November 27, 2022 • 12 mins
Steelers Digest Editor Bob Labriola sits down with Head Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers Week 12 matchup at Colts
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin Day Podcast with Steeler's Digest editor
Bob Labriola. Okay, coach matthew Wright had a tough start
a couple of weeks. Agogainst against New Orleans and Uh,
he missed two field goals, but you stuck with him,
and then he rebounded in last Sunday's game by going
three for three. Was your patience with him based on
a belief in him or on the fact he had
(00:22):
to be on the fifty three men roster for three
weeks anyway, because he signed him off Kansas Cities practice.
We did business with him initially because of belief in him,
and that didn't change based on what transpired in that
one stadium. Um. He's been in camp with us before,
he's been through an offseason, UM, in preseason and so forth. UM,
we've called on him. UM in regular season play. Uh,
(00:45):
he was twenty one or twenty four in Jacksonville last
year in varsity action. UM, he's plus fifty and varsity
action already this year. And so UM he's a starter
capable kicker in this league. And we were really fortunate
that he was available to us in the capacity that
we have them in and so wasn't a lot of
discussion about UM exercise and patients or what have you. So,
(01:08):
based on his time with you, he showed you that
he had the UH kind of mental makeup to bounce
back from a bad game. Yes, when you were asked
recently about areas in which George Pickens has grown as
an NFL receiver, you mentioned nuances of the game. What
do you mean by nuances of the game the things
outside of specific skills relative to the position. UM, the
(01:31):
understanding component of the game, UH, understanding and diagnosing coverage
and being able to apply that to route running UM zones.
Man's being able to sit down and open spaces and
make yourself an attractive target UH for a quarterback. UM,
There's a lot that goes UH to plan the position
other than the specific skills relative to the position. Obviously,
(01:54):
he can run, he can jump, he can catch, He's
got ridiculous body control. But the understanding component is an
area that that all young guys can really experience a
great deal of growth in. And and rather rapidly, I
might add, and and he appears to be doing those things.
What are the qualities or characteristics of a good red
zone defense? That you don't give up known issues, um,
(02:16):
that you defend global high frequency concepts, that you defend
the hot spots on the field. Obviously you're stingy against
the run, and I probably should have said that first,
but in our business it kind of goes without saying.
If you can have a good reds on defense, people
aren't running it into the end zone on you. They
have to assume risk and in order to score points,
(02:36):
and the quarterback turning and handing the ball to a
running back is minimal risk. From an offensive perspective, I
want people to have to run routes. I want people
have to protect or want people to have to throw it.
So smashing the run is the number one component. And
then it's the high frequency concepts and the hot spots
on the field. What are the hot spots on the
field the pieline areas again, because why are the pieline
(02:57):
areas the hardest spots on the field. But is that's
the least amount of risk either usually completing balls add
or on the pylon or they're out of bounds and
no one's catching them. And so the risk component of it,
uh is a component of the discussion. If you talk
about red zone a red zone defense in the NFL.
When that a defense chooses to double cover a receiver,
(03:18):
what does that look like first for the player and
then for the quarterback. It depends on how they choose
to do it. UM. They could be same level double teams,
meaning people on or around the line of scrimmage, in
and out, in someone UM taking them inside or outside.
It could be a high low double team where someone's
on the line of scrimmage but there's a safety over
the top. Um. There's so many ways to double and
(03:42):
minimize a guy. UM. There could be zone doubles or
man doubles, and so they they're capable of looking dramatically
different to the receiver and to the quarterback. And and really,
when you're talking about guys that are deserving of double teams,
you better have a nice arsenal to mix it up
and to minimize them. But different type of threats require
different type of double teams. A third down chain mover
(04:05):
like Mike Pittman, for example, we're playing this weekend, he
might require in and out. A deep ball threat like
Pierce who plays for them as well, might require a
high low double. And so the conversations are ongoing. UM,
there's man doubles, there's zone doubles, there's same level doubles,
the high low doubles. Um. But you really kind of
(04:26):
all of them work individually because of the collective the mix,
because you're playing that visual game with the receiver and
the quarterback. What is Larry Ogan Joe Be added to
the defensive line this year? Man? He is a veteran starter,
capable guy. Uh, he's a global starter and and his
resume says that, and his place says that as well. Um,
(04:48):
he's familiar with the North obviously playing in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Um.
