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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
(On if the offense has the potential to be an even better offense than last season’s)
“I haven’t even gotten to the point about comparing it to our previous groups or group. I’m really just trying to meet the challenges of the moment. We’re not off to a fluid start from a personnel standpoint. We’ve been without (RB) Le’Veon (Bell), we’ve been without (WR) Martavis (Bryant), so more than anything we’ve just been trying to find ways to be functional and play above the line ball in the midst of some of that."
(On what getting Bell back means to the offense)
“He was our team MVP a year ago. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but it does speak to what he’s capable of, so we’re excited about having him back.”
(On if he’s ready for a full work load)
“Yes.”
(On what challenges the Rams present for the defense)
“It starts inside and up front. There’s no secret they’ve got a really talented group. I know some of those guys and just have a great deal of respect for them. (DT) Aaron Donald, besides being a special player, is a special man. I’ve gotten to know him over the years being a neighbor over here at Pitt. Just to watch what he’s willing to do is as or more impressive than he’s capable of doing.”
(On what Donald is willing to do)
“He’s just a ridiculous worker. I was in this past winter, it was a week after the Pro Bowl and I saw him in that parking lot every morning because he was coming over to get his work like he normally does at the University of Pittsburgh. I saw him just about every morning in February when a lot of guys are on beaches and vacationing, this guy was getting out of his car at 6:30 in the morning to work out. That’s not out of character based on the things that I know about him.”
(On QB Ben Roethlisberger getting better and better)
“He knows what he’s doing. He’s been at it for some time and more than anything, he does a great job of communicating and leading our young players and making sure that they’re on the details, that they’re on the same page as he is. The things that are really special about his game right now are things that you don’t necessarily see. The communication, the leadership and reassurance that he provides others.”
(On how Roethlisberger’s relationship with Steelers Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley has developed)
“Like any other relationship. They’ve been together for a number of years now. They have an understating of what we’re trying to get done. Both guys are all in. It’s been good and fluid. I think some of those stories are kind of overblown from the past.”
(On what makes WR Antonio Brown special)
“He works like Aaron Donald. When I think about both guys, they’re better workers than players and that’s saying something when you’re the type of players that both men are. I described Aaron in that way yesterday when our local guys asked about him. I said, ‘He works like Antonio Brown.’ I think that’s the common tie that I see when I think about those guys.”
(On how important it is to put into the game as much as some of these players do)
“They’re talented people, but they’re willing to do what others aren’t. I think that’s what gives them that edge. It’s easy to say, it’s much more difficult to do. Both of those guys do it and do it routinely.”
(On going for a lot of two-point conversions)
“We work it. We feel confident in our ability to win that situation. But again, those decisions are going to be made on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances of the game, what transpired as we got down the field, the match-ups, etc. We’re not going to live in our fears, for sure.”
(On what it’s like to have a large number of Steeler fans at road games)
“We don’t take it for granted. We appreciate it. The support that we get when we’re on the road has been outstanding. We just appreciate the support of our fans, particularly when you’re in a hostile environment, it can be a special moment.”
(On how WR Tavon Austin has developed)
“I haven’t seen him develop because we don’t play him. I’m just really getting acclimated to what he is as a professional. So, I can’t speak to his development. I can speak to the fact that he’s a very talented and versatile player.”
(On how they are coming along defensively since making a lot of improvement from Week 1 to Week 2)
“We’re better. That’s the nature of this game. You’ve got to get better every week and we’re trying to. In the midst of that, you better find ways to win. We’re very much a group in development, not only as a defense, but just largely as a football team.”
(On the play of LB Ryan Shazier and what he brings as a linebacker)
“He’s a talented guy. His play doesn’t surprise me because he prepares and he’s a sharp guy. He’s just going to continue to get better better and I think that it’s not unreasonable to expect a similar performance from him on a routine basis.”
