Steeler Nation: Please Follow Mike Tomlin's Example
by Steel34D on Jan 9, 2012 1:12 AM EST
Email
Print
In his post game press conference Mike Tomlin said what he has said all year after a loss. It is a message I would like the members of Steeler Nation to take to heart. Here is the comment of the post-game press conference. From Steelers.com
General: "Really, not a lot to say. I’d like to extend congratulations to the Denver Broncos, their staff and players. They played a good football game, of course, and did the job and won. They persevered. I’m proud of our guys and the way they fought but, obviously, we’re not in it for the moral victories, it wasn’t enough. They made the significant plays tonight, particularly the chunks that allowed them to win. We accept responsibility for that like we have through many, many legs of this journey this year. But we fell short."
On the impact of the Pittsburgh injuries
"You know better than that. We don’t live in that world. We don’t make excuses in regards to injuries. The guys we put on the field were capable of doing the job and the reason we didn’t do the job is because we didn’t perform. We didn’t perform well enough from a coaching standpoint and from a player standpoint."
On how much QB Ben Roethlisberger’s injury affected his performance
"Not significantly. It won’t be enough to be an excuse, that’s for sure."
I found myself beginning to start to blame the injuries, beginning to call out the referees, and playing the "what if game", but that not how our coach sees it and its not how our team wants it. So I won't make excuses and I hope you won't as well. Let's continue what this site is about proving the Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the classiest fan bases in the NFL.
Congratulations to the Denver Broncos. Do me a favor and beat the Patriots and Tom Brady. Love when they go 1 and Done. Hopefully Houston beats the Ravens as well that would help ease the disgusting feeling I have over how this game ended.
Next stop the 2012 Draft and the 24th pick in that Draft.
53 comments
|
Add comment
|
4 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Tomlin
This is why I love Tomlin. He is a class act. I hope the Steelers can keep him as long as they kept their last two coaches.
anyone trying to contact me via my yahoo account should be aware it has been hacked
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Jan 9, 2012 1:23 AM EST reply actions
we certainly can't blame the refs on this one
we got lucky on a bullshit rule about that backwards pass thing
Don’t forget the uncalled facemask penalty in the fourth quarter.
by Russ the Realist on Jan 9, 2012 7:41 AM EST up reply actions
Yep
All and all, this was a clean game from a ref standpoint. Blown calls on both sides, none of which were game changers.
Actually
There is a link to a Denver newspaper provided by 18kGldFan that suggests otherwise.
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/1/9/2694977/a-note-on-the-refs
anyone trying to contact me via my yahoo account should be aware it has been hacked
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Jan 11, 2012 12:36 AM EST up reply actions
Harrison dod get flagged for a BS roughing call but the backward pass ruling more than made up for it.
by ThoughtsAndSox on Jan 9, 2012 10:00 AM EST up reply actions
Based on the letter of the rule, it wasn't a BS call.
I hate to say that, b/c its a ridiculous rule. But, Harrison had time to pull up and he should have. He has to know the whole league is watching him.
Classy words from a great coach
"Bombs dropping down overhead. Underground. It's instilled to want to live." -EV
as much as I love sports
no team can win the championship every year, and it will take some retooling in the off-season, but the core of this team will be back and fighting for a 7th championship
Keeper
I can’t remember a single time when Tomlin’s words made me cringe. I watch some pressers from around the NFL and it gives me another reason to thank the Rooney Above for showing the organization how to hire a head coach.
Rocking the black and gold today…. with my head up. Most fans that will give me crap have teams that went on vacation last week. Making the playoffs is my mark of a successful season…. of course nothing short of winning the SB makes it super. For me though… I give my banged up team a lot of credit.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
"Our Father, who art in Pittsburgh, Football be thy game. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, at Heinz Field as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, a stellar D and forgive us our bogus fines, as we (sorta) forgive Goodell who trespasses against us. And lead us not into defeat, but deliver us a Victory. For thine is The Steelers, the power and glory of climbing the STAIRWAY TO 7."
I didn't cringe when he said it
It’s when we didn’t do it, now that made me cringe. Those 2 words should never be said together again.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
"Our Father, who art in Pittsburgh, Football be thy game. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, at Heinz Field as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, a stellar D and forgive us our bogus fines, as we (sorta) forgive Goodell who trespasses against us. And lead us not into defeat, but deliver us a Victory. For thine is The Steelers, the power and glory of climbing the STAIRWAY TO 7."