But that steady veteran presence and in the play that
goes with it. First and foremost, is Ogan Joe Be
the kind of player you would have interested in doing
business with beyond this season? There's not a guy in
our program, past or present that we do one year
business with that we're not looking at in that way. Um.
(05:11):
You know, we realize these relationships have to be unique
if we want special results, and so we're not a
renter guy type of a group. Even if we are
in a renter guy renter guy type of relationship, we're
always renting to own, if you will. So Um, is
he what has he done for Cam Heyward? His presence?
I mean, you know, he's a he's a starter, capable guy.
(05:32):
I'd imagine he minimizes some of the attention that that
Cam gets. I know, when we remind us two of
a year ago, Dan, Cam saw a lot of double
teams in passing circumstances, there was no question which way
the center was going. UM. From a protection standpoint in
our foreman rush if you will, and things of that nature.
But I think oftentimes talking about what somebody provides somebody
(05:54):
else is overblown. To be quite honest with you, UM,
if your tape is hot enough, if you make enough plays, UM,
and you garner enough attention, that's the type of help
that capable other players need. A final word from coach
Tomlin in a moment as we coun down the kickoff
brought to you by your neighborhood Forward Store. The F
one fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers
(06:14):
on the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network. Colt running back Jonathan
Taylor forty one overall pick of the NFL draft a
few years ago. So what do you remember about him
from draft prep that year? Um? Splash play making his
ability to be a home run hitter. I thought that
that was the distinguishing trade, if you will, on his
profile video. UM, the amount of long runs, the way
(06:37):
he could turn short to long a third one to
turn into a sixty yard play UH, in the consistency
of which it happened, and obviously the level of competition
that he did it against again in the Big Ten.
In in the style of play, the responsibility that comes
with being a Wisconsin running back. I think everybody in
the stadium knows, UH that you're the center of a
(07:00):
engine in the feature of their attack. And he word
well and and produced splash well. As you mentioned, he
attended UH Wisconsin where he played his college football, and
that is a school that gives its feature back a
lot of carries. Historically, h Jonathan Taylor had nine d
and twenty six carries during his three seasons there. From
an NFL perspective, is there a number of carries that
(07:22):
becomes a concern when drafting a college running back. No, UM.
I think the only time you look at that number
of carries is when you're already talking about some pre
existing medical um. If they're if they're toting a certain
amount of wear and tear. His medical things were pretty clean,
and so it didn't lead you to the question those things.
Levian Bell is a similar discussion. I think Levian probably
(07:44):
had you know, nine hundred carries in three years, uh
at Michigan State, but had a clean bill of health,
and so it was not that much of a discussion. UH.
It's when they totaled a lot coupled with an injury
history that you started analyzing that component of it. A
couple of former Steelers that you coached, James Harrison and
Haines Ward, are both semifinalists this year for the for
(08:05):
election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You and
I have talked previously about Hines and why you believe
he's worthy of a gold jacket. What about James James James,
You know, James is legendary. UM, he's a Hall of
Fame worthy UM. Ask anyone that was playing in the
National Football League at that time. UM, any time a
(08:27):
guy's involved potentially directly or indirectly with the changing of
playing rules. That's significant in the ways that mel Blunt
changed the way of the passing game when he was
on his game. UH, you ask anybody who's playing in
the National Football League at that time, and James Harrison
is probably directly responsible for the player safety initiative and
(08:49):
and so advancements in the game for the betterment of
all parties involved is a good thing. But but the
men behind it, um, the guys that gonna are involved
in change are special people. And and no question his
style of play, what he was physically capable of doing,
his demeanor, his reputation or legendary. You had Harrison in
(09:14):
the starting lineup as an outside linebacker for the two
thousand and seven regular season opener. That was your first
year here as the Steelers coach, and it was the
first year that James Harrison was a starter. Did you
know about him before you got this job or what
did you see from him that summer to make you
believe that, hey, this guy is uh a real starting
(09:35):
NFL outside linebacker? I did. I didn't know about him,
but you know, it's my job to know about him.
