December 7, 2025 • 12 mins
Steelers Digest Editor, Bob Labriola sits down with Head Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers Week 14 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomblin Game Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coach, what's the general procedure for
a regular season halftime in the NFL in terms of
how much time do you have and how much of
that has spent on player equipment issues with medical staff,
going to the restroom, those kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You know, you're looking at about, you know, ten minute
halftime when you talk about travel time in general, and
that ten minutes is probably broken up into about three parts.
The first component of it is the personal things that
you mentioned, equipment, training, room like procedure, and things of
that nature. While that's going on, the coaching staff is
(00:41):
gathering and reviewing ongoing conversations from the first half. And
then there's a middle block, a period where where the
coaches are interacting with the players and talking about whatever
needs to be discussed, adjustments and so forth. Mind you,
most of these conversations have already taken place in game.
That's what happens between series, but oftentimes you get an
(01:01):
opportunity to complete some of those conversations in totality. If
the dry erase board is required, et cetera. Things that
aren't available to them on the sideline, or maybe just
more in depth discussions or global discussions involving all people
as a collective. And so that goes on for you know,
four or five six minutes, and then there's you know,
(01:21):
probably a two minute segment there at the end where
I'll have something to say to the collective or Danny
Smith as a special teams coordinator, We'll bring the offense
and defense together and make whatever adjustments and comments need
to be made in that area. And so halftime adjustments
that certainly, they certainly exist, maybe not to the extent
(01:43):
that people perceive them. And the critical component of it
is you can't wait to have time to make adjustments.
You make adjustments continually throughout the game, in between series,
depending on what phase of the game you're in, and
you complete those adjustments if you will, or round out
those adjustment some conversations at halftime, but then again in
the second half. Those adjustments continue through the remainder of
(02:06):
the game as well.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Earlier in the week, he claimed wide receiver Adam feelin
Off Waivers. He's six foot two, two hundred pounds. He's
thirty five years old and in his fourteenth NFL season.
What did you know about him? What do you like
about him? What made him a good addition at this time?
He's been there, done that guy. He's got some measurables
maybe that some others in our in our position group
(02:30):
don't have, and so he rounds out the group from
a you know, a differing talent or skill set perspective.
His body of work speaks for itself. I've always appreciated
his in game savvy, his feel for spatial awareness, his
route savvy, his ability to separate on non vertical routes,
(02:51):
you know. And it's been a good week with him
and all the things from a that I've appreciated from
Afar I've had an opportunity to observe up close. Is
real and we're excited about including him and work this weekend.
It seems to me that a lot of teams that
don't face the Ravens regularly often go into a game
against them unprepared for their physicality. Does the challenge of
(03:13):
going into Baltimore to play the Ravens require a special mindset?
Speaker 2 (03:18):
You know? I think certainly it does. They're a team
that embraces the physicality component of the game as it
pertains particularly to us. I just think the nature of
the rivalry is understood. I'll travel around the colleges and
universities for pro days, and college players are ask me
about the rivalry. You draft the guy they ask you
(03:41):
about the rivalry, they come with a preconceived notion about
what it already is and what is required of them,
just because of the relationship that we've had with those guys.
I don't know that you know if you're on other teams,
is that level of awareness of what you're going into.
But certainly if you're a Pittsburgh Steeler or you're aspiring
(04:01):
Pittsburgh Steeler, you have an appreciation for the physicality when
these two teams come together, and so as individuals, they
understand what's required of them.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Do you have to prepare guys who are new to it.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I don't do a lot, to be quite honest with you,
Like I said, it's understood, and those that have been
a part of it before really lead that charge. Our
veteran players do a really good job of making sure
the guys understand the intensity of it all.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
The Ravens currently are ranked fifth in the NFL and
rushing yards per game third in the NFL and average
per carry a linebacker. Malik Harrison spent his first five
seasons in the league with the Ravens, and he has
been used here in rundown circumstances. What might he contribute
to your efforts to deal with that part of Baltimore's offense.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
You've absolutely said it, he's a rundown linebacker. He's here
because of our familiarity with that skill set. We've competed
against him, and certainly he's competed against that offense in
a variety of settings doing the early portions of his career,
and so certainly it should be an asset to him
in terms of diagnosing things and understanding schematic personality. Guys
(05:10):
like that man are a major component of this matchup.