I love this guy Tomlin you speak of.
but I am still pissed about the coaching of last nights game really bad. But I still love you cause you keep it real
Seriously, we lost, no excuses
Yeah, they were playing against many of our 2nd stringers. Yeah, there were bad/missed calls on both sides. But lets face it – the team laid an egg. They didn’t play good, solid football. There were too many dropped passes, blown defensive assignments, poor tackles, etc. The Steelers didn’t get consistent pressure on the QB and often gave him all day to throw. The play-calling was poor and guys looked unprepared.
It was a poor performance and that’s it. The Steelers deserved to lose this game and they did.
As an aside, I’m still very proud of this team. To go 12-4 against a tough schedule with as many injuries as they suffered was a major feat. We were the only team in the NFL that didn’t have at least one lineman start every game. At one point we were forced into playing our entire 2nd-3rd string OL. Our DL was beat up all year and we were often missing 2 or even 3 of our starting LBs, etc. Yesterday was a bad ending to a season in which the players should be proud.
What I've really had a hard time fathoming
and we’ve seen it a couple of times this year, is the D’s apparent inability to adjust. Tebow absolutely shredded us and it seemed as if we did nothing to actually change that.
You are exactly right, this was not a game that we deserved to win. Too many dropped passes, missed tackles and mental errors. I do hope everyone realizes the way Ben gutted it out in the second half. I really thought he should’ve taken a seat in the first, but he came out to play after halftime.
While I love Tomlin for his perspective, and attitude...
…as exemplified by his comments after the game, I am beginning to wonder about how he directs the coaching staff in preparing a game plan.
The Steelers came out bewildered and befuddled in game #1 against the Ravens. It took us until the 5th game before the coaches got things humming.
The Steelers came out (defensively) against the Broncos with one thing in mind; stop the run. When the Broncos didn’t stick to that plan, and Tebow began accumulating his 300+ yards of passing, it didn’t look like the three components of the Steelers Defense was able to adjust (D line, linebackers, secondary).
Offensively, we ran extremely well against a very good Denver run defense (kudos to Kemo; he is a beast when pulling on run plays, and he kept his head all game), but we didn’t stick with more of the run, when there was still time left to do so.
As Tomlin says, injuries are NOT an excuse. So, why did it appear that our game plan was not able to account for Denver’s abilities? This is something I’m going to be pondering for quite a while. While Tomlin is a great leader of his players, he needs to improve on his leading his coaches, and/or improve his ability to evaluate the game plans submitted to him. It looks to me, at least on the defensive side of the ball, that maybe either (1) he is tweaking what LeBeau gives him, weakening Coach Dad’s plan, or (2) he is accepting what LeBeau gives him, but isn’t vetting it well enough.
All that bitchin said, I still have faith in Tomlin, the FO, and the Steelers. This loss hurts, but can’t wait until next year!
United we Stand, melded like Steel
To Roger Goodell, We'll never Yield.
I know what your saying
and I don’t know how to really say it myself but I"ll try. Tomlin came into Pittsburgh and changed very little, unlike most new coaches. Who come in and want their own Staff in place and a new shiny QB, to put their own stamp on things so to speak. Most fail with this process and end up getting fired
Tomlin took the opposite route, changing a little at a time, still alowing Coach Dad to run his D and BA to continue to air it out. I think It’s time for Tomlin to put his own stamp on this team. This off season may be the start of that process.Or maybe it’s just my wishful thinking.
"you will hardly know who I am or what I mean"-Walt Whitman
“Tomlin came into Pittsburgh and changed very little, unlike most new coaches. Who come in and want their own Staff in place and a new shiny QB, to put their own stamp on things so to speak. Most fail with this process and end up getting fired.”
Careful what you wish for. Josh McDaniels did exactly the opposite of Tomlin and in the process, took Denver from a playoff contender to the 2nd worst team in the NFL almost overnight.
Tomlin’s humility and respect for his elders, the past and the organization’s culture were paramount to his success just as McDaniel’s arrogance and rush to change resulted in the opposite result in Denver. In Tomlin, you guys have yourselves one of the best coaches in the NFL.
Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you (including you Elway).
Appreciate the perspective...
…and you have a point. I don’t think Tomlin will “blow things up” this offseason, but it may be time for him to put more of an imprint on one side of the ball, or the other, or both.
If Coach LeBeau returns, expect more of the same defense – this is not a criticism. As I read today elsewhere, it was the depletion of our Dline that forced the corners into man coverage, as a result of pulling safeties up towards the line to address the run. Given that information, I am less concerned about what our game plan was coming into this game than I was earlier.