(On what challenges the Rams offense presents)
“They present a lot. They use quite a few personnel groups and formation structures that are difficult to adjust to. They’ve got some guys that are difficult match-up people. (WR) Kenny Britt is a big, physical, vertical wide receiver that’s tough to match up against. (TE Jared) Cook is a similar animal at tight end. They challenge you in a lot of ways.”
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
(On what it meant to him to tie former Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw’s record for wins)
“I don’t really pay attention to those individual records. I honestly couldn’t tell you if it was a tie or I passed it.”
(On if tying the record meant anything to him personally)
“Well, to me, winning is always most important, but I just want to go out…I don’t go out and play every day to and try to break Terry’s records or hold Steelers records. I just want to go win football games, so when you’re mentioned in the same category as Terry Bradshaw, the greatest Steeler quarterback ever, it means a lot.”
(On the success his offense is having this season)
“We’ve got a lot of guys that believe in the system and when you believe in what you’re doing, good things happen. We returned everybody from last year’s team - that helps because you don’t have to break in new guys. All those things combined with the coaching and the players and we’ve got just a really good, talented group of young players.”
(On how excited his offense is to get RB Le’Veon Bell back this weekend)
“Well, it’s exciting. I think (RB) DeAngelo (Williams) has done a great job for us, but anytime you can get your starter back and probably the best running back in the league back, it definitely adds a little bit of excitement to your group.”
(On what makes Bell stand out among other running backs in the league)
“I think he can do it all. He’s not just a great runner and have average hands and average blocker. He’s a great runner. He’s got great hands and he does great in protection. So I think he takes pride in wanting to be the best all-around back in the game.”
(On how WR Darrius Heyward-Bey has helped with the offense this year)
“He’s really come along. He’s gotten…learned more about the offense. I think that’s helped with his confidence and he’s playing with a lot of it right now. He’s a guy that just goes about his job selflessly every single day. Works hard. Really understands the mental side of the game as well and I think his play on the field has really shown that’s he’s put the work in and the extra time in to be a guy for us.”
(On what makes WR Antonio Brown such a special pass catcher)
“You know, pretty much everything. Every week no matter what interview I do or what radio show or TV show, he always gets brought up, as he should. You kind of run out of things to say about him because you’ve said them all. I think he just is a special football player. I think it’s gone from being in awe of some of the stuff he does because we’ve seen it so many times now, to being in awe of that one dropped pass on the sideline where he tried to catch it one-handed or something. We learn that anything he does, it doesn’t surprise us anymore because he puts in so much work and time and effort into wanting to be the best, that it’s paying off for him.”
(On his chemistry with Brown and how it continues to develop)
“Yeah, we do have a great chemistry. I think it’s just the trust that we have in each other. The work we put together; we put in a lot of work together. Even when the defense is on the field at practice, we may go to another field and work or we just sit on the side and talk. We have a great relationship both on and off the field, and I think that helps kind of make us who we are.”
(On the transition he thinks his team has made over the years from a power football team to now kind of being able to do anything offensively with the passing game and the running game)
“I think that’s the transition the NFL has made, truthfully. When I first got in the league, most teams were running the ball a lot. I just think that it’s transitioned into a definitely kind of a spread it out league, throwing the ball. Tight ends have become really big wide receivers, if you will. These kind of slotty, shifty running backs/receiver/return guys have become the new thing. So it definitely has changed, and you just have to grow with the change of the times.”
(On if he likes the new style of play)
“Yeah, I mean it’s fun. It’s fun to get everybody involved. It’s fun to be up-tempo. But there also has to be a time where you have to be able to slow it down and run the ball and use clock. So I think if you’re able to do both styles of offense, that’s to your advantage.”
(On how C Maurkice Pouncey’s replacement has fared and him getting great protection from the line)
“Yeah, I think the line’s awesome. Obviously, you can’t replace a guy like Pouncey. He’s the best in the business, so it’s tough, but I think (C/G) Cody Wallace has done a phenomenal job. It doesn’t surprise us. Cody Wallace has been here for a few years now. He’s worked with that line. They have a great chemistry. It’s not like we just picked a guy off the street and asked him to play. He’s a guy that they know well. They’ve worked together. I think that he’s done a fabulous job of picking up the slack from Pouncey.”
