Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin holds his weekly press conferences every Tuesday. Each week, we will take a glimpse at what stood out from coach’s comments about the previous week and heading into the Steelers next game.

Opening Statement

Good afternoon. We met as a football team yesterday at two o’clock and basically the outline of that meeting was it was a very disappointing end to an outstanding season. We talked about that some. We talked about the game. We talked about how we move forward individually and collectively. We also talked about the appreciation for the journey that we were able to walk.

I probably like to just start with that. I am extremely appreciative of these players and coaches of their efforts. It was a wild, challenging and fun ride as it always is. I am appreciative of the support we get from our fans and this city. I am appreciative of those things. We had a wild ride. We were able to accomplish a lot of things. Some things that we set out to do. We realize that our ball goes through the AFC North. We met the charge in that regard. We wanted to position ourselves as strongly as we could in playoff football to make the ball go through Pittsburgh, Pa. We were able to get a bye and that nature.

It ended the way it ended and looking back at it there is nothing that we can do about that but learn from the experience. We didn’t play winning football last weekend and there are consequences of that, we understand that. Oftentimes the people that care about us talk about putting perspective on it. It not being the most important thing in the world and so forth. I get that, they get that, but it doesn’t lessen the will that we have. The commitment that we have toward and that is blessing and for that I am thankful. They are thankful, but it also doesn’t lessen the hurt that comes with it. When you are not successful and we’ve learned to embrace that element of it, too, because it is real.

So, at the appropriate time they will all process it in their own ways. We will, too. Hopefully that strengthens us for our next journey. We understand that some of us will be on this journey and some of us are not. That is the nature of it. That’s why we have the type of urgency that we have. That is why we have the type of appreciation for what one another is willing to do in the midst of the journey. Those of us that have been on multiple journeys we know that none of them are the same. That there are always going to be changes and that is just life but it’s also life from football and we embrace that.

We are going through our same end of the year type procedures that we go through. Exit meetings and physicals and so forth. Starting the assessment process. How we end this is very critical in terms of how we behind the next one so you do not want to be in a hurry to end it even though it can be uncomfortable and painful and so forth. It’s important that we turn the stones over and gather information and really assess.

So that is what we are in the process of what we are doing. It’s not a short process and by no means in the business of rushing it. I started this morning meeting with rookie players first and assess what has transpired with them and building from there. It will continue.

We have medical things we need to address. I do not have a lot of details there. Some of you guys know that guys are dealing with ongoing things. Some of those things may have been scheduled. One that comes to mind I think Tyler Matakevich is scheduled for shoulder surgery on Wednesday.

Some of the other stuff is obviously a lot more tentative. We have to check those boxes as well and we will but simply just going through the normal procedure and not underscoring that. It’s important that we do a good job of that because really defines the start of the next journey. And let’s face it, that’s all we have because this journey is over. There is formality in it and as abruptly as it ends, we understand it and embrace it.

Do you expect your coaching staff to come back next year?

I don’t know where these roads are going to lead. Some conversations need to be had. Some contracts are up, some contracts aren’t. I am not ready to discuss that at this point. Part of gaining that understanding is those conversations and so forth so you’ll hear about them as they unfold. I’m sure if there is anything to be heard but not there yet, no.

Re: Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley’s relationship moving forward:

I’m gathering information on all relationships and things of that nature. That’s what this assessment is about so I am not ready to state opinions about the nature of any of our relationships whether I am assessing in terms of what transpired or what’s going to transpire moving forward. That is the process that I am in right now.

Are you happy with the way the offense has developed with Todd Haley?

Again, I am not going to have a lot of definitive answers for you guys because I do not want to provide you misinformation. Some of the things, some of the details, whether we are talking about offense, or defense, or special teams, or roads within it or personnel. I have very definitive positions on and information about. Some of it I understand that I am not privy to all circumstances and information during a course of a journey so I am letting others deliver information to me. I am gathering information. I am providing information to help to those individuals that I am talking to in terms of what they need to do. It’s all a good process for me. One that I take very seriously and look forward to learning and gathering so some of these things I am just not quite frankly ready to talk about it in really strong ways at this point.

What criteria do you use when evaluating a coaching staff?

We are all a product of the end result. It starts there, whether it is players or coaches. We are what the record says we are so it starts there but then it’s also you’re will. Players and coaches, what are you willing to do. I know what you are capable of or I have a pretty good assessment of what men are capable but what you are capable of very rarely defines you in this business whether you are a player or coach. What you are willing to do is what defines you and what you are willing to do on a consistent basis. How selfless are you? How willing are you to put our goals and agenda in front of anything that might be on your checklist of to do list so those are general things that assess of all people that put their hand into the pile with. Whether it is player, coach, support personnel, training staff, equipment staff, medical staff. I take really generally the same approach to evaluate all people.

