Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin Gen Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coaching. Assessing last Sunday's game against Seattle,
you said on Tuesday, we took a hardcore look at
the video and acknowledged some areas that needed to be
addressed in terms of improvement. What areas were you referring to.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You know, cohesion and communication in particular. You know, we
got a lot of new guys on our football team,
and we've experienced some early season attrition due to injury.
And I think that those two things together are recipe
for disaster, and certainly it wasn't a good thing for
us a week ago. And so with a new cycle
(00:42):
to prepare seven day cycle, if you will, I feel
really good about our ability to address that, to bring
the menu to those that are available, but also just
every day that we're here, they gained more experience in
terms of being Pittsburgh Steelers. Some of these guys are
not new to the NFL, but are new to us,
(01:02):
and it still requires an adjustment. And so it's been
a really good week some of those things. But part
of fixing it is acknowledging where we are and then
making the appropriate adjustments them and us. They have to
be extremely urgent in terms of their communication and take
nothing for granted. Because we don't have a lot of
collective history. We as coaches have to be really cognizant
(01:25):
of that in terms of our decision making, the complexities
of our calls, strategically, the size of our menu, etc.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
When things are addressed in that Monday setting with the team,
what's your tone?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
My tone is generally the same, win or lose. To
be quite honest with you, I'm not gonna pretend to
be more urgent based on the outcome of a football game.
I'm urgent all the time. That's this business. And so
if I'm gonna if I'm gonna train them properly, I
have to display that it doesn't matter whether if you
won a game or lost the game the week's coming.
(02:01):
This is a very fragile ecosystem we're in. Those of
us that have been in in a long time understand it.
And so for me is how do I display that?
And to me, it's being urgent and being on all
the time. From an outsider's perspective, if you view my
Monday meetings, you might think I lost every week. You
know what I mean. The messaging has to be really consistent.
(02:24):
My delivery has to be really consistent because this is
a very fragile and volatile business and I have to
be steady as a leader if I want their actions
to match my actions and words.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So when you walk into that meeting, how many times
have you already watched the video? Personally?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Oh my gosh, at least three times, generally at least
three times for me. But again, the video is our
guide in terms of everything that we do. Forget what
your mouth says. I tell you guys all the time.
Forget what your mouth says. You want to know what
type of player you are. You want to know type
of coach you are. You know what type of team
(03:01):
we are. Turn the tape on. You want to make
plans for the upcoming week, schedules, things that you need
to work on, drill work, play selection, Turn the tape on.
The tapers are guide for a lot of things, uh
in this business. And so with that understanding, you you
you better delve into the tape and absorb the tape,
(03:23):
and and I certainly do.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
When you were asked about Broderick Jones's performance against the
Seahawks as compared to how he played against the Jets.
You characterized it as significantly better in what ways? Was
it significantly better.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
In all areas? In detail? Uh, in finish, in physicality,
And that's why I said its significant. I was thoughtful
with my words. He was better in all areas. But
that's a reasonable expectation, h for a young player and
for a collective to to to display growth with experience
(03:58):
with reps uh, from game one to game two, from
year one to year two, however you want to frame it,
I think there's an opportunity for advancement for all of
us with experience.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
One of the things I noticed in both your remarks
after the Seattle game and then again during the news
conference on Tuesday, was that you never used Caleb Johnson's
name when I asked about his brain cramp on that kickoff. Instead,
you referred to him as a young player in a
couple of situations. Was that done thoughtfully on your part?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Absolutely? It was because we as a sports society, like
the brand, people like to put him in a box.
That play can't define his season, that play can't define
his career, and so I thoughtfully chose not to mention
his name. It's something that he's going to have to
move on from. There's something that I have a desire
(04:51):
for him to move on from, and you know, bringing
it up repeatedly and mentioning his name is not a
component of moving on from it.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I would refer two issues that cropped up in both
the Jets game and the Seahawks game. You use the
phrase two is a pattern. How would you respond to three?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
I don't because there's urgency there. Two is a pattern,
so you know what three is. I use that phrase
to display urgency with our guys, to understand that there's
a expiration date on adapting. There's an expiration date on adjustments.
(05:29):
We can't wait too long. We got to recognize issues.
We got to see around corners. We gotta eliminate problems
before they happen, not just us, anybody in this business.
I'm talking about rules of football. You got to eliminate
problems before they happen, and when they do happen, you
better eliminate them quickly. And so a component of that mindset,
a component of that matra is the phrase two is
(05:53):
a pattern because three is too much.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Today's opponent is the new England Patriots, who are coached
by Mike Vrabel, a fourteen year veteran player with three
Super Bowl rings. The coaches who were players in the
league tend to look to stalk their roster with players
who the who are the same kind of players that
they were.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
You know, I don't necessarily have the answer to that.
I just tell you this. The guys that are head
football coaches that played in this league, they're all very
similar in that they were smart players, they were team players.
They had natural leader skip ship skills and that was
on display when they played. And I don't care if
(06:32):
you're talking about Mike, I don't care if you you know,
talking about Demiko and Houston. The interesting component of the
discussion is is that the players that ascend to the
head coaching ranks Aaron glenn uh with the Jets, they
were smart players, they were team players. They had natural
(06:53):
leadership skills that were dis that was displayed while they played.
Whether or not they they they try to assemble teams
that reflect that. I think we're all trying to assembol
teams that that that respect positive that reflect positive values.
But the interesting component of the discussion for me is
(07:17):
there's not a former player that's not a head coach
that I've been around, that wasn't a really smart player,
that wasn't globally aware as a player, wasn't sensitive to
the team component of play, and uplifted their teammates and
displayed natural charismatic leadership while playing.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
What are some of the characteristics then, of a Mic
Varabel coach team.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
You know, they're strong upfront, there's a kick ass persona,
if you will, because that's how Mike played the game. Uh,
he values the bigs, offensive, defensive line, the game within
the game. From that perspective, he's a fundamentalist over scheme.
