Q. Every week during your Tuesday news conference, you go through a rather thorough breakdown of the upcoming opponent. Do you do the same thing in a meeting with the team?
A. Absolutely I do. And really I do it in parts. We'll do an introductory rundown on Wednesday morning to kind of talk about non-situational things, such as first-and-10, second-and-medium, matchup related things from a personnel standpoint, high volume personality things. And then as we go through the week, the rundowns get more detailed. Thursday, I'll talk about special teams and significant players and matchups in that space. And then on Friday, we talk situational ball. And so it's really every day of the preparation process. We'll give a scouting report, if you will, and talk about significant people and who we need to minimize in what phase of the game or in what circumstance.
Q. So when you do it in front of the media, it's very complimentary of the opponent. Is it more business-like in providing both sides of the issue when you're talking to the team?
A. Certainly. I talk about the challenges and the opportunities is probably the best way to put it, relative to the personnel matchup.
Q. Also on Tuesday in response to a question, you said a lot of good things about Donte Jackson, DeShon Elliott, and Patrick Queen. Do you ever say those kinds of complimentary things to the players themselves?
A. Probably less so. (Laughs) You know, we seek a desired result, and it's my job to position those guys to be what they want to be and what we need them to be. And sometimes sugar doesn't necessarily get that done.
Q. In the win over the Raiders in Las Vegas, Najee Harris scored on a 36-yard run in which he dove for the end zone with the football extended from one hand from about the 5-yard line. Are you OK with a player attempting what is a pretty high-risk move in a situation so close to the goal line where a fumble out of the end zone would be a touchback?
A. You know, it's always a funny discussion. I hear the pundits be highly critical in those moments, but these players are big-time competitors, and so the approach that I take is it is a teachable moment, and nothing more. I don't chastise them. I don't hate them for being competitive. That's who they are. It's just important that we direct it in appropriate ways, and we channel it for our good. And so it is a subject of discussion, but it's definitely not the kind of discussion that the pundits think it is.
Q. Staying with Najee, he often is described as "running angry." What does that mean to you?
A. He's combative. That's the word I use, but I could see why people characterize it as angry. He attacks would-be tacklers. He attacks them with his free arm. He attacks them with his shoulder pads. He attacks them with his leg drive. He's combative; he doesn't run away from confrontation. Oftentimes he runs to it.
Q. Is that something you look for in a running back, or is it just something that is part of his characteristics and that's OK with you?
A. I think there are many ways to skin it. And I think, like a lot of positions, greatness comes at you in a lot of forms. Historically, there have been backs who have that component of play as a calling card, and there have been other great backs who excelled at make-you-miss. Attacking would-be tacklers is a characteristic of Najee's that I respect and appreciate. For me, it's about having distinguishing traits that allow you to stand out. And so sometimes it can come in the form of make-you-miss, and sometimes it can come in the form of home run ability or top-end speed. Sometimes it can come in the form of confrontational run style. I just think greatness comes at you in a lot of different forms, particularly at the running back position. There's an artistry to it, if you will, that's exclusive to the individual. But the bottom line is, they better have a distinguishing trait if they want to be special.
Q. Since the start of the 2023 season, the Steelers are No. 1 in the NFL with a turnover ratio of plus-18. Is turnover ratio No. 1 on your list of what it takes to win in the NFL?
A. In terms of the culture that we build, ball security and ball searching is top tier. It is, and always has been, one of the things that just will never change in terms of the trends or the evolution of the game. It was interesting this week. I was just talking to Arthur Smith about the great, legendary turnover ratio groups. The 1983 Washington Redskins were plus-43 in turnover ratio, and that's a record that probably will never be broken. That's probably parallels the Cal Ripken streak of consecutive games played in Major League Baseball. Turnover ratio is just a major component of ball. It is a key ingredient to engineering victory, and we work to live that life week in and week out.
Q. Do you have more tolerance for turnovers if your team is taking the ball away, either in a particular game or over the course of a season?
A. I don't have a lot of tolerance for turnovers regardless of circumstance, because I think there are two prongs to the agenda. You've got to build a culture where you take the ball away, and you've also got to build a culture where you protect the ball with the same level of urgency. And so they work hand in hand, but I don't know that I view them as a collective. If we're taking care of the ball, it's not like I'm OK if we're not getting it. And by the same token, if we're getting the ball, I'm not OK if we're giving it away.
