Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said this afternoon at his weekly news conference the most significant reason for the team’s first 0-2 start since 2002 is the offense, which has produced just two touchdowns in the first two games.
“The most significant reason is we’re 0-2 is we’re not scoring enough points,” Tomlin said 12 hours after the Steelers fell at Cincinnati, 20-10, on Monday Night Football. “Nineteen points in two football games is not going to win a lot of football in this league. If you would have told me we’d score 19 points through the first two ball games I would have told you we’d have an opportunity to 0-2. We understand that and we are working hard to rectify that.”
The Steelers will try to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2000 when the Chicago Bears (2-0) visit Heinz Field for another nationally televised contest Sunday night.
Tomlin said there were no serious injuries from the Cincinnati game. Rookie outside linebacker (heel contusion), defensive end Brett Keisel (calf) and nose tackle Steve McLendon (hamstring) might be limited early in the week, but their injuries are not expected to keep them from playing Sunday night against the Chicago Bears.
Tomlin also said four players who did not play against the Bengals might be closer to returning. Tight end Heath Miller (knee), cornerbacks Cortez Allen (ankle) and Curtis Brown (illness) and running back Le’Veon Bell will do more this week in practice and their availability for the Bears game will be evaluated later in the week.
After limited participation practice last week, Tomlin said Miller, who is rehabilitating from major knee surgery, is expected to be a full participant this week, although Tomlin cautioned Miller should not be viewed as “Superman” when it comes to curing what ails the offense.
Tomlin did not find many positives from the game, but he singled out running back Felix Jones, who had 37 yards on 10 carries and played 36 of the team’s 58 offensive snaps. The Steelers ran for just 44 yards and 75 yards through two games.
“The running game was below the line,” he said. “But I was encouraged by Felix Jones and what he’ll be able to do moving forward. He knew when to bounce it and when to put his foot in the ground and get vertical. There were some things we can build upon.”
Tomlin also was encouraged by the performance of new center Fernando Velasco, who joined the team last week as the replacement for injured starter Maurkice Pouncey.
“I thought he made positive contributions to our efforts,” Tomlin said. “I loved his demeanor. I thought he did a nice job of communicating.”
Tomlin wasn’t so kind to his two starting tackles, Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams.
“They need improvement in terms of their quality of play like a lot of us,” he said.
Despite being 0-2 for the first time in his head coaching career, Tomlin said he will not change his approach to coaching.
“We’re not going to push the panic button,” he said.
Other interesting tidbits from the news conference:
*When asked about what the problems are with the running game, Tomlin replied: "The problems are many. We lack detail. We lack finish."
*Tomlin doesn't usually acknowledge the mistake of officials for fear of getting fined, but of the tripping call against Marcus Gilbert, he said: "It wasn't the correct call. It wasn't a trip, but the reality is we have to be good enough to overcome those things and last night we weren't."
First Published: April 6, 2016, 4:14 p.m.