Steelers HC Mike Tomlin "Meant Absolutely Nothing" By Comments About Needing Mojo Before Week 3 Victory

We are just three weeks into the 2023 season, and Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is already in midseason form. Per usual, he has already given out several "Tomlinisms" in the first few weeks of the season. Last week, ahead of the team's Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, the veteran head coach admitted that the offense needed to get their "mojo" back.

The unit was indeed able to get some of that mojo back, as the team improved to 2-1. Well, in Tuesday's press conference, Tomlin stated that he didn't mean anything by those comments.

"It was a means of avoiding the question for me. Some things you just can't talk about. We're not performing as well as we would like, and it just simply requires more work. When you get in press conference settings, I always think of something that you can talk about or something that's tangible. They want to hear what's new and different and shiny and appealing," Tomlin said.

The offense had their best outing of the season in the Week 3 victory, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The running game still averaged under four yards per carry, which isn't particularly encouraging against the Raiders' poor all-around defense. Quarterback Kenny Pickett did play a mistake-free game, which also included a deep 72-yard touchdown throw to Calvin Austin III.

We're just three weeks in, and it's clear that Tomlin is already fed up with questions about this offense. It's still a bit unclear as to why he answered this in the fashion that he did on Tuesday. Maybe he simply wanted to send a message to his underperforming playmakers on offense. Tomlin talked more about the offense's slow start and how they handle things in the media space.

"Sometimes, I provide a little color in an effort to help the media do their jobs, but I meant absolutely nothing by it. We've got to play better. That means we have to coach better, we've got to prepare better. We've got to step into a stadium with confidence and we've got to produce the plays that are born out of that process. We're comfortable with the pieces in place. We don't like the end result. We're going to keep our mouths shut."

Furthermore, Tomlin denied Jordan Schultz's report that came out just ahead of the contest against the Raiders. In case you missed it, Schultz reported that the Steelers would be "promoting" Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada by giving him more responsibilities. On Sunday Night Football's telecast, it became evidently clear that Canada was occupying the same role, as he was calling plays from the booth.

After Week 3, beat reporter Mark Kaboly of The Athletic wrote that sources within the organization called the report "silly." Based off that and Tomlin's response, fans can calm down a bit now. There was initially a ton of outrage from fans, as Canada hasn't done anything to garner a promotion in his three years with the team. Nonetheless, it was a weird slew of comments by Tomlin.

Will The Steelers Offense Continue To Improve Moving Forward?

Does Tomlin remain a top-five head coach in the NFL? Who do you want to see the team replace Canada with? Do you think Tomlin is already fed up with this underperforming offense? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites!

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