Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints: Tomlin Tuesday

The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in action and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is back in his usual Tuesday spot addressing the bye week, updating injury statuses, previewing the upcoming game and answering questions.

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Mike Tomlin began the presser by expressing excitement over the honoring of the 1974 Super Bowl Champion Steelers that will take place on Sunday. The Steelers will honor the Super Bowl IX Champs with a commemorative patch on their uniforms as well as a halftime ceremony.

The Steelers received good news on the injury front coming off of their bye week they welcomed back Ike Taylor, Ryan Shazier, Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas, and Ross Ventrone to practice. Tomlin stated as the week starts, NT Steve McLendon is listed as questionable, as he’s still rehabbing a shoulder injury and his participation in practice will determine his readiness for Sunday’s game. New to the injury list is CB Cortez Allen, who was benched a few weeks ago for poor performances, actually broke his thumb in practice prior to the Titans game and had it surgically repaired over the bye. His practice participation with the cast he now has on will determine if he will play in Sunday’s game. Jarvis Jones was activated from the injured reserve/designated for return list but is not yet activated to the 53-man roster, which means he will still have some practice work ahead of him before he’s ready to officially return.

"“He’ll have three weeks before we got to make a decision on whether or not to activate him. It could come soon, it could come at the end of the three weeks. Really, more than anything, it’s about him getting acclimated to the cast that he’s playing in and us getting a level of comfort with his overall execution with it and his level of comfort with it. We’ll watch him closely as we proceed through the week.” – Mike Tomlin"

During the bye week Tomlin said the team and coaching staff took some extra preparation time as well as NFL-mandated “life skill” sessions. One in particular, featured Steelers CB William Gay on the topic of domestic violence.

"“It was very powerful and impactful. To watch (Will) grow and some of the things he is doing in a positive way, not only for us and the causes he cares about but for the National Football League is good to see. We like the work that Will is doing there.” – Mike Tomlin"

The coaching staff looked at tape to prepare for the New Orleans Saints as well as previous tape of the Steelers.

"“We addressed some known issues…Did some trouble shooting, if you will.” – Mike Tomlin"

As far as the New Orleans Saints is concerned, obviously the main threat is quarterback Drew Brees. While the Saints are currently 4-7, that’s no reason to take Brees lightly. Tomlin always over indulges when it comes to talking up the upcoming team, but he certainly shows respect to Brees.

"“Drew Brees and what he brings to the table, obviously he’s a perennial Pro Bowl talent, a potential Hall of Fame talent.” – Mike Tomlin"

The other potential matchup the Steelers need to worry about on Sunday is Saints TE Jimmy Graham. Tomlin addressed that and explained that the defense will use a combination of guys as far as coverage for Graham and even acknowledged the problems the Steelers have had covering tight ends in the past.

"“Graham is one of those guys that’s a matchup problem. It’s no secret that we’ve had issues at times with tight ends of similar skills.” – Mike Tomlin"

Tomlin was asked about the backup running back situation and if he has a reluctance to go to either Dri Archer or Josh Harris if needed because of their inexperience.

"“Just because Dri has a limited number of carries in his career and Josh has none doesn’t mean they can’t be significant contributors to our efforts not only this week but moving forward. I know both guys work with that in mind. I don’t think either guy is lacking confidence in the abilities of either guy. I think that everyone is probably excited to watch them and see what they can do in terms of helping us win.” – Mike Tomlin"

Mike Tomlin was also asked about the trends he’s noticed around the league so far this season and if last game’s rushing attack was an indication of where this Steelers team is trending towards for the final push of the season. He explained that the rushing attack last week was specific to the opponent they were playing against and that he hopes the team is evolving into a balanced offense that can run when needed and pass against anyone.

Obviously Count = 12

You can listen to Tomlin’s entire presser right here.

Here we go Steelers! Here we go!

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