October 20, 2024 • 12 mins
Steelers Historian Bob Labriola sits down with Head Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers week 7 matchup against the Jets
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sez the Mike Tomlin Gaen Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coach. Every week, during your Tuesday
news conference, you go through a rather thorough breakdown of
the upcoming opponent. Do you do the same thing in
the meeting with the team?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Absolutely? I do, and really I do it in parts.
We'll do an introductory run down on Wednesday morning to
kind of talk about non situational things first and ten
second and medium matchup related things from a personnel standpoint,
high volume personality things, and then as we go through
the week it gets more detailed. Thursday, I'll talk about
(00:40):
special teams and significant players and matchups in that space,
and then on Friday we talk situational ball, and so
it's really every day of the preparation process. Well, we'll
give a scouting report, if you will, and talk about
significant people and who we need to minimize in what
phase of the game or in what circumstance.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
When you do it in front of the media, it's
very comp complimentary of the opponent. Is it more business
like both sides of the issue when you're talking to
the team.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Certainly, I talk about the challenges and the opportunities. It's
probably the best way to put it relative to the
personnel matchup.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Certainly also on Tuesday, in response to a question this
last week, you said a lot of good things about
Dante Jackson, Deshaun Elliott, and Patrick Queen. Do you ever
see those kinds of complimentary things to the players themselves?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Probably? Less? So, you know, you know, we seek a
desired result, and it's my job to position those guys
to be what they want to be and what we
need them to be, and sometimes sugar doesn't necessarily get
that done.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
In the win over the Raiders in Las Vegas, Nause
Harris scored on a thirty six yard run in which
he dove for the end zone with the football extended
from one hand from about the five yard line. Are
you okay with a player attempting what it's a pretty
high risk move in a situation so close to the
goal line where a fumble out of the end zone
would be a touchback.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
You know, it's always a funny discussion. I hear the
pundits be highly critical in those moments, man, But these
guys are big time competitors, and so the approach that
I take it, it is a teachable moment and nothing more.
I don't know. I don't chastise them. I don't hate
them for being competitive. That's who they are. It's just
(02:32):
important that we direct it in appropriate ways and we
channel it for our good and so it is a
subject of discussion, but it's definitely not the subject of
discussion that de pundits think it is.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Staying with nausea here for a minute. He often is
described as someone who runs angry. What does that mean
to you?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
He's combative, I think is the word that I use,
But I could see why people characterize it as angry.
He attacks would be tacklers. He attacks them with his
free harm. He attacks him with his shoulder pads, he
attacks them with his leg drive. He's combative. He doesn't
(03:12):
run away from confrontation. Oftentimes he runs to it.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Is that something you look for in a running back
or is that just something that is part of his characteristics?
And that's okay with you.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
It is a characteristic of his that I respect and appreciate.
For me, it's about having distinguishing traits that allow you
to stand out. And so sometimes it can come in
the form of make you miss. Sometimes it can come
in the form of home run ability or top end speed.
Sometimes it can come in the form of confrontational run style.
(03:47):
I just think greatness comes at you in a lot
of different forms, particularly at the running back position. There's
an artistry to it, if you will, that's exclusive to
the individual. But the bottom line is they better have
a distinguishing trait if they want to, you know, if
they want to be special.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Since the start of the twenty twenty three season, the
Steelers are number one in the NFL with a turnover
ratio of plus eighteen. It's turnover ratio number one on
your list of what it takes to win in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It is, you know, in terms of the culture that
we build, ball security and ball searching is top tier.
It is and always has been. I think, you know,
that's one of the things that just will never change
in terms of the trends or the evolution of the game.
It's interesting this week, man, I was just talking to
(04:36):
Arthur Smith. We were talking about the great legendary turnover
ratio groups the nineteen eighty three Washington Redskins man with
plus forty three. That's a record that probably will never
be broken. Man, that's probably parallels the cal Ripkin consecutive
game participation thing, and so like. It is just a
major component of ball. It is a key ingredient to
(04:58):
engineering victory, and we work to live that life weekend
and week out.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Do you have more tolerance for turnovers if your team
is taking the ball away, either in a particular game
or over the course of a season.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I don't have a lot of tolerance for turnovers, regardless
of circumstance, because I think there are two prongs to
the agenda. You got to build a culture where you
take the ball away. You also got to build a
culture where you protect the ball with the same level
of urgency, and so you know they work hand in hand.
But I don't know that I viewed him as a collective.
(05:32):
If we're taking care of the ball, it's not like
I'm okay if we're not getting it. And by the
same token, if we're getting the ball, I'm not okay
if we're giving it away.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Okay. Starting at center today is right, Ryan McCollum, And
you have signed, released, re signed him eleven times since
claiming him off waivers in August twenty twenty two. What
about him made you want to continually go back to
doing business with him.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
The spirit in which he approaches his business. He is
extremely urgent, He is very professional. He is and has
always been extremely locked in and mature in a football
since it is important to him, and I'm really excited
about this opportunity for him. We spent a lot of
(06:15):
time talking about guys that aren't available to us the
injury component of the game. On the other side of
that is a hard working, deserving man that's getting an opportunity.
