Steelers, Mike Tomlin trying to balance victory with developing a young offensive line

His 39-year-old quarterback is absorbing too many hits.

His rookie running back isn’t getting enough yards.

His offensive line either doesn’t offer enough protection or doesn’t open enough holes, a double-edged sword for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense.

Coach Mike Tomlin is well aware of the issues. The answers are what he lacks two weeks into the season.

One thing Tomlin isn’t going to do is panic, he said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. And he’s not going to make any changes to a line that includes two rookies, a sophomore and a sophomore starter.

“We just have to keep working,” said Tomlin two days after the Steelers lost their home opener 26-17 to the Las Vegas Raiders to drop to 1-1.

Tomlin will move up to the youth line which has center Kendrick Green and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. as rookies, left guard Kevin Dotson as first-year starter and Chuks Okorafor as second-year right tackle.

Right tackle Zach Banner remains in the injured reserve for at least a week, removing a potential replacement from the equation. Veteran pickups Joe Haeg, BJ Finney and Rashaad Coward will remain in backup roles as Tomlin preaches patience to those disappointed by the Steelers’ stagnant offense.

“Development is this, this is development,” said Tomlin. “It doesn’t happen in an instant. It doesn’t happen overnight. We are sensitive to this, but at the same time there is urgency. We have games to win in the midst of this. ”

The next one arrives at Heinz Field on Sunday in the form of the Cincinnati Bengals, who like every other AFC North team is 1-1.

“We will continue to work that balance of doing what we have to do in an effort to pursue victory,” said Tomlin, “while growing individually and collectively in some areas where we are extremely young or inexperienced to a cohesive point of view.

The line as made up only started gathering reps two weeks before the start of the season when Moore returned to the left tackle – he was receiving snaps on the right side midway through preseason – and Okorafor moved on. on the right tackle, the position he occupied in 2020.

The lack of cohesion among the top five is highlighted in a running game that ranks last in the NFL in yards and 31st in attempts. It’s also manifested in the fact that Roethlisberger has been hit 10 times by the Raiders and sacked four times this season after being knocked out just 13 times in 15 games last season.

“He took too many hits,” Tomlin minimized.

Najee Harris ran for 83 yards on 26 attempts while finding few openings to create longer wins. Although he scored his first touchdown in the NFL on a 25-yard pass, Harris only gained 38 yards in 10 carries against the Raiders. He had all three runs in the second half while the Steelers were down by nine points three times.

“With every quarter that went by, he got better,” said Tomlin. “It’s not unexpected. We spent a lot of time talking about the cohesion, development and comfort of blockers, but the same could be said of the runner who also played eight quarterbacks of NFL football. last week than it was in week 1 in terms of things we enjoy. ”

Full-back Derek Watt, who has recorded four offensive snaps and none against the Raiders, could be used in a blocking role to help revive the running game. In order for Watt to be on the ground, however, a narrow or wide receiver would have to be seated.

“Derek is a valued member of our team,” said Tomlin. “He’s a special teams captain. He is a very credible rear. Some weeks he will be presented, other weeks he will not be presented and sometimes it will have nothing to do with his abilities.

The slow start wasn’t limited to the racing game. The Steelers have scored three touchdowns in two games, are 28th in total yards, 30th in possession, 21st in efficiency on third down and are tied for 20th in points.

Not quite the start anyone envisioned in Matt Canada’s first year as offensive coordinator. For all the adjustments the Steelers have made with Canada calling the games from the press box, Tomlin said communication between the coordinator and the quarterback has remained strong.

“Very good,” said Tomlin. “Communication has been really good. I love the growth and the direction of