Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is not about to give up on this season despite a 2-6 record, coming off the team’s bye week sounding optimistic.
Tomlin held his weekly news conference yesterday and talked about the number of changes the team has had since they last played two weeks ago in a loss to Philadelphia. That includes the trade of wide receiver Chase Claypool to Chicago, the acquisition of cornerback William Jackson III, and the returns of linebacker TJ Watt and safety Damontae Kazee.
The coach says Watt’s return is just another weapon for a pass rush that was already trending upward in recent weeks.
Tomlin says the Steelers have always stressed accountability, so recent remarks about responsibility by some of his players are no surprise.
The Steelers play New Orleans on Sunday, and Tomlin says the Saints have proven to be more of a challenge to prepare for, especially on defense.
The Steelers yesterday waived linebacker Ryan Anderson and kicker Nick Sciba to clear the way for Watt and kicker Chris Boswell to return from their injuries. They signed wide receiver Josh Malone to the practice squad.
There were two additions to the injury list yesterday. Tomlin said linebacker Myles Jack has a knee injury and long snapper Christian Kuntz has a rib injury. Others whose playing status on Sunday is still uncertain include defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and cornerbacks Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon, and William Jackson III.
The NFL has “flexed” the Steelers game on Sunday, November 20th against the Bengals from a primetime kickoff to 4:25. The league prefers to have the Chiefs/Chargers game in primetime, so it’s been moved to the 8:20 PM start.