But it's been a lot of that over the years,
Arthur Malett recently for those guys being a former stealer, etc.
It's layers to this thing, Patrick Queen, it's layers to
this thing. Mike Wallace was a Raven there after his
(05:31):
stealer career, and so familiarity oftentimes breeds a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
We've talked a lot about the number of quality running
backs you've faced so far, this season. But what makes
Derrick Henry different from those.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Guys size and home run hitting ability. You know, he's
a two hundred and fifty plus pound runner, and so
if he gets into your secondary, that's a problem. But
he also has a dangerous stiff arm and his length
as a component, and so he's able to ward off
(06:06):
cut tackles with that stiff arm. And so it's a
very technical thing to work through stiff arms during the
course of a week, and certainly we highlight that component
of the skill development when we're leaning in to play
against him. We did it when he was a Tennessee
Titan as well. It's something that's really exclusive to him.
You got to do a good job of warding off
the stiff arm. You can't give him down. He'll running lanes.
(06:29):
A ten yard game can quickly turn into a fifty
yard game as people run parallel to that stiff arm.
So you just understand that when you see him, a
major component of minimizing those things is not allowed a
ten yard game to happen, probably more so than any
other runner in football. Ten turns into twenty turns into
thirty because of his long speed, his size, and that
(06:51):
stiff arm.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
A running quarterback like Lamar Jackson forces opposing defenses to
play eleven on eleven against the run because there are
ten blockers of available for the guy with the ball.
What are things a defense has to do to be
able to handle eleven on eleven football?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
First and foremost, you got to be aware of the
situations in which it occurs. There's certain there's a certain
amount of risk you absorb as an offensive group when
you choose to run the quarterback, and in today's game,
when you got guys like Lamar, you're just not willing
to absorb those risks in all circumstances, particularly benign circumstances.
And so certainly the urgency gets elevated when there's a
(07:29):
line the game component to play, or when you're dealing
in the red area where where points are a component
of it, and it starts there for us, and then
it's personnel groups and offensive formation structure that provide clues
regarding their intentions. We're highly familiar with Baltimore, and I
don't say that like we got some secret. They're highly
familiar with us as well. That's just a component of
(07:52):
the matchup. But when you're highly familiar with somebody, they're clues,
there's a feel, there's a rhythm or anticipation, if you will,
when those things might occur. And generally we've been pretty
good about managing that. Certainly the inclusion of Derrick Henry
has made that more complicated. We had a better handle
(08:13):
on it pre Dereck Henry, you know what I mean.
But that's just the nature of this thing. That's why
you acquire talent, and the collective is a major component
of individual success.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
The Ravens recently signed tight end Mark Andrews to a
contract extension, and he's often paired at the position with
Isaiah Likely. How do those two tight ends complement each
other and how do the Ravens deploy them?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
You know, both a very very functional man in the
passing game, you know Likely as his understudy. They're interchangeable
at times schematically, but the reality is is man that
extension is well deserved. Mark Andrews needs no endorsement from me.
He's in the same class draft class as Lamar. You
(08:57):
feel that when you play the Ravens, their relationship, the
fact that they grew up within that organization together. He's
the all time receiving touchdown leader in organization history, and
so it speaks for itself. Man, And I'll say this too.
You know, Zay Flowers is their lead dog receiver and
he's not a big statuted guy, and so when you
(09:19):
lead receivers not a big statute guy, Oftentimes the tight
ends assume a significant role in the red area and
that's been a component of play for them. Those two
guys are significant in the passing game in the red area,
and oftentimes they utilize both of them in two tight
end personnel groups, and so they complement one another. They're interchangeable,
(09:42):
but in a lot of significant moments, particularly in the
red zone, they're working and working together.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Andrews has been their toush push guy too.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
No question, he's a multi talented guy. I think he
was a high school receiver if I remember his draft profile.