(On what he sees from the Rams defense and what is his their plan to slow down the pass rush)
“We got a long way to go to try and slow down that pass rush. That’s the first thing you see when you see when you watch the tape is the pressure they get on the quarterback. Whether it’s just four guys, whether it’s five or six guys, they’re bringing pressure. They’re bringing blitzes. You may not see a lot on tape. I think they rely a lot on their four to get home, but we’re going to anticipate a lot of extra blitzes, bringing some extra guys. What an amazing front seven and that’s to take nothing away from their secondary, but that front seven is pretty spectacular.”
(On what he knows about DT Aaron Donald)
“We see him. We share a building. I mean obviously in Pittsburgh, football rules everything and that’s Pitt and Steelers. So I knew about him when he was here, and what a year he had last year and starting already this year.”
(On what it’s like to go on the road and have a lot of fans and see a lot of Terrible Towels)
“Well we’re kind of used to it, but it doesn’t get old. It’s pretty awesome. I mean everywhere we go, there’s always tons of Steelers fans and that’s why I always say they’re the best in the world. So we hope and anticipate to see lots of Terrible Towels. That’s what we’ve come to expect and enjoy.”
(On having success with the no huddle call against the San Francisco 49ers and if it’s his decision-making to go with a no huddle call)
“We’ll go into this game with the intentions to huddle and run our traditional offense. We’ll just have to be ready to make changes and adjustments accordingly. There’s so many factors that come into when and if you should go to the no huddle. So we’ll just kind of play it series-by-series, if we will.”
(On if this offense has the potential to be the best offense that he’s been involved with)
“Yeah, potentially. I think last year probably was statistically wise. It helps when you’ve got the best wide receiver and the best running back in the league. The guys just put work in. That’s the thing is everyone wants to be great. When you’ve got the best wide receiver in Antonio in your room, well that pushes every other wide receiver to want to be as good as him. Same thing with the line, when you’ve got (C) Maurkice Pouncey in there, pushes everybody to want to be as good as him and Le’Veon Bell. So I think it’s good to have those guys because it pushes everybody and it just makes all of us that much better. We’re a very selfless offense.”
(On how his game has developed over the years)
“Just a better understanding of our offense, of defenses, situational football. Like I said, it doesn’t hurt to have some pretty good guys around you.”
(On why it’s so difficult for other teams to sack him)
“I get that question a lot, and I don’t know if there’s an easy answer. I think the best way for me to answer is just to say, my competitiveness. I’m not a guy that when I see someone coming free, I’m just going to crumble to the ground. That’s not my style. Maybe I get that from my dad. My dad says we get it from our grandpa. But I think just being a competitor doesn’t let me go down and die easy. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bad.”
(On the moment he acknowledged San Francisco 49ers LB NaVorro Bowman during the game and his thoughts on reaching out to a player coming back from an injury)
“Yeah, it was…I do remember that. I think it was after one of the timeouts, during the game, kind of as you come out on the field during a TV timeout and I saw him. He’s standing in front of his group kind of a little bit separate, and I walked over to him. I just wanted…after that horrific injury that he had and just to come back, I just wanted to tell him that I was proud of him and was supporting him. I think as a fraternity in the NFL, we need to support each other on things like that, as well as other issues and what not. There’s such a very…it’s so few of us in guys that last a while in the league and sometimes all we have is each other. So I just wanted to let him know that I was proud of the way he came back and to keep it up and to stay healthy.”
(On if he likes that his team does a lot of 2-point conversions and is that decision left up to him during a game)
“We’ve been practicing two-point every single practice this whole year. No matter OTAs, mini-camps, training camp, during the season. Every single practice, at the start of it, we do seven, two-point plays, 1-on-1s: one offense, one defense. So we’ve been practicing that forever. We’re kind of used it to. It’s become a habit for us. We go into a game determining which one’s we’re going to go for and which one’s not. Then as the game goes on, we can change accordingly.”
