Still room for improvement: Tomlin pushing Steelers to get better
Never a better time to coach your team up than after a 40-17 win.
So, Mike Tomlin offered up Tuesday what he wants to see better from his Steelers on Sunday night:
n One-on-one opportunities.
The first series against the Titans was an example. Adoree Jackson broke up a deep ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster, but on the next play Ben Roethlisberger threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown, who beat double coverage in the end zone. Still, the Steelers 鈥渉ave to do a better job of capitalizing on splash-play opportunities,鈥� said Tomlin.
n Missed tackles.
The Steelers allow the second-fewest points per game, but every fourth game or so they endure a cluster of missed tackles. Sean Davis and Rob Golden had multiple misses before the defense found its groove last Thursday. 鈥淚 thought that we had potential to be more dominant in the run game had we tackled better,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淭he same can be said for the big plays.鈥�
n Big plays.
Coming off a game in which the Indianapolis Colts scored on pass plays of 60 and 61 yards, the Steelers allowed the Titans a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half. It nearly eradicated a hard-earned nine-point lead and brought the Titans back into the game. 鈥淵ou are going to give up big plays from time to time, but we also missed some tackles on those big plays,鈥� Tomlin said.
GILBERT SUSPENSION
Tomlin said he 鈥渉ad no reaction鈥� to the news that his right tackle, Marcus Gilbert, drew a four-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing substance.
Gilbert apologized via social media and wrote that he 鈥渋nadvertently took a banned substance. I promise to come back in great shape and will be ready to play.鈥�
That蘑菇视频 if Chris Hubbard hasn鈥檛 Wally Pipp-ed Gilbert by then.
Hubbard has already started five games in place of Gilbert, who蘑菇视频 been struggling with a hamstring injury. The Steelers are 3-2 in those games, 4-2 if the win over Kansas City is considered. Gilbert left that game in the second quarter.
鈥淗e蘑菇视频 done an awesome job of upholding the standard,鈥� Tomlin said of Hubbard. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for him and excited to watch him meet the standard of expectation.鈥�
Hubbard蘑菇视频 loss shouldn鈥檛 alter any potential plans of using an offensive lineman as a tight end 鈥� a role in which Hubbard has excelled 鈥� because B.J. Finney has gained experience at it.
鈥淗e蘑菇视频 probably as accountable and solid in that area as Hubbard,鈥� Tomlin said.
SUTTON ACTIVATED
Cameron Sutton replaces Gilbert on the 53-man roster. A rookie cornerback, Sutton was the Steelers鈥� first third-round draft pick last April but injured his hamstring early in training camp before aggravating it in the fourth preseason game. He was placed on injured reserve, but on Tuesday the Steelers recalled him. Not that Tomlin蘑菇视频 in a rush to get him on the field.
鈥淲hat you see out here in a practice setting is one thing,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淲hat you see in a stadium oftentimes is something else. What somebody is capable of displaying in that setting may be very different than what they鈥檙e capable of displaying in an in-stadium setting.鈥�
Sutton played 27 snaps in two preseason games. He made six tackles with a quarterback hit and a pass breakup.
INJURIES
Just as Hubbard and Tyson Alualu have effectively relieved Gilbert and Stephon Tuitt this season, Coty Sensabaugh stepped in for cornerback Joe Haden against the Titans and 鈥渨as very much above the line, as we expected him to be,鈥� Tomlin said.
Sensabaugh intercepted a pass and will continue in place of Haden, about whom Tomlin did not reveal a timetable for a return from a fractured fibia.
Two questionable players this week are once again tight end Vance McDonald (knee) and free safety Mike Mitchell (ankle). Neither player was active against the Titans.
Listed amongst the 鈥渂umps and bruises鈥� 鈥� otherwise known as probable for Sunday night蘑菇视频 game 鈥� is Smith-Schuster, who 鈥渉as a small hammy injury.鈥�
UP NEXT: GREEN BAY
On Sunday night the Steelers host the Green Bay Packers, who鈥檝e lost four of five games since QB Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken clavicle. The Packers are averaging 13.4 points per game without Rodgers, and appeared completely inept on offense Sunday when they were shut out by the Baltimore Ravens.
However, Tomlin is stressing to his players that the Packers will improve on these points:
n Quarterback Brett Hundley has a passer rating of 63.3, which is better than only DeShone Kizer among league qualifiers. Tomlin expects the Packers 鈥渢o change the launch point in terms of pocket movement鈥� and throw more misdirection passes.
n Running backs Ty Montgomery (ribs) and Aaron Jones (knee) were injured two weeks ago and have been replaced by rookie fourth-round pick Jamaal Williams, who蘑菇视频 rushed for 124 yards (3.3 ypc.) the last two weeks. Williams is a 6-0, 213-pounder who was hurt in the draft by a history of injuries and off-the-field issues, but came back from a year off by rushing for 1,375 yards to become BYU蘑菇视频 all-time leading rusher last year.
n Tight end Martellus Bennett was surprisingly released three weeks ago after an injury dispute. The Packers have turned to veterans Lance Kendricks (10-140-1) and Richard Rodgers (6-54-0) the last two games.
鈥淭hey got an additional week to adjust to those variables,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淟ast week might simply have been a reflection of them finding their foot-balling under those circumstances.鈥�
The Packers do have established receivers in Davante Adams (50-620-6), Randall Cobb (39-405-1) and Jordy Nelson (35-382-6), and an 18th-ranked defense that蘑菇视频 11th against the run.