Mike Tomlin’s Post-Game Comments After The 31-10 Loss To Cleveland

Opening statement:

“I complement those guys (the Browns) on a well-played game. We didn’t do the job today, that’s the reality of it. We didn’t produce points that reflected the way we possessed the ball and the yards that we gathered. We missed the opportunity to put points on the board because we mishandled the field goal snap. Obviously, particularly in the first half, we gave up big plays that flipped the field and produced points. There were two catches for about 100 yards and 14 points. We got some in the third quarter, but we were penalized and that produced the drive, so we have got to play better. You also have to acknowledge that they (Browns) played well. They executed their plan better than we executed ours, and for that I give them credit. We have got to swallow this one and we will. Hopefully it will be a learning experience for us moving forward, but obviously it is what it is today.”

On player injuries:

“(NT) Steve McLendon has a shoulder sprain, (S) Mike Mitchell has a knee sprain and (DE) Brett Keisel has a knee sprain. Those guys are being evaluated. A couple of the guys that went down during the game were able to go back into the game. We’ll see what those guys look like within the next couple of days or so.”

On what happened defensively after holding Cleveland in the first quarter:

“They hit two 50-yard plays. They had the throw back to the tight end that took them down to the 4 yard line and scored on the next play. Then they hit a pass when the tight end got behind us on a 3rd-and-2 for a touchdown. You can’t give up big plays. It changed the flow of the game in a positive way for them (Browns) and a negative way for us. You couple that with missing an opportunity to put points on the board prior to that possession because we botched a field goal operation. So, we failed on several fronts.”

On why the Steelers ran so much early in the game:

“We were running it effectively. I think we were 4.5 yards for the day. I think we were better than that in the early stages of the game. We’re going to run the football because we can, and we will. We’ve got good backs. That’s always going to be part of our operations.”

On if he is frustrated with the production of the offense:

“I think I’m frustrated like we all are because we are capable of moving the ball and possessing the ball but the points aren’t reflective of that. We’ve got to knuckle up and get better in some situational areas, particularly in the red zone and goal line.”

On if he is convinced that he is taking the right approach and right personnel offensively:

“I am sure of it but we are not executing. We’ve got to look at all areas. We missed some throws. We had people in position to make plays who didn’t. The bottom line is that we came up short in that area and we can’t.”

On if they anticipated seeing the two long passes to the tight end:

“I think the tight end hit a 40-yard catch on us in the first possession of the first game. We know that he is a vertical tight end but our play didn’t reflect that. We’ve got to give them credit and obviously we’ve got to get back to work.”