Tomlin not happy with labels, penalties and losses
PITTSBURGH – Mike Tomlin has been called a lot of things since taking over as head coach of the Steelers in 2007, some of them complimentary, some not printable in a family newspaper.
Such is the life of an NFL coach.
There’s one thing Tomlin doesn’t want to be called: a player’s coach.
Tomlin took offense to that suggestion during a pregame show prior to Sunday’s 27-24 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and reiterated Tuesday he doesn’t feel it’s fair for his coaching style to be so easily defined.
“I refuse to be put in a box,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “It’s my job to be what my team needs me to be. Sometimes it’s close and cuddly, and sometimes it’s not. I don’t have a problem with being any of the above.”
Right now, it appears the Steelers (2-2) need Tomlin to be more caustic than cuddly as they head into their game Sunday at Jacksonville (0-4).
The Steelers have been mistake-prone during their first four games, making assignment errors and committing penalties that have proven costly.
It’s added up to an inconsistent performance that Tomlin acknowledges needs to be better.
“We are 2-2, and really our performances probably mirror that,” Tomlin said. “We won a close game (against Cleveland) that we could have easily lost. We lost a close game (Tampa Bay) that we could have easily won. We won a game definitively (Carolina), and we lost a game definitively (Baltimore). The bottom line is that we haven’t been overly consistent in our performances, and that’s probably appropriate in terms of being 2-2.”
The Steelers have been penalized 44 times for 387 yards in four games, both of which rank second in the NFL. But the penalties haven’t been the lone reason for breakdowns or losses. The Steelers have been penalized 22 times in their two victories and 22 times in their two losses.
“I understand that penalties are a part of football but the ones that really get me going are the presnap penalties because that’s concentration, detail, cohesion and game readiness,” Tomlin said. “We had too many of those, really in all three phases.
“We can’t have egregious repeat offenders in that area. If we do, they are going to be dealt with.”
The Steelers averaged just five penalties per game last year, but are being penalized at more than twice that rate this season.
It’s kept some opposing drives alive and hurt the Steelers on their own offensive possessions, none more so than a false start call against center Maurkice Pouncey late in the fourth quarter on Pittsburgh’s final possession.
To help solve the problem, Tomlin is bringing in officials to work at practice this week. But he’s also counting on some of the team’s leadership to help point the Steelers in the right direction.
“We’re a quarter of a way into the season,” Tomlin said. “We have a lot of ball left … and I want to see the makings of some consistent performance. Not only from our offense but from our team largely in general so that we’re not talking about a 2-2 quarter in the next quarter. We know what a couple of those produces and we’re not interested in that.”
Odds and end zones
The Steelers terminated the contract of punter Adam Podlesh, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason but did not report to training camp after his wife experienced a difficult pregnancy. … Tomlin said rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier is making progress, but is unlikely to be ready to return to play this week after suffering a sprained MCL in his knee two weeks ago at Carolina. … Tomlin said he made the play call on third-and-five with the Steelers trying to run out the clock late in the game against the Buccaneers, giving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a run-pass option play. Roethlisberger chose a run and Le’Veon Bell was dropped for a loss.