Mike Tomlin Press Conference – Week 7 – Cardinals

Injuries: Troy is good to do. Passed all tests and will practice all week. Mike Wallace has a minor hamstring injury, but will just be limited in the beginning of the week. Marcus Gilbert will practice this week, as will Moore. Worilds and Chris K will likely be back this week in full swing. Legursky will be out a couple of weeks with a toe injury. Guys who will likely be out this week include James Harrison, Casey Hampton, and Aaron Smith.

Tomlin said it was good to go out and get that win in the AFC. He says he’s happy with how we started, and not so happy with how things went in the second half. Converting 3rd downs was a problem in the second half, and that defining, signature defensive play that we’re used to with the Steelers didn’t happen on Sunday.

Tomlin spent a good amount of time talking about how “great” the Cardinals are and pointed out key players in each position. Wells is a concern this week at RB. He’s got over 400 yards and 6 TDs this season already. Fitzgerald is dangerous in one on one coverage, or any coverage, all over the field. Tomlin talked about making sure to be ready for Fitzgerald, but to do it understanding that they have a lot of other guys to account for as well.

Tomlin acknowledges the Steelers have not been good on the road thus far and if they want to be playing in January, they will have to get better on the road moving forward. He says they will likely have some kind of preparation edge since there are so many similarities between the Cardinals and the Steelers, but the Cardinals will have those same advantages as well while they prepare for the Steelers.

Tomlin was asked about the Worilds VS. Timmons situation since it seems as though Worilds is now healthy and will be worked in this week. Tomlin says that they will decide what to do with Worilds as the week progresses and they see how things go in practice. Personally, I think that leaving Timmons at OLB, where he is still developing that skill set, would be a big mistake if Worilds is healthy enough to play. Timmons is much more valuable at ILB where he usually starts, and Worilds is much more effective in the pass rush. It has been weeks now since we’ve seen a sack from the Blind Side, Worilds may bring a nice change of pace in that arena.

Troy wasn’t making a personal call on the sideline when he was on the cell phone, he simply called his wife to tell her that he was OK after experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Tomlin basically said that Troy should not be fined for use of the cell since it was a situational thing with his wife being concerned of his well-being.

All in all a relatively uneventful press conference. The Steelers need to be careful with the Cardinals this week, they may not look like much on the surface, but guys like Fitzgerald and Wells are explosive and could strike at any moment.

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