Mike Tomlin opens up about Steelers team personality

Under Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers have always had a strong identity, that they’re a smash-mouth football team who hits hard and wins with physicality, especially on the defensive end.

However, not every Pittsburgh team under Tomlin starts the year fitting into that culture. At his press conference last week, the Steeler coach noted that team cultures develop and become clear the longer a season progresses. With that in mind, one reporter brought the topic back up at this week’s press conference ahead of the Steelers’ Thursday night game vs. Tennessee, asking if Tomlin has seen this year’s team develop a personality yet.

He answered:

“It just depends on what you’re talking about. What element of play, what phase of the game, what situational component. What we’ve been talking about, kind of along this subject all year, is that today’s game is very situational and very matchup oriented. And so those are very specific questions in today’s game because everyone has differing personalities based on matchups and those circumstances.”

That response was followed up by another question for Tomlin: whether he is able to create a culture on his own or if it’s something that simply has to develop naturally. He says:

“Both. It’s very intentional from a planning perspective, in terms of the type of talent that you acquire and so forth. But then there’s an organic component that’s revealed to all of us through the bumps and ups and downs of the journey, just about what you are. And so the physical work that you do in terms of planning and the acquisition of talent, those are intentional things. The intangible component of identity or personality develops over time in play because of what transpires.”

Tomlin comfortable with Kenny Pickett starting vs. Titans

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t been vague when talking about Kenny Pickett’s injuries this season. He’s embraced the honest approach, as opposed to keeping some stuff secrets.

So Pickett likely will start tonight’s Steelers game against the Tennessee Titans. It’s Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. That’s the good kind of attention, so you want your best in the game, hoping that a certain rib injury doesn’t preclude that.

“Obviously he got clearance from the medical experts rather quickly in terms of him potentially being available,” Tomlin said in an interview posted Thursday morning with Steelers.com. “And so it was about whether he could do the things they said he needed to do, first to protect himself and play, and then be effective enough in doing so.

“We felt comfortable with what we saw Wednesday at practice,” Tomlin said. “We had a Friday-like practice on Wednesday where we hit all of our situational football – third down, red zone, things of that nature, weighty down moments. He had a really good day, and so we feel comfortable with his availability and his ability to do his thing.”