The Pittsburgh Steelers took to the practice field at St. Vincent College in another padded practice on Tuesday. After practice, head coach Mike Tomlin briefly addressed the media. With a good number of questions asked by those in attendance, I was able to once again bring a players mentioned article. Remember these are players where a specific question was asked during the Q&A period.

T.J. Watt

At the beginning of training camp, T.J. Watt made a statement that he would like to see as close to a 50/50 split of offense-defense on every snap as possible. Coach Tomlin was asked how close this is manifested in his eyes referencing how close seven shots has been the last few practices.

“I hadn’t looked at it that way, in an environment like this units are going to have good days, the other unit is going to have the appropriate response and bounce back. That’s just the ebb and flow associated with team development. When you got that you probably got the makings of a good group. But we’re not looking for comfort in that regard. We’re just going to continually grow and know that we better be continually better and assume that those that we compete against are doing the same.”

Keanu Neal, Minkah Fitzpatrick, & Damontae Kazee

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to use their three safety look this season with Keanu Neal in place of Terrell Edmunds to go along with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee. Coach Tomlin was asked how Neal was fitting into this idea now that the three players are all getting healthy.

“You know, we just looking at some packages. It’s a component of what we do. We’ve done it in the past. It’s nothing new there. He’s a veteran player, man, he’s a quick study, he’s got a skill set. We’d like some of the matchups particularly versus two tight end personnel groups and stuff. So that’s old hat for us. We’re excited about seeing it.”

Nate Herbig & Kendrick Green

When injuries occur, sometimes players get shifted around in their responsibilities. Coach Tomlin was asked if the absence of Nate Herbig has created a situation where Kendrick Green has been sticking with the offensive line and not doing more as a fullback.

“You know, I’m not going to talk to you guys every day about the fullback stuff. You guys really get enamored with things sometimes.”

Mike Tomlin’s complete interview can be seen here:

Coach Tomlin spoke to the media after Wednesday's practice: pic.twitter.com/b6ToWhYOFq

— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) August 16, 2023