Tag Archives: Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin

[Audio] Mike Tomlin On The Browns And More

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Mike Tomlin was on SiriusXM NFL yesterday talking about the upcoming Browns match up, as well as some of the things that went on during the win over the Jaguars. During the interview, Coach Tomlin talks about some of the things the Browns do well, and how the Steelers are going to need to play 60 minutes of good football on Sunday.

At the end of the interview, Coach Tomlin is asked about the much discussed final pass play to Antonio Brown on Sunday.

“I don’t think it takes away from what we’re doing as a football team at all. We’ve been involved with things like that in the past, even with different players. You know, when Hines Ward was playing for us…it seemed like every week he had some significant streak or things going,” said Tomlin.

“We never get blinded by that…it doesn’t occupy any of our energy or game plan development. We just had an optimum situation there where the two minute warning was on us, we had an opportunity to gather and talk and the game was at hand and Ben suggested we do it.”

You can listen to the rest of that and the full interview below.

steelers

Coach Tomlin On The Defensive Line And Steve McLendon

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Even though Mike Tomlin remained as ambiguous as ever in his answers for the most part today, he didn’t leave anything open to interpretation when it came to answering questions about Steve McLendon.

Q: Where is Steve right now? Has he proven that he can play nose?

MT: Yes he has. 

Q: If you have to line up with McLendon at nose tackle, you’re comfortable?

MT: Certainly.

Q: Is McLendon an option to play in sub-packages?

MT: He is. He is.

The 28 year old defensive lineman saw just over 30% of all defensive snaps last year. That number was lower than it would have been had he not been limited or sidelined by injuries at times during the season. Aside from that, he came off the field in certain situations, and specifically when the Steelers ran sub-packages.

After going undrafted in 2009, and playing behind Chris Hoke for the first couple years on the roster, McLendon signed a 3 year,  $7.25 million contract with the team last offseason, and carries a 2014 cap number of $2,983,333. While the Steelers traditionally pull their nose in Nickel and Dime situations, we may see a lot less of that in 2014.

Another player who could move around the line depending on the situation is Cam Thomas, the former Chargers NT the Steelers signed in March. Thomas played roughly half of the Chargers defensive snaps last year. When he was signed, the team said he was signed as a defensive end, though, with his extensive experience at nose tackle, it’s hard to imagine he’d play exclusively at defensive end. When coach Tomlin was asked about Thomas today, he made note of his position flexibility.

Q: Are you in a wait and see mode with Cam Thomas? Play him at different spots and see where he’s best?

MT: Certainly, you know, obviously he’s nose capable, he’s end capable. It’s about not only playing to his talents, but also the talents of the men we already have, to find the strongest combination that will give us an opportunity to play great defense. It may change from situation to situation. I think his position flexibility will aid in that, along with the flexibility of guys like Steve and others.

The possible return of Brett Keisel was also brought up, and as you’d expect, Tomlin didn’t close the door on his return.

Q: Where do you stand with Brett Keisel? Depending on how things go with the draft, is there a chance he could rejoin you for camp?

MT: The door’s not closed to anyone on the free agent market.

Lastly, Tomlin acknowledged that the defensive line was a work in progress, but added that the team expects contributions from some new faces.

Q: With 3 going out and 1 coming in on the d-line, how’s that position in terms of where you need to be?

MT: We’re not done in that area. We’ve got some young people here that will work and we don’t expect them to be the same as they have been. We expect improvement with some of the young people working here like Arnfelt and N. Williams.

steelers draft

Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, And Todd Haley Attend LSU Pro Day

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As you might expect, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, GM Kevin Colbert, and Todd Haley are in attendance for LSU’s Pro Day today.

 


Obviously there’s a handful of prospects performing today that the Steelers could have a legitimate interest in, but one would have to think that LSU’s receiving corps is going to be their main focus there. Here is a list of LSU’s attendees.

LB Lamin Barrow
WR/RS Odell Beckham Jr.
RB Alfred Blue
WR Kadron Boone
FB J.C. Copeland
DT Ego Ferguson
LB Seth Fruge
LB Jarett Hardnett
DT Anthony Johnson
RB Jeremy Hill
LB Tahj Jones
WR Jarvis Landry
S Craig Loston
QB Zach Mettenberger
G Trai Turner
OL Josh Williford
WR James Wright

Beckham Jr. stood on his excellent 40 time from the combine of 4.43. Jarvis Landry, who had a very poor showing at the combine for his 40 yard dash (due to a hamstring pull reportedly), improved on it today going from 4.77 to 4.58. Landry is a legitimate possibility for the Steelers in my opinion. He’s an excellent route runner and has great hands. He could very well have a successful future as a physical possession receiver in the NFL.


I’ll close this with a couple videos of both Landry and Beckham Jr. if you haven’t seen them in action. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

Landry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN3lII9T3XE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHZVb8vPRWU
OBJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cjvErKu35g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTARGC1MBos

steelers draft

[Gifs] Kevin Colbert And Mike Tomlin Represent Steelers At Penn State Pro Day

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Steelers GM Kevin Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin were in attendance at Penn State’s Pro Day today.

