Q. Does there come a time during a preseason where you decide to switch from evaluation mode to getting the guys who are going to be the starters, plus the guys in significant roles come the start of the regular season, ready to play?
A. There is. You start multitasking the minute you leave Latrobe, and we left Latrobe last week, and this week we've had a simulation week as we prepare for our third preseason outing. And so in a lot of ways, we're in that process where you're going through a mock week of preparation, getting regulars in a rhythm in terms of how we prepare, how we divide labor and roles, and just getting a feel for the process that is a game week. While at the same time, I'm acknowledging we're also very much providing opportunities for others to state a final case for themselves. And so in the last week, or the last two weeks of the process, we're really multitasking.
Q. Back in the old days, the final preseason game was on a Thursday, and then NFL Kickoff Weekend began the next Thursday with the game that's hosted by the defending Super Bowl champions. Nowadays, your preseason ends on a Saturday afternoon, and then your regular season opener is 15 days later. What are your plans for those two weeks?
A. Really I function the same way I functioned under the old system. Most of the guys who played in that fourth preseason game, you looked at about 45 guys battling it out for about four or five spots. You know, just take that game out and the process is still the same for us. We got a good week of Steelers vs. Steelers. Next week, we'll have a long weekend, and then we'll start the process for Atlanta. And so really, the bye week or the fourth game, the structure of the week in and around the calendar is exactly the same for us other than the fact the game's not going to be played.
Q. The part of the two-week period that's spent on reducing the roster from 90 to 53 and then putting together a practice squad, is that the dramatic event some on the outside might perceive it to be, or is it largely cut-and-dry?
A. I think it's cut and dry if you've got a good process. And by that I mean if you have a fair process and guys are given an opportunity to carve out a role or state the case for themselves, I think by the time you get to that point in the journey, decisions are pretty obvious, and anybody who's within the collective usually is not surprised by those decisions. Maybe there's one, maximum of two, decisions that require some discussion or maybe are less clear. But if you get a good process, people carve out roles for themselves.
Q. So is it fair to say there's not a lot of late change in the final hours before 4 p.m. on Aug. 27?
A. I mean, there might be late changes because you're dealing with the totality of the market. There might be trade discussions and things of that nature. What's one organization's trash might be another organization's treasure. In terms of looking at the 90 that we have, it's pretty cut-and-dry. But in terms of interweaving the 90 that everyone has, that's what provides a little bit of complexity to the last component of the process.
Q. Who gets to have an opinion about the makeup of the roster?
A. A lot of people have opinions, but opinions are not decisions. We have position coaches, we have coordinators, we have scouts within the scouting department. You know, Art Rooney, myself, and Omar take in a lot of opinions, but that doesn't necessarily mean those opinions are a component of decision making.
Q. So what kind of opinions might those be that are being offered?
A. You know, just how guys see guys. People work with guys in different capacities. Scouts evaluate guys at a distance. That's helpful. In some instances, position coaches evaluate guys in a very intimate way that provides a different perspective. Coordinators have a different perspective. And I just think perspectives are good. But again, those are just opinions.
Q. Do you meet individually with all of the players who are cut that day?
A. I do at some point. You know I don't know that it's the one particular day that you speak of. Generally in recent years, these decisions have happened over the course of a couple of days.
Q. How did you develop your "bedside manner" when it comes to dealing with that particular interaction?
A. I don't know that you have a cookie cutter in those moments. You develop relationships with people over the course of the journey that is team development, and you conduct yourself based on the nature of those individual relationships. I think it's insensitive, to be quite honest with you, to have a cookie cutter approach when you're talking about dealing with men, and men who are chasing their hopes and dreams.
Q. Do you do more talking or listening?
A. Again, it depends on the nature or the intimacy of the relationship that I have with the person that I'm talking to.
Q. You often talk about wanting to give guys what it is they need to be regular ready for the regular season. What is it that someone like TJ watt needs to be ready for the regular season? And is that different from what say Minka Fitzpatrick needs?
A. It's different for several reasons. No. 1, because they're different people. They play different positions. How they absorb the totality of their experiences might be different. Several years ago, when T.J. was in a contract negotiation, he showed me that he didn't require a lot of physical work in an effort to be ready to play. He didn't get a lot of 11-on-11 work during training camp, through that process. He essentially got a week's worth of prep. We went into the opener, and he was the best player on the field. And so you probably learn about how to handle people through handling them. That experience taught me his needs are somewhat minimal relative to others. Some people's confidence is really steeped in the preparation. Workaholics, if you will. You give them maybe more work than they really need, because their confidence, their comfort, is steeped in that work. And so it's a very individual thing, but the more experienced and the higher level of play in someone, usually they require a shorter runway.
