Tomlin Takes

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'Tomlin's Takes' on Mason, snaps and more

Nov 16, 2021 at 05:53 PM

Teresa Varley

Steelers.com

Expectations: Following Sunday's game, an overtime tie against the Detroit Lions, Coach Mike Tomlin said quarterback Mason Rudolph 'gave us a chance to win.'

On Tuesday, during his weekly press conference, he took a deeper dive into dissecting Rudolph's play, who started because Ben Roethlisberger was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List.

"He did a good job articulating the offense, communicating with guys," said Tomlin. "The pace in which we desired to work he was able to uphold. We worked fast some, we utilized cadence as a weapon. He is central to that. We got some penalties and got a free five yards and were able to attack them downfield. His use of pace, his ability to communicate, not only in game but between series, and express likes and dislikes and articulate what he saw was acceptable. His reads and distribution of the football was largely what we wanted. He stretched the ball down the field at times and gave us an opportunity to make them not only defend the field horizontally, but vertically.

"If I could be critical of him in any way, I thought he could have been better from a pinpoint accuracy standpoint in some instances, to set up run after and putting the ball in an ideal circumstance so a guy in the flat can win that flat confrontation.

"This is not the first rodeo for him. It's not the first rodeo for him with us. I don't think any of us were surprised by the things that he was able to do for us. As a matter of fact, we expected it. I know he expected it. I think that was his 10th start for us now. We expect that guy to play winning football for us."

It's a snap: One of the issues for the Steelers offense on Sunday against the Lions was shotgun snaps. Rookie center Kendrick Green had several high ones, including one that went over Rudolph's head in overtime, but the Steelers were able to maintain possession although losing costly yardage.

Tomlin said it's simple. The snaps have to be better.

"Green's just got to get the snaps down," said Tomlin. "It doesn't require a meeting. It doesn't require schematic adjustments. Certain things are just fundamental. When you coach and play football at this level sometimes you can make the simple complex, or you get too smart. No, we're just going to ask that guy to snap the ball in a proficient, professional manner and we're going to move on with our life. We're not going to put the quarterback under center and change our personality or approach that way. It requires nothing from Mason. Mason's got a lot of work ahead of him getting ready to play quarterback.

"I think it's reasonable to expect the center to execute shotgun snaps on a consistent basis. He didn't in the last game, and so he's got to recenter his focus and do a good job there this week in preparation. It won't create any additional meetings or planning from us. Just like we expect our guys to tackle better this week and we expect our guys to maintain possession of the ball this week. It won't require any additional meetings or additional points of emphasis. It's steeped in our culture. It's fundamental. And so, we'll go in with that understanding."

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton (20) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Eric Ebron (85) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds (34) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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The Pittsburgh Steelers during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush (55) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre (42) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97), Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush (55) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Chris Wormley (95) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush (55) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joe Schobert (93) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden (23) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Chris Wormley (95) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (25) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Tre Norwood (21) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and the Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers and Lions tied in OT 16-16. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)