Is Hines Ward in line to replace Richard Mann as a receiver coach?

Again, I’m not willing to talk about anybody being in line for anything. I have yet to visit with Richard Mann. So that is where it starts for me.

What is the status of Mike Munchak and the Arizona Cardinals?

He’s been on an interview. I don’t know what’s next or if there is anything next. Oftentimes those people hold those cards and they are probably equipped to answer that than myself for sure.

Do you think some of the Patriots success comes from the ability to make other teams obsess over them?

I don’t know that. That’s not tangible. That is somewhat mystical. I don’t know how you measure that. I know they do some tangible things well that need to be addressed and that probably has a lot to do with why they are successful.

With Ben Roethlisberger coming back does that help go into your preparation in the offseason?

Ben [Roethlisberger] is under contract so we proceed with that assumption. We proceeded with that assumption a year ago.

Would you make the quarterback sneak more a part of the offense?

That’s one of the best things about that guy. His will is continually on display particularly at those critical moments. He wants to be the guy. He wants to be the reason why. I work to not discipline that, I encourage that, I appreciate that but then we make decisions that we deem appropriate in circumstances so it may include what you talked about. It may not include what you talked about. Sometimes coming to those decisions has nothing to do with his skillset or what he is willing to do. It might just be based on what the opponent does. Those are decisions that we have to make. It’s really not anything extraordinary about it. It’s just a part of ball.

In retrospect, did Le’Veon Bell’s contract holdout cause him to start slowly at all?

He’s better equipped to answer that than I am. I thought he played great. I thought it was exemplified by the consistency of his play over the course of the season and the fact that he’s First Team All-Pro. You can judge from there.

Why have you guys gone away from the quarterback sneak?

I don’t know that we have. Whether or not we choose to call it in a specific moment is up for debate, but to suggest that there’s a resistance to it in concept, I’m not willing to say that.

Would you like the players to be less active on social media or talking before games?

I have teenage kids who are 16 and 17, so I understand that that’s a part of this world. It’s not the world I grew up in. I’m 45, so I’m learning to understand it, learning to do it in the appropriate ways. I think that’s the discussion. I think that’s the realistic discussion, whether we’re talking about young players or we’re just talking about young people. Social media and the things that come with it aren’t going anywhere, and 45-year-olds like myself that work to understand it and understand the positive aspects of it and work to train younger people to utilize it and utilize it for good. I think that’s the discussion.

How much of an issue will it be for you not to attend the Senior Bowl with your staff because of the Pro Bowl?

We lose something there, but we lost something there because we were playing a year ago. So, I didn’t necessarily plan to be in Mobile [Ala.].

What goes into the thinking of some of the 4th-and-1 calls and the on-side kick?

I know analytically they probably fall into the lower percentages and things of that nature, but if I err, I’m always going to err on the side of taking action to win. I think my guys know that about me. I think more importantly than knowing that about me, they expect that from me. I don’t fear failure. I’m going to do what’s required to pursue victory, even if it comes across as unconventional. I’m certainly not going to steer away from decision-making for fear of ridicule. Those guys put a lot on the line when we step in stadiums to play. I, in turn, am responsible to put a lot on the line and embrace doing so. So, I understand when things don’t work out, there’s criticisms that are associated with it. I embrace that, but I go to work every day with men who lay a lot on the line when they step in stadiums as well. And I’m just going to provide the same efforts that they provide me.

How helpful is it to have a guy like Shaun Sarrett if offensive line coach Mike Munchak does leave?

I’m not anticipating and getting into that dance. You can dance that dance. I’m in assessment mode. We’ve got some good people here, people who work hard. I’m appreciative of that. These are necessary conversations that go on this time of year. Whether someone goes or stays and so forth. Very natural in our business. I just don’t have a lot of detail at this juncture.

What is Richard Mann’s legacy to you?

We’ve covered a lot of ground together. The first world championship I was a part of, I was a secondary coach, he was a wide outs coach, so obviously there’s a cooperative workspace there. I was a young assistant. He was a seasoned assistant. It’s been a pleasure to work with that guy on a lot of fronts, but professionally, personally, I’ve learned a lot from him. I also realize that efforts from guys like him have provided opportunities for guys like me. When he was coming up, I’m sure, carving out a niche for himself in this business, opportunities like I had weren’t afforded to African American coaches. And so, I’m appreciative of guys like Richard Mann on a lot of levels, not only in terms of what he’s done and what he’s capable of doing, but maybe some of the hurdles that he overcame provided opportunities for guys like me and I’m sensitive and appreciative of that and on that level as well.

What do you say to the perception that you were looking ahead to opponents this year?