I was a de coordinator in the NFL at that time,
and I remember specifically, uh, maybe oh five, um oh
oh five. Maybe he was a question mark or whether
or not he was going to make the roster and
(09:55):
those guys with distinguishing traits that a question marks. Maybe
the totality of their game isn't ready, but the component
of their game is those of us that are in
this business, we know who those guys are. Um, those
are the guys you're you're, you're. You keep an eye
on um and follow their development or lack thereof, or
an opportunity maybe to work with them. And he was
(10:18):
in that small collection of guys, Um that you knew
there were certain aspects of his game that was really varsity.
And UM, if you're not working with him directly, maybe
you don't know what's slowing down progress, but you do
know what's really good. And and and I knew he
didn't lose physical confrontations and as a matter of fact,
he welcomed them. So as that the component you said,
(10:41):
you sometimes the totality of his performance isn't it's what's
holding him back from being a starter. But there are
components in it that indicate that he is varsity. What
what were the components with James Harrison? His uh, his
willingness to engage, his willingness to to combat people. Um,
(11:04):
the butt kicking component of this game will never go away. Um,
it's above schematics. It's it's above the evolution quote unquote
evolution to the game. You get a bunch of tough guys,
UM that that don't lose one on one battles. Uh,
you got a chance to have a good football team.
And he really exemplifies that. That that analogy in your experience.
(11:26):
I mean, you had some tough guys in Tampa, you know,
Um it was James Harrison. I haven't been around a
football player, UM that I can definitively say it's tougher
than James Harrison. Maybe we can have conversations about people
that you would say might be as tough as UM.
But there's zero people when when when I think about
(11:46):
toughness and who I've been exposed to, Um, the Postal Boys,
James Harrison. That's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast. Subscribe in,
download new episodes every week, and check out all of
the other shows we have to offer on the steel
Podcast Network that's available on the Steeler's mobile app, the
I Heart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts.
He's the Mike Tomlin Day Podcast with Steeler's Digest editor
Bob Labriola. Okay, coach matthew Wright had a tough start
a couple of weeks. Agogainst against New Orleans and Uh,
he missed two field goals, but you stuck with him,
and then he rebounded in last Sunday's game by going
three for three. Was your patience with him based on
a belief in him or on the fact he had
(00:22):
to be on the fifty three men roster for three
weeks anyway, because he signed him off Kansas Cities practice.
We did business with him initially because of belief in him,
and that didn't change based on what transpired in that
one stadium. Um. He's been in camp with us before,
he's been through an offseason, UM, in preseason and so forth. UM,
we've called on him. UM in regular season play. Uh,
(00:45):
he was twenty one or twenty four in Jacksonville last
year in varsity action. UM, he's plus fifty and varsity
action already this year. And so UM he's a starter
capable kicker in this league. And we were really fortunate
that he was available to us in the capacity that
we have them in and so wasn't a lot of
discussion about UM exercise and patients or what have you. So,
(01:08):
based on his time with you, he showed you that
he had the UH kind of mental makeup to bounce
back from a bad game. Yes, when you were asked
recently about areas in which George Pickens has grown as
an NFL receiver, you mentioned nuances of the game. What
do you mean by nuances of the game the things
outside of specific skills relative to the position. UM, the
(01:31):
understanding component of the game, UH, understanding and diagnosing coverage
and being able to apply that to route running UM zones.
Man's being able to sit down and open spaces and
make yourself an attractive target UH for a quarterback. UM,
There's a lot that goes UH to plan the position
other than the specific skills relative to the position. Obviously,
(01:54):
he can run, he can jump, he can catch, He's
got ridiculous body control. But the understanding component is an
area that that all young guys can really experience a
great deal of growth in. And and rather rapidly, I
might add, and and he appears to be doing those things.
