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Ed: Q & A with Mike Tomlin
MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 2011 15:29 WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE
Three of us had a sit-down interview with Mike Tomlin this afternoon. Here is the Q & A from that.
Q: What have you been doing since season ended?
A: “More than anything we’ve been wrapping a bow around the season, reviewing our players’ performances and having exit interviews with those guys, specifically rookies and guys whose contracts are up. I visited with all of those guys and really just starting the preparation for the Combine, starting to get a snap shot of what this class is about, starting first and foremost with the 60 guys I’m scheduled to interview in Indy.”
Q: Have you hired a secondary coach?
A: “No, really I’m just still in the information gathering process. I’m in no hurry to be honest with you. I want to make sure that we hire the right man and that has no timetable.”
Q: Have you interviewed anyone and is Chuck Cecil one of them?
A: “I know that that was reported but I have not interviewed Chuck.”
Q. Do you expect all of your coaches [except Ray Horton] back?
A. I do.
Q: Any veterans that you’ve talked to that have let you know they’re not coming back? Flozell Adams specifically
A: “No, and not that I’ve even asked those questions at this point. It’s probably too early in the process to have those discussion. I know veteran players go through the decision making process every year, and a lot of it has to do with health and just time away. I’m sure there will be an appropriate time for those discussions but at this time I’m going to assume that they’re all in.”
Q: Do you want Flozell back?
A: “Yeah, I think he did a nice job for us. He’s a good teammate, we had a very productive year.”
Q: Did he get better as the year went on?
A: He did but he was a pretty quick study. He was a quicker study than one would anticipate but there’s no question you saw that he got comfortable as the season went on and I imagine that there is a learning curve as far as swapping sides.
Q: What do you want to get accomplished in Indy?
A: “For me, I’m looking at pedigree that jumps out at me, things you can’t coach. And just start the process of getting to know the draft class personally, what makes them tick, their issues and things of that nature. Just start the information-gathering process in terms of putting together a profile on these guys. But in terms of the physical activity I’m just simply looking at pedigree.”
Q: What does that mean?
A: It means their God-given athletic ability. Their ability to control their body, their ability to move through awkward movements, the things that aren’t necessarily football related but are athlete or pedigree related.
Q: What are you looking for in the meetings?
A: Most of the time it’s just information gathering and it’s just the beginning process of building a profile on each individual player and that’s about all that you can get accomplished in 15 minutes. Sometimes they go in other directions based on information that you have about them going into it, if somebody’s had an off the field incident or if somebody’s had an highly publicized on the field incident or academic issues or what have you. If there’s some background that needs to be discussed up front, sometimes that’s capable of taking over the meeting.
Q: Do you look at cornerback as a position of need?
A: At this point in the process I’m trying to, more than anything, get a sense of what the class is about, the strengths of the class. No question we’re going to have an interest in corner but I don’t know that there’s been a year that I’ve been here that I can’t say that.
Q: Is it strong for corners?
A: I don’t go on what I hear, I go on what I see and I haven’t gotten to corners yet.
Q: What are you looking for when looking at cornerback prospects?
A: Pedigree, it starts there. It is a physically taxing position. You have to have a great deal of God-given ability and belief in that. Now how do you measure their belief in their ability? Not by what they say but by what you see on tape: how they play, how they respond to positive things, how they respond to negative things. All of that helps you build a profile if you will.
Q: Are there young cornerbacks on the roster that can help you, specifically Keenan Lewis and Crezdon Butler?
A: Absolutely. I don’t view those guys any differently than I view any of the young guys that we have in other positions. We expect those guys to improve, to be better players in 2011 and take the necessary steps to do so. That doesn’t mean that we might not present them with some competition. That’s part of it. Same things can be said for Jason Worilds and Stevenson Sylvester.
Q: Keenan seemed to have a good camp and then fell off. Have you put a finger on what happened to him?
A: Probably more than anything else it’s opportunity-oriented. He didn’t get a bunch of opportunities. He did some down the stretch and the playoffs and did OK with it. By contrast a guy like Ziggy Hood had a good opportunity and got better with snaps. I expect all of these guys to improve when given an opportunity. When and how they get that opportunity is sometimes out of their control. I have no issues with how those two young men work and how they prepare themselves.
Q: Does uncertain labor situation change any of your plans?
A:I’m hanging loose like everybody else in football.
Q: If everything is normal when will offseason workouts start?
A: I haven’t even begun to discuss the potential possibilities. I have a skeleton of a calendar and I’m in wait-and-see mode like everyone else.
Q: Will you treat it like the last time you had a Super Bowl, where you bring in the veterans later?
