Steelers-20, Titans-16
MIKE TOMLIN: I'm really excited about the win. First and foremost from a penalty perspective, part of being a tough team to beat is not kicking your own butt, and we kind of have been doing that some, and we have to own that. So we will.
We'll review it. We'll learn from it. We'll look at it. We'll bring some officials into our practice setting in an effort to be cleaner because that was catastrophic really in a lot of instance says to our effort tonight.
But I'm appreciative of the fight. We needed this one, and it's good to get it, get it on a short week, and being in the clubhouse on a Thursday night with the necessary victory for the week.
Excited for them. We'll rest up, man, take advantage of the long weekend, and begin our next process.
We had a couple of injuries. Obviously Cole Holcomb has got a serious injury. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, man. I'll have an update I'm sure the next time we come together regarding the nature of that.
Mon Adams had an ankle. To what degree, I don't know. I'm sure we have some other bumps and bruises associated with play, but thankful for the victory. We'll stack it and move forward. Questions.
Q. You ran for 166 yards today. What was the difference today?
MIKE TOMLIN: You know, I thought we converted some third downs earlier. You know, we've been talking about it. You convert possession downs, you get more snaps. So I think we converted our first third down of the game. I don't know how many of those we've had.
When you are converting third downs, you get more snap opportunities, and that usually leads to the attrition component of play, and really that's kind of representative of the run game.
Q. Do you like what you are getting, the one-two punch from those two guys, different styles?
MIKE TOMLIN: Really tonight was probably our first time to take a look at it because we had a more fluid start. So, yes, I do. I do.
Q. -- switch at right tackle, and do you think that helped?
MIKE TOMLIN: I just thought we needed a spark. I thought Broderick had worked hard and was deserving of the opportunity, so we gave it to him.
Q. Canada was on the sidelines. I know you guys had a nice offensive night. Do you think that contributed to anything?
MIKE TOMLIN: Again, we're making moves with the intentions of being better, so we'll see as we move forward.
Q. Your thoughts on just your defense being able to slow down Derrick Henry?
MIKE TOMLIN: I thought we did a good job. I just thought the penalties were catastrophic to our defensive effort. It really was, but Cam Heyward was back.
Cam's presence is significant, guys, particularly in terms of defending the run. You better put four hands on that guy or you're not going to have a day.
I'm appreciative of his presence. I'm appreciative of the effort of all the guys, but we've got to cut down on the penalties.
Q. You mentioned the fluidity on the opening drive. It's the first time you did it all year. What does it do for you? What did it do for you from a confidence standpoint?
MIKE TOMLIN: We'll see as we move forward. I'm not ready to paint with a broad brush.
Q. You probably expected Elandon Roberts to play. When Holcomb went down, what about the contributions from him and Neal tonight?
MIKE TOMLIN: We introduced three inside linebackers for a reason. We just feel like we got three starter capable guys. Obviously we're really disappointed, and our heart goes out to Cole, but Elandon, we've got a great deal of confidence in.
Q. It's been a while since Diontae scored a touchdown. How did you see him work through that adversity to prepare himself for this?
MIKE TOMLIN: We just work week in and week out. That's not weight that he totes into the stadium. He just wants to be a significant component of what we do and why we're successful, and he was today.
Q. You talked Sunday about being good enough to overcome calls. Do you feel like you maybe got some football justice served today?
MIKE TOMLIN: No, we just try to win football games. Last Sunday is last Sunday.
Q. Are Najee and Warren comfortable the way you used them? Warren seems to thrive in his role.
MIKE TOMLIN: Yeah, I think they are. Yeah.
Q. Can you elaborate on that, please, just what you like about them?
MIKE TOMLIN: They're both starter capable. They're competitive guys. We're going to need them both. It's really not a new song. We like that group.
Q. Your thoughts on Kenny; short week, rib injury, and coming through there at the end?
MIKE TOMLIN: You know, nothing that he does from an intangible perspective or toughness perspective surprises me. I think that we're all really comfortable about those qualities in him and his desire to rise up big for us in moments and be significant down the stretch. I can't say enough about it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports