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Mike Tomlin said he "isn't opposed" to switching Mike Mitchell over to strong safety this season.
However, Tomlin was opposed in regards to the topic of one Troy Polamalu.
Speaking at the NFL Owner's Meeting on Monday, Tomlin discussed the possibility of moving Mitchell over the strong safety while promoting Shamarko Thomas to free safety. Tomlin also discussed the overall status of Mitchell, who played through a groin injury to start every game at free safety last season while finishing second on the team with 70 tackles.
A fourth round pick out of Syracuse in 2013, Thomas tallied 34 tackles in 25 games during his first two seasons in the league. He only recorded five tackles last season but did force two fumbles. Thomas spent the majority of his first two seasons on the Pittsburgh special teams unit.
Last season was Mitchell's first in Pittsburgh after spending the previous year in Carolina. Mitchell was drafted by the Raiders and played his first four seasons in Oakland. Mitchell experienced some growing pains last season while adapting to his new teammates and system in Pittsburgh, breaking up just three passes and not recording a sack or interception.
"That experience that comes with being in our environment and how we do business I think is a platform for them to improve," Tomlin told Scott Brown of ESPN.com. "I say that all the time in regards people who have had a lap around the track with us, whether it’s an unrestricted free agent like Mike Mitchell or whether it’s a drafted guy."
Tomlin decided to toe the company line in regards to questions regarding Polamalu, stating that President Art Rooney II's statements about Polamalu last Friday will remain the Steelers' answer. Rooney II said last Friday that he had no update on Polamalu, while General Manager Kevin Colbert said that there is no time table for Polamalu to make a decision.
"I’m not getting into Troy," Tomlin said. "That's been well documented. Art's made comments and I don't need to add on to that. It doesn't serve any purpose."