Mike Tomlin clarifies comments that changes are coming to Steelers
Mike Tomlin, after watching the Steelers get dominated by the once-lowly Texans on Sunday, promised there would be changes.
He didn’t say what sort of changes, but people immediately started pondering if that meant replacing offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Well, so much for anything concrete. Tomlin backed away from that promise Tuesday during his weekly press conference. When asked by a reporter if there would be a change at play caller, Tomlin said no. “Not at this juncture.”
Tomlin said Steelers would be more physical in practice
Apparently, Tomlin’s promised changes translate into a different atmosphere at practice. They will be more physical, he said.
It all sounded so benign compared to the emphatic promise he made Sunday in the vistitor’s media room at NRG Stadium.
“We’ve got to make some changes,” Tomlin said. “That was an ugly product we put out there today. We’re not going to do the same things and hope for a different outcome. We’ll put those changes in place in our preparation this week.”
Pittsburgh still stinging after performance against Texans
The Texans roughed up the Steelers, 30-6. The score got out of hand after quarterback Kenny Pickett injured his knee in the third quarter. Down 16-6, the Steelers went for it on a fourth-and-1. Pickett was hurt on the sack. The Texans then went on a touchdown drive after the change of possession.
It represented the second time this season that the Steelers have failed to crack double digits in scoring. And in week two’s 26-22 win over the Browns, the defense scored two touchdowns. Pittsburgh didn’t have 500 total yards in the first two games and managed only a collective 24 first downs.
The offense looked better in a 23-18 win over the Raiders. Then came the offensive no-show against the Texans. Houston, which starts rookie quarterback CJ Stroud, doubled the Steelers in total yards, 451 to 225.
Through four games, the Steelers rank 29th (among 32 teams) in scoring, passing and rushing offense. Those stats are difficult to ignore.
And there may not be any improvement this Sunday when the Steelers play host to the Ravens in a key AFC North matchup. Tomlin said Pickett would return to practice on Wednesday. The official diagnosis was a bone bruise, so there was no ligament damage. It’s still unclear whether Pickett will start, Sunday, or whether the Steelers will rest him, knowing they have a bye the following weekend. Tomlin said Pickett will continue to practice depending on his comfort and functionality.