A. It just depends on when we start.
Q: How long did it take you to get over the Super Bowl loss to starting work on 2011 season?
A: When you’re in my position, there’s not a lot of time to lick your wounds. It just isn’t. I made sure the staff is getting ample time to refresh but I’ve got to turn the page and catch up to what Kevin (Colbert) and his group has done. The information they’ve given me has helped and been good but I enjoy it. It’s new and different for me. It’s a new challenge and this process kind of helps me turn the page.
Q. On poor record of SB losers the following season. Do you believe in that?
A. You know I don’t. We’ll be there. We’ll be there.
Q. If Flozell comes back, is Willie Colon a candidate to play guard?
A. You know, I thnk there’s a lot of questions, a lot of unanswered questions involving that. First and foremost, of course, is Willie Colon’s presence. He’s scheduled to be a free agent and we have labor agreement issues and things of that nature. Those are problems I’d like to consider at some point.
Q. Will he be healthy and can you update us on the health of your team?
A. Health is not going to be an injury with Willie Colon, it really isn’t. He sustained that injury last summer. So when you talk about is it a concern or is it going to be an issue, you put your eye toward training camp and the regular season and it’s going to be a non-factor.
All of those guys who sustained injuries, there’s nothing that gives us an indication that they’re going to be an ongoing issue or problem moving forward in terms of getting in the way of football. and those are all of those guys who got injured, dating back to last summer and through the season.
Q. Can Limas Sweed still compete?
A. – Certainly, certainly. His competition is getting stiff. I think we’ve acquired some guys since we’ve acquired him that have proven that they’re capable of playing NFL football. So from that standpoint, I’m sure it’s not a comfortable situation but it is a competition.
Q. Is it now or never for him?
A. – I don’t live in that world, man. I’m interested in the guys who are capable of helping us win.
Q. Other sugeries?
A. – I haven’t seen a surgery that hasn’t been a success, you know what I mean? [James Harrison had surgery] this morning. Again, it was a success. James got done. Hines got cleaned up. We had some minor stuff – bone spurs and things of that nature. Nick Eason, bone spurs on his foot.
Q. Is Aaron Smith good?
a. Yes.
Q. Was that worth the gamble, even though he did not play?
A. Absolutely. That’s just a level of respect that we have for what he’s capable of as a player, and probably equally as important what he is as a man or member of this team. I think there is intrinsic value in that, there’s an element of it you can’t measure. If I had to do it over I would do it again. What am I going to do replace him with a guy that I’m going to have inactive? No, I’m not doing that. If ever there ever were a situation where I thought someone that we acquired had an opportunity to help us and be put in a uniform then I would have considered it. But I wasn’t going to put himdown for an inactive type.
Q. Aaron tell you he wants to come back?
A. Yes.
Q. You want all 4 QBs back?
A. Yes. Why not? That’s a good problem to have, isn’t it? We needed all 4 of them. We did, unfortunately. I don’t fear competition and I don’t think any of those men do either. It was a really good experience. Of course, it’s not a slam-dunk that that’s a good experience when you’re in those situations, but I think that group and who they are as people and how they interact and realte I think makes it fun and special. All of those guys have been awesome.
Q. did losing Ben those first 4 weeks have positive effect on team?
A. You know anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. So in hindsight, you can say a lot of things in hindsight. To me that’s one of those hindsight examples of things you can point to and take it in whatever direction you want to take it. It was an obstacle. And something we had to deal with if we wanted tob e successful. We found a way to navigate the waters and it was one of the many reasons, in my opinion, why we were successful.
Q. Can you keep Harrison and Woodley long term?
A. I don’t want to get into speculating with free agency and so forth. Obviously we have a franchise tag on LaMarr, so we’re going to have both of those guys for 2011. But to say anything other than that would be a stretch.
Q. No. 3 favorite to win Super bowl, will you be back in it?
A. Our intentions have not and will not change. We have a desire to compete for a world championship each and every year. We’re going to be unwavering in that pursuit.
Q. Anticipate much in free agency?
A. It could be interesting, and the only reason I say that is because it always is. It’s just too early in the process of our team building as we sit here today for me to kind of forecast or speculate on the necessary moves that are going to have to happen. Those things are going to occur over the course of many meetings over the next several weeks, two months, particularly with the questions of when that process is going to happen. We’ll see.
Q. Are you optimistic you will have Ike Taylor next season?
A. I’m optimistic about a lot of things. I’m just an optimistic guy.
Q. What about your offensive line regarding the draft?
A. Any position you name I’m going to look at really hard.
[url="http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/108220-ed-q-a-a-with-mike-tomlin"]http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/inde ... ike-tomlin[/url]
MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 2011 15:29 WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE
Three of us had a sit-down interview with Mike Tomlin this afternoon. Here is the Q & A from that.
