Head Coach Mike Tomlin: I’ll start by complimenting Coach Smith and the Buccaneers. They did what was necessary to win the game. But after a performance like that, I think it’s appropriate that we look within and look at what it is that we are doing. The bottom line is that we are an undisciplined group. We are too highly penalized. Obviously we are not coaching it. We are allowing it to happen. So I take responsibility for that. We are not going to win close football games being penalized in the manner in which we’ve been penalized over the first month of the season. It’s unacceptable. It’s inexcusable. In a nutshell, that is the story of the outcome of the performance. There are some positive things and there are some negative things any time you play football. That is the case. But the defining factor in determining the outcome of that football game is that we were too highly penalized. It’s ridiculous.
What can you do about the penalties as the coach?
We need to fix it. And if we don’t we will continue to lose close football games. It’s just that simple. Some of the penalties are technical or orientation-like, facemask penalties and things of that nature. Our tackling technique needs to improve. But some of the pre-snap and post-snap and post-play penalties are just lacking discipline. We have to fix it. I have to fix it. And I will.
Re: Lots of hands to the face penalties:
That’s kind of a point of emphasis in today’s NFL, this year, 2014. Those are minimal. That’s a five-yard penalty, maybe a first down. I am talking about pre-play penalties, false starts, encroachment. Post-play penalties are ridiculous. That we have full control over.
Re: Illegal snap call on Maurkice Pouncey:
I didn’t get an explanation for it.
Re: Getting the ball back on offense and not putting the game away:
If we don’t get a five-yard penalty, in all likelihood we do. It’s just that simple. We kicked our own butt today with penalties.
Re: Lots of drops today:
Those were insignificant I think in the big scheme of things. Most of them were early on. We settled down and we played. What was consistent throughout is that we were highly penalized.
Any differences this week in your preparation?
Every time you step into a stadium you get an opportunity to rectify all your ills. And I expect us to continue to do that. We aren’t going to change how we work. I think how we work is appropriate. We are not getting the desired results. We have to focus on that.
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Dave B.
September 28, 2014 at 7:40 pm
I know the history , three head coaches since 1969 . The Rooneys never make knee jerk reactions and the leash for a head coach is very long . With that being said , what is happening with the 2014 Steelers is inexcusable and bottom line unacceptable . This sloppy and undisiplined team that currently is the second most penalized team in the league is a direct reflection of Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff . I dont want to hear about all the injuries on defense . Every team goes through them and the injuries have nothing to do with the ludicrous penalties that this team is committing . The Steelers , going all the way back to 2009 have a history of playing down to their opponents and losing ballgames that they should be easily winning . The reason , they’re not taking the opponent seriously and they are not prepared to play . The Tampa Bay game on Sunday is just another game on a long list of games , where the Steelers think all they have to do is just show up and the league declares them the winner . This goes directly at the feet of Mike Tomlin . If players arent producing , you send them and the team a message by pulling them and or benching them . You dont coddle them and say ole well guys , we’ll getem next week . In the NFL , THEY’RE IS NO NEXT WEEK . Its a win now league or you simply go home . At the end of the day its Mike Tomlins responsibility as head coach to see that his team is prepared to play and for the last three or four years that is not happening . If it were , the Steelers would be losing to teams with winless records like they did on Sunday . Bottom line , I know the leash is long , but how long before , Tomlin feels it getting tight around his neck . Only Dan and Art Rooney have the answer to that one .
Jay
September 28, 2014 at 7:56 pm
It’s the same song and dance from us fans, Dave…we call for his head and then we have to,wait on the Rooneys to allow the credit that was built up from three super bowl appearances and two wins since 2005 to run its course before the credit expires so to speak. The organization did the same thing in the 1980s especially after the boneheaded decision to take gabe Rivera over Dan Marino. They won and then we wait. Now, they’ve won again, built up some cred, and we fans have to suffer through more waiting for the Rooneys to ride this recent success for as long as they can. The shame is that we have a franchise QB whose talent is being wasted while the Rooneys watch Tomlin bring down this franchise. I hate Tomlin so much it’s actually unhealthy for me, and I know I won’t be able to invest in this organization so long as he is the HC. NOW, IF EVERY STEELER FAN SAID AND ACTED THAT WAY, that credit would run its course a lot quicker. If Tomlin had any integrity he would wake up tomorrow and say, ” Guess, what, I suck as a head coach which makes me an asshole…I should just quit ASAP!”
