While other coaches fail, Tomlin's players buy in to his 'consistency'

The Steelers just seem to find a way to do it. Every single time.

After a 3-7 record over the first 10 games of the season, they've rallied back to an 8-8 record. And they even have a chance to sneak into the playoffs with a win over the Browns and some help from the Bills and Jets this Sunday.

To so many people, it's an unthinkable turnaround. At least, it is to just about everyone that isn't in that locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

"I don't get surprised," Cam Heyward said Wednesday. "We put in the work for a reason. We come ready every week to get better. That's not without our faults, but I embrace it all. This team does. We're not surprised with where we're at. We've just gotta keep growing."

When Pittsburgh started the 2013 season with a 2-6 record, the veteran-led squad found a way to salvage an 8-8 finish. When Ben Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending elbow injury after the first six quarters of the 2019 season, the Steelers managed to avoid a losing season with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges filling in at quarterback the rest of the way.

But the 2022 team is a completely different situation. Roethlisberger is gone. No longer do the Steelers have a quarterback that's been there and done it all. Instead, Kenny Pickett has been the guy since halftime in Week 4. Despite the former Pitt Panther being the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2022 draft class, the Steelers no longer had a quarterback who knew how to not only combat just about every possible scheme in the league, but how to navigate the grind of a long NFL season.

In addition to handing the reins at quarterback over to a rookie, all of the other impact players on offense are talented but inexperienced. The offensive line needed nearly an entire season to learn the nuances of adapting to a zone-heavy rushing attack. And, perhaps most important alongside the quarterback situation, T.J. Watt missed seven games due to pectoral and knee injuries.

Yet, here the Steelers are -- again -- fighting for the final spot in the AFC playoffs in the final week of the season.

If you're asking yourself how the Steelers have managed to pull off such a feat, Mike Tomlin gets a lot of credit from those on the South Side. And when his players talk about him, one theme is abundantly clear throughout the course of the turnaround and the entire season.

"Just consistency. Steady," Pickett said Wednesday. "He's the same guy. You're talking about being 2-6, he’s the same guy now that we're 8-8 and we're fighting for that playoff spot. His sense of urgency is always there. The passion he has for the game, his energy at 6:00 in the morning when he walks in the building is the same every single day, no matter what the record is."

Tomlin's steadfast presence every day on the South Side is embodied by his players. Heyward has seen it over his 12 seasons in Pittsburgh, so it's not surprising when he was asked how he's maintained his focus on the task at hand, he said, "I'm not going to get too high or too low. You take your lumps when you lose, but you also learn when you win. December had to be our month to get to this point. It was. Now we're in January with a chance to get to the playoffs."

Heyward's been part of this type of battle before, regardless of who's at quarterback or which players are missing due to injury. The expectation to win and not grading on a curve has been the message from the day Tomlin was hired. That unwillingness to mail in a season due to rough starts or unfortunate circumstances is just part of Tomlin's DNA, and that's why it's part of his team's DNA.

And that's why the Steelers have been able to do this over the course of Tomlin's tenure. When so many coaches in this league have failed to overcome bad starts, Tomlin's team finds a way into the playoff discussion near season's end. Heyward's seen it time and time again, and his answer to why gives all the credit to his head coach.

"The short answer is, they're not us," Heyward said. "The long answer is, Coach T prepares us. Our coaches do a hell of a job getting us ready. And the players all buy in. I think it comes down to everybody staying locked in; understanding there's more football to be had."

When things start to go sour, it's easy for a coach to lose the locker room. It happens time and again throughout multiple sports. The same messaging grows stale, frustration sets in and ultimately resentment grows like a cancer in the room.

While Tomlin is known for the plethora of clichés he has at his disposal, the messaging never has an expiration date for his players. And in a season unlike any other he's coached before, that's a testament to how he's consistently had his finger on the pulse of his team, knowing exactly how to coach them individually and collectively to remain focused on the ultimate goal: Getting to the playoffs for a chance to compete for a Super Bowl.

"Obviously, being 2-6 is not where you want to be," Pickett said. "I don't know if there was any doubt, but we rallied together and we came together. We believe in each other and believe in what we’re doing. Now, we're sitting in a spot where we can make something happen here. ... He's been the same exact guy since the first day I got here. Just consistency throughout."

