that the Jones is the people that you
don't see are doing similar things. You pay them that
(03:22):
respect because sooner or later, Man, as the road gets narrow,
it is going to be good on good in a bowl,
and you better be ready.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
It's mid November and Cleveland, and this game will be
played out thors in a stadium that borders Lake Erie
at Racetracks Thoroughbreds that perform well on off tracks are
referred to as mutters, and that's a compliment. Are their
NFL quarterbacks who are mutters.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
There's no doubt Old number seven for the Pittsburgh Steelers
that that that North Northwest Ohio boy. He was born
for ugly days. Man. I enjoyed working with him. He
was at his best in miserable conditions. Man, he was
you know, he thrived in it. To be quite honest
(04:08):
with you, some people are built like that. Some of
its mentality, some of it's just you know where they
where they're from, and what they're used to in terms
of their relationship with the game as young people. But
certainly there are people that that thrive in those circumstances
and and have a skill set, uh that's geared towards
those circumstances. Le'Veon Bell was another one, being a Columbus
(04:32):
Ohio boy and a guy that played college ball in
East Lancing.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Very rarely did he lose his footing. He had good balance,
his feet were always under him. It didn't matter what
the surface was like. He was virtually the same regardless
of of of ground conditions. As another example, have you
been around Russell Wilson long enough to know whether he's
a mutter. I haven't, and you know, I'm excited about it.
(04:59):
He likes to talk about the twelve or so months
that he's spent in Madison, Wisconsin. But the jury still out.
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Is there a best way to throw wet football for
a quarterback?
Speaker 1 (05:10):
You know, I think that's a very individual thing. And
you know, hand size and arm strength and arm talent
are components of the equation that make every discussion a
little bit different. Russ has very big hands, like Ben
has very big hands, and it really allows them to
manipulate and control the ball. I would imagine that, you know,
(05:34):
he's gonna have a solid aptitude in terms of cutting
the wind and controlling the ball in less than ideal circumstances.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Does Justin Fields' willingness to put his hand in the
pile as the Scout team quarterback and its general work
ethic play any part in wanting to utilize him in
packages during games.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
It does not, But it doesn't mean that we don't
appreciate it. You know, we utilize them in because we
feel like we have two really capable quarterbacks. And you know,
I hate not utilizing talent, and particularly talent that is unique.
His physical skill set is rare, and you know, when
(06:12):
given an opportunity to infuse that in games, we're certainly
going to do it. But at the same time, obviously
we're certainly appreciative of his efforts in terms of the
things that he's willing to do in terms of helping
our group prepare.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So in talking about rookie inside linebacker Peyton Wilson, when
asked about the play he made to come out with
that interception on the Lamar Jackson past to Gus Edwards,
you called Wilson legitimately humble. What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
You know, he asked good questions. He gathers information from
from anybody that's capable of helping him on his professional
football journey. I see him interacting with coaches formally and informally,
veteran players formally and informally. He's got no ego and
(07:01):
being legitimately humble man is an awesome place to begin
in terms of getting better. We had two guys, young
guys that are playing critical roles on our defense, he
and Beanie Bishop, and both guys have that same spirit.
I think it makes them attractive little brothers. It makes
the older guys want to help them in terms of
(07:22):
their journey to get better. And it also gives the
older guys patience for when they make mistakes. And let's
be honest, when you lack experience and on the job,
you're gonna make mistakes. And I think the spirit in
which they go about their business makes them attractive young
co workers. And that's what I mean when I talk
about being legitimately humble.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
You always speak highly of Chris Boswell and his statistics,
as you like to say, need no endorsement from me,
But what can you tell me about him when it
comes to having social presence in the locker room among teammates.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Biz is well liked man in our locker room. Man's
at your typical kicker, if you will. He has a
social standing within the locker room. And I just think
it's probably his mentality more than anything else. Forget the job,
that you hold belief in self, a competitive spirit allows
(08:19):
you to fit in. And just the way he goes
about his business, Bis is the type of guy if
he's lining up for a forty nine yard kick, he'll
want to move the ball back of yard and that
resonates with guys. Guys connect with that mindset regardless of
the job description, and so he is an integral part
of what we do, not only in terms of his
(08:41):
ability to kick the ball and put it through the uprights,
but socially speaking, guys respect him. He's been on the
job a long time. He's right minded. He has an
NFL football player's mentality.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
You're very hands on as a head coach in dealing
with players. How do you handle Chris Boswell or is
it just the case of it ain't broke?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Leave him alone? Man I stayed a heck away from
those specialists. Man I just you know, I'm not superstitious
in any way, but when it comes to specialists, man
I got a rabbit's foot, I put my left sock
on first, et cetera. You know it is it is.