 


Here’s the list of prospects who participated today:

  • Punter Alex Butterworth
  • Linebacker Glenn Carson
  • Receiver Brandon Felder
  • Offensive lineman Garry Gilliam
  • Offensive lineman Adam Gress
  • Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones
  • Tight end Matt Lehman
  • Defensive back Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
  • Receiver Allen Robinson
  • Offensive lineman Josh Urschel
  • Defensive back Malcolm Willis

As you may already know, there’s one guy on that list who is high on my radar, and likely the team’s radar as well- Allen Robinson. Robinson improved greatly on his combine performance today, posting a 4.4x 40 yard dash and a tremendous 42 inch vertical jump. To put that into perspective, that’s higher than what any receiver posted at the combine, and 5 inches higher than Mike Evans’ vertical jump in February.

The 6’2″, 220 lb Robinson had 97 receptions, 1,432 yards and 6 touchdowns last season. One of Robinson’s stats that jumps out at you is his yards after catch on screens. You may have seen this in the forum a couple months ago, but here are some gifs that capture how shifty he can be in those situations.

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

Coach Tomlin And Kevin Colbert At Manziel/Evans Pro Day Today

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As you may have expected, Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert were in attendance for the Manziel/Evans Pro Day today. At the center of media focus today was obviously QB Johnny Manziel. The main interest of Steelers staffers today though, was of course,  WR Mike Evans.

Evans and 5 other receivers fielded passes in shorts and t-shirts while Manziel donned pads and helmet during the event. The QB took all snaps under center and connected on 61 of 64 passes. After the showcase, he credited his receivers for making him look good. “I got to give a lot of credit to those six guys because they ran their hearts out and really helped me look good,” Manziel told the Houston Chronicle.

75 Scouts were in attendance to watch the festivities. Mike Tomlin was 1 of 8 coaches and Colbert was 1 of 8 GM’s. Oddly enough, the Dolphins and Browns were the only two teams that were not represented today.

The event was televised on ESPN and NFL Network. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKDhZTYOZQY

Steelers fans will most likely only be interested in this part of the clip- the 60 yard pass to Mike Evans in the endzone. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

ManzielLastThrow

Steelers Hard Knocks

[Video] Mike Tomlin: Being Forced To Do Hard Knocks “Is A Joke”

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Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were interviewed by KDKA’s Bob Pompeani tonight about the possibility of having to do HBO’s Hard Knocks this year. You could say that neither one of them is a fan of the idea.

Mike Tomlin says he doesn’t watch the show, and “hates” reality TV. “I hate [reality TV] to be honest with you. I think that’s a misnomer. I think it’s anything but reality”, joked Tomlin.  The head coach went on to say, “On a personal level, I’m not in favor of it. That’s just me. I think that time of year, in terms of team development, there are a lot of complex things going on as it is…and to add to it, is not conducive to what we go there to do from my perspective.”

It is a joke. Just because it happens to be popular, doesn’t mean I have to participate. -Mike Tomlin

Kevin Colbert voiced his opposition as well, saying that he understood why fans would be interested in what goes on behind the scenes, but that from a management standpoint managing the extra distractions is the main issue. “If we’re picked, we’re picked. We have no choice”, he conceded. Colbert joked that he’d get personal make up artists if they could give him hair.

The possibility of the Steelers being forced to do Hard Knocks is real. While it seems likely that another team will volunteer or be chosen to do it over the Steelers, they do meet the criteria. To be exempt, a team must-

  • Have made the playoffs in one of the previous two seasons.
  • Have a new head coach.
  • Have appeared on Hard Knocks within the last 10 years.

Obviously, the Steelers don’t meet any of the above criteria. Other teams who could be forced to appear on Hard Knocks this year include the Bears, Bills, Cardinals, Giants, Jaguars, Raiders, and Rams.

You can watch the segment below. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”ColbertTomlinHardKnocks”]

150px-NotreDameFightingIrish.svg

Steelers Staff Busy At Notre Dame Pro Day

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Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Joey Porter, and other Steelers staff members were in attendance today to see Notre Dame’s prospects work out in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams. The Steelers were no doubt interested in seeing players like NT Louis Nix III, DE Stephon Tuitt, TE Troy Niklas, LB Prince Shembo, CB Bennett Jackson, OL Zack Martin, RB George Atkinson III, and more in person.

Tomlin was one of two head coaches in attendance, and Colbert one of the few GMs. Joey Porter was also on hand to help with player evaluation. Scouts from all 32 teams there also. The event received a great deal of media coverage, much of which found it’s way onto Twitter. Here’s Porter and Colbert keeping track of ten yard splits.

Here is Colbert collaborating with scouts after a 40 yard dash.


Possibly the highlight of the day was when head coach Mike Tomlin sat in as center while Louis Nix did drills.


