Mike Tomlin Tuesday: So that’s how you lay an egg

Once again, it doesn’t seem like a Tuesday unless we are graced with words from Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin from his weekly press conference. Since it is unlikely we will hear from coach Tomlin again until the draft, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting quotes Tomlin has given us this past season.

After the last couple week experiencing a “Throwback Tomlin Tuesday” where he compared playing nose guard to Blockbuster video followed by not being ready for prime time, let’s go back to the press conference leading up to the Steelers home opener in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. In his opening statement, coach Tomlin discussed what went wrong in their Week 1 loss to the Patriots and how to move forward to face the Seattle Seahawks.

“So that’s how you lay an egg,” Tomlin stated in regards to the Steelers’ play in Week 1. “We met and looked at it yesterday and talked about it. It’s important that we understand what produced it, it’s also important that we don’t dwell on it and that we’re ready to move forward and prepare for this next opportunity.”

Having the luxury of hindsight, it appears the Steelers were able to move past Week 1 in their preparation for the Seattle Seahawks. Even losing Ben Roethlisberger at halftime, the Steelers lost a two-point game at home against a team that went on to ultimately make the 2019 postseason. But at the time, it was very important for the Steelers to not fall into a 0-2 hole to start the season.

“I just think that’s reflective on the journey that is the season in the NFL,” Tomlin continued. “At times you’re going to have some negativity, and have bad performances potentially. You better not stack them on top of each other, you better transition and move forward.”

Speaking of transition, it would be only a week later where the Steelers entire 2019 season would transition in a different direction as Ben Roethlisberger would be out for the season due to injury. But with the Steelers also making the deal for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the true transition came from the teams identity being that of offensive minded to defensive minded.

“So this is going to be a big challenge for us,” Tomlin continued, “in that regard this week as we center our focus and get our home people and letting the environment to be an asset to us. We’re going to need that in terms of working to minimize Russell Wilson and company. I’m interested in our fans providing that atmosphere and us helping our fans provide that atmosphere.”

Coach Tomlin had a good idea of what the Steelers needed to do in order to be victorious in Week 2, but things just didn’t come together in the right way. The home atmosphere definitely played to the Steelers’ advantage. Unfortunately, Russell Wilson put the dagger in the Steelers with a 15-yard run on 3rd & 16 while leading the ball game. With the Seahawks able to convert on fourth down, the Steelers never had a chance to get one last possession when they were only trailing by two points.

Although the Steelers did not win the game, they didn’t lay an egg against the Seahawks either. And for anyone who was taking note, the Steelers defense was not part of an outcome where they were the ones who laid an egg for the remainder of the 2019 season.