Q. Speaking of Minkah, in his 71 games for the Steelers he has 17 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and he has scored 4 defensive touchdowns, and I believe that qualifies him as a ball-hawk. Can an offense devise a game plan to minimize a ball-hawk?
A. Certainly. You respect the space he patrols. And that's one of the reasons why more times than not, Minkah is a center fielder for us. That is fertile territory to be protected. A lot of big plays happen in that space of the field. We've given up big plays in games where Minkah hadn't been back there, because people are more apt to attack that space. But make no mistake, first and foremost you start paying respect to a ball-hawk by not attacking the space in which he patrols.
Q. What are the qualities a player must have to be a ball-hawk?
A. Just in a real, tangible way, ball skills or good hands, the ability to catch the ball. You know, don't want to underscore that. There are a lot of defensive backs with a bunch of pass breakups because they can't catch the football. Most ball-hawks have unique hands relative to the position. Maybe average hands from a wideout perspective, but unique hands from a defensive perspective. That's one component, and the second component is really good eyes and anticipation. How do you cover ground? You have really good eyes, and you have the ability to anticipate, which gives you a step, a step-and-a-half, if you will. That's all the great ball-hawks I've been around, and obviously, Minkah is one oof those guys. He has soft receiver-like hands. He has really good and disciplined eyes, and he displays the ability to anticipate, which gives him more range than most.
Q. If a team is interested in acquiring a top-of-the-depth chart player with the idea of having that player be a contributor at the start of the regular season, when would such a player have to be in your building and learning and then working on the field to have any chance at contributing by that deadline?
A. You know, it depends on the player, to be quite honest with you, and particularly if we're talking about established veteran players, most of the time that's a quicker transition than most would realize. Minkah, for example, we traded for Minkah on a Tuesday night; he got in here on a Wednesday morning; he played against San Francisco that Sunday; he had an interception, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble. I think maybe he almost scored a touchdown, and we had no restrictions on him. But that's Minkah. Somebody else might require in-helmet physical preparation in an effort to be comfortable. It really is an individual thing based on the player, but in most circumstances, the more experienced the player, the more significant the player, the shorter the process.
Q. Is your decision about who plays in the final preseason game based on what happened in the previous preseason games, or is it a personal policy?
A. You know, I'm multitasking. I want this to be a dry run for the regulars, which really represents the third preseason game in the old four-game model. And I want to provide an opportunity for others to state a final case for themselves, which is the fourth preseason game in the four-game model. And so I'm trying to get two things done. I'm trying to stuff 8 pounds in a 5-pound bag, if you will, in this game. But that's the challenge. I want the first units, the regulars, to have some in-stadium dry run experience that represents that mock week that we used to have. But also providing in-stadium opportunities for those final few as they try to find a seat on the bus is significant as well.
Q. Today's game in Detroit is the preseason finale, and since it's against a team from the other conference that's not on your schedule, is there any inclination to treat it like a joint practice in the sense that the two coaches discuss how the game will unfold in terms of usage of first units and for how long, in order to make it as mutually beneficial as possible?
A. I know what you mean, but I don't know whether that happens in today's NFL. Maybe it happened more often years ago, but everyone's got individual agendas, different ways to slice the pie, and they generally stick to those agendas. There's very little of that in today's game. Maybe there were gentleman's agreements years ago, but the game was covered much differently. It's probably frowned upon in today's NFL, as people pay for preseason tickets and so forth, to see some scripted interaction between two entities. That's not what we want or what our fans want.
Q. If you look at last year's preseason, a lot of Steelers fans were excited. If you look at this year's preseason, a lot of Steelers fans have a lot of angst. So how much of what you have seen in the first two preseason games would be impacted by a game plan and opponent focused preparation?
A. You know, preseason is preseason. Regular Season is regular season. I'm probably in more middle of the road than most fans. I'm not alarmed based on what has transpired in these two games, and I don't know that I was ecstatic based on what transpired a year ago. But that's a component of fandom. I appreciate it. I appreciate the energy, I appreciate the enthusiasm. But when you're in it, you have a really different perspective.