I guess the main area I want to see more of Tomlin’s input/imprint is on the offensive side of the ball; either he gets Arians to modify his offensive strategy, or maybe gets a new coordinator. Of the two, I prefer the former, since BA hasn’t been that bad. Of course, we need to give him a stronger OL in order to allow him to make his offense work.
United we Stand, melded like Steel
To Roger Goodell, We'll never Yield.
NFL offensive trends
Bruce Arians is a pass-first OC.
This philosophy is widely disparaged in Pittsburgh. BA passes too much; the Steelers go 5-wide too often; the Steelers should run more and go back to a two-back offense with a lead FB blocking more; Arians is a puppet of Ben, who only wants to rack up passing yardage and is hurting the team.
But the trend in the NFL is to increasingly value the pass. Average passing yards per game have gone from around 200 in the early part of the decade to almost 230 in 2011. The top passing offenses from 2001-2007 would have ranked no better than sixth this year. The rules and their interpretations and enforcement (such as the new rules on hits on defenseless receivers, the tighter interpretation of Roughing the Passer, the ease with which receivers can draw DPI on bombs, and the randomness of Offensive Holding penalties in pass protection) have combined to make passing far more effective – and valuable – than rushing.
If anything, I’d claim that Arians has been ahead of the curve. I don’t want to see Arians modify his offensive strategy; I want to see Ben out there in the shotgun with Wallace, Sanders, Brown, and Miller wide and Mendenhall next to him, and watch opposing DCs’ heads explode trying to come up with ways to cover them. I want them to be able to run the ball effectively when the situation dictates – third and short, goal line, ahead in the fourth quarter, or when the defense goes to a 2-3-6 to try to cover all the receiving threats – but, Lord, if you think that our offensive design should be to take Sanders off the field for a FB and try to pound the ball down the field four yards at a time, well, you’re ignoring both the incentives inherent in the current structure of the NFL rules and the talent on the Steelers’ roster.
What I do want to see is an offensive line with more than two players above replacement level, so Miller can go into the pattern and Ben doesn’t keep getting killed.
I do question his choice of formations at times
I think 5 wide empty backfield on a 2nd and 8 makes little sense when you have a one legged QB. We have 3 TEs who can play and a RB who can catch out of the back field. There is room for some variety that doesn’t leave the QB exposed to two top notch pass rushers.
anyone trying to contact me via my yahoo account should be aware it has been hacked
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Jan 11, 2012 12:41 AM EST up reply actions
Fair enough
There may be some tuning around the edges. Five wide requires Ben to buy into the philosophy of getting the ball out quickly, which can be a challenge. But the “Arians has got to go” crowd usually isn’t up in arms about whether there’s five wide or 3×2 on 2-8 – they want to go back to a run-first philosophy with a lead blocking fullback. And in the current context of the NFL, that’s just foolish.
My preference
I like a balanced attack. The Steelers have the skill position players to run or pass well. We don’t have the offensive line to protect an immobile QB in a 5 wide situation. In fairness to BA, it isn’t his fault that Cotchery (whom I think is usually sure handed) and Johnson dropped passes they should have held onto.
I am not out to lynch BA. We could do a lot worse (The thought of Martz as our OC frightens me) but I would like to see more creativity with all this talent.
anyone trying to contact me via my yahoo account should be aware it has been hacked
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Jan 11, 2012 9:52 AM EST up reply actions
To group the “Arians has to go crowd” into “they want to go back to a run-first philosophy with a lead blocking fullback”, is foolish too. I think Arians letting Ben do whatever he wants, runs deeper than a fullback.
You said it yourself: “Five wide requires Ben to buy into the philosophy of getting the ball out quickly, which can be a challenge.”
Who do you think is responsible for that challenge?
"They timed it perfectly, they just went too soon." - Darrell Waltrip commenting on an illegal restart.
McGeorge, that was my point
and you said what I wanted to say about respecting Coach Dad et all. I just think it’s time for him to make his mark. If I’m the coach Ike would of got some help last night. Just sayin.
"you will hardly know who I am or what I mean"-Walt Whitman
Don’t get me wrong, Pitt was out-coached last night. LeBeau in particular. He failed to adjust when it was apparent your CBs could not cover Thomas one one one without a lot of safety help. But providing safety support to the passing game would have weakened the run D and LeBeau was unable to make this trade off even though it was justified by the results during the game.
