The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing their preparation for the Carolina Panther on Friday night. Since it is still the preseason, head coach Mike Tomlin once again spoke to reporters following practice on Tuesday. Even though it was somewhat brief, there was still enough to look at the players mentioned by Coach Tomlin during his media time. Remember these are current players where a specific question was asked during the Q&A period.
Najee Harris
With only one more preseason game to prepare, both the draftees and undrafted free agents from the 2021 class are set to see their first regular season action in a matter of weeks. Coach Tomlin was asked what he looks for any rookie to know that the situation is not too big for them. In his response, he mentioned Najee Harris by number (22).
“They run to the competition, not away from it. You guys have seen us work enough that you know what that looks like. You never have to look for 22 in competition periods. Not only does he seek reps, but he seeks the most competitive reps, and that’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking for guys, that run toward the competition.”
Cam Sutton
The Pittsburgh Steelers still have a lot of questions as to how they’re going to handle their secondary in 2021. Coach Tomlin was asked if the deployment of personnel in the secondary is about getting the best five players on the field or if it depends on the moving parts and where Cam Sutton ends up playing.
“So much of the game is situational, particularly as it pertains to the net or the backend. And so the best five or six, for the circumstance or situation, and notice that I said five or six because in today’s game—situational ball—sometimes it’s five, sometimes six. We’ve got to be versatile. And I think we got enough versatility in our collective skillset that allows us to kind of meet the twists and turns that those situations bring.”
Kendrick Green
In an interview earlier on Tuesday, Steelers third-round draft pick Kendrick Green talked about breaking down the film on a sack he surrendered in Week 1 of the preseason. Coach Tomlin was asked if he and Green had discussed the situation about the specific play where he gave up the sack.
“I’ll leave that between he and I. I don’t talk about our business in this forum, but I’m glad he’s properly motivated by his tape because our tape is our walking and talking and breathing resume. That’s all we have as professionals. And so it’s less about what we say and is more about what we do and the plays that we leave on tape is important.”
In a follow-up question, Coach Tomlin was asked how Green has been doing.
“He’s doing great.”
Stephon Tuitt
One player who most of Steelers’ Nation is anxiously awaiting an update on his progress is defense end Stephon Tuitt. Coach Tomlin was asked how Tuitt’s progress is coming. In only the way Coach Tomlin can, he gave the exact same answer that he did to the previous question.
“He’s doing great.”
A replay of Mike Tomlin’s interview can be seen on the Steelers YouTube channel HERE.