(On if the offense has the potential to be an even better offense than last season’s)
“I haven’t even gotten to the point about comparing it to our previous groups or group. I’m really just trying to meet the challenges of the moment. We’re not off to a fluid start from a personnel standpoint. We’ve been without (RB) Le’Veon (Bell), we’ve been without (WR) Martavis (Bryant), so more than anything we’ve just been trying to find ways to be functional and play above the line ball in the midst of some of that."
(On what getting Bell back means to the offense)
“He was our team MVP a year ago. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but it does speak to what he’s capable of, so we’re excited about having him back.”
(On if he’s ready for a full work load)
“Yes.”
(On what challenges the Rams present for the defense)
“It starts inside and up front. There’s no secret they’ve got a really talented group. I know some of those guys and just have a great deal of respect for them. (DT) Aaron Donald, besides being a special player, is a special man. I’ve gotten to know him over the years being a neighbor over here at Pitt. Just to watch what he’s willing to do is as or more impressive than he’s capable of doing.”
(On what Donald is willing to do)
“He’s just a ridiculous worker. I was in this past winter, it was a week after the Pro Bowl and I saw him in that parking lot every morning because he was coming over to get his work like he normally does at the University of Pittsburgh. I saw him just about every morning in February when a lot of guys are on beaches and vacationing, this guy was getting out of his car at 6:30 in the morning to work out. That’s not out of character based on the things that I know about him.”
(On QB Ben Roethlisberger getting better and better)
“He knows what he’s doing. He’s been at it for some time and more than anything, he does a great job of communicating and leading our young players and making sure that they’re on the details, that they’re on the same page as he is. The things that are really special about his game right now are things that you don’t necessarily see. The communication, the leadership and reassurance that he provides others.”
(On how Roethlisberger’s relationship with Steelers Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley has developed)
“Like any other relationship. They’ve been together for a number of years now. They have an understating of what we’re trying to get done. Both guys are all in. It’s been good and fluid. I think some of those stories are kind of overblown from the past.”
(On what makes WR Antonio Brown special)
“He works like Aaron Donald. When I think about both guys, they’re better workers than players and that’s saying something when you’re the type of players that both men are. I described Aaron in that way yesterday when our local guys asked about him. I said, ‘He works like Antonio Brown.’ I think that’s the common tie that I see when I think about those guys.”
(On how important it is to put into the game as much as some of these players do)
“They’re talented people, but they’re willing to do what others aren’t. I think that’s what gives them that edge. It’s easy to say, it’s much more difficult to do. Both of those guys do it and do it routinely.”
(On going for a lot of two-point conversions)
“We work it. We feel confident in our ability to win that situation. But again, those decisions are going to be made on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances of the game, what transpired as we got down the field, the match-ups, etc. We’re not going to live in our fears, for sure.”
(On what it’s like to have a large number of Steeler fans at road games)
“We don’t take it for granted. We appreciate it. The support that we get when we’re on the road has been outstanding. We just appreciate the support of our fans, particularly when you’re in a hostile environment, it can be a special moment.”
(On how WR Tavon Austin has developed)
“I haven’t seen him develop because we don’t play him. I’m just really getting acclimated to what he is as a professional. So, I can’t speak to his development. I can speak to the fact that he’s a very talented and versatile player.”
(On how they are coming along defensively since making a lot of improvement from Week 1 to Week 2)
“We’re better. That’s the nature of this game. You’ve got to get better every week and we’re trying to. In the midst of that, you better find ways to win. We’re very much a group in development, not only as a defense, but just largely as a football team.”
(On the play of LB Ryan Shazier and what he brings as a linebacker)
“He’s a talented guy. His play doesn’t surprise me because he prepares and he’s a sharp guy. He’s just going to continue to get better better and I think that it’s not unreasonable to expect a similar performance from him on a routine basis.”