Thomas had four catches for 204 yards? That’s crazy, but to think he had long catches before and after half time (and a big PI call) show you Pitt completely failed to make the adjustment and it cost them the game.
You also saw that a good pass rush makes average DBs look better than they are. When Denver shut down Pitt’s pass rush, Taylor went from looking like an average #1 CB to a shaky starter on most NFL teams. Pitt needs to look at O-line in round 1, but they should add a CB in the draft at some point. Probably another safety as well.
Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you (including you Elway).
How can you say that though? You are just kinda speculating that he doesn’t have his stamp on there. They share almost nothing with the public, so how can you be so sure he’s at fault?
This is the problem with the Flacco hate, people don’t really know who he is as a person. - Mr. Malor. Crazy Raven fan/possible stalker.
It's just a feeling that I have
"you will hardly know who I am or what I mean"-Walt Whitman
by Pittsblitz56 on Jan 10, 2012 8:50 AM EST up reply actions
I love Coach Tomlin and certainly understand the no excuses sentiment,
but, I don’t see how we can say injuries weren’t a factor. I’m not saying the injuries excuse the loss because Tomlin is right in that our backups should have stepped up. Of course in many ways they did, Redman ran hard all night and seemed to get better as the night went on, Legursky had a solid game. Mundy played well for most of the night.
It was a difficult, difficult loss and one that we very nearly fought back from. It was the story of our season.
Well, cheers and good luck to the Broncos. Here’s to the 2012 season. Lets go Steelers!
Calling out the refs? In that game? I’m glad you came to your senses. The refs put that one on a silver platter for Pitt with that unacceptable fumble/whistle F-up. The non calls on several blatant face masks just adds fuel to the fire. One questionable PI call where Taylor (getting killed all game in man to man) lost his WR yet again and committed flagrant PI on a pass that may not have been catch-able by a 6’4 stud athlete? Sorry, that doesn’t qualify as THE makeup call. Not even close. I’d rather have the obvious fumble, take your seven off the board and have the ball at your 18 1st and 10 (AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN).
You’ve got a great coach, good team, great fans, great owner. Can’t win them all. The team that deserved to win yesterday did. Your coach recognizes that. Injuries are part of the game. Denver is missing Brian Dawkins, our highest paid DT, our best OG, starting FB, starting nickel CB, 3rd down back (Moreno) and Harrison did Decker’s knee so dirty Eric probably tore his ACL. We persevered, just like Pitt did in going 12-4 this season.
I’m sure you guys will be awesome again next season since Pitt rarely has an off year and your roster seems well balanced with good players of all ages (O and D). Look forward to the game next year.
Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you (including you Elway).
And good luck to you, and the Denver Broncos...
…you played well, you won, fair and square.
Will be rooting for you guys in NE next week; enjoy this moment, your victory well deserved.
United we Stand, melded like Steel
To Roger Goodell, We'll never Yield.
Irony
The NFL forces Harrison to go low and when he does delivers a serious injury that could be career threatening. (Probably won’t though)
Huge fan of the Steelers. (that includes "Steelers West")
"If I could start my life over again, I would be a professional football player and you better damn well believe a Pittsburgh Steeler!"- Jack Lambert
We all watch the team we are the fans of more closely. I saw a H2H on a defenseless Antonio Brown go unflagged (and one of the first times I saw MY COACH visibly upset with a ref.) and honestly, there were many more flags that should have been thrown on the Broncos. That’s football. It happens. BUT… if you’re seriously saying James Harrison’s hit was "dirty on Decker; then Mr. (or Miss) McGeorge, you’re unable to see things logically and without bias. Injuries are part of the game, just as you said.
Neither our coach nor us fans make excuses. Your team out-played us last evening and for that, you’re due congratulation and good wishes for next week. You’re walking a path that is very familiar to fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Enjoy it. We will be back.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
"Our Father, who art in Pittsburgh, Football be thy game. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, at Heinz Field as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, a stellar D and forgive us our bogus fines, as we (sorta) forgive Goodell who trespasses against us. And lead us not into defeat, but deliver us a Victory. For thine is The Steelers, the power and glory of climbing the STAIRWAY TO 7."
Defenseless? Brown was running with the ball and slipped. The hit wasn’t even a big hit. Brown just lost his footing on a dead grass field in January in Denver. Defenseless? Come on. That’s absurd and you know it.
It was a poorly called game. A couple missed calls both ways, but it wasn’t even. The bad calls favored you guys.
