Steelers football blog

Expect extreme aggressiveness by Steelers for December

We hit the opening of the final month of 2009 with a promise from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

"We will unleash hell here in December because we have to. We won't go in a shell. We'll go into attack mode, because that's what's required."

Hell hath no fury like the Steelers scorned? The scorn has been heaped on them by the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens for the first three-game losing streak in the young Tomlin coaching era, and they seem to have no choice but to wreak some havoc this month or become the latest of their Super Bowl champions to fall on their faces. Continue

Special teams to pay the piper

At least one head rolled because of the inability of the Steelers' kickoff team to make a tackle in the past four games, and coach Mike Tomlin even fired a zinger at his own return specialist as he tries to correct a problem that may have cost them the AFC North Division title.

Tomlin called the three kickoff returns for touchdowns against his team in the past four games "head-scratchers," but it did not prevent him from lopping off the head of one special-teams player. Continue

Mendenhall responds to Tomlin's tactics

Some players do not respond well when embarrassed publicly, benched for a game and called out by the head coach for not practicing well.

One of them was not Rashard Mendenhall.

Mike Tomlin apparently pushed another right button when he did not play his young running back on offense in Cincinnati Sept. 27. The coach cited this as his reason after that game, a 23-20 Steelers loss: "Rashard wasn't on his details this week, so I chose not to play him on offense." Continue

Steelers coaching staff remain intact after Super bowl season

Ben Roethlisberger, coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians were basking in the glow of a come-from-behind win in Super Bowl XLIII when the Steelers quarterback looked ahead for a moment.

As Roethlisberger recently recalled, he turned to Tomlin last February and said of Arians: "Don't let him go anywhere."

As it turned out, no assistant left the Steelers' coaching staff for a better opportunity elsewhere following the 2008 season. The front office also returned intact, which is equally curious considering the sustained success the Steelers have enjoyed.

They are third this decade in winning percentage (.655) behind the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers are also the only team aside from the Patriots to win multiple Super Bowls in the 2000s, and they have claimed two of the past four Lombardi Trophies. Continue

Willie Parker will carry the load at RB

Willie Parker didn't play in three of the four preseason games, but Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made it clear that he has no plans to rotate Parker and Rashard Mendenhall at running back.

"Willie Parker's our runner," Tomlin said Friday afternoon. "Rashard's done a nice job and he's going to get an opportunity to get his touches, but more important than anything else, Willie Parker is our runner."

Tomlin touched on a number of issues in his news conference previewing the Steelers' game against the Tennessee Titans in the NFL season opener Thursday night at Heinz Field, namely his concerns about the depth of the offensive line, the status of inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons and preparing for the possibility of seeing a Wildcat formation. Continue

Tomlin only slightly less demanding in practice

During the first week of training camp, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin held Hines Ward out of most of the practices so the younger wideouts could get more work -- and so the 12th-year veteran, who answers to the nickname "Papa Smurf," could preserve his legs.

Ward saw a different side of Tomlin two years ago.

Tomlin, then in his first season as the Steelers' coach, actually made Ward leave practice one day to change the T-shirt he had on under his pads.

The reason: Tomlin had ordered that the players wear only team-issued gear during practice, and Ward, out of habit, had put on a Georgia Bulldogs T-shirt.

"I don't know how he saw it," Ward, who played his college ball at Georgia, recalled with a laugh. "Some guys would have been like, 'It's just a shirt.' But it was his rule. I went in and changed it and went from there." Continue

Vick still a possibility for Steelers

Coach Mike Tomlin reiterated today what he said at the beginning of training camp about quarterback Michael Vick: He doesn't discuss potential free agents individually, and that the Steelers are "doing their due diligence" on all of them, including Vick.

The Washington Post has reported that at least five NFL teams have expressed interest in signing Vick, who spent nearly two years in prison for charges related to dog-fighting.

Vick had been the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback and one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league prior to his well-chronicled fall from grace.

"If people are capable of helping us win we're going to have a level of interest in those guys," Tomlin said today at a news conference at St. Vincent. "I'm never going to discuss free agents individually. I don't think that's appropriate. I think that that conversation could be endless.

"If I start commenting on Michael Vick then I'll be commenting on Plaxico Burress and everybody else that turns up on the (waiver) wire. We do our due diligence on guys that have a professional skill level and of course (Vick) is one of them." (Pitt-Tribune)

Tomlin will deal with distractions

Mike Tomlin has said he will not use the term "repeat" when it comes to the Steelers' quest for another Super Bowl title.

That does not mean the Steelers coach won't acknowledge the increased scrutiny and demands the Steelers will face this season because they are the reigning champions.

"My mentality in regard to distractions is changing, and that's probably how I'm growing into the job," Tomlin said. "If you're going to be good, distractions are a part of it. I'm more concerned about embracing that and dealing with it and performing in the midst of it as opposed to being resistant to it."

Tomlin took the same approach in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIII. He told his players to appreciate all that comes with playing in one of the biggest showcases in sports, including the daily sessions with the media.

He apparently will adhere to a similar philosophy when it comes to the upcoming season. Continue

Tomlin talks conditioning

As Steelers coach Mike Tomlin delivered a not-so-subtle conditioning message to his players at the end of voluntary practices last week, one of his intended targets was nose tackle Casey Hampton, who is entering the final year of his contract.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that Tomlin also praised defensive lineman Ziggy Hood, the team's first-round pick.

At the start of training camp last year, Tomlin held Hampton out for the first week, when he failed to complete a conditioning run. When asked if Hampton is in better shape this year, Tomlin didn't exactly give Hampton a ringing endorsement.

"I'm always in a wait-and-see position (with Hampton)," Tomlin said.

When it came to Hood, a 4-3 defensive tackle at Missouri who is learning to play 3-4 defensive end, Tomlin had plenty of good things to say. Continue

Tomlin should get a raise

One more key component of the Steelers' Super Bowl team is due a new contract this year, and it's likely to come with a large boost in salary.

Mike Tomlin, halfway through his rookie coaching contract with the team, will get an extension before the 2009 season begins, if the Steelers hold true to their history.

Tomlin has two years left on a four-year contract estimated at a total of $10 million that he signed when the Steelers hired him to succeed Bill Cowher in 2007.

His average salary of $2.5 million per year was typical of what first-time NFL head coaches received. That amount could double in his next contract, according to agents who have knowledge of NFL coaching contracts. Continue