And anytime you're dealing with high school receivers that morphin
the tight end, you're dealing with a guy that generally
has fine motor skills that are beyond the tight end
position and you really feel that run after and things
of that nature. Just general mindset regarding athleticism. But he
(10:12):
does a great job with him on a toush push.
It minimizes some of those closed quarter hits that Lamar
doesn't have to take, and so its value in that
the same thing that we do with Connor in the
effort to minimize some of those closed quarter hits that
could occur if we utilize Aaron in that space.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
The thirty ninth installment of Mike Tomlin versus John Harbaugh
will be contested today and it's the second longest head
to head coaching matchup in NFL history, behind only Chicago's
George Hallis versus Green Bay's Curly Limbeau. When coaches go
at each other so often, do things become more complicated
or simpler?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Both they do. There's depths to those warders. It makes
it complicated his chestnut checkers. But at the same time,
my experience, in Harve's experience, is not the experience of
those that are playing, and so you got to be
conscious about not projecting that onto them. I know that
(11:12):
I am, I assume that he is. I'm appreciative of
being a component of this matchup for the length of
time that I've been and I'm sure he is. But
a lot of these guys it's a different perspective, and
so I've learned. It's about the players. It's about the
guys on the grass. It's about ready in them. It's
(11:33):
about them of finding their place in the history of
this series. And that's the mentality and mindset that I
bring to it.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
This is a game in the first week of December
between two teams with six and six records that are
tied for first place in the AFC North. Do you
believe there is such a thing as a must win
game at this stage of the regular season.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I think there are all must.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Win games, you know I do.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I understand what you ask when you say that, but
I routinely answer it the same way because I just
want everyone to know that we get seventeen opportunities to
stay the case for ourselves. In this business man, there's
extreme urgency. I love how to schedule, organize this position things.
They know that it's going to come down to stealers
(12:21):
and ravens. I love being a part of it. I'm
excited about it. I view this as a must win. Certainly.
I don't run away from that. I run to it.
But if you ask me every week, I'm probably gonna
say the same things. But I understand what you're asking
when you say.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
That, 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 Tomblin Game Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coach, what's the general procedure for
a regular season halftime in the NFL in terms of
how much time do you have and how much of
that has spent on player equipment issues with medical staff,
going to the restroom, those kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You know, you're looking at about, you know, ten minute
halftime when you talk about travel time in general, and
that ten minutes is probably broken up into about three parts.
The first component of it is the personal things that
you mentioned, equipment, training, room like procedure, and things of
that nature. While that's going on, the coaching staff is
(00:41):
gathering and reviewing ongoing conversations from the first half. And
then there's a middle block, a period where where the
coaches are interacting with the players and talking about whatever
needs to be discussed, adjustments and so forth. Mind you,
most of these conversations have already taken place in game.
That's what happens between series, but oftentimes you get an
(01:01):
opportunity to complete some of those conversations in totality. If
the dry erase board is required, et cetera. Things that
aren't available to them on the sideline, or maybe just
more in depth discussions or global discussions involving all people
as a collective. And so that goes on for you know,
four or five six minutes, and then there's you know,
(01:21):
probably a two minute segment there at the end where
I'll have something to say to the collective or Danny
Smith as a special teams coordinator, We'll bring the offense
and defense together and make whatever adjustments and comments need
to be made in that area. And so halftime adjustments
that certainly, they certainly exist, maybe not to the extent
(01:43):
that people perceive them. And the critical component of it
is you can't wait to have time to make adjustments.
You make adjustments continually throughout the game, in between series,
depending on what phase of the game you're in, and
you complete those adjustments if you will, or round out
those adjustment some conversations at halftime, but then again in
the second half. Those adjustments continue through the remainder of
(02:06):
the game as well.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Earlier in the week, he claimed wide receiver Adam feelin
Off Waivers. He's six foot two, two hundred pounds. He's
thirty five years old and in his fourteenth NFL season.
What did you know about him? What do you like
about him? What made him a good addition at this time?