And Ryan McCullum is kind of a reflection of that.
And so it's good to continually get an opportunity to
do business with him. It's good to see him get
an opportunity to start and be significant in terms of
(06:36):
his contributions. And really, as we leaned in on this week,
I talked to him about another guy who had a similar,
you know, journey for us. We had a practice squad
center a number of years ago JC and in twenty
twenty one, late in the season, he had an opportunity
to get elevated and start and we were playing Cleveland,
I think week seventeen, Week eighteen or something, and Na
(07:00):
ran for about one hundred and eighty yards and we
had JC starting at center, and we had John Leglue
starting at right guard, and so there's always opportunity associated
with people that are missing. We spend too much time
talking about who we don't have, and we should focus
our energies on the performance and the preparedness of the
(07:20):
guys that are getting elevated because they're professionals too and
deserving of the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
What is it about tight ends in the NFL that
makes them such a difficult matchup and then therefore so
difficult to defend in the passing game.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
You know, they're big people, and they play in a
little man's space when they get down the field or
they get on the perimeter of the field numbers the sideline,
that area, to feel is patrolled by smaller people one
hundred and eighty to two hundred pound people in general,
and most tight ends are in the two hundred and
(07:54):
fifty pound range, and so it's problematic if they're athletic.
Oftentimes they're too much of a challenge for linebackers, and
obviously if they're big, there can be some challenges for
safeties and secondary people, and so it's just one of
those positions that's really challenging. But you see that along
(08:17):
the edges of the line of scrimmage. TJ and Alex
Heihsmith are a problem for tackles because of their athleticism.
They're also a problem for tight ends because in most
instances they're bigger than most tight ends. Those guys are
in the low two sixties, and so they're ten to
fifteen to twenty pounds heavier than most tight ends. And
(08:39):
so those middle sized athletes, depending on the space that
they play or who they're combating, oftentimes create problems in
our game. Tight ends and outside linebackers, you better be
thoughtful about how you're matching up against them, because, again,
just because they're in that middle range, a capable of
(09:01):
being a problem when they're combating little people or big people,
whether it's their size in terms of dealing with little
people or the athleticism in terms of dealing with bigger people.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Tonight's opponent is the New York Jets and their starting
quarterback is Aaron Rodgers. You have said that Rogers uses
cadence as a weapon. How does he do that?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
He uses it to get free plays. Week one against
San fran was third down. He utilized cadence he got
him in the neutral zone. He realizes that it's a
free play. He's already banked the five yards. Third and
eight is going to third and three. He's not worried
about that. He's trying to get a chunk of real estate,
(09:41):
and he hit Lazard for a thirty plus yard touchdown
on that free play. He's got more free play touchdowns
than any quarterback in the history of the game, and
so that's reflective of his mentality. But he also uses
it to gather information. He's an experienced guy. If he
can gather information and know what you're in from a
cover standpoint prior to getting the ball in his hands,
(10:03):
you have a real problem. And so it's very important
that we do a good job of holding our disguise
is because he'll be utilizing cadence in an effort to
undress our looks and get a sense of what we're in.
So it's twofold for him. He's trying to get free plays,
he's trying to improve his situational position third and eight
(10:23):
going to third and five, but he's also trying to
gather information about what coverages you're utilizing, and oftentimes false
cadences undressed DBS is they go to the area of responsibility.
It is important that we're disciplined and we don't fall
victim to that.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Last Sunday in Las Vegas, Cam Hayward played in his
two hundredth game with the Steelers, and in the history
of this franchise, the only other guys to crack that
milestone are Ben Roethlisberger, Heinz Ward, Donnie Shell, Mel Blunt
and Mike Webster, all of them one helmet guys just
like Cam. Now, one of the things that was once
said about Mike Webster's impact on the whole team was
(11:00):
that having him in the lineup is like walking down
a dark alley with a big stick. The simply having
Cam's physical presence in the lineup help his teammates feel
better about themselves.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
There's no question to that. It's become ceremonial, but I
appreciate it. Whenever I walk out of a road venue,
he walks out with me. That was born years ago
in Cincinnati during the hostility of that rivalry, because they
would throw stuff as you went into that tunnel and
(11:33):
exit it out of that venue, and I think all
of us have that relationship with him. He is security
in a lot of ways. He's a big man. He's
built for this game. He's combative. I think there's a
sense of comfort man when you're in the presence of
a guy like that who is so built for the
(11:54):
things that come with this sport that we love and
make no mistake about it, he is built for this space.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
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.