Q: What have you been doing since season ended?
A: “More than anything we’ve been wrapping a bow around the season, reviewing our players’ performances and having exit interviews with those guys, specifically rookies and guys whose contracts are up. I visited with all of those guys and really just starting the preparation for the Combine, starting to get a snap shot of what this class is about, starting first and foremost with the 60 guys I’m scheduled to interview in Indy.”
Q: Have you hired a secondary coach?
A: “No, really I’m just still in the information gathering process. I’m in no hurry to be honest with you. I want to make sure that we hire the right man and that has no timetable.”
Q: Have you interviewed anyone and is Chuck Cecil one of them?
A: “I know that that was reported but I have not interviewed Chuck.”
Q. Do you expect all of your coaches [except Ray Horton] back?
A. I do.
Q: Any veterans that you’ve talked to that have let you know they’re not coming back? Flozell Adams specifically
A: “No, and not that I’ve even asked those questions at this point. It’s probably too early in the process to have those discussion. I know veteran players go through the decision making process every year, and a lot of it has to do with health and just time away. I’m sure there will be an appropriate time for those discussions but at this time I’m going to assume that they’re all in.”
Q: Do you want Flozell back?
A: “Yeah, I think he did a nice job for us. He’s a good teammate, we had a very productive year.”
Q: Did he get better as the year went on?
A: He did but he was a pretty quick study. He was a quicker study than one would anticipate but there’s no question you saw that he got comfortable as the season went on and I imagine that there is a learning curve as far as swapping sides.
Q: What do you want to get accomplished in Indy?
A: “For me, I’m looking at pedigree that jumps out at me, things you can’t coach. And just start the process of getting to know the draft class personally, what makes them tick, their issues and things of that nature. Just start the information-gathering process in terms of putting together a profile on these guys. But in terms of the physical activity I’m just simply looking at pedigree.”
Q: What does that mean?
A: It means their God-given athletic ability. Their ability to control their body, their ability to move through awkward movements, the things that aren’t necessarily football related but are athlete or pedigree related.
Q: What are you looking for in the meetings?
A: Most of the time it’s just information gathering and it’s just the beginning process of building a profile on each individual player and that’s about all that you can get accomplished in 15 minutes. Sometimes they go in other directions based on information that you have about them going into it, if somebody’s had an off the field incident or if somebody’s had an highly publicized on the field incident or academic issues or what have you. If there’s some background that needs to be discussed up front, sometimes that’s capable of taking over the meeting.
Q: Do you look at cornerback as a position of need?
A: At this point in the process I’m trying to, more than anything, get a sense of what the class is about, the strengths of the class. No question we’re going to have an interest in corner but I don’t know that there’s been a year that I’ve been here that I can’t say that.
Q: Is it strong for corners?
A: I don’t go on what I hear, I go on what I see and I haven’t gotten to corners yet.
Q: What are you looking for when looking at cornerback prospects?
A: Pedigree, it starts there. It is a physically taxing position. You have to have a great deal of God-given ability and belief in that. Now how do you measure their belief in their ability? Not by what they say but by what you see on tape: how they play, how they respond to positive things, how they respond to negative things. All of that helps you build a profile if you will.
Q: Are there young cornerbacks on the roster that can help you, specifically Keenan Lewis and Crezdon Butler?
A: Absolutely. I don’t view those guys any differently than I view any of the young guys that we have in other positions. We expect those guys to improve, to be better players in 2011 and take the necessary steps to do so. That doesn’t mean that we might not present them with some competition. That’s part of it. Same things can be said for Jason Worilds and Stevenson Sylvester.
Q: Keenan seemed to have a good camp and then fell off. Have you put a finger on what happened to him?
A: Probably more than anything else it’s opportunity-oriented. He didn’t get a bunch of opportunities. He did some down the stretch and the playoffs and did OK with it. By contrast a guy like Ziggy Hood had a good opportunity and got better with snaps. I expect all of these guys to improve when given an opportunity. When and how they get that opportunity is sometimes out of their control. I have no issues with how those two young men work and how they prepare themselves.
Q: Does uncertain labor situation change any of your plans?
A:I’m hanging loose like everybody else in football.
Q: If everything is normal when will offseason workouts start?
A: I haven’t even begun to discuss the potential possibilities. I have a skeleton of a calendar and I’m in wait-and-see mode like everyone else.
Q: Will you treat it like the last time you had a Super Bowl, where you bring in the veterans later?
