Q. It seems like the game in Baltimore was a long time ago, but in your review of it last Tuesday you said, "I thought our third-down play particularly at the early stages of the game sent a message and quelled the environment and allowed us to find our footing in play. Brandin Echols I thought, was central to that." What put Echols on your radar during last offseason when you signed him as an unrestricted free agent, and how has his role evolved since coming here?
A. It really started a year ago, when he was playing for the Jets and we played those guys. He was just a versatile and capable defender and special teams guy. He played third corner for those guys. He played outside and inside. He was a gunner on punt, an anti-gunner on punt return. We just thought he was the type of guy that you want in a competitive environment. He's capable of doing a lot of things. And it's proven to be true. He's been a capable outside corner. He's been a capable nickel. He's been a core member of our special teams units on the perimeter doing cornerback-like things. More than anything, he's a football player first, and he displays that with his versatility. Certainly, he's playing a lot of nickel for us now, because as we've transitioned and moved Jalen (Ramsey) to safety and some other things, there have been several dominoes that have fallen. But through it all, he's been above the line in everything we've asked him to do, and he's shown the versatility that really attracted us to him as far back as last year, when we were getting ready to play him as a member of the Jets.
Q. Something else that happened in Baltimore was that DK Metcalf lined up as a gunner on the punt team after some in-game injuries, and when CBS showed it on the telecast DK more than held his own. Was he recruited for that job on Sunday, or did he volunteer?
A. He's a volunteer, as was Jaylen Warren in the kickoff return game. The road is getting narrow, and it's not about what you're capable of doing, it's about what you're willing to do. And those are two really good examples of it. I'm appreciative of their efforts and their talents, but it's certainly required.
Q. When asked about the officiating in Baltimore, you said, "There are going to be controversial calls in big games. I think I always focus my energy on making enough plays to minimize that in terms of determining the outcome of the game. That's why you won't hear me calling New York postgame for explanations and things of that nature." Is that because you want to maintain a good working relationship with officials, or because you want that to serve as an example to your team about not making excuses?
A. I certainly want it to serve as an example to my team about not making excuses, and more importantly, moving on. Calls to New York and subsequent conversations are not going to change the outcome of the judgment, or the outcome of the game. And I've been on both sides of discussion over the years, and sometimes you need a little experience to have that perspective. But in this business, it is week to week, and by the time you get into the next week, you better be moving on. Because if not, then your guys might reflect that as well. And I just own that as a leader.
Q. A lot of statistics get thrown around at this stage of an NFL season, and I'd like to get your opinion on three of those: Offensive plays per game; total net yards per game; average time of possession. In each of those categories, the team is operating at a deficit. Is that important, or do you view that as just numbers on a sheet of paper?
A. I certainly view it as important. Just because we're on the wrong side of it, I'm not going to devalue it. Good defenses spend a lot of time on the sideline. It's the defense's responsibility, it's also the offense's responsibility, if you want to wage the war of attrition. And really, oftentimes rushing and rush defense has a lot to do with that. Certainly we haven't run the ball recently as well as we'd like, and we certainly hadn't stopped the run as well as we'd like, and that's why those numbers are what they are. But they're all interrelated. They're not isolated. And it's usually multiple variables, and we're kind of discussing them as we sit here. It's a component of our profile that we've got to get rectified as we continue to do what's required to win and push into this tournament.
Q. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about "football justice" and how it pertained to James Pierre. Another guy who seems to fall into that category is Ben Skowronek. He was waived by the Texans in 2024, which was when you signed him to the practice squad. What was the initial interest in him, and how has he developed since then?
A. He was a football player first and a wide receiver second. His appetite and talent regarding special teams, his ability to tackle, his toughness was really attractive. He's kind of very similar to Darrius Heyward-Bey when we picked him up at that point in his career. He embraced that component of the game, and we had a great experience with Darrius. I can't even remember how many years he played here, but we had a really good experience with him. Ben reminds me of that. He just embraces the grit component of the game. He's certainly a top-notch special teamer. He's our leading tackler, and he's Pro Bowl caliber in that area, if there's such a thing anymore as the Pro Bowl, and obviously he's capable and versatile as a wideout. By that, I mean, he knows all the positions. He's willing to do the gritty things. When we get in 3- WR sets, he can carry the run game fight, and be at the point of attack a lot. Not a lot of wideouts are capable of doing that, but that's aligned with the "will" component of his profile, and certainly he's been an asset to us.
Q. It's now mid-December, which means the road is getting narrow in the NFL. Are you seeing a different Aaron Rodgers as a result of that?