Atlsteelerfan
September 28, 2014 at 9:49 pm
Steeler fans are the victim of affirmative IN-action. I was a big Tomlin supporter when he first became our HC. But our team has consistently become worse the longer he coaches. Our DB’s are terrible. Polamalu is living on reputation only, Gay celebrates dropped passes as if he had something to do with it and on and on and on. Ben’s shelf-life is running down with no even remotely viable backup in sight. If he goes down we are well and truly screwed and can only look forward a high draft pick that will inevitably result in not addressing a crucial need. If the Rooney’s pride in the Rooney Rule is so great that they refuse to see what virtually all of Steeler Nation sees then they have abdicated their responsibility to us and our city. Tomlin can’t lead this team. Will the Rooney’s face facts or is it time to face the unthinkable??? Please Mr. Rooney!!! Love this team more than your pride in the Rooney Rule. I remember the 1960’s Steelers. Are you content to take us there again??? Say it ain’t so! PLEASE!!!!!!!
DrGeorge
September 29, 2014 at 10:41 am
The lack of discipline is reflected in the numerous penalties we receive, and discipline is always a coaching issue, as Dave B. points out. The penalties on offense are otherwise inexplicable. But on defense, I would suggest the many penalties also reflect a lack of talent. Those who can’t defend, hold. We are in part paying the penalty today for our personnel decisions over the past five years, including the salary cap issues created by granting huge contracts to underperforming stars. Poor coaching, a lack of talent, and salary cap issues together reflect an even deeper cause for our current malaise: deficiencies in team management. What we have said here for years is now obvious to all.
Jay
September 30, 2014 at 9:31 pm
Obviously I react harshly immediately after a loss…obviously I would not wish for harm to come to Tomlin or any player. However, with objectivity back in place and emotions in check, I retain my stance that he has been and currently is a vastly overrated coach. This is not sky falling or panic button pushing sentiment. This dates back to 2009 when he said he was going to unleash hell and commenced to lose five in a row, eradicating any playoff hopes. It’s NOT just the fact that he/they lost five in a row but it’s how it went down. It’s kinda like an intangible, unmeasurable feeling you get when you are finely tuned into the pulse of your team as a fan like I and many others are. I started to not have confidence in the team coming to play or being prepared. The Steelers ALWAYS, ALWAY, ALWAYS used to out hustle and muscle their opponents win lose or draw. They’d ALWAYS be more up for a game than whoever they went up against. Now, in the past five plus years, I ALWAYS get the feeling to almost expect them to be outmotivated or out hyped by the opposition. I and WE all have been conditioned to the tune of this for the past five years roughly, three for sure. We get backed into a corner and come out swinging with good performances but then, when the dust settles and the smoke clears and we seemingly see light at the end of the tunnel, we come out time and time and time again and shit the bed against inferior competition. I say inferior because we have a top five quarterback with weapons and high round draft picks on the o line and, albeit young, high round draft picks on D too. people say we’re not a good team and that’s true but then they say it’s because we don’t have talent and that’s not true. Yeah, we’re not stacked scross the board but who is? When a fan loses a pulse of a team it might be just irrationality or misguided knowledge but when thousands of fans lose the pulse and ALL of us claim it as being because we don’t see the team as being up for a game over and over and over or because we ALL. dont see the same intensity and discipline on a weekly basis, then that’s not misguided or irrational but very very real! It is mike Tomlin who is responsible for this and his tenure in Pittsburgh should be terminated at the end of the season.
Jay
September 30, 2014 at 9:47 pm
Oh and by the way, I was more pissed over this loss than the New England AFC championship defeats or the loss to Green Bay in the super bowl. Why? Because at least we had gotten there and were competitive. But losing to Tampa at home when it feels like we might have turned the corner was a huge let down because it simply let me know that as long as Tomlin is the coach, this will continue indefinitely. And, not that it matters to anyone here but I have directv’s Sunday nfl ticket but haven’t decided if I am watching the Jax game yet or any of the remaining games the rest of the season yet. It’s Tuesday people and I am thinking clearly as most of us are but the rational, objective Jay pretty much believes it a waste of time to invest anything else in this team so long as Tomlin is the coach because it’s kind if like that old cliche, an exercise in futility. Im pretty much throwing the proverbial dirt on their graves this year which is a shame because in years past it was easy to do that when they had garbage quarterbacks but with BB it seems like such a wasted opportunity. Bottom line is players don’t respect, play hard for or allow themselves to be disciplined under Tomlin and it’s not changing like he said it will because it’s nothing new and has been going on now for AWHILE!!!! WAKE UP EVERYBODY FOR PETE’S SAKE!!!!!