There's a scarcity of talent in that space. There's also
(09:19):
a scarcity of expertise in that space. I got a
lot of experience on the offensive side of the ball,
both playing and coaching. I spent the majority of my
coaching career on the defensive side of the ball. Very
rarely am I gonna get uncomfortable in any form of
conversation in offensive defensive play, including the biggs. But I
(09:42):
was a punter on my like eighth grade team. I
wasn't a very good punter. I pulled a ball down
and run half the time I was giving the green
light to do so. And other than that, man, I
don't have a lot of expertise in terms of that space.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Jameis Winston starts tonight for the Browns. He was the
first overall pick of the twenty fifteen draft by Tampa
Bay and during his five seasons there, he was the
primary starter from day one. He was sacked and averaged
thirty thirty times on a season, and in twenty nineteen
he led the NFL in attempts, yards and interceptions. Who
(10:19):
or what is Jameis Winston? Now?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
You know, I think he's still that same guy in mentality.
He's a gunslinger, and I say that respectfully, in that
he has unbelievable arm talent. He's got arm strength, he
has the ability to place the ball in the tight spaces,
and he has the courage to do so. He's a competitor.
You know, gunfighters get shot and when you play a
(10:44):
guy that has talent and belief in himself like he does,
something's gonna happen. And I just say that in a
real respectful way. Man like you better catch your interceptions
when given an opportunity, because he's gonna come at you.
If you catch the ball, you may have an opportunity
to win, to gain, like the Chargers a couple of
weeks ago. If you don't catch the ball, like the
Ravens a couple of weeks ago, he's gonna throw for
(11:06):
three fifty and beat you. You just know that going
into a game against a guy with a mentality like that,
and you gotta respect it. There's no different than a
than a three point shooter in basketball. You better get
out there and get a hand in his face. If not,
you know he's gonna he's gonna kill you. And and
that's the approach that he takes to play. And I
(11:28):
doubt that that has changed at all during the course
of his career.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Uh, the Ravens used to be the Browns and Steelers.
Ravens is salty in part because of that past relationship.
Now is Steelers the new Browns also salty.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
You know, selfishly, I want to have a rivalry with
everyone in the division. To be quite honest with you.
I want the Ravens to hate us. I want the
Browns to hate us. I want the Bengals to hate us.
You're not doing it at a high level unless you
got some hate your life, unless you got some some
some testy games, some you know, some challenging circumstances. And
(12:07):
for me, we respect the North, the competition in the North,
the organizations, the talented players and coaches, But make no
mistake about it, we want to be in the middle
of every conversation and discussion. We want to be everybody's
chief rival because you know, we realize there's no way
of circumventing what it is that we're hunting. You got
(12:29):
to go through it. And in the a FC North
is a good place to start.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
In terms of decorated players on their roster, I think
number one on the Browns roster would be Miles Gareth.
What do you expect from him tonight?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
You know it's primetime television, it's at his house. We
can't allow him to wreck the game. It's not possible
that a guy like that rises up in a moment
like this. It's probable. You don't get to be who
he is. You don't get to be who TJ is
without an appetite for grasping moments, and so we respect it.
(13:06):
We understand the venue that we're in. We understand that
this is primetime television that all the eyes are watching,
and guys like him generally rise up. It's like playing
the Lakers on Christmas. You know, Lebron's gonna give you
some points. You just know that. And that's how I
view these primetime games where you're talking about significant players
(13:26):
in the National Football League. You're playing on Sunday night,
Monday night, Thursday night. Guys like Miles Garrett, TJ, Wide, etc.
They've done it all their lives and so you shouldn't
be surprised when they do.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
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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