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MIKE TOMLIN PRESS
CONFERENCE Opening: The summer is kind of coming to a
close and it is about that time. I was laughing today, because I have done just
about all that I can do. I went to Sea World and actually played golf twice. At
this point, I need a vacation from vacation. We are getting ready to go to camp
and we are very excited about that. Now we can address any questions that you
guys have regarding that. How are you feeling going into your
first camp with this team? I feel like I am always feeling this
time of year. It really doesn't feel any different. I am ready to get going,
really excited about it and ready to attack any challenges that lie ahead for
us. I am really ready to get going. What is your reaction to
I think it is awesome. Logistically
it is good, especially compared to some of the places that I have been in the
past. You have the fields, dorms, cafeteria, locker room and the weight room.
That is about all that you need and they are all pretty close. I think it is a
very good facility. Do you feel that you have taken care
of everything?
There are always going to be bumps
in the road. Part of us determining what we are capable of being is our ability
to deal with it. We do feel like we have crossed the Ts and dotted the Is. We do
feel good about where we are. As we move forward, we will deal with the issues
as they arise and I am sure that they will come. What can players
expect? I am not familiar with how it has
been in the past, but it is going to be trying at times. There will be some
adversity. That is what training camp is about and it is part of team building.
It is supposed to represent what lies ahead. There is no doubt that there will
be some challenges when we start playing football in the
fall. Why 15
two-a-days? This is the first time that I had
the pen. I am comfortable with it and I am happy with the schedule. I put a
great deal of time into developing it and we are very comfortable with that. It
is similar with some things that I have done in the past, but it stands on its
own. When there are one-hour mornings,
what will those be? Those are special-teams emphasis
practices. Ed (Bouchette) you really do your homework. Two-a-days are not truly
two-a-days. There are some special-teams work we would like to focus on. They
are shortened practices, but at the same time, you have to go through the mental
process to get yourself up and ready to take the field twice a day, even if they
aren't full practices. All
players? Yes. What is your reaction to Alan Faneca
and how does that play into adversity? I am focused on 2007. Very rarely do
I look beyond the year, to be quite honest with you. We can't take anything for
granted in this business. I think everybody that is a part of this just needs to
focus on 2007. I think that is all he said, so really I have no reaction. I just
look forward to reporting to camp and seeing him along with the rest of
them. Is
Yes. Are you comfortable with the depth
of the offensive line? That will be determined. I try not
to paint a picture of what I think is going to happen. I like to stack the team
along with everyone else and make it as strong as possible and then go through
the process of building it. Those questions will be raised and answered along
the way, but I feel really good about where we are right
now. Will you do anything
live? Absolutely, it is training camp. Of
course, we are going to be smart about it, but you have to put them in
situations where they have to turn the volume up every now and
then. What is your conditioning
test? We will have a conditioning test,
but it is going to be somewhat of a surprise. It might not be a surprise to
them, because those types of things have a way of leaking themselves out. There
will be a conditioning test, but it won't be 40s. Will the test be on
Monday? Yes. Does this have to be your toughest
camp in terms of setting the tone? I don't take that approach. That is
not the way we want to go about it. It is the 2007 camp, and the 2007 season and
we want to be the best that we can be. I'm not approaching this as a tone setter
or looking at how this camp is going to compare to the future or even how it is
going to compare to the past. Each year stands on its own. We have to be
prepared to be our very best and that is how we approach
it. What is your approach to off-hours
at camp? I think that is okay. I think it is
sometimes needed for sanity's sake. You have to ride off and have a meal outside
of the facility. We are going to have a curfew and things of that nature because
this is business, but there is nothing wrong with a guy going out and getting a
burger to get away every now and then. There are going to be moments like that,
just like there is at every camp. Players do it, coaches do it and I think we
all need to do it every now and then. Do you have any doubts that Alan
Faneca will be a professional? No. You don't play football the way
he plays football without being a professional. I think ultimately, your
character shows through and it is obvious when you turn the tape
on. What is your policy on picking team
captains? We are going to select captains, but
we aren't going to anoint anyone. We are going to watch the process of team
building and we think they will reveal themselves, but we do pick
them. How will you approach preseason
games? One thing that we have to take into
account is that there are five games, so it is great for us. It is great for me
to be put into some situations to prepare to play. We are going to be
thoughtfully non-rhythmic as we have been during the whole offseason. We are
going to look at guys at different spots and different combinations of guys. I
think you have to be willing to do that when you mean what you say, in that you
will leave no stone unturned. What's your goal for training
camp? I want to come out of training camp
as a unified, hard group that is ready for battle. Evaluate Ben Roethlisberger's
offseason? I think he has had a very good
offseason and I have enjoyed getting to know him, as it has been with a lot of
the guys. I know he is very motivated and very competitive. I know on a personal
note, he feels like he has some critics to answer, which is great. Anything that
motivates people to be their very best is good. I expect big things from him. I
am very pleased with where he is and how he has taken to the changes around
here. He has behaved like a franchise quarterback. Does he have to prove anything to
you? Absolutely. I think he is more
concerned about proving some things to himself, as we all should be, but that
doesn't separate him from anybody. I think we all have something to prove. It is
awesome. That is what is so great about doing what we do for a living. You can
never breathe a sigh of relief in this business. Every day that we come here,
whether it be today, tomorrow or ten years from now, we all have something to
prove. Was there anything that you saw from
Ben Roethlisberger that surprised you? No, not really. No major
surprises. How important is it to have everyone
signed? It is important, because the train
starts running at Do you think that will
happen? Yes. Why sign Dan Sheldon as a kick
returner? He is a viable guy and another guy
to put in the mix. I don't know if that is reflective of Willie's (Reid)
situation, but it is somewhat of a question mark. We feel like we have some
candidates in the return game. Are there questions? Absolutely, but it's nothing
that we can answer here. It's going to plays itself out, because we have five
preseason games. Someone will come to the forefront and we fully expect that to
happen. He is a viable guy, a guy with a resume and a guy that we thought should
get in the mix. Is Willie Reid ready to
play? Yes. Could you explain how Willie Colon
will fit in on the offensive line? We are going to go into this thing
with Willie focusing on right tackle, along with Max (Starks), but there will be
some movement. Willie is a guy we think is capable of competing and being in our
top five, so we need to have position flexibility to see if he is capable of
doing that, whether it is at right tackle, center or guard. We have to exercise
a little patience and be open-minded and let that work itself out. It will, but
initially we are going to start him out at right tackle. How long will the process
go? I am one that believes that it will
all become obvious. Sometimes I think if you are patient and don't rush to
judge, decisions become obvious and I am hoping that is one that
does. Do you have one emotion that you're
feeling? I feel alive. I love this feeling. I
love football and I would coach it year-round if I could. I am ready to
go. What do you plan on doing on this
final weekend? I don't know, I better ask my wife.
