The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Tennessee Titans next Monday night, and here’s some of the latest buzz surrounding the team going into Week 11.
Tomlin says Jets loss due to turnovers
Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said that the Steelers’ mindset is fine, and he blamed the recent loss to the New York Jets on turnovers.
Tomlin noted that it its not common for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to throw two picks and wide receiver Antonio Brown to lose two fumbles--which is what happened against the Jets last Sunday.
“I’m sure we can bounce around a myriad of things … but I tend to focus on what’s tangible, and on Sunday we turned the ball over and didn’t get any,” Tomlin said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“When those things happen, you have a tough time winning football games,” he said, while noting that his team has lost to bottom-feeding teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mike Mitchell play not OK with Tomlin
Tomlin also talked about safety Mike Mitchell’s last-ditch play to jump over the Jets offensive line to attempt to force a fumble.
“It was not professional, I'll say that,” Tomlin said. “Mike is an emotional guy, he’s new to us and he’s learning how we do business.
“I showed that play to our team about how we play. You see Troy do that often, but it’s a very different scenario.”
A number of Jets players expressed anger when Mitchell jumped over the line--which is considered a no-no in the NFL.
Two seasons ago, the Buccaneers under coach Mike Schiano attempted a similar play, which drew criticism from a number of NFL players and coaches at the time.
Troy Polamalu, Ryan Shazier out vs Titans
Starting safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker Ryan Shazier will both miss the Week 11 game against the Tennessee Titans, said Tomlin.
“For the second straight week, Tomlin said neither Polamalu (sprained knee) nor Shazier (ankle) will play due to injury. Ike Taylor will also miss his eighth game after breaking his forearm,” NFL.com’s Kevin Patra writes.
“The Steelers missed their playmakers last week in a 20-13 loss, allowing the New York Jets to run for 150 total yards and Michael Vick to toss two touchdown passes,” he added.
The Titans and Steelers will face one another on Monday night.
William Gay recipient of Walter Payton award
William Gay, the Steelers cornerback, received the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year.
The award is given to a player on every NFL team.
According to ESPN, Gay lent his voice to ending domestic violence.
Gay also hasn’t missed a game since he was drafted in the fifth round in 2007.