Sez the Mike Tomlin Gaen Day Podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bob Labriola. Okay, coach. Every week, during your Tuesday
news conference, you go through a rather thorough breakdown of
the upcoming opponent. Do you do the same thing in
the meeting with the team?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Absolutely? I do, and really I do it in parts.
We'll do an introductory run down on Wednesday morning to
kind of talk about non situational things first and ten
second and medium matchup related things from a personnel standpoint,
high volume personality things, and then as we go through
the week it gets more detailed. Thursday, I'll talk about
(00:40):
special teams and significant players and matchups in that space,
and then on Friday we talk situational ball, and so
it's really every day of the preparation process. Well, we'll
give a scouting report, if you will, and talk about
significant people and who we need to minimize in what
phase of the game or in what circumstance.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
When you do it in front of the media, it's
very comp complimentary of the opponent. Is it more business
like both sides of the issue when you're talking to
the team.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Certainly, I talk about the challenges and the opportunities. It's
probably the best way to put it relative to the
personnel matchup.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Certainly also on Tuesday, in response to a question this
last week, you said a lot of good things about
Dante Jackson, Deshaun Elliott, and Patrick Queen. Do you ever
see those kinds of complimentary things to the players themselves?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Probably? Less? So, you know, you know, we seek a
desired result, and it's my job to position those guys
to be what they want to be and what we
need them to be, and sometimes sugar doesn't necessarily get
that done.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
In the win over the Raiders in Las Vegas, Nause
Harris scored on a thirty six yard run in which
he dove for the end zone with the football extended
from one hand from about the five yard line. Are
you okay with a player attempting what it's a pretty
high risk move in a situation so close to the
goal line where a fumble out of the end zone
would be a touchback.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
You know, it's always a funny discussion. I hear the
pundits be highly critical in those moments, man, But these
guys are big time competitors, and so the approach that
I take it, it is a teachable moment and nothing more.
I don't know. I don't chastise them. I don't hate
them for being competitive. That's who they are. It's just
(02:32):
important that we direct it in appropriate ways and we
channel it for our good and so it is a
subject of discussion, but it's definitely not the subject of
discussion that de pundits think it is.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Staying with nausea here for a minute. He often is
described as someone who runs angry. What does that mean
to you?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
He's combative, I think is the word that I use,
But I could see why people characterize it as angry.
He attacks would be tacklers. He attacks them with his
free harm. He attacks him with his shoulder pads, he
attacks them with his leg drive. He's combative. He doesn't
(03:12):
run away from confrontation. Oftentimes he runs to it.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Is that something you look for in a running back
or is that just something that is part of his characteristics?
And that's okay with you.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
It is a characteristic of his that I respect and appreciate.
For me, it's about having distinguishing traits that allow you
to stand out. And so sometimes it can come in
the form of make you miss. Sometimes it can come
in the form of home run ability or top end speed.
Sometimes it can come in the form of confrontational run style.
(03:47):
I just think greatness comes at you in a lot
of different forms, particularly at the running back position. There's
an artistry to it, if you will, that's exclusive to
the individual. But the bottom line is they better have
a distinguishing trait if they want to, you know, if
they want to be special.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Since the start of the twenty twenty three season, the
Steelers are number one in the NFL with a turnover
ratio of plus eighteen. It's turnover ratio number one on
your list of what it takes to win in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It is, you know, in terms of the culture that
we build, ball security and ball searching is top tier.
It is and always has been. I think, you know,
that's one of the things that just will never change
in terms of the trends or the evolution of the game.
It's interesting this week, man, I was just talking to
(04:36):
Arthur Smith. We were talking about the great legendary turnover
ratio groups the nineteen eighty three Washington Redskins man with
plus forty three. That's a record that probably will never
be broken. Man, that's probably parallels the cal Ripkin consecutive
game participation thing, and so like. It is just a
major component of ball. It is a key ingredient to
(04:58):
engineering victory, and we work to live that life weekend
and week out.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Do you have more tolerance for turnovers if your team
is taking the ball away, either in a particular game
or over the course of a season.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I don't have a lot of tolerance for turnovers, regardless
of circumstance, because I think there are two prongs to
the agenda. You got to build a culture where you
take the ball away. You also got to build a
culture where you protect the ball with the same level
of urgency, and so you know they work hand in hand.
But I don't know that I viewed him as a collective.
(05:32):
If we're taking care of the ball, it's not like
I'm okay if we're not getting it. And by the
same token, if we're getting the ball, I'm not okay
if we're giving it away.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Okay. Starting at center today is right, Ryan McCollum, And
you have signed, released, re signed him eleven times since
claiming him off waivers in August twenty twenty two. What
about him made you want to continually go back to
doing business with him.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
The spirit in which he approaches his business. He is
extremely urgent, He is very professional. He is and has
always been extremely locked in and mature in a football
since it is important to him, and I'm really excited
about this opportunity for him. We spent a lot of
(06:15):
time talking about guys that aren't available to us the
injury component of the game. On the other side of
that is a hard working, deserving man that's getting an opportunity.
