While the Pittsburgh Steelers won't hit the grass until Thursday morning, HC Mike Tomlin was already in midseason form at the podium on Wednesday.
Serving almost as new student orientation, Coach T touched on a variety of topics in his: "Back to school" address.
Perhaps most pertinent was the Steelers' QB situation, though acting as the seasoned vet he is, Coach T wasn't falling for any leading questions.
Coach Tomlin shys away from the allocation of QB reps
"Nothing has changed," said Coach Tomlin when asked if Russell Wilson was still in pole position at starting QB. "Very carefully," added Coach Tomlin when asked about the division of labor in terms of reps at the QB position. "You guys think I'm going to actually back myself into a corner so you guys can ask me daily about the rep allocations...No way I've been on the job too long for that."
Coach T is being a good sport here, but we have months of data to suggest which way the reps will go, and it's clearly in Russell Wilson's favor. That's not to say Justin Fields won't get in where he fits in, but the pecking order is clear when analyzing the depth chart.
New kickoff rule citing as reasoning behind joint practice with Bills
“Particularly with the new kickoff I am just interested in getting in some work with some other people,” Tomlin said, referencing the league's decision to adopt a UFL-style kickoff. “Most of the time when you do joint practices a lot of it is about special teams and young guys getting intense work, and that’s the spirit in which we are going into it."
The Steelers have been taking the implementation of the new rule seriously, but the same cannot be said for the man they hired to return said kicks, Cordarrelle Patterson. It hasn't been smooth sailing for the former Pro Bowler and one of the best returners in league history and that continued on Wednesday when he was placed on the Non-Football Injury list.
Pittsburgh and Patterson will need all the practice they can get.
Tomlin not concerned with Hard Knocks
“I am not overly concerned about (potential distractions from the T.V. series), to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said. “The (teams) that we compete most intimately with are faced with the same issues, so from that standpoint it is fair...
"...We will get to it when we get to it. There’s just too many challenges in front of us right now for me to be overly preoccupied with that.”
The Steelers along with the rest of the AFC North will be featured on the hit series during the in-season portion of the show. It will begin on December 3rd and run through the end of the season.
Expect fireworks from Tomlin and the crew come the Holidays.