What do I mean. He's not gonna compromise guys playing hard, hard,
(08:00):
playing with the motion and communicating for the sake of schematics.
And so he's probably more small menu than big menu.
That's been my experience in competing against him, and certainly
I've competing against him a bunch over the years from
his time in Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Josh McDaniels is the Patriots offensive coordinator and play caller.
What are some of the things that he does regularly
to attack a defense or to set up a defense
to be attacked.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
There's several things. And I'm not talking about a one
or two year body of work. I'm talking about a
fifteen year body of work across multiple cities, New England, Denver,
Las Vegas. It's on all those videos. Pace is a
weapon for him. He's not afraid to utilize pace in
an effort to control circumstances and situations. The matchup component,
(08:52):
the use of personnel has been historically a component of him.
He's always got a secondary runner who is very dangerous
side of the backfield. This young runner that they got
from Ohio State, for example, is very good in the
perimeter running game and very good out of the backfield
rail routes, screens and so forth. But I can give
you a rundown of guys that occupied that role over
(09:15):
the years. Kevin Falk is probably the original in terms
of his coordinator experience. Vereen is one, White is one.
And so you're able to see that there's a division
of labor or motor operation within his system of offense
that highlights perimeter or passing game runners for example. And
so those are some of the things that kind of
(09:35):
highlight Josh. He has a mode of operation. But that's
why he's been doing it so long, he's been successful.
He's got a mode of operation, and there's certainly things
that you can identify for those of us that have
experienced in terms of competing against him, that he might do.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
On a play like Jalen Warren's sixty five yard catch
and run where he was breaking tackles and pinballing his
way through the defense and down the field. Can that
energize the team's sideline.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
No question. But plays like that don't happen without extraordinary
effort from a lot of people involved. If you go
back and rewatch that play, Uh, look at the eligibles,
look at the Look at the other Pittsburgh Steelers that
are down the field. Uh, they're finishing with the same
urgency and energy that he is. Those plays are not mystical.
(10:28):
Those plays are constructed with how we work, with a
finisher's mentality and a finisher's culture. And so that's an
outstrat extraordinary effort uh, and and really special play by Jalen.
But when you watch the others, you see that it's coordinated,
that it's that is thoughtful, that is it's a lifestyle.
(10:53):
And so I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the
efforts of the other people down the field on that
play as well.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Uh. In terms of this sea seas version of the
dynamic kickoff, what in your mind qualifies as good coverage?
Is there a yardage component to the component of the
opponent's return or are you looking strictly at where the
offense ends up starting its possession?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
You know, I think there are multiple ways you can
view it. Certainly you can look at it from a
black and white perspective, the start line of the offense
and have that be a hard component of what's successful
and what's not. And to be honest, largely to answer
your question, you know, from a from a global perspective,
we're all still discovering what the standards are in terms
(11:36):
of this new play. What's acceptable, what's unacceptable, what's good,
what's satisfactory, what's below the line? I think the larger
the body of work that we have to look at,
the more those things are gonna be more definitive. And
so there's a black and white component the start line.
There's another component where the ball hits the type of kick.
(11:59):
You know, in a very short time, it's obvious that
balls that hit the ground, balls that hit the ground
of the new flight time, when the balls on the
ground and the kickoff coverage team gets a chance to
take off. Those are you know, those are the ones
where guys get dropped inside the twenty if you will.
Any ball that's caught in the air, there's a there's
(12:21):
a there's very little likelihood that those balls are going
to be stopped inside the twenty or even the twenty
five for that matter. And so I think for kickers
in particularly, it's is trying to get the ball on
the ground in the landing zone. For returners or the
return team, it's about filling the ball in the air.
(12:42):
I think those are the critical variables in terms of
determining what's a good return or what's good coverage when.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
It comes to kickoff returns. What skill set are you
looking for from the return guys?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
You know, the courage to hit things at full speed.
You know their windows and those windows close, particularly in
the National Football League. They close at all levels of football,
but those windows remain open a little bit longer the
lower the level of football. And so the ability to
(13:17):
make good decisions, the ability to stem, and by stem,
I mean the initial steps you take once you get
the ball if you're good at stemming, then you can
lead people to believe that that you're running a return,
that you're not the legendary returners Devin Hester and so forth.
(13:38):
They'll start right at you and then they'll bounce the
ball to the perimeter for example. And so the stem
is important, but more than anything, it's about getting the speed,
having the courage to get to get the speed, and
the running the oncoming traffic because those windows are going
to close, and on the NFL level, those windows are
going to close very quickly.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
What kind of a quarterback is New England's Drake May
and who's he looking for when he's in a tight spot.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
You know, he's got great quarterback mobility. He's a good athlete.
I think it's an asset to him. It's his asset
to him in all circumstances, not only by ad lib
but also potentially by design. We were talking about Josh
McDaniels early. I've been looking at some of his Cam
Newton years, for example, when Cam was playing for him,
because that's really the only guy that he's had that's
(14:26):
had unique mobility. Drake May has that type of mobility,
and so there's an ad lib component to that discussion,
and then there's the play design component to that discussion,
and so been looking at both. He's a talented young guy.
Certainly he's gained in experience, he utilizes, he weaponizes his mobility,
and when he's in a bind most certainly the two
(14:48):
guys that he's gone to at the wide receiver position
has been Boutet or the young receiver the LSU and
certainly Hunter Henry or the veteran tight end. Those are
two guys when in a bind, uh, he turns to.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
That's the Mike Tomlin Game Day Podcast. Subscribe and download
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