He's been there, done that guy. He's got some measurables
maybe that some others in our in our position group
(02:30):
don't have, and so he rounds out the group from
a you know, a differing talent or skill set perspective.
His body of work speaks for itself. I've always appreciated
his in game savvy, his feel for spatial awareness, his
route savvy, his ability to separate on non vertical routes,
(02:51):
you know. And it's been a good week with him
and all the things from a that I've appreciated from
Afar I've had an opportunity to observe up close. Is
real and we're excited about including him and work this weekend.
It seems to me that a lot of teams that
don't face the Ravens regularly often go into a game
against them unprepared for their physicality. Does the challenge of
(03:13):
going into Baltimore to play the Ravens require a special mindset?
Speaker 2 (03:18):
You know? I think certainly it does. They're a team
that embraces the physicality component of the game as it
pertains particularly to us. I just think the nature of
the rivalry is understood. I'll travel around the colleges and
universities for pro days, and college players are ask me
about the rivalry. You draft the guy they ask you
(03:41):
about the rivalry, they come with a preconceived notion about
what it already is and what is required of them,
just because of the relationship that we've had with those guys.
I don't know that you know if you're on other teams,
is that level of awareness of what you're going into.
But certainly if you're a Pittsburgh Steeler or you're aspiring
(04:01):
Pittsburgh Steeler, you have an appreciation for the physicality when
these two teams come together, and so as individuals, they
understand what's required of them.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Do you have to prepare guys who are new to it.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I don't do a lot, to be quite honest with you,
Like I said, it's understood, and those that have been
a part of it before really lead that charge. Our
veteran players do a really good job of making sure
the guys understand the intensity of it all.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
The Ravens currently are ranked fifth in the NFL and
rushing yards per game third in the NFL and average
per carry a linebacker. Malik Harrison spent his first five
seasons in the league with the Ravens, and he has
been used here in rundown circumstances. What might he contribute
to your efforts to deal with that part of Baltimore's offense.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
You've absolutely said it, he's a rundown linebacker. He's here
because of our familiarity with that skill set. We've competed
against him, and certainly he's competed against that offense in
a variety of settings doing the early portions of his career,
and so certainly it should be an asset to him
in terms of diagnosing things and understanding schematic personality. Guys
(05:10):
like that man are a major component of this matchup.
But it's been a lot of that over the years,
Arthur Malett recently for those guys being a former stealer, etc.
It's layers to this thing, Patrick Queen, it's layers to
this thing. Mike Wallace was a Raven there after his
(05:31):
stealer career, and so familiarity oftentimes breeds a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
We've talked a lot about the number of quality running
backs you've faced so far, this season. But what makes
Derrick Henry different from those.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Guys size and home run hitting ability. You know, he's
a two hundred and fifty plus pound runner, and so
if he gets into your secondary, that's a problem. But
he also has a dangerous stiff arm and his length
as a component, and so he's able to ward off
(06:06):
cut tackles with that stiff arm. And so it's a
very technical thing to work through stiff arms during the
course of a week, and certainly we highlight that component
of the skill development when we're leaning in to play
against him. We did it when he was a Tennessee
Titan as well. It's something that's really exclusive to him.
You got to do a good job of warding off
the stiff arm. You can't give him down. He'll running lanes.
(06:29):
A ten yard game can quickly turn into a fifty
yard game as people run parallel to that stiff arm.
So you just understand that when you see him, a
major component of minimizing those things is not allowed a
ten yard game to happen, probably more so than any
other runner in football. Ten turns into twenty turns into
thirty because of his long speed, his size, and that
(06:51):
stiff arm.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
A running quarterback like Lamar Jackson forces opposing defenses to
play eleven on eleven against the run because there are
ten blockers of available for the guy with the ball.
What are things a defense has to do to be
able to handle eleven on eleven football?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
First and foremost, you got to be aware of the
situations in which it occurs. There's certain there's a certain
amount of risk you absorb as an offensive group when
you choose to run the quarterback, and in today's game,
when you got guys like Lamar, you're just not willing
to absorb those risks in all circumstances, particularly benign circumstances.