(On what challenges the Rams offense presents)
“They present a lot. They use quite a few personnel groups and formation structures that are difficult to adjust to. They’ve got some guys that are difficult match-up people. (WR) Kenny Britt is a big, physical, vertical wide receiver that’s tough to match up against. (TE Jared) Cook is a similar animal at tight end. They challenge you in a lot of ways.”
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
(On what it meant to him to tie former Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw’s record for wins)
“I don’t really pay attention to those individual records. I honestly couldn’t tell you if it was a tie or I passed it.”
(On if tying the record meant anything to him personally)
“Well, to me, winning is always most important, but I just want to go out…I don’t go out and play every day to and try to break Terry’s records or hold Steelers records. I just want to go win football games, so when you’re mentioned in the same category as Terry Bradshaw, the greatest Steeler quarterback ever, it means a lot.”
(On the success his offense is having this season)
“We’ve got a lot of guys that believe in the system and when you believe in what you’re doing, good things happen. We returned everybody from last year’s team - that helps because you don’t have to break in new guys. All those things combined with the coaching and the players and we’ve got just a really good, talented group of young players.”
(On how excited his offense is to get RB Le’Veon Bell back this weekend)
“Well, it’s exciting. I think (RB) DeAngelo (Williams) has done a great job for us, but anytime you can get your starter back and probably the best running back in the league back, it definitely adds a little bit of excitement to your group.”
(On what makes Bell stand out among other running backs in the league)
“I think he can do it all. He’s not just a great runner and have average hands and average blocker. He’s a great runner. He’s got great hands and he does great in protection. So I think he takes pride in wanting to be the best all-around back in the game.”
(On how WR Darrius Heyward-Bey has helped with the offense this year)
“He’s really come along. He’s gotten…learned more about the offense. I think that’s helped with his confidence and he’s playing with a lot of it right now. He’s a guy that just goes about his job selflessly every single day. Works hard. Really understands the mental side of the game as well and I think his play on the field has really shown that’s he’s put the work in and the extra time in to be a guy for us.”
(On what makes WR Antonio Brown such a special pass catcher)
“You know, pretty much everything. Every week no matter what interview I do or what radio show or TV show, he always gets brought up, as he should. You kind of run out of things to say about him because you’ve said them all. I think he just is a special football player. I think it’s gone from being in awe of some of the stuff he does because we’ve seen it so many times now, to being in awe of that one dropped pass on the sideline where he tried to catch it one-handed or something. We learn that anything he does, it doesn’t surprise us anymore because he puts in so much work and time and effort into wanting to be the best, that it’s paying off for him.”
(On his chemistry with Brown and how it continues to develop)
“Yeah, we do have a great chemistry. I think it’s just the trust that we have in each other. The work we put together; we put in a lot of work together. Even when the defense is on the field at practice, we may go to another field and work or we just sit on the side and talk. We have a great relationship both on and off the field, and I think that helps kind of make us who we are.”
(On the transition he thinks his team has made over the years from a power football team to now kind of being able to do anything offensively with the passing game and the running game)
“I think that’s the transition the NFL has made, truthfully. When I first got in the league, most teams were running the ball a lot. I just think that it’s transitioned into a definitely kind of a spread it out league, throwing the ball. Tight ends have become really big wide receivers, if you will. These kind of slotty, shifty running backs/receiver/return guys have become the new thing. So it definitely has changed, and you just have to grow with the change of the times.”
(On if he likes the new style of play)
“Yeah, I mean it’s fun. It’s fun to get everybody involved. It’s fun to be up-tempo. But there also has to be a time where you have to be able to slow it down and run the ball and use clock. So I think if you’re able to do both styles of offense, that’s to your advantage.”
(On how C Maurkice Pouncey’s replacement has fared and him getting great protection from the line)
“Yeah, I think the line’s awesome. Obviously, you can’t replace a guy like Pouncey. He’s the best in the business, so it’s tough, but I think (C/G) Cody Wallace has done a phenomenal job. It doesn’t surprise us. Cody Wallace has been here for a few years now. He’s worked with that line. They have a great chemistry. It’s not like we just picked a guy off the street and asked him to play. He’s a guy that they know well. They’ve worked together. I think that he’s done a fabulous job of picking up the slack from Pouncey.”