I can’t worry about those things, guys. One of the things that’s changing in our business is the attention, the media attention, and part of it is the development of social media and things of that nature. So, I’m fortunate enough and I’ve been in it long enough that I realize that it’s changing in some ways and some of the norms are changing, and we’ve got to change with it. And so, I’m less resistant to old norms. I’m not worried about those type of things because they’re irrelevant. The amount of attention that we all get is 10-fold what it was 10, 15 years ago. To try to keep that Jell-o in the box is a waste of time, and really kind of fruitless. We don’t spend a lot of time worrying what’s said about us or misinterpretations of what we say. We simply go about our work, and what’s important is what we say to one another. If it doesn’t come from one man to another, we don’t give it much thought or attention, we don’t. We realize oftentimes it may create a storm around us, but that’s not us. We don’t care. We can’t care. We can’t control it anyway. It’s an impossibility in today’s professional sports climate. So that’s my soapbox.

How do you change with the times?

I care less. We focus on what we do in preparation and ultimately our play, and we understand it as such. Some of it quite frankly is just, you know, a joke. I could get asked about something in here and I could say I have no comment, and then it’s like, well, I denied something. No, I just didn’t have a comment. I can’t dance that dance. I can’t waste time in my day worried about that. There’s too much real stuff going on, tangible things, preparation things, role things, workplace things that are real as opposed to perceived or interpreted or potential. That’s just how it is. I’m sure we’re not different from anybody else in that light. We’re probably more upfront in talking about it than the others, but that’s just how we chose to deal with it. People have different modes of operation in terms of dealing with the things that they deal with in this business, things that are part of this business. That’s just our developing mentality. We’re just not overly concerned with things that you might think we would be because it’s a waste of our time.

Cameron Heyward expressed that he was disappointed that the team didn’t go further this year dawning their patches in honor of late owner Ambassador Dan Rooney, but that there is enough to pull on there for next year, too. Do you feel the same way?

We cannot win enough games to pay tribute to that man. We can’t stack enough Lombardi Trophies in there to adequately pay tribute to that man. So, I share his sentiments, but if the confetti would’ve rained on us and we would’ve walked off with the Lombardi, it still probably doesn’t express my appreciation for all that he’s given me. Everybody has an opinion, everybody has a perception, and I respect that. But what he’s provided me personally, I can’t win enough games, I can’t win enough championships. That was just a symbol of our appreciation for the standard he’s provided us, the legacy he’s provided us, the leadership, friendship, whatever he’s provided us. It was a token of our appreciation. The outcome of games and stuff are not going to meet the standard.

Mike Mitchell, according to the Jaguars, was yelling stuff outside their locker room. Is that something that shouldn’t happen?

I’m not commenting on stuff like that. That’s part of what I was talking about in today’s climate that’s really kind of irrelevant to me. I’d imagine Jacksonville isn’t concerned about it as they prepare to play New England, so what are we talking about.

Yesterday, Martavis Bryant made it clear that he felt a change in the middle of the season and he wants to stay here. What did you see change with him in that time?

It was just a natural evolution of understanding the roles and the development roles that happen over the course of a season whether it’s him or anyone else. Part of being a team on the rise is each man gaining understanding in those areas and embracing it and making it special. What he went through isn’t any different than what these guys go through. Some of it is more public that others. Some of it’s not. That’s the journey of the season.

Re: The opportunity for you to coach in the Pro Bowl:

I’m really excited about it. To get an opportunity to work with guys who are honored as the best in the business, to spend some intimate moments with them, to enjoy them – it’s awesome. I haven’t been to the Pro Bowl in a lot of years. It’s a great environment to be in. To spend time with the best in the world at what they do, to watch that comradery, to be a part of that is a special thing and an honor.

How many of your players do you expect to be coaching in the Pro Bowl?

I haven’t thought a lot about it. I guess I’ll find out or get thinking along those lines here as it gets closer. I think I fly out next Tuesday. In the meantime, I’ve just really been focused on some of this housekeeping that we’ve been talking about over the last 24-48 hours.

Do you have any more information on Ryan Shazier?

Nothing has changed there. He’s fighting and fighting every day. We’re probably going to have more time to support him, and I’m sure guys are doing that. It’s less formal and just more appropriate right now. He’s a teammate and a brother. Guys have acted appropriately so. The 2017 season is over, but obviously he’s in the midst of a fight, and we’re going to continue to support him daily in that.

Before the final touchdown, were you happy with the pace that the offense moved on the field?

The pace was necessary. Obviously, it was uncomfortable because of the game circumstance. Sometimes you’ve got no control over it because of positions that you put yourself in. We were moving at as good of pace as we could, but obviously the position we were in was not ideal.

Transcript provided by the Pittsburgh Steelers