Call Harrison’s hit what you want, but if Denver did DJ Williams went that low on one of your WRs, I think you’d sing a different tune. Maybe it’s not illegal, but it certainly lacks sportsmanship. Not surprising coming from Harrison.
Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you (including you Elway).
I’m not going to argue the point with you. But tell me… where exactly is it ok for James Harrison to hit a player these day?
Don’t believe everything you hear on ESPN, my friend. James Harrison is far from unsportsmanlike and whether you choose to believe it or not; his play is far from dirty.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
"Our Father, who art in Pittsburgh, Football be thy game. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, at Heinz Field as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, a stellar D and forgive us our bogus fines, as we (sorta) forgive Goodell who trespasses against us. And lead us not into defeat, but deliver us a Victory. For thine is The Steelers, the power and glory of climbing the STAIRWAY TO 7."
There is lots of film on a lot of channels and trust me, I don’t need some jackwad moron like ESPN’s Merrill Hoge to explain football to me. That guy’s been concussed so many times, I surprised they allow him to babble on TV. And he’s not even worse than most of the other “analysts” they employee at ESPN or NFL Network.
Hitting a WR in the knee like that will result in an injury 10 times out of 10. I suppose it’s legal, but it lacks sportsmanship. And Harrison does hit high, too high. That is clearly prohibited by today’s rules. Maybe James as born 15 years too late, but he doesn’t get to play by 1980’s rules while everyone else plays by the rules of 2011. Not that I like how the NFL is taking big hits of the game, I don’t, but the rules must be enforced on all players in the same way. Harrison is no exception. Suh found out he is not either. Both play a dirty brand of football. Maybe have been okay in 1978, but doesn’t fly in 2011.
The hit on Colt McCoy was high and deserved an NFL response. Was McCoy a runner? I think so, but you can’t hit an RB like that either. And why aim at a guys head? Why aim at a WRs knees? Who knows. Harrison just likes to unload some massive hits. Goodell has decided he doesn’t want that in the NFL. It is what it is.
Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you (including you Elway).
I believe you may be incorrect about that...
but you can’t hit an RB like that either
…I don’t believe there is any H2H protection for a runner.
If there is, then the Harrison/McCoy issue comes down to whether he was a runner or not – much debated at the time, not interested in re-opening it here.
If you are correct then, that a runner is protected from H2H, then the hit on Wallace should have been called, and no excuse for Refs missing it, since it was out in open field, just the two players involved.
If you believe Harrison is a dirty player, nothing said here will change your mind. But consider this, two years ago, Harrison penalized and fined for a hit on Browns’ Massaquoi, with fine later rescinded; issue for Harrison was Massaquoi lowered his head as he moved to defend himself from Harrison hit. It may be that, given Harrison’s brush with the League this year, he anticipated Decker doing similar move, so he dropped himself even lower, to avoid even a possibility of H2H.
I feel for you and the Broncos, losing a player like Decker in playoffs, I really do. But, football players, as well as fans (here at BTSC and elsewhere) have all made the observation that the Leagues rules, and interpretation of the rules, is only going to encourage more knee hits, as ALL players try to avoid the H2H penalty nightmare the league has created.
United we Stand, melded like Steel
To Roger Goodell, We'll never Yield.
by PaVaSteeler on Jan 10, 2012 10:17 AM EST up reply actions
When I saw a replay of the Decker hit
I was positive it was Harrison’s response to the fines. It is a legal hit and one that the league apparently sanctions. I think Harrison would rather try to hit the upper body but when your target ducks you end up with HTH and he gets fined and suspended. As I see it, this is a direct result of the NFLs decision to force Harrison to change his game.
anyone trying to contact me via my yahoo account should be aware it has been hacked
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Jan 11, 2012 12:53 AM EST up reply actions
You should listen to the radio show John Elway did
regarding this very issue. I think you would be surprised (and possibly disappointed) that he does not agree with your assessment.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
"Our Father, who art in Pittsburgh, Football be thy game. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, at Heinz Field as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, a stellar D and forgive us our bogus fines, as we (sorta) forgive Goodell who trespasses against us. And lead us not into defeat, but deliver us a Victory. For thine is The Steelers, the power and glory of climbing the STAIRWAY TO 7."
ahhh. another victim of media hype. Any other name on the back of the uniform, no one would think twice.
This is the problem with the Flacco hate, people don’t really know who he is as a person. - Mr. Malor. Crazy Raven fan/possible stalker.