And Ryan McCullum is kind of a reflection of that.
And so it's good to continually get an opportunity to
do business with him. It's good to see him get
an opportunity to start and be significant in terms of
(06:36):
his contributions. And really, as we leaned in on this week,
I talked to him about another guy who had a similar,
you know, journey for us. We had a practice squad
center a number of years ago JC and in twenty
twenty one, late in the season, he had an opportunity
to get elevated and start and we were playing Cleveland,
I think week seventeen, Week eighteen or something, and Na
(07:00):
ran for about one hundred and eighty yards and we
had JC starting at center, and we had John Leglue
starting at right guard, and so there's always opportunity associated
with people that are missing. We spend too much time
talking about who we don't have, and we should focus
our energies on the performance and the preparedness of the
(07:20):
guys that are getting elevated because they're professionals too and
deserving of the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
What is it about tight ends in the NFL that
makes them such a difficult matchup and then therefore so
difficult to defend in the passing game.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
You know, they're big people, and they play in a
little man's space when they get down the field or
they get on the perimeter of the field numbers the sideline,
that area, to feel is patrolled by smaller people one
hundred and eighty to two hundred pound people in general,
and most tight ends are in the two hundred and
(07:54):
fifty pound range, and so it's problematic if they're athletic.
Oftentimes they're too much of a challenge for linebackers, and
obviously if they're big, there can be some challenges for
safeties and secondary people, and so it's just one of
those positions that's really challenging. But you see that along
(08:17):
the edges of the line of scrimmage. TJ and Alex
Heihsmith are a problem for tackles because of their athleticism.
They're also a problem for tight ends because in most
instances they're bigger than most tight ends. Those guys are
in the low two sixties, and so they're ten to
fifteen to twenty pounds heavier than most tight ends. And
(08:39):
so those middle sized athletes, depending on the space that
they play or who they're combating, oftentimes create problems in
our game. Tight ends and outside linebackers, you better be
thoughtful about how you're matching up against them, because, again,
just because they're in that middle range, a capable of
(09:01):
being a problem when they're combating little people or big people,
whether it's their size in terms of dealing with little
people or the athleticism in terms of dealing with bigger people.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Tonight's opponent is the New York Jets and their starting
quarterback is Aaron Rodgers. You have said that Rogers uses
cadence as a weapon. How does he do that?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
He uses it to get free plays. Week one against
San fran was third down. He utilized cadence he got
him in the neutral zone. He realizes that it's a
free play. He's already banked the five yards. Third and
eight is going to third and three. He's not worried
about that. He's trying to get a chunk of real estate,
(09:41):
and he hit Lazard for a thirty plus yard touchdown
on that free play. He's got more free play touchdowns
than any quarterback in the history of the game, and
so that's reflective of his mentality. But he also uses
it to gather information. He's an experienced guy. If he
can gather information and know what you're in from a
cover standpoint prior to getting the ball in his hands,
(10:03):
you have a real problem. And so it's very important
that we do a good job of holding our disguise
is because he'll be utilizing cadence in an effort to
undress our looks and get a sense of what we're in.
So it's twofold for him. He's trying to get free plays,
he's trying to improve his situational position third and eight
(10:23):
going to third and five, but he's also trying to
gather information about what coverages you're utilizing, and oftentimes false
cadences undressed DBS is they go to the area of responsibility.
It is important that we're disciplined and we don't fall
victim to that.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Last Sunday in Las Vegas, Cam Hayward played in his
two hundredth game with the Steelers, and in the history
of this franchise, the only other guys to crack that
milestone are Ben Roethlisberger, Heinz Ward, Donnie Shell, Mel Blunt
and Mike Webster, all of them one helmet guys just
like Cam. Now, one of the things that was once
said about Mike Webster's impact on the whole team was
(11:00):
that having him in the lineup is like walking down
a dark alley with a big stick. The simply having
Cam's physical presence in the lineup help his teammates feel
better about themselves.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
There's no question to that. It's become ceremonial, but I
appreciate it. Whenever I walk out of a road venue,
he walks out with me. That was born years ago
in Cincinnati during the hostility of that rivalry, because they
would throw stuff as you went into that tunnel and
(11:33):
exit it out of that venue, and I think all
of us have that relationship with him. He is security
in a lot of ways. He's a big man. He's
built for this game. He's combative. I think there's a
sense of comfort man when you're in the presence of
a guy like that who is so built for the
(11:54):
things that come with this sport that we love and
make no mistake about it, he is built for this space.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
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.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com