Tomlin on Steelers final OTA session

[SteelCrazy]

Opening Comment: We did good work today in less than ideal weather conditions. Oftentimes in the fall and winter when we are working in our stadium, it is in less than ideal weather conditions. It was a good simulation day for us. We did a little red-zone work. I liked the energy and enthusiasm with the group. But all in all, it was just a good work day. We will push forward into next week with our next opportunity to take the grass and get better.

Any update on Ben Roethlisberger?
No. I released a statement post-surgery yesterday. There’s nothing new to add. He’s resting comfortably at home. We will get him in the building next week and proceed.

Re: Chemistry of quarterbacks without Ben Roethlisberger:
It’s football in shorts. It’s June, so we won’t read too much into that. Those guys made good use of the extra snaps provided for them today. That’s what this is about. This is a teach camp. It’s an opportunity for those guys to get more reps, and they did a nice job taking advantage of it.

Do you feel there is a gap in the team with Ben being gone?
Again, it’s June. So we aren’t overly concerned with that to be honest with you. We are undefeated like everybody else in the NFL.

[url]http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Tomlin-on-Steelers-final-OTA-session/340e3fa0-82e5-4b38-8342-3e92cd069a46[/url]

[hawaiiansteel]

Robinson: Steelers coach Tomlin says it’s time to shape up

By Alan Robinson
Saturday, June 8,2013

Fit and finish.

It's a Motor City term for how well a car goes together — do the hood and fenders blend together seamlessly? Does the dashboard rattle and shake? Was the carpet installed without seams showing, or was it thrown down as an afterthought?

What's evident during the Steelers' offseason practices is that coach Mike Tomlin didn't like the fit and finish of his 2012 model team.

He didn't believe it was fit, and he certainly didn't like how it finished games.

The Steelers' five losses by three points all occurred as the result of their uneven fourth quarters. They meant the difference between a team that was 8-8 despite splitting a pair of three-point games with the Super Bowl champion Ravens and one that might have gone 12-4 for a third consecutive season.

Talk about the fine line Bill Cowher always discussed.

“Four games we should have won. Do that, and we're 12-4, but that's how the league goes,” linebacker Larry Foote said. “The year before, we made the playoffs and we could have lost four games. The bottom line is we lost some games that we should have won and we didn't.”

The four games he likely meant were the losses to the Raiders (34-31), Titans (26-23), Browns (20-14) and/or the Ravens home game (13-10) and the overtime Cowboys game (27-24). The Steelers led in the fourth quarter of the Raiders, Titans and Cowboys games, plus a season-opening loss to the Broncos.

Given how incessantly Tomlin has preached the importance of conditioning this spring — it has been a daily theme, according to his players — he apparently believes that a lack of conditioning contributed to those close losses last season, plus the numerous injuries.

During postseason interviews in January, team president Art Rooney II emphasized that the organization's conditioning regimen would be examined. Apparently, it was, given the Steelers' adjustments to their daily practice routine.

“Conditioning has gone up a notch,” Foote said. “Everybody has to do stress tests. We're trying to get after it.”

Specifically, running back Isaac Redman said, “Before practice, we do a little different routine, try to get our bodies warmed up and not try to run right into practice, to try to prevent those little hamstring injuries. I've never done that since we've been here. It's kind of a new thing. It's working out. We don't see too many hamstring (problems).”

Of course, it's very early. But it was late in the games last season when the Steelers struggled, and it somewhat perpetuated the thinking among some in the NFL that an aging team had peaked and is past its prime.

They outscored their opponents, 91-70, in the fourth quarter, but that's a misleading statistic. Of their 16 lost fumbles, six came in the fourth quarter, as did six of their 14 interceptions.

And there's this: Steelers opponents threw only one touchdown pass and had four interceptions in the first quarter but had five TD passes and two interceptions in the fourth.

And Steelers opponents threw 12 touchdown passes and only one interception and completed seven passes of 25 yards or more when losing. By comparison, the Steelers had 12 touchdown passes but 10 interceptions when behind.

Apparently as a result, players said Tomlin has emphasized the necessity of being a more disciplined team that controls the ball, the clock and the lead in the fourth quarter. That's where conditioning partly comes in because tired teams often are mistake-prone teams.

“The plan starting now is to have discipline in the fourth quarter of games,” safety Ryan Clark said.

Better late than never.

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#ixzz2Viy29Ks1[/URL]

[thor75]

Robinson: Steelers coach Tomlin says it’s time to shape up
Specifically, running back Isaac Redman said, “Before practice, we do a little different routine, try to get our bodies warmed up and not try to run right into practice, to try to prevent those little hamstring injuries. I've never done that since we've been here. It's kind of a new thing. It's working out. We don't see too many hamstring (problems).”

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#ixzz2Viy29Ks1[/URL]

I find this very surprising. Little to no warm-up? I would think this probably accounts for a lot of the muscle pulls and tendon injuries that has been plaguing them. Glad to see they are implementing some corrective actions.
Seems a lot of teams are planning for more up tempo games this offseason, the emphasis on conditioning could pay off.

[Shawn]

I find this very surprising. Little to no warm-up? I would think this probably accounts for a lot of the muscle pulls and tendon injuries that has been plaguing them. Glad to see they are implementing some corrective actions.
Seems a lot of teams are planning for more up tempo games this offseason, the emphasis on conditioning could pay off.

I was thinking the same thing, practice with little to no warm up? Are these guys not professionals? Sounds insane to me.

[bostonsteeler]

I find this very surprising. Little to no warm-up? I would think this probably accounts for a lot of the muscle pulls and tendon injuries that has been plaguing them. Glad to see they are implementing some corrective actions.
Seems a lot of teams are planning for more up tempo games this offseason, the emphasis on conditioning could pay off.

Well, the evidence that warm up prior to exercise reduces injury is inconclusive.
[URL]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16679062[/URL]

So while it made sense to warm up, it isnt clear that that was what was responsible for the injuries.

[steelz09]

Well, the evidence that warm up prior to exercise reduces injury is inconclusive.
[URL]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16679062[/URL]

So while it made sense to warm up, it isnt clear that that was what was responsible for the injuries.

No offense but why does there need to be "studies" or "stats" to back everything up? What happened to a little bit of common freakin' sense in this world. Warming up helps avoid injuries. Period.

Anyone that has played a sport or even went to a gym could tell you that and they don't need to have some "study" to prove it. What's next?

[BURGH86STEEL]

No offense but why does there need to be "studies" or "stats" to back everything up? What happened to a little bit of common freakin' sense in this world. Warming up helps avoid injuries. Period.

Anyone that has played a sport or even went to a gym could tell you that and they don't need to have some "study" to prove it. What's next?

Evidence based practice. It's better to have some evidence to back up practices then to just assume a practice works. Some evidence suggests that warming up or stretching don't prevent injuries. Athletes and people that stretch and warm up suffer injuries all the time. It is what it is.

I think injuries happen more due to the rigors and harshness of a particular sport.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Has Tomlin ever said anything at all interesting? I have never heard someone say so much, with so little learned by what they are saying.

[Oviedo]

Has Tomlin ever said anything at all interesting? I have never heard someone say so much, with so little learned by what they are saying.

Which is exactly his intent. No different than Bellichek.

Tomlin recognizes that the media is a necessary evil. They add nothing to what he is trying to accomplish and he has zero obligation to provide them insights so message board warriors such as ourselves have something to talk about.

[squidkid]

Has Tomlin ever said anything at all interesting? I have never heard someone say so much, with so little learned by what they are saying.

yet you have 'fans' on here gushing over his talk, interpreting it and using his dumb ass cliches. so obviously it fools some people