What was the name of the guy who hit Adrian Peterson? Mendenhall? Exactly.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
"Our Father, who art in Pittsburgh, Football be thy game. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, at Heinz Field as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, a stellar D and forgive us our bogus fines, as we (sorta) forgive Goodell who trespasses against us. And lead us not into defeat, but deliver us a Victory. For thine is The Steelers, the power and glory of climbing the STAIRWAY TO 7."
I Love Tomlin
I kinda put the loss on the coaching staff though. You can’t keep stacking the box with ten and a half guys and expect them to run right into it. They dared Tebow to beat them with his arm and I felt that the second quarter was enough evidence to change the gameplan and they didn’t.
Thanks, Steelers fans
For the class shown on this site towards my Broncos. I wish we could have seen a game with no injuries and better calls on BOTH sides of the coin, but it is what it is.
Just wanted to add – I respect the hell out of Tomlin. Not only for his press conference, but his decision on Clark, and the leadership he exumes. You guys will be fine.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your RB Coach. Let’s hope we can kick the Pats ass next week!
You better not waste the confidence we've given you...
…lol
Seriously; it looked like Tebow was told “go out and do what you do best; forget mechanics, play the game”. If that is true, it was one of the most sublime, yet effective pieces of coaching I’ve seen in a long time.
Good luck in NE – I’ll be watching and rooting for you.
P.S. Your group over at MHR – class outfit, as are the Broncos. Had fun this week (except for Sunday)!
United we Stand, melded like Steel
To Roger Goodell, We'll never Yield.
One of the things I admire most about Tomlin (and Ryan Clark is a perfect example) he really does care about “the man” as much as the player. If he would have given Clark the option; I really believe Ryan would have risked his very life to play. He made the decision for him and valued his life and walked the walk of the talk he talks: The Standard is the standard. Next man up.
Ryan Mundy played a great game. He is probably my favorite “would be a starter elsewhere” backup.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
"Our Father, who art in Pittsburgh, Football be thy game. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, at Heinz Field as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, a stellar D and forgive us our bogus fines, as we (sorta) forgive Goodell who trespasses against us. And lead us not into defeat, but deliver us a Victory. For thine is The Steelers, the power and glory of climbing the STAIRWAY TO 7."
Excuses and Reasons
Nice for Tomlin not to try to use injuries as an excuse for the loss. The man mans up.
But to say that the injuries that the Steelers sustained isn’t a highly contributing factor in the loss would be crazy-talk.
Bound to cover just a little more ground.
PROUD TO BE A PART OF THE STEELER NATION
THAT BEING SAID WHY DIDNT WE STAY WITH OUR ZONE DEFENSE LET TEBOW TRY AND BEAT THAT. INSTEAD WE TRIED TO STOP THE RUN WITH 9 GUYS IN THE BOX. BEN DID AWESOME I LOVE THAT GUY. NEXT YEAR CANT WAIT
Tomlin is right, there should not be any excuses for a poor game planning and execution
From their coaches
"Everytime NE Patriots lose, Football wins", myself
On the impact of injuries and Ben being hurt
I know Mike Tomlin is taking the high road with not blaming injuries for the loss or poor performance in the game against the Broncos and he might be right for that game, they could have won it with the talent they had, but they would have gotten blasted in NE last weekend. Back-ups are so named for a reason they are not as talented as the first team.
On Ben, I believe CBS showed side by side clips of Ben throwing the ball when healthy and his body turning properly and with the flex in legs and ankle. The other clip of him throwing with the injured ankle has him throwing the ball totally with his upper body and that makes his throws off target.,..so injuries do matter and were a factor. You tell me the 3 DL men they had left in the Denver game weren’t struggling in the high altitude in Denver?
Tomlin's No Dummy
It’d be easy to blame injries for the loss and we all know that a healthier team could have changed the outcome. But Mike’s already coaching for next year. He instills confidence in every member of the team, whether Pro-Bowler or just lucky to make the cut. For example, the D-Line is aging and Mike knows that Hood and Heyward are the future. His post-game comments sent a clear message to those two: Aaron might retire and Brett and Casey are getting up there, but Hood and Heyward, among others, are ready to be part of that pantheon of Steeler defensive legends. That’s the Steeler Way.
Something to say? Choose one of these options to log in.
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
"Thoughtful discussion with a sense of history."
Art Rooney Jr.
"Level-headed thinking." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Related FanPosts on Behind the Steel Curtain
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