Q. Starting at center tonight is Ryan McCollum, and you have signed/released/re-signed him 11 times since claiming him off waivers in August 2022. What about him made you want to continually go back to doing business with him?
A. The spirit in which he approaches his business. He is extremely urgent. He is very professional. He is, and has always been, extremely locked in and mature in a football sense. It is important to him, and I'm really excited about this opportunity for him. We spend a lot of time talking about guys who aren't available to us, the injury component of the game. On the other side of that is a hard-working, deserving man who's getting an opportunity, and Ryan McCollum is a reflection of that. And so it's good to continually get an opportunity to do business with him. It's good to see him get an opportunity to start and be significant in terms of his contributions. And really, as we leaned in on this week, I talked to him about another guy who had a similar journey for us. We had a practice squad center a number of years ago, J.C. Hassenauer, and in 2021, late in the season, he had an opportunity to get elevated and start. We were playing Cleveland, I think, in Week 17, and Najee ran for 188 yards. We had J.C. starting at center, and we had John Leglue starting at right guard. And so there's always opportunity associated with people who are missing. We spend too much time talking about who we don't have, and we should focus our energies on the performance and the preparedness of the guys who are getting elevated because they're professionals, too, and deserving of the opportunity.
Q. What is it about tight ends in the NFL that makes them such a difficult matchup, and therefore so difficult to defend in the passing game?
A. They're big people, and they play in a little man's space. When they get down the field, or they get on the perimeter of the field – from the numbers to the sideline – That's an area of the field that's patrolled by smaller people. Those defenders are usually 180-to-200 pound people, in general, and most tight ends are in the 250 pound range. And so it's problematic. If they're athletic, they're oftentimes too much of a challenge for linebackers. And obviously, if they're big, they can be challenges for safeties and secondary people, and so it's just one of those positions that's really challenging. But you see that along the edges of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. T.J. and Alex Highsmith are a problem for tackles because of their athleticism. They're also a problem for tight ends, because in most instances, they're bigger than most tight ends. Ten, 15, 20 pounds heavier than most tight ends. And so those middle-sized athletes, depending on the space in which they play or who they're combating, oftentimes create problems in our game – both tight ends and outside linebackers. You better be thoughtful about how you're matching up against them. Just because they're in that middle range, they're capable of being a problem when they're combating little people or big people. Whether it's their size in terms of dealing with little people or their athleticism in terms of dealing with bigger people.
Q. Tonight's opponent is the New York Jets, and their starting quarterback is Aaron Rodgers. You have said Rodgers uses cadence as a weapon. How does he do that?
A. He uses it to get free plays. Week 1 against San Francisco on a third down, he utilized cadence. He got them in the neutral zone, and he realizes that it's a free play. He's already banked the 5 yards on the offside penalty, which means third-and-8 is going to be third-and-3. He's not worried about that. He's trying to get a chunk of real estate. And he hit Allen Lazard for a 30- plus yard touchdown on that free play. He's got more free play touchdowns than any quarterback in the history of the game, and so that's reflective of his mentality. But he also uses cadence to gather information. He's an experienced guy. If he can gather information and know what you're in from a coverage standpoint prior to getting the ball in his hands, you have a real problem. And so it's very important that we do a good job of holding our disguises, because he'll be utilizing cadence in an effort to undress our looks and get a sense of what we're in. So it's twofold for him. He's trying to get free plays. He's trying to improve his situational position, third-and-8 going to third-and-3, but he's also trying to gather information about what coverages you're utilizing, and oftentimes false cadences undress DBs as they go to their area of responsibility. It is important that we are disciplined and we don't fall victim to that.
Q. Last Sunday in Las Vegas, Cam Heyward played in his 200th game with the Steelers, and in the history of the franchise the only other guys to crack that milestone are Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Donnie Shell, Mel Blount and Mike Webster. One of the things once said about Mike Webster's impact on the whole team was that "having him in the lineup is like walking down a dark alley with a big stick." Does simply having Cam's physical presence in the lineup help his teammates feel better about themselves?
A. There's no question about that. It's become ceremonial, but I appreciate it. Whenever I walk out of a road venue, he walks out with me. That was born years ago in Cincinnati during the hostility of that rivalry, because they would throw stuff as you went into that tunnel and exited out of that venue. And I think all of us have that kind of relationship with him. He is security in a lot of ways. He's a big man. He's built for this game. He's combative. I think there's a sense of comfort when you're in the presence of a guy like him who is so built for the things that come with this sport that we love. And make no mistake about it, he is built for this space.
