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 defensive struggles to contain Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas
“They did a nice job. I’d be remiss if I didn’t compliment Demaryius Thomas and the other guys that made the significant plays. More than anything it was some good tough challenging catches by them and some run after. Nice job by those guys.”
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.”
On the Steelers last possession of regulation
“Lack of execution by us.”
On if he had been through a second quarter like the one they faced tonight
“I have been in many situations standing on the sidelines in the National Football League.”
On the performance of RB Isaac Redman
“It was what we expected. He did a nice job. Not only him but all the guys in replacement of some guys that went down. Isaac did a nice job.”
On feeling like the Steelers took back control of the game in their final possession in regulation
“At no point did I feel comfortable, you know, there’s time on the clock. But we were in position.”
On his surprise at the number of passing attempts by Denver
“No, the number of attempts wasn’t surprising. The number of long completions was. I think they had under 20 in regulation, which is right within their personality. I think the significant difference is the number of big plays they were able to connect on. [That can be attributed to] Throwing and catching by them. Execution.”
On his expectation of QB Tim Tebow’s rushing yardage
“I thought he would potentially run more.”
On the last play of the game – first play of overtime (Denver touchdown)
“He [WR Demaryius Thomas] got inside of our cornerback. Of course we had a number of people committed to the run. He made a nice catch. He was able to break free. The catch is less of an issue than his ability, of course, to break free and the run after. The run after was significant, not only on that play but in several instances tonight.”
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Mike
January 9, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Just an observation. If I am wrong, please correct me. However, I was reading the comments made by Coach Tomlin during the post game press conference regarding his expectations about the return of both coordinators. Maybe I am reading into it a bit too much but he seemed to be a little hazy about their future. Yes, he did say he anticipates their return and he values continuity, but he wasn’t so sure in his response about there return. If there is one thing that I recognize with Tomlin and his press conferences is that he has strong convictions in every response. He is typically very confident and certain in all his answers. I didn’t see it. Check his response out and see what you think.
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DrGeorge
January 10, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Mike, I listened to the news conference carefully and agree that Tomlin’s response to that question regarding the coordinators was hardly definitive. But in all fairness, the season just ended, and Tomlin needs time to evaluate the performance of his staff as well as his players. I also suspect that Mr. Rooney will have a thought or two on the subject.
The over all team performance on offense and defense left something to be desired, and not just because we lost to Denver and went home early. The offense only clicked in two games; Arian’s aerial circus simply didn’t produce points and failed repeatedly in the red zone. The defense didn’t produce turnovers all season. The D-line remains susceptible to the run and the secondary to the pass. We can’t blame it all on injuries. These failings are chronic, so chronic that we discussed them here ad nausem before the pre-season. Changes must be made.
But Tomlin needs time to gather input from all concerned and to think things through before making a public statement. His guarded response was entirely appropriate. I read less into his press conference remarks than I do into the actual performance of the team. We can all see the deficiencies and discuss possible solutions, including replacement of the coordinators. Given his severe burns, Kirby Wilson may have to be replaced, too, and the OC will need time to find a replacement. Tomlin is the guy who must live with these decisions, and he shouldn’t act precipitously. His calm is one of his strengths.
However, the draft is coming. If the Steelers are going to replace one or both coordinators, it’s going to happen relatively quickly. (Remember how the retention of Arians last winter signaled more of the same for 2011? Tomlin pleaded his case then, and it didn’t pan out. Now his credibility is at stake, too.) Long before the draft, Tomlin must devise a plan to give the owners some assurance that 2012 will be better, not necessarily in wins, but in over all team development. That means re-evaluating our strategy on both sides of the ball and making needed staff and roster changes in time to plan for the draft. As Tomlin acknowledged in his press conference, that process has already begun.
Mike
January 10, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Arians is neither a head coach candidate nor a hot commodity for another offensive coordinator job elsewhere. Tomlin might have been referring to Lebeau and his possible retirement. I don’t know. However, if Arians is not a candidate for another job elsewhere and Lebeau is not mentioning retirement at this point, then why wouldn’t Tomlin be more confident in his answer regarding their return next season? Again, wishing out loud.