A. I don't know that I'm seeing a different Aaron in terms of his approach. I do think that I'm seeing a different Aaron in terms of he's making sure that the young guys understand what's at stake. He's always done a really good job of educating and communicating regarding young players, but I think the veteran player has a special role this time of year to explain to those the gravity of what is transpiring and what's required. And certainly what's required is urgency day to day, good practices, clean practices, and I feel him leading the charge in that regard.
Q. Is it fair to say that these kinds of games, these kinds of situations, are why you had interest in bringing him here, and why he had interest in being here?
A. No doubt. What he has you can't buy. He's got high level experience. He's built for these things. And beyond that, he's got to have it. He's got a thirst for these moments. And I would imagine that's why he was interested in us. That's why he "took less" to be here. He wanted to be a part of a good team that was positioned like this, so that he could be a component of this tournament. And so it's been great for both parties. And certainly from my perspective, I'm glad to have him.
Q. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is left-handed. Is there anything about that, the spin of the football for example, that might impact the defense?
A. It certainly is an impact on the defense. Most offenses are right-handed. You see left-handed components of offensive play when you've got a left-handed quarterback. For example, many of their boots or misdirection passes go to the defense's right, the offense's left. Most edge players, outside linebackers, etc., who play on the defense's right don't see a lot of that. And so there's some things that are a little bit different on a week like this. And I've been really thoughtful about educating our guys. We played them in Miami in 2022, and it took us a while to warm up to it. They had some success early in the game, but we settled down, and I think we shut them out in the second half. We came up short, but it's kind of a reflection of the adaptation that has to happen when you're looking at a left-handed quarterback and a left-handed offense. It's very difficult to duplicate. We certainly benefit from it in the special teams game with the left-footed punter. It'll be a period of adjustments tonight. We better warm up quick in it, because there's just no time to waste on Monday Night Football.
Q. Tonight's challenge at RB is De'Von Achane. What are his strengths, and who would you compare him to as far as the backs you've faced already this season?
A. First of all, he was a two-sport athlete at Texas A&M. He ran track as well, and I think that speaks to what his distinguishing trait is. He's awesome on the perimeter, but you don't want to disrespect his contact-balance and power for a smaller guy. He packs a punch for a smaller guy, he plays bigger than his measurables. He's similar to Buffalo's James Cook in a lot of ways, in his elusiveness and his ability to dominate on the perimeter.
Q. When the regular season opened, the top two left tackles listed on the flip card for the game vs. the Jets were Broderick Jones and Calvin Anderson. Today both of them are on injured reserve, and the top two left tackles on your current depth chart are Andrus Peat, who wasn't signed until after training camp opened and started this week in the concussion protocol, and Dylan Cook, who was added to the 53-man roster just on Wednesday. Every NFL season tests the depth of every team's roster, but is there any way to prepare for this kind of a situation?
A. There certainly is. And I use a couple of "Tomlinisms" to whet our appetite for it. "One man's misfortune is another man's opportunity." Always want those who are waiting in the ranks to understand that. It's not if it's when in this business from that perspective. And the other one is "The standard is the standard." There's a fine line between being a backup and practice squad player and a Pro Bowl player at this level in terms of the totality of the football world. And so never discount the talents of those who are waiting in the ranks. I challenge them to be ready and to play and to play well. I'm not going to be surprised when they do. But it's also a coach and a strategy responsibility. We're not going to send Dylan Cook out there and hope for the best. It's our responsibility to ensure schematically that we give him an opportunity to be successful, and it's his responsibility to play well.
Q. All week, the National Weather Service was calling for tonight's temperatures to be in the low-20s and dropping through the night. How do you prepare for that leading up to the game?
A. Because we're a Pittsburgh group, I don't know that we have to. It's just, you know, live where we work. We had a great outside practice on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in the environment. We live here day-to-day. I know over the last 19 years, I've certainly developed a thick skin relative to weather conditions. I did similar things relative to the heat when I lived in Tampa for five years. And so the weather conditions certainly are going to be significant, but probably less significant for us and those who have been here than the Miami Dolphins and those who haven't.
Q. You mentioned your time in Tampa. When you coached there, did you find that this kind of December weather was more of an adjustment for the team from a warm-weather climate?
A. When I was in Tampa, we were in the NFC Central, referred to as the black-and-blue division back then, and we went a historic period of time without winning a game in 32-degrees or colder. And so that became a storyline whenever we played in Green Bay late in the year, whenever we had to go to Philadelphia in the playoffs, etc. Thankfully, when we won the world championship in 2002 we were able to shake that monkey off our back in the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia at Veterans Stadium. And so being part of a group like that and understanding that it is certainly a period of adjustment and things to deal with. We lived it, and so I respect it.
