Week 2 vs. The Patriots

Steelers Digest Editor Bob Labriola sits down with Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the Steelers Week 2 matchup against the New England Patriots

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's the Mike Tomlin Game Day podcast with Steelers Digest
editor Bott Labriola. Okay, coach, would you learn about your
team in the first regular after the first regular season game,
that they're capable of smiling in the face of adversity,
whether it's hostile environments, whether it's you know, weighty moments
in a close ball game. I just think, you know,

(00:21):
I saw signs of it in team development because of
the thoughtful situations we put them in. But you never
really know, um until you get in those type of environments.
It was good to see clear eyes, clarity of thought,
guys communicating, guys doing normal things in situations where they
could be potentially helter skelter. I just like the steely

(00:42):
resolve collectively of the group in those moments. On your
postgame comments last Sunday, you said, I'm not surprised by
the fight. I knew they would fight. I found comfort,
and I found comfort in that. I wasn't looking for comfort,
but I found comfort and that I just saw enough
of that during team development. What do you mean by fight?
Just embracing the competition that defines our game? Uh, and

(01:04):
particularly our game at this level. You can't you can't
turn down competition. You can't shy away from from it.
We were in some weighty moments in their football game.
How about the four consecutive downs our defense has got
our defense got stopped there and then when its first
and goal on the one. UM. I saw that in
team development during seven Shots, UM, when we we were

(01:25):
competing for you know, quality dining that night, Um on
both sides of the ball and so UM when they
do it in stadium, it's just confirmation of some of
the things that we've seen in development, and that's a
good thing. Uh. Fight is that something every team you've
coached here has had, you know, I think to varying
degrees and so UM when I when I'm talking about

(01:45):
I would anticipate fight from them certainly. Um. You could
describe every professional team as having fight. Uh. You don't
get here as individuals and and ultimately collective unless you're
appropriately a fighter. But there's different differing degrees and UM,
this group appears to be a group that has um
extreme desire in that area. And that's a good thing.

(02:07):
You reference seven shots, you reference quality dining. One of
the perks you dangled in training camp. Um, is that
how you instill fight during team development, you know. I
think that's how it's revealed. It can be nurtured and
developed if you will, or revealed, but I think they
bring that with them. Another thing you said after the
game when you were asked about the performance of the

(02:28):
offense was that I'll come through it from an analysis
standpoint on Tuesdays like I always do. What did you
learn from that Tuesday video analysis? That we're moving in
the right direction and oftentimes UM those signs of subtle
yet significant. UM. We had less negativity UM in our
game than we did the first time we were in
a hustle environment, and you know how hustle environments affect

(02:51):
the potential of negativity for offenses. I thought we dealt
with that. UM. I thought we were significantly less penalized,
and we were in Jacksonville. I think we had one
offensive penalty, but it was significant. We got a holding
call on a on a third and six that Mitch
scrambled for a first down on it. So there's some
lessons to be learned from from from playing penalty free
in that perspective, But we're much better in that area

(03:12):
and we were, and we made weighty plays in significant moments.
Um that third one UH play extension by Mitch hitting
hitting mouth in the middle of the field, crazy significant
weighty moment, the one hand catched by Deonte. You know,
they made weighty plays and the significant moments. They minimize negativity,

(03:32):
They minimize penalties, and to me, that's pushing the train
down the track. It's negativity. Talking about loss of yardage, Yes,
whether it's running, running game or passing game. UM, I
think we had one sack where Mitch scrambled out of
bounds and didn't throw the ball away. I think we
had um one negative run that I can think of. Um,
not nearly as much negativity in our in our attack

(03:54):
as it was in Jacksonville. And that's significant because when
there's not negativity, then you're in better positions to stay
on schedule and have manageable possession downs and thus possessed
and move the ball. We got negativity when you got penalties,
when you got lost yardist plays. That puts you behind
the sticks, and in environments like that, man, you're not
digging your way out of that well. And so it

(04:15):
was a lot of positive things to draw from your
philosophy all along and dealing with injured players. Uh isn't
always has been next man up? But is that a
realistic approach to take when the guy who is injured
is the reigning defensive player of the year. It certainly
is because we work as a collective. Sure, whoever replaces
him is not going to be t J. Watt, But
as a collective, we still have an opportunity to be dominant.

(04:37):
So what do I mean by that? Um, you reconfigure
your plan to accentuate your strengths and maybe minimize your
your negatives, and so your negatives and strengths may change.
Is our job as coaches. When we got red paint,
we paint our barn red. So we will redistribute significant
responsibilities to capable men and we'll step into the stadium.

(05:00):
It will expect those guys to be collectively dominant like
we always do. So then it might be up to others,
not just the guy who's in t J. Watt's spot, Uh,
to pick it up. No, it definitively it's gonna be
up to others. I'm not I'm not gonna ask Malik
Weed to to to bear our flag. Okay, It's probably
gonna be somebody that you would recognize, like Cam Heyward

(05:22):
or or or make a Fitzpatrick if you will. You
also set after the game in Cincinnati that there's still
work to be done, areas area that there are areas
in which the team can improve. But but if you
look at it in another way, is there anything positive
that happened in Cincinnati that carries out that can carry
over today against New England. I just think being in
thick circumstances and delivering, I think there's positive growth from that.

