Post-Game Q and A
Some questions from Mike Tomlin's post-game press conference:
Q: Should it even have come down to the last drive?
A: I’m not concerned about putting people away early. We need to do what’s required to win. We had an opportunity to win that football game and we weren’t able to do that.
PGH Take: Not concerned with putting people away early? Geez. Coulda fooled us, eh? You mean this team has no killer instinct?? Blasphemy! Pittsburgh easily could have been up 21-0 or 21-3 at halftime. Tomlin loves to talk about "the W" and the "result is all that matters" but we know better than that. This team has problems right now and even if the Steelers were able to stuff the Bengals at the goal line and walk away with a win, that wouldn't have changed my perception of the 2009 Steelers.....and it shouldn't change Tomlin's either. His team is flawed and he needs to fix it.
Q: Why can’t the defense get off the field late in games?
A: Usually it’s a myriad of reasons, quite frankly. Tighter coverage, better players, they go hand in hand. The bottom line is we need significant players – and we’ve got quite a few of those – to make significant plays at significant moments. That’s what comprises good football teams. We have candidates. They’ve got to deliver.
PGH Take: He's calling out James Harrison, Woodley, and the secondary. 2 weeks in a row the Steelers have given up game-winning drives. How very unSteeler-like. If the defense does their job over the final few mins of these past two games, we would be 3-0 right now. Sure the offense and Special Teams ares to blame as well, but the defense could have (once again) saved the entire team's butt two weeks in a row.
Q: Why didn’t Rashard get in?
A: Rashard wasn’t on the details this week so I chose not to play him on offense.
PGH Take: Between Sweed and Mendenhall these 2 "talented" draft picks are giving the Steelers absolutely nothing on Sunday's. The team didn't need Mendy today so Tomlin benching the guy really didn't have an impact on the game.....but I still find the move odd. We're not at practice or in meetings so we don't know what goes on behind the scenes but I hope Tomlin is treating other players the same way. Any punishment for dropping easy TD passes? Any punishment last year for giving up too many sacks or not generating a running game in weeks 1 or 2? I hope everyone is being held accountable.
September 28th, 2009 - 12:00
Anytime you can get a BIG, FAT HAIRY knockout – you do it. The Steelers can't seem to for some reason.
September 28th, 2009 - 12:41
Yes I love these "weapons" Tomlin/kolbert gave us two years ago. Mendenhall and Sweed are just awesome. Sweed will be inactive unless someone gets hurt and unless Willie gets hurt Mendenhall will sit on the bench.
Tomlin needs to check his ego at the door and do whats in the teams best interests. Sometimes I think sucess may have come to easily to him by inheriting a good team and he thinks too much of himself.
September 28th, 2009 - 13:25
i heard hoge on pittsburgh radio last week and he said, "the truth is, no playoff team wants to be playing their best football in sept." i agree – let's see all the cracks in the armor now, and then we can work on them during the next 4-5 weeks. then you figure out what you really can and cannot do, and for the remainder of the season, that's what you play with.
you call out mendy in week 3 so that he's mentally prepared in week 15. i agree with that, and anyway, i'd just as soon have willie get 20-25 carries every game to get rolling.
i'm sick and tired of hearing the defense is old (from the press conference). the reality is that this is a different team without troy. i hate phil simms, but he's right that troy makes the tackle on benson's TD run, troy probably stuffs both 4th down's on the last drive, as well as the TD. and that's not to blame TC – it's just that troy is the sickest ball hawk, and he makes those plays.
while the 2nd consecutive game winning drive was allowed by the DEF, let's make no mistake in remembering this game was lost three different ways by the offense. if limas makes that freaking catch (i hate this guy now forever), we're not talking about any of this.
September 28th, 2009 - 13:54
"I’m not concerned about putting people away early. " I agree that this mentality is unacceptable. I seem to remember Tomlin saying when he was hired that he wants to "take teams out into deep water and drown them." A far cry from this most recent statement. While the sky isn't falling, the Steelers are now 3rd in the AFC North. Better start climbing those ranks, boys.
September 28th, 2009 - 19:44
Now it seems the Steelers want to skinny dip with them and see who's shrinks the most.
September 29th, 2009 - 07:31
We're playing pretty shriveled-ball football. Agreed.
September 28th, 2009 - 13:56
Also, I can't remember I was physically repulsed and wanted to do harm to a member of the Black and Gold. Limas Sweed, I don't even know what to say to you …
September 28th, 2009 - 14:28
maybe arians and tomlin should look at the way the falcons handled pro bowl receiver roddy white. the 1st 2 seasons with atlanta roddy white was dropping wide open passes in the end zone for tds but they kept on playing him during the game, they didn't bench him.then the 3rd season comes,roddy white keeps the drops to a minimum and he's a pro bowl calibre receiver.we don't know what we have in sweed unless he plays alot of snaps during a game and it would of been nice to see sweed redeem himself against the bengals but the coaches benched him. arians and tomlin are also dropping the ball on the development of sweed as a top notch wr!!!
September 28th, 2009 - 17:26
Exactly!
September 28th, 2009 - 19:42
Let's also remember that the Falcons didn't have any other talent at WR. The Steelers do. Limas needs to make Limas better. Why play him at 3rd WR when Wallace doesn't need the coaxing and hand holding? I mean really – it is not like Sweed hasn't had any chances. At 4th WR, he'll still have opportunities to catch it or drop it. Hopefully, he starts to catch everything thrown his way.
September 28th, 2009 - 14:54
if i were dick lebeau, i'd pull a buddy ryan and punch arians in the face. and yes, i just compared arians to kevin "throw it in the trash can" gilbride.