And so certainly the urgency gets elevated when there's a
(07:29):
line the game component to play, or when you're dealing
in the red area where where points are a component
of it, and it starts there for us, and then
it's personnel groups and offensive formation structure that provide clues
regarding their intentions. We're highly familiar with Baltimore, and I
don't say that like we got some secret. They're highly
familiar with us as well. That's just a component of
(07:52):
the matchup. But when you're highly familiar with somebody, they're clues,
there's a feel, there's a rhythm or anticipation, if you will,
when those things might occur. And generally we've been pretty
good about managing that. Certainly the inclusion of Derrick Henry
has made that more complicated. We had a better handle
(08:13):
on it pre Dereck Henry, you know what I mean.
But that's just the nature of this thing. That's why
you acquire talent, and the collective is a major component
of individual success.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
The Ravens recently signed tight end Mark Andrews to a
contract extension, and he's often paired at the position with
Isaiah Likely. How do those two tight ends complement each
other and how do the Ravens deploy them?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
You know, both a very very functional man in the
passing game, you know Likely as his understudy. They're interchangeable
at times schematically, but the reality is is man that
extension is well deserved. Mark Andrews needs no endorsement from me.
He's in the same class draft class as Lamar. You
(08:57):
feel that when you play the Ravens, their relationship, the
fact that they grew up within that organization together. He's
the all time receiving touchdown leader in organization history, and
so it speaks for itself. Man, And I'll say this too.
You know, Zay Flowers is their lead dog receiver and
he's not a big statuted guy, and so when you
(09:19):
lead receivers not a big statute guy, Oftentimes the tight
ends assume a significant role in the red area and
that's been a component of play for them. Those two
guys are significant in the passing game in the red area,
and oftentimes they utilize both of them in two tight
end personnel groups, and so they complement one another. They're interchangeable,
(09:42):
but in a lot of significant moments, particularly in the
red zone, they're working and working together.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Andrews has been their toush push guy too.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
No question, he's a multi talented guy. I think he
was a high school receiver if I remember his draft profile.
And anytime you're dealing with high school receivers that morphin
the tight end, you're dealing with a guy that generally
has fine motor skills that are beyond the tight end
position and you really feel that run after and things
of that nature. Just general mindset regarding athleticism. But he
(10:12):
does a great job with him on a toush push.
It minimizes some of those closed quarter hits that Lamar
doesn't have to take, and so its value in that
the same thing that we do with Connor in the
effort to minimize some of those closed quarter hits that
could occur if we utilize Aaron in that space.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
The thirty ninth installment of Mike Tomlin versus John Harbaugh
will be contested today and it's the second longest head
to head coaching matchup in NFL history, behind only Chicago's
George Hallis versus Green Bay's Curly Limbeau. When coaches go
at each other so often, do things become more complicated
or simpler?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Both they do. There's depths to those warders. It makes
it complicated his chestnut checkers. But at the same time,
my experience, in Harve's experience, is not the experience of
those that are playing, and so you got to be
conscious about not projecting that onto them. I know that
(11:12):
I am, I assume that he is. I'm appreciative of
being a component of this matchup for the length of
time that I've been and I'm sure he is. But
a lot of these guys it's a different perspective, and
so I've learned. It's about the players. It's about the
guys on the grass. It's about ready in them. It's
(11:33):
about them of finding their place in the history of
this series. And that's the mentality and mindset that I
bring to it.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
This is a game in the first week of December
between two teams with six and six records that are
tied for first place in the AFC North. Do you
believe there is such a thing as a must win
game at this stage of the regular season.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I think there are all must.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Win games, you know I do.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I understand what you ask when you say that, but
I routinely answer it the same way because I just
want everyone to know that we get seventeen opportunities to
stay the case for ourselves. In this business man, there's
extreme urgency. I love how to schedule, organize this position things.
They know that it's going to come down to stealers
(12:21):
and ravens. I love being a part of it. I'm
excited about it. I view this as a must win. Certainly.
I don't run away from that. I run to it.
But if you ask me every week, I'm probably gonna
say the same things. But I understand what you're asking
when you say.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
That, 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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