MORE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE

• You might have seen this clip of Tomlin by now, saying, "Kenny bleeping Pickett," as his rookie quarterback was coming off the field after throwing the game-winning touchdown at Baltimore:

Pickett was asked Wednesday how common it was to get that kind of response from Tomlin while coming off the field.

"If you make good plays," Pickett laughed. "I think it depends on the play that you made too, so, it was a good play in a big-time moment. He talks about the weighty moments. Coach is passionate; you love that out of your coach."

• Regarding another clip of Pickett having a hard time hearing a play being called in during that final drive, Pickett explained what happened there as well.

"I needed the play repeated," Pickett said. "So, I think I was communicating with somebody, and I missed the call, and I just had them resend it in."

• I asked Tomlin during his Tuesday press conference what changes he's seen, if any, in his team over the course of the second half of the season. I followed up by asking Heyward the same question Wednesday to get the longest-tenured player's perspective.

"Guys getting more comfortable in their positions. Guys playing with better technique. Getting some guys healthy as well," Heyward said. "But, as a group, it comes down to complementing each other. Offense, defense, special teams. Even when something goes wrong for the offense or a defensive play or special teams play, it's having that rebuttal and having that counter to make sure that we back each other up."

• The situation with Damar Hamlin is obviously weighing on players throughout the NFL, especially those in Buffalo and Cincinnati. But the Steelers have ties to Hamlin as well with him being a McKees Rocks native and former Pitt Panther. 

Finding the balance between focusing on a crucial game coming up Sunday and the health of a players that's in critical condition after going into cardiac arrest on the field is ... tough, at the very least.

"Players rally around players," Heyward said. "The coaches all try to be there for the players. I think we're just worried about that young man in Cincinnati right now. We understand what players are thinking. Right now, I think we can only just focus on Damar getting healthy and hope he'll make a speedy recovery.

"Everybody is always going to be thinking about that kid and what happened. Nobody ever thinks that risk is ever going to take place."

• In an interview with NFL Network on Tuesday, Dorrian Glenn (Hamlin's uncle) said Hamlin's oxygen level has improved, noting he was originally placed on 100 percent oxygen and now is down to 50 percent, and that he's optimistic about Hamlin's long-term prognosis.

The continued support for Hamlin has only grown on Wednesday. All 32 NFL teams have changed their profile pictures to a "Pray for Hamlin" graphic, and the Steelers and Pitt Panthers added more awareness to support Hamlin:

• Of course, Pickett was teammates and co-captains with Hamlin during their days at Pitt. During his availability on Wednesday, Pickett went on for a minute or so about his relationship with Hamlin.

"Damar, he's an unbelievable person. He does so much for the community," Pickett said. "The guy from Pittsburgh stayed home. Could have went anywhere he wanted to but stayed home and we had a great run together. He had an unbelievable career at Pitt. We were captains together in 2020. Just all around a great person and great family. His brother was always around the facility. They’re just like Pitt family to all of us, myself included. Thoughts and prayers are with him, and just trying to keep in touch with his family through Coach [Pat] Narduzzi. I'm sure they're getting swamped with messages but trying to stay up to date on how he's doing. It seems like everything is going in the right direction. Just hoping for nothing but the best for him. Just want him to be better."

• The Pittsburgh chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America vote on two team awards every season. In 2022, Pickett was voted as the winner of the Joe Greene Great Performance Award as the Steelers' Rookie of the Year and Mason Cole won The Chief Award for his cooperation with the media. I have much more on this in a separate piece.

• On the injury front, Diontae Johnson (hip), Tre Norwood (hamstring), Najee Harris (rest), Arthur Maulet (illness), Minkah Fitzpatrick (ankle), Myles Jack (groin), Kevin Dotson (shoulder) and Larry Ogunjobi (toe) did not practice on Wednesday. Dotson is really the only surprise out of the bunch, and it will be worth tracking his availability on Thursday and Friday.

Remember, all five members of the offensive line have started every game thus far.

James Pierre (concussion) is in the protocol, but was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. That is encouraging for him as he goes through the stages of the protocol.