What are the qualities or characteristics of a good red
zone defense? That you don't give up known issues, um,
(02:16):
that you defend global high frequency concepts, that you defend
the hot spots on the field. Obviously you're stingy against
the run, and I probably should have said that first,
but in our business it kind of goes without saying.
If you can have a good reds on defense, people
aren't running it into the end zone on you. They
have to assume risk and in order to score points,
(02:36):
and the quarterback turning and handing the ball to a
running back is minimal risk. From an offensive perspective, I
want people to have to run routes. I want people
have to protect or want people to have to throw it.
So smashing the run is the number one component. And
then it's the high frequency concepts and the hot spots
on the field. What are the hot spots on the
field the pieline areas again, because why are the pieline
(02:57):
areas the hardest spots on the field. But is that's
the least amount of risk either usually completing balls add
or on the pylon or they're out of bounds and
no one's catching them. And so the risk component of it,
uh is a component of the discussion. If you talk
about red zone a red zone defense in the NFL.
When that a defense chooses to double cover a receiver,
(03:18):
what does that look like first for the player and
then for the quarterback. It depends on how they choose
to do it. UM. They could be same level double teams,
meaning people on or around the line of scrimmage, in
and out, in someone UM taking them inside or outside.
It could be a high low double team where someone's
on the line of scrimmage but there's a safety over
the top. Um. There's so many ways to double and
(03:42):
minimize a guy. UM. There could be zone doubles or
man doubles, and so they they're capable of looking dramatically
different to the receiver and to the quarterback. And and really,
when you're talking about guys that are deserving of double teams,
you better have a nice arsenal to mix it up
and to minimize them. But different type of threats require
different type of double teams. A third down chain mover
(04:05):
like Mike Pittman, for example, we're playing this weekend, he
might require in and out. A deep ball threat like
Pierce who plays for them as well, might require a
high low double. And so the conversations are ongoing. UM,
there's man doubles, there's zone doubles, there's same level doubles,
the high low doubles. Um. But you really kind of
(04:26):
all of them work individually because of the collective the mix,
because you're playing that visual game with the receiver and
the quarterback. What is Larry Ogan Joe Be added to
the defensive line this year? Man? He is a veteran starter,
capable guy. Uh, he's a global starter and and his
resume says that, and his place says that as well. Um,
(04:48):
he's familiar with the North obviously playing in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Um.
But that steady veteran presence and in the play that
goes with it. First and foremost, is Ogan Joe Be
the kind of player you would have interested in doing
business with beyond this season? There's not a guy in
our program, past or present that we do one year
business with that we're not looking at in that way. Um.
(05:11):
You know, we realize these relationships have to be unique
if we want special results, and so we're not a
renter guy type of a group. Even if we are
in a renter guy renter guy type of relationship, we're
always renting to own, if you will. So Um, is
he what has he done for Cam Heyward? His presence?
I mean, you know, he's a he's a starter, capable guy.
(05:32):
I'd imagine he minimizes some of the attention that that
Cam gets. I know, when we remind us two of
a year ago, Dan, Cam saw a lot of double
teams in passing circumstances, there was no question which way
the center was going. UM. From a protection standpoint in
our foreman rush if you will, and things of that nature.
But I think oftentimes talking about what somebody provides somebody
(05:54):
else is overblown. To be quite honest with you, UM,
if your tape is hot enough, if you make enough plays, UM,
and you garner enough attention, that's the type of help
that capable other players need. A final word from coach
Tomlin in a moment as we coun down the kickoff
brought to you by your neighborhood Forward Store. The F
one fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers
(06:14):
on the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network. Colt running back Jonathan
Taylor forty one overall pick of the NFL draft a
few years ago. So what do you remember about him
from draft prep that year? Um? Splash play making his
ability to be a home run hitter. I thought that
that was the distinguishing trade, if you will, on his
profile video. UM, the amount of long runs, the way
(06:37):
he could turn short to long a third one to
turn into a sixty yard play UH, in the consistency
of which it happened, and obviously the level of competition
that he did it against again in the Big Ten.