It gets to this point in the summer where I just try to stack up as many brownie
points as I can. Wherever she wants to go eat or wants to do, because on Monday
I will get a little scarce. What makes you ready for the
pressure? Pressure is funny to me. The
standards that I set for myself, in terms of what I want to do are higher than
any that anyone else can impose upon me. I don't ride that emotional
rollercoaster and I don't encourage our guys to ride that emotional
rollercoaster. True battles should be man versus himself, if that man is
right-minded and that is the type of football team we need to have. Pressure
should be a sidebar. Are you ready for the media
blitz? I am starting to figure that out. I
wish you guys luck, because I know you guys have to pin your ears back and do
what you have to do. I am not overly concerned about that. What are your thoughts on having
Do you have any "hat days"
planned? Christmas may come a few times this
year. We'll see. We are going to play that by ear, but I think that decision
will become obvious too. Why don't you have any days off
until after the first game? Because it kind of is what is going
to happen in the battle. We want to come out as a hardened unit and the only way
you can do that is if you are challenged in a lot of ways. The development of
mental toughness, the ability to answer the bell in unique circumstances is
important. We will be facing situations during the season where we will have to
play on a Sunday and then turn around and play again on Thursday and play a
football game. The standards are not going to change. We will be expected to
win. I think that is what training camp is about. You put guys in situations
that are a little bit out of their comfort zone that will make them a little bit
uncomfortable and see who is able to deal with it. Those who struggle with it,
they become aware of it and they grow, because it all mirrors the challenges
that lie ahead. It's not going to be comfortable when we play on a Sunday and
then have to come back and play on the road on a Thursday night. You guys know
that the standards and expectations are not going to change. We have to go win.
That is what training camp is about. That is why we are thoughtfully
non-rhythmic. That is why we do some of the things that we are going to do, in
terms of schedule. Is movie day
gone? We'll see. You guys are on the
players payroll sometimes I think. You guys are very nice people, but if it was
soft, you would complain about that. It is unbelievable. Are you aware of the number of fans
that will come to watch camp? I think it is awesome. I really do.
I hope that we can entertain them and I hope they have a good time. I hope there
is a great environment for the families to come out and see. It is a great
thing. It doesn't change what lies ahead for us, in terms of what it is we need
to do or why we are going up there. I know I would like to be able to take my
boys somewhere to watch them work, but I am working. Does it add
pressure? It is really just elevator music.
You can hear it, but you don't, unless you are listening for it. We have work to
do and our focus is on what we need to do. Will you use guys in the preseason
based on protecting them from injuries? You like to lend an eye to that, but
the truth is that this is a violent game. Injuries are a part of it and they are
going to occur. You can't live in fear. We have to have a strong enough team
that when it does occur, we have to keep marching. The reality is that they are
going to occur. You'd like to keep it to a minimum and hope that it doesn't
happen, especially in the preseason, but the reality is it does. We had a
first-round draft pick, last year in Where will
He is going to open up at outside
right linebacker. Would you get involved if a rookie
went unsigned? Yes. It hasn't been required yet,
but time is getting tight and I am sure that if it gets tight I will get
involved. Who opens at center and right
guard? Chukky (Okobi) at center and Kendall
(Simmons) is at right guard. Evaluate the running back
position. We have a good group of veteran guys
that are back there behind Willie (Parker). It is known what they are capable of
in this league. It is going to be very good competition. I look forward to
watching that play itself out. We have a bunch of been there, done that guys,
when you're talking about Najeh ( Was Larry Croom one of your
guys? They all have to be my guys. No. He
is a guy that has been around. We'll give him an opportunity to show us what he
is capable of. He is not green to this thing and he has been through the process
before. Let's face it, all of these guys haven't been without an injury and it
is good to have a stable of backs, especially when you are going to play five
preseason games. Is there a self-evaluation process
for you? We are always in the process of
self-evaluation, but I'm not going to paralyze myself by evaluating every
decision that I make along the way. We have a good plan and we are going to
continue to move forward. We understand that we have to be light on our feet and
things will have to adjust along the way. What did you think of Sea
World? What did you score in
golf? I will tell you one thing. You have
no chance at doing good in golf, unless you play often and I don't play
often.
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