It’s back by popular demand! Yes, it is a return to look at the players mentioned at Mike Tomlin’s press conferences, but most importantly is the return of Coach Tomlin speaking to the media. With the rarity that Steelers training camp is in 2020, it’s hard to say how often we’ll hear from Coach Tomlin. But when we do, you can bet we’ll cover it here at Behind the Steel Curtain.
During Thursday’s virtual interview, coach Tomlin was asked questions about specific players regarding the upcoming season. These players are not the ones Tomlin raised himself, but are specifically players Tomlin was asked questions about. As you can see, some answers are exhaustive, while others extracted more than one “no answer”.
After the season-ending eblow surgery in 2019, everyone wants to see Ben Roethlisberger’s progression. Coach Tomlin was asked if he had a chance to see Roethlisberger pitch the day before at Heinz Field, as offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner suggested.
“We didn’t throw it here yesterday. We’ve really focused on getting to know these youngsters, but he’s obviously been pitching. That launch went well. We like where it is. We have no reservation about him being a fluent participant in this training camp process. “
The Steelers added a former first-round pick to tight end Eric Ebron during the offseason. Coach Tomlin was asked if he had not yet met with Ebron and whether his addition would allow the Steelers to run multiple tight end sets.
“We are familiar with Ebron’s talent. We’ve played a lot since he was in the league. We are excited to purchase it and add it to our offensive mix. He is a talented boy with a unique set of skills for his position. We are excited to play a role and highlight those talents. Some of them may include multiple groups of tight-end personnel. Some of them may not. That is something that will be resolved through this process. It is a viable receiving option and we are excited to become familiar with the usage. ”
Another player looking to bounce back from his 2019 season is reverer JuJu Smith-Schuster. Coach Tomlin was asked that the staff spoke to JuJu Smith-Schuster about where he can improve his game, regardless of which quarterback is throwing the ball to him.
“JuJu and the rest of the veterans are still in the testing stage. We haven’t started the formal process with those guys, so those kinds of conversations that you suggest haven’t happened to this point in any formal way. “
A portion of Mike Tomlin’s interview can be viewed here with the entire session available on the Steelers YouTube channel:
Coach Tomlin spoke to the media about the rookies’ preparation and development, Ben Roethlisberger’s progress, Eric Ebron’s addition and more. @ OurFordStore
– Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 30, 2020