(On what he sees from the Rams defense and what is his their plan to slow down the pass rush)
“We got a long way to go to try and slow down that pass rush. That’s the first thing you see when you see when you watch the tape is the pressure they get on the quarterback. Whether it’s just four guys, whether it’s five or six guys, they’re bringing pressure. They’re bringing blitzes. You may not see a lot on tape. I think they rely a lot on their four to get home, but we’re going to anticipate a lot of extra blitzes, bringing some extra guys. What an amazing front seven and that’s to take nothing away from their secondary, but that front seven is pretty spectacular.”
(On what he knows about DT Aaron Donald)
“We see him. We share a building. I mean obviously in Pittsburgh, football rules everything and that’s Pitt and Steelers. So I knew about him when he was here, and what a year he had last year and starting already this year.”
(On what it’s like to go on the road and have a lot of fans and see a lot of Terrible Towels)
“Well we’re kind of used to it, but it doesn’t get old. It’s pretty awesome. I mean everywhere we go, there’s always tons of Steelers fans and that’s why I always say they’re the best in the world. So we hope and anticipate to see lots of Terrible Towels. That’s what we’ve come to expect and enjoy.”
(On having success with the no huddle call against the San Francisco 49ers and if it’s his decision-making to go with a no huddle call)
“We’ll go into this game with the intentions to huddle and run our traditional offense. We’ll just have to be ready to make changes and adjustments accordingly. There’s so many factors that come into when and if you should go to the no huddle. So we’ll just kind of play it series-by-series, if we will.”
(On if this offense has the potential to be the best offense that he’s been involved with)
“Yeah, potentially. I think last year probably was statistically wise. It helps when you’ve got the best wide receiver and the best running back in the league. The guys just put work in. That’s the thing is everyone wants to be great. When you’ve got the best wide receiver in Antonio in your room, well that pushes every other wide receiver to want to be as good as him. Same thing with the line, when you’ve got (C) Maurkice Pouncey in there, pushes everybody to want to be as good as him and Le’Veon Bell. So I think it’s good to have those guys because it pushes everybody and it just makes all of us that much better. We’re a very selfless offense.”
(On how his game has developed over the years)
“Just a better understanding of our offense, of defenses, situational football. Like I said, it doesn’t hurt to have some pretty good guys around you.”
(On why it’s so difficult for other teams to sack him)
“I get that question a lot, and I don’t know if there’s an easy answer. I think the best way for me to answer is just to say, my competitiveness. I’m not a guy that when I see someone coming free, I’m just going to crumble to the ground. That’s not my style. Maybe I get that from my dad. My dad says we get it from our grandpa. But I think just being a competitor doesn’t let me go down and die easy. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bad.”
(On the moment he acknowledged San Francisco 49ers LB NaVorro Bowman during the game and his thoughts on reaching out to a player coming back from an injury)
“Yeah, it was…I do remember that. I think it was after one of the timeouts, during the game, kind of as you come out on the field during a TV timeout and I saw him. He’s standing in front of his group kind of a little bit separate, and I walked over to him. I just wanted…after that horrific injury that he had and just to come back, I just wanted to tell him that I was proud of him and was supporting him. I think as a fraternity in the NFL, we need to support each other on things like that, as well as other issues and what not. There’s such a very…it’s so few of us in guys that last a while in the league and sometimes all we have is each other. So I just wanted to let him know that I was proud of the way he came back and to keep it up and to stay healthy.”
(On if he likes that his team does a lot of 2-point conversions and is that decision left up to him during a game)
“We’ve been practicing two-point every single practice this whole year. No matter OTAs, mini-camps, training camp, during the season. Every single practice, at the start of it, we do seven, two-point plays, 1-on-1s: one offense, one defense. So we’ve been practicing that forever. We’re kind of used it to. It’s become a habit for us. We go into a game determining which one’s we’re going to go for and which one’s not. Then as the game goes on, we can change accordingly.”