A. It just depends on when we start.
Q: How long did it take you to get over the Super Bowl loss to starting work on 2011 season?
A: When you’re in my position, there’s not a lot of time to lick your wounds. It just isn’t. I made sure the staff is getting ample time to refresh but I’ve got to turn the page and catch up to what Kevin (Colbert) and his group has done. The information they’ve given me has helped and been good but I enjoy it. It’s new and different for me. It’s a new challenge and this process kind of helps me turn the page.
Q. On poor record of SB losers the following season. Do you believe in that?
A. You know I don’t. We’ll be there. We’ll be there.
Q. If Flozell comes back, is Willie Colon a candidate to play guard?
A. You know, I thnk there’s a lot of questions, a lot of unanswered questions involving that. First and foremost, of course, is Willie Colon’s presence. He’s scheduled to be a free agent and we have labor agreement issues and things of that nature. Those are problems I’d like to consider at some point.
Q. Will he be healthy and can you update us on the health of your team?
A. Health is not going to be an injury with Willie Colon, it really isn’t. He sustained that injury last summer. So when you talk about is it a concern or is it going to be an issue, you put your eye toward training camp and the regular season and it’s going to be a non-factor.
All of those guys who sustained injuries, there’s nothing that gives us an indication that they’re going to be an ongoing issue or problem moving forward in terms of getting in the way of football. and those are all of those guys who got injured, dating back to last summer and through the season.
Q. Can Limas Sweed still compete?
A. – Certainly, certainly. His competition is getting stiff. I think we’ve acquired some guys since we’ve acquired him that have proven that they’re capable of playing NFL football. So from that standpoint, I’m sure it’s not a comfortable situation but it is a competition.
Q. Is it now or never for him?
A. – I don’t live in that world, man. I’m interested in the guys who are capable of helping us win.
Q. Other sugeries?
A. – I haven’t seen a surgery that hasn’t been a success, you know what I mean? [James Harrison had surgery] this morning. Again, it was a success. James got done. Hines got cleaned up. We had some minor stuff – bone spurs and things of that nature. Nick Eason, bone spurs on his foot.
Q. Is Aaron Smith good?
a. Yes.
Q. Was that worth the gamble, even though he did not play?
A. Absolutely. That’s just a level of respect that we have for what he’s capable of as a player, and probably equally as important what he is as a man or member of this team. I think there is intrinsic value in that, there’s an element of it you can’t measure. If I had to do it over I would do it again. What am I going to do replace him with a guy that I’m going to have inactive? No, I’m not doing that. If ever there ever were a situation where I thought someone that we acquired had an opportunity to help us and be put in a uniform then I would have considered it. But I wasn’t going to put himdown for an inactive type.
Q. Aaron tell you he wants to come back?
A. Yes.
Q. You want all 4 QBs back?
A. Yes. Why not? That’s a good problem to have, isn’t it? We needed all 4 of them. We did, unfortunately. I don’t fear competition and I don’t think any of those men do either. It was a really good experience. Of course, it’s not a slam-dunk that that’s a good experience when you’re in those situations, but I think that group and who they are as people and how they interact and realte I think makes it fun and special. All of those guys have been awesome.
Q. did losing Ben those first 4 weeks have positive effect on team?
A. You know anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. So in hindsight, you can say a lot of things in hindsight. To me that’s one of those hindsight examples of things you can point to and take it in whatever direction you want to take it. It was an obstacle. And something we had to deal with if we wanted tob e successful. We found a way to navigate the waters and it was one of the many reasons, in my opinion, why we were successful.
Q. Can you keep Harrison and Woodley long term?
A. I don’t want to get into speculating with free agency and so forth. Obviously we have a franchise tag on LaMarr, so we’re going to have both of those guys for 2011. But to say anything other than that would be a stretch.
Q. No. 3 favorite to win Super bowl, will you be back in it?
A. Our intentions have not and will not change. We have a desire to compete for a world championship each and every year. We’re going to be unwavering in that pursuit.
Q. Anticipate much in free agency?
A. It could be interesting, and the only reason I say that is because it always is. It’s just too early in the process of our team building as we sit here today for me to kind of forecast or speculate on the necessary moves that are going to have to happen. Those things are going to occur over the course of many meetings over the next several weeks, two months, particularly with the questions of when that process is going to happen. We’ll see.
Q. Are you optimistic you will have Ike Taylor next season?
A. I’m optimistic about a lot of things. I’m just an optimistic guy.
Q. What about your offensive line regarding the draft?
A. Any position you name I’m going to look at really hard.
[url="http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/108220-ed-q-a-a-with-mike-tomlin"]http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/inde ... ike-tomlin[/url]
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