(05:44):
I think anytime you're up against it and you're able
to see yourself out of it and be successful, I
think we all grow individually and collectively in a positive
way from that experience. During every pre draft period, you
spend some quality time in Tuscaloose, Alabama. What was your
assessment of mac Jung's during that process when he was
coming out for that draft? And not only that, Um,

(06:06):
you know, we were we were preparing ourselves for quarterback
e vals and giving that position the type of attention,
um that we knew it would be needed, and so
I had a good feel for him. Um. First of all,
I liked his talents, his physical skill set, his mechanics. Uh,
he had a really high floor mechanically, his ball security
was excellent, His football intellect and all of that stuff

(06:28):
was excellent. Um. Really really impressed by his demeanor, his communications, skills,
his competitive spirit, um, the the intangible things that that
are really valued and highlighted at that position. Uh, he
appeared to have it all. Um, not only in terms
of his play and and how he handled himself and
his demeanor, UM, but how he was viewed and respected

(06:49):
within that group. UM. When you had a place like Alabama, man,
that's that's a group of NFL dudes. I mean you
you you know those guys. Those are guys that eventually
comprise the NFL locker rooms and so Uh, the level
of respect that he had among that group I think
was telling and reflective of the respect that he quickly
was able to earn in New England, going to be

(07:10):
an opening day starter as a rookie, and things of
that nature. Supplanting Cam Newton, Nick Saban the coach at Alabama,
He's been there for a while, a lot of success. Um.
You know, you would think, or at least I would
think that he would like certain uh characteristics in certain
positions on his team. Are their characteristics for Nick Saban
Alabama quarterback and does Mac Jones have any of them?

(07:32):
You know, I don't have the answer to that. I
just think that there there's some there's some subtle yet
significant differences in the in the college and professional game.
And though and so um, you know, even if he
does have a template or or a vision of what's appropriate,
it might not be purely applicable to the professional game. Um.

(07:52):
You know, the college game is a different game. Um,
you know, and so um it's been cool to spend
time to in a lot of college coaches and see
that the subtle differences in their agenda, uh and in
hours and even from a from a skill set perspective,
in terms of the things that value in a position
like quarterback can be dramatically different. During the week leading

(08:14):
up to this game, uh, Mitch Drabinsky was talking about
the offense maybe being more aggressive today against New England.
What might that look like? You know, I think he
was talking about in response to the turnovers when you um,
when you get turnovers, man, and you get the short field,
you gotta have that killer instinct and and and and
and complement one another. And he was answering the question

(08:36):
in that regard when he made that statement. But as
often when you when you're dealing with interviews and so forth, Um,
the answer gets lost in translation sometimes and it can
be a totally different subject or story. And he was
talking specifically last week in response to when we we
were getting to turnovers in Cincinnati. UM, will be aggressive.

(08:56):
We're always going to have an aggressive posture. That's just
ball this level when you're playing and playing to win,
and that's something we do. We don't play not to lose.
We play and play to win. Besides the obvious and
that being the tackles, the takeaways, the other end game measurables,
what does Meanka Fitzpatrick contribute that would qualify as a
winning edge? Just being manka Um, there's an intensity to

(09:18):
his everyday presence that rubs off on others, other defenders,
offensive players, layman. Um, he's just he's a football guy. UM.
He's a highly professional, he's unbelievably committed. Um. He has
a unique approach in terms of what he's willing to do.
And so those are the things that these guys get

(09:39):
to see, Uh, the six days a week when we're
not in stadiums, that that produced what people see in stadiums.
Did you see that in him when you were in
Tuscaloose so that pre draft process, no question, Um, no,
no question. But again I was window shopping. I knew
I hadn't lost enough games to have a horse in
that race, but I was just in just then getting

(10:00):
to know of making Fitzpatrick and so UM had an
opportunity to do that. And it's cool how life sometimes
it is. You know, twelve thirteen months later or whatever. Um,
he was on our team. Who's new England's key guy
on defense? Mccordy, No doubt. He's thirty five years old.
He's the active career interception leader. Um, he's a center fielder,

(10:21):
he's a traffic cop. He's a hub of communication for
all adjustments in terms of tying those things together. On
the back end, their secredary is a catalyst for their defense.
It always has been. They've always been opportunistic and fundamentally sound.
And that's a guy that's been standing in the middle
of it for a long long time. If someone hasn't
seen a Bill Belichick team, what would you say that

(10:43):
they could expect to see Sunday? You know, Um, all
three phases tied together in whatever ways. He intends, there's
no you know, blueprint if you will, but it will
be coordinated. There will be coordinated in terms of a
plan and attack and offense defense special teams. Last week
in Miami, for example, they wanted to reduce the game.
You could tell they were looking for a two hour

(11:04):
and thirty minute, eight or nine possession game just by
the nature in which they were playing in all three phases,
and that's what it was. Obviously they came up on
the short end of it, but you could see a
style of play that they desired to play that day.
And that's often the case when you're looking at Bill
Belijack teams, you'll see and feel the coordinated effort in
terms of how they intend to engineer victory on any

(11:27):
particular Sunday. That's the Mike Tomlin Game Day podcast. Subscribe
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