A scout for the 49ers reportedly asked Tomlin to stand in for the drill. When asked about the experience, Nix said, “I heard Mike Tomlin liked big thighs…I tried to show them off for him. That’s why I wore my tights.” Nix, who is never without jokes, went on to say, “It wasn’t intimidating…I just wanted to look in his eyes and show him I am ready.” A lot of people have mocked Nix to the Steelers with the 15th pick, a scenario I’ve never agreed with personally. Nix weighed in at 331 today. Official times have not been released yet, but you can see Nix running the 40 and doing the bench below.

It probably seemed like Nix was the star of the show, and while that might be partially true, several attendees didn’t participate in drills. Stephon Tuitt showed up with his foot in a boot, due to a recent surgery he had to mend a foot fracture. TE Troy Niklas also didn’t participate because he is recovering from a sports hernia.
As a side note, Mike Golic Jr., who spent training camp with the Steelers last year, was also there working out for scouts. His dad was also there to cheer him on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpLaAId0zIU

NFL Closes The Gate On Sidelinegate

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The Steelers have announced that the NFL will not penalize the team a draft pick for Mike Tomlin’s sideline step during the Thanksgiving night game against the Ravens. The league fined Mike Tomlin $100,000 for the incident, but originally left the case open. The NFL had said that they were going to leave matters open, and wait until after the final draft order was decided to make a final ruling.

While there seemed to be close to a 0% chance of it happening, it’s ridiculous that the league would wait this long to make a final ruling on the matter. Steeler Nation can now make a collective sigh of relief.

Kelvin Benjamin: Football

Colbert, Tomlin, And Other Coaches Finish Their Rounds In Florida

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Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley, Carnell Lake, and a slew of scouts have been busy the last couple days. Yesterday morning, Coach Tomlin spoke for the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse at spring training camp in Bradenton, Fl.

 

 

 


Kevin Colbert and Todd Haley were also there. Photo

Later that day, they headed north to Gainesville to watch prospects perform at the Florida Gators Pro Day. Several inches of rain fell, which caused problems for some people during parts of the day. “You kind of feel sorry for these guys working out in these conditions,” Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake told Jeff Barlis of ESPN.

Lake was on hand to examine Florida’s top 3 cornerbacks.  Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, and Jaylen Watkins were said to have commanded a lot of attention. Defensive tackle Dominique Easley was in attendance at the event, but did not participate as he is still rehabbing from an ACL tear. He will host private workouts next month.

Watkins decided to let his 4.41 40 time from the combine stand. Roberson and Purifoy were clocked in around the mid-4.5s to low 4.6s on most watches. One scout had Roberson at 4.71 according to Rob Rang of CBS Sports. Florida wide receiver Solomon Patton ran a 4.31 40, and was said to have performed well in drills. The 5’9″, 171 lb receiver was a combine snub, but his speed and special teams ability make him a late round sleeper.

Last night, after the UF festivities were over, Tomlin, Colbert, and Todd Haley were spotted dining and mixing with former Florida State WR Kelvin Benjamin and former Florida State RB Devonta Freeman.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”FSUMeeting”]

“Had a great #business meeting/dinner with the#pittsburgh steelers representers. Mike tomlin x kelvin Colbert x Todd Haley” Freeman wrote from his instagram account.

Today, a total of more than 70 scouts and members from NFL coaching staffs were in attendance to watch the FSU prospects perform at the Pro Day. Tomlin, Colbert, Haley, Lake, and others no doubt. There’s no shortage of talent to evaluate there. Names like WR Kelvin Benjamin, DT Timmy Jernigan, C  Bryan Stork, S Terrence Brooks, S Lamarcus Joyner, RB Devonta Freeman, RB James Wilder Jr., LB Telvin Smith, and LB Christian Jones.

Talent evaluator Gil Brandt said that Benjamin stood on most of his combine numbers, but had an impressive day, and made a case for himself to be chosen late in the first round. Lots of reps from the Steelers were said to be focusing on Benjamin for what it’s worth. Here’s a look at some of the FSU Pro Day action made available on the Seminoles website. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xfwZHYgGc

Colbert With Justin Gilbert Last Night, At Pro Day Today With Tomlin

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Oklahoma State held their Pro Day today at Sherman E. Smith Training Center, where at least 20 teams had representatives in attendance. Of course, the only team we care about is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had Kevin Colbert on hand to observe prospects. Most notably, CB Justin Gilbert. Coach Mike Tomlin and other Steelers coaching staff members were also in attendance.

Tomlin and Colbert were also in Michigan yesterday to see CB Darqueze Dennard in action at Michigan State’s Pro Day. According to Tony Pauline, Colbert and other coaches (Tomlin included most likely) were meeting with Gilbert last night before today’s Pro Day.

Gilbert did nothing to hurt his already superb draft stock today. He opted out of some events that he did at the combine (40 yd, bench), but did some footwork and positional drills. Gil Brandt noted that he looked exceptional in his positional drills today, especially in his backpedal.

Regardless of the team’s moves in free agency, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where Gilbert is on the board at #15 and the Steelers pass on him.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.