Just as Mike Tomlin addresses the media every Tuesday, the Steelers' starting quarterback does the same every Wednesday. Since Mitch Trubisky is still the guy, it was his turn to answer a barrage of questions about the sputtering offense through the first three weeks of the season.
Fewer than 24 hours after Tomlin said the offense is improving, Trubisky echoed a very similar sentiment.
"We talked through a lot of stuff," Trubisky said. "It really comes down to execution. Just being more detailed in our work. When the plays are there, which they have been on film, we’ve just gotta make the plays. We feel encouraged after going back and talking and looking through it. We’re motivated to have a great week, and come back and put it all together."
That was his first answer of the day, and if you watched or listened to Trubisky talk for nearly seven minutes, there was a clear emphasis on being more detailed, plays being on film and the need to execute them. He said it again and again.
"On the film, you’ve seen the improvements," Trubisky said regarding Tomlin's comments about the improvement on offense. "We just haven’t been making those big plays or scoring as many points as I think we should have. The plays are there. They’re on film. We just gotta go make them."
And, again ...
"I think they have confidence in me," Trubisky said of the players' trust in him. "It’s just communication, being on the same page and everybody detailing in our work. The plays have been there on film. We just need to go out and make them. I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. It’s just going to take a great week of work."
More from Trubisky:
The bottom line is any improvement in the offense has been incremental at best. They doubled their touchdown production in the 29-17 loss to the Browns, but they flat-out abandoned the running game in the second half and the offense turned in back-to-back three-and-outs while Cleveland put together 14-play and 11-play scoring drives. Trubisky's 6.5 yards per attempt last Thursday raised his season average to 5.5, but even that single-game mark would rank in the bottom-third in the league.
Improvements? Yes, they are there, but you have to dig for them. And they're not significant enough to quell the fans' concern for the season's overall outlook.
"We’re closer. We’re not where we want to be. But we’ve gotta continue to put the work in," Trubisky said. "Continue to be detailed. Just continue to pull together. Hopefully we’ll get better results than what we’ve had."
The Steelers are 1-2 and are a Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked PAT away from being 0-3. After Pittsburgh hosts the Jets this Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, the schedule is brutal until the bye week. The Steelers travel to Buffalo in Week 5, host Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Week 6, then play back-to-back road games against the still-unbeaten Dolphins and Eagles.
There has to be a sense of urgency in taking larger steps forward, right?
"There’s always urgency," Trubisky said. "Mentality-wise, you’ve gotta take it one day at a time. How much can you get out of each day. Just try to get 1 percent, 2 percent better each day. Continue to build this thing, and not try to look too far ahead. We’re focused on the task at hand, which is having a great practice today. When we get to Sunday, we’ll get to Sunday. I think that’s how you continue to have more detailed and better work every single day. Just continue to focus on the task at hand."
Tomlin spoke about tuning out the noise while the offense continues to improve. That noise is growing louder and louder. Fans are increasingly calling for Kenny Pickett to supplant Trubisky. Fans are calling for Matt Canada's job. And, until the offense starts becoming the reason the Steelers win football games, fans will continue to make their voices heard and the media will continue to write about those issues.
Trubisky isn't immune to noise. He had plenty of it from his days in Chicago. While it's not surprising that he agreed with Tomlin's sentiment, his remarks about Canada was the first true sign of anyone on the offense having full faith in the direction of the offense.
"We’ve got a bunch of great calls. Matt has been calling good games. He’s been putting us in good spots. We’ve just gotta go out and make the plays for him and for this offense," Trubisky said. "It’s just part of the business. People talk when you’re not having the success they think you (should) have or we think we should have. That’s just part of it. But, we know what we’re capable of. At the end of the day, we’ve just gotta block that out, play football and win games. That’s most important."
With how much Trubisky emphasized plays being on film and the need to execute those plays, he may actually be digging himself in a deeper hole in the court of public opinion. There have been plenty of plays circulating throughout social media of receivers being visibly upset about being open and not seeing the football.
watch #14 at the bottom 😭 pic.twitter.com/xdHwZV10I9
— Mo 🥷🏽 (@SteppaGeo) September 23, 2022
As long as these plays continue to happen and the Steelers continue to fail in executing plays on offense, there will continue to be noise. And if Trubisky can't execute, fans will call for someone else who can.
"I think that’s going to happen when you’re not scoring as many points as people think you should," Trubisky said. "But, we went back and looked at the film. We talked through it as an offense, as players and as coaches. The plays are on film. Before you start pointing fingers, you’ve gotta look at yourself and see what you can do better. For me, it’s getting the ball to the playmakers, being on time, being good with my footwork, those types of things. Everyone else can do that at their position. The plays are on film. If we make more plays, then it looks better. It looks better on film and we score more points. We’ve just gotta focus on doing our job, being detailed in our work, pulling together as a unit and having each other’s backs."