In in the style of play, the responsibility that comes
with being a Wisconsin running back. I think everybody in
the stadium knows, UH that you're the center of a
(07:00):
engine in the feature of their attack. And he word
well and and produced splash well. As you mentioned, he
attended UH Wisconsin where he played his college football, and
that is a school that gives its feature back a
lot of carries. Historically, h Jonathan Taylor had nine d
and twenty six carries during his three seasons there. From
an NFL perspective, is there a number of carries that
(07:22):
becomes a concern when drafting a college running back. No, UM.
I think the only time you look at that number
of carries is when you're already talking about some pre
existing medical um. If they're if they're toting a certain
amount of wear and tear. His medical things were pretty clean,
and so it didn't lead you to the question those things.
Levian Bell is a similar discussion. I think Levian probably
(07:44):
had you know, nine hundred carries in three years, uh
at Michigan State, but had a clean bill of health,
and so it was not that much of a discussion. UH.
It's when they totaled a lot coupled with an injury
history that you started analyzing that component of it. A
couple of former Steelers that you coached, James Harrison and
Haines Ward, are both semifinalists this year for the for
(08:05):
election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You and
I have talked previously about Hines and why you believe
he's worthy of a gold jacket. What about James James James,
You know, James is legendary. UM, he's a Hall of
Fame worthy UM. Ask anyone that was playing in the
National Football League at that time. UM, any time a
(08:27):
guy's involved potentially directly or indirectly with the changing of
playing rules. That's significant in the ways that mel Blunt
changed the way of the passing game when he was
on his game. UH, you ask anybody who's playing in
the National Football League at that time, and James Harrison
is probably directly responsible for the player safety initiative and
(08:49):
and so advancements in the game for the betterment of
all parties involved is a good thing. But but the
men behind it, um, the guys that gonna are involved
in change are special people. And and no question his
style of play, what he was physically capable of doing,
his demeanor, his reputation or legendary. You had Harrison in
(09:14):
the starting lineup as an outside linebacker for the two
thousand and seven regular season opener. That was your first
year here as the Steelers coach, and it was the
first year that James Harrison was a starter. Did you
know about him before you got this job or what
did you see from him that summer to make you
believe that, hey, this guy is uh a real starting
(09:35):
NFL outside linebacker? I did. I didn't know about him,
but you know, it's my job to know about him.
I was a de coordinator in the NFL at that time,
and I remember specifically, uh, maybe oh five, um oh
oh five. Maybe he was a question mark or whether
or not he was going to make the roster and
(09:55):
those guys with distinguishing traits that a question marks. Maybe
the totality of their game isn't ready, but the component
of their game is those of us that are in
this business, we know who those guys are. Um, those
are the guys you're you're, you're. You keep an eye
on um and follow their development or lack thereof, or
an opportunity maybe to work with them. And he was
(10:18):
in that small collection of guys, Um that you knew
there were certain aspects of his game that was really varsity.
And UM, if you're not working with him directly, maybe
you don't know what's slowing down progress, but you do
know what's really good. And and and I knew he
didn't lose physical confrontations and as a matter of fact,
he welcomed them. So as that the component you said,
(10:41):
you sometimes the totality of his performance isn't it's what's
holding him back from being a starter. But there are
components in it that indicate that he is varsity. What
what were the components with James Harrison? His uh, his
willingness to engage, his willingness to to combat people. Um,
(11:04):
the butt kicking component of this game will never go away. Um,
it's above schematics. It's it's above the evolution quote unquote
evolution to the game. You get a bunch of tough guys,
UM that that don't lose one on one battles. Uh,
you got a chance to have a good football team.
And he really exemplifies that. That that analogy in your experience.
(11:26):
I mean, you had some tough guys in Tampa, you know,
Um it was James Harrison. I haven't been around a
football player, UM that I can definitively say it's tougher
than James Harrison. Maybe we can have conversations about people
that you would say might be as tough as UM.
But there's zero people when when when I think about
(11:46):
toughness and who I've been exposed to, Um, the Postal Boys,
James Harrison. That's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast. Subscribe in,
download new episodes every week, and check out all of
the other shows we have to offer on the steel
Podcast Network that's available on the Steeler's mobile app, the
I Heart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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