Pittsburgh Review

During a recent news conference, various aspects of the game strategy and performance were discussed. Coach Tomlin expressed his dissatisfaction with defensive lapses during a game in Baltimore, saying, "I was really displeased with the two red zone touchdowns, for example, to the tight ends. It's just too late in the year to have guys running open like that." He emphasized that effective defense requires a blend of communication and automatic execution based on drills.

Tomlin explained that facing skilled quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes necessitates man-to-man coverage or adaptable zones due to their ability to exploit standard zone defenses. He stated, "Zones lose in line-to-gain circumstances or in close quarters vs. cohesion, relationships, expertise."

Regarding player statistics, Tomlin noted Pat Freiermuth's contributions despite challenges such as missing teammate George Pickens due to injury. "The reality is," he said, "he is a major component of what we do... particularly in weighty moments – red zone, possession-down play."

On the subject of aggressive plays versus strategic caution, Tomlin acknowledged the need for balance: "There are rules and axioms of the game that we live by... you learn and you build rules based on experience." However, he emphasized maintaining players' competitive instincts.

Tomlin praised Chiefs coach Andy Reid's consistency over his career: "From a competitor's perspective, he's changed very little." He remarked on Reid's ability to adapt while maintaining core strategies across different teams.

Reflecting on past draft evaluations, Tomlin recalled Kevin Colbert's high regard for Patrick Mahomes: "Kevin talked about his baseball background... Kevin was on top of that one when he was extremely high on Pat Mahomes."

Tomlin also highlighted Mahomes' underrated quality as his spatial awareness and feel for the game: "His general feel for the game... lends itself to the unique plays that he creates."

Discussing Travis Kelce's impact despite being 35 years old, Tomlin commended his well-rounded play: "He is so aware of what's going on around him. He is an absolute zone killer."

Finally, Tomlin described Steve Spagnuolo's defensive strategy as aggressive and pressure-focused: "They're aggressive schematically... they're No. 2 in the league in terms of the amount of pressure they bring."

Overall, these insights provide a detailed look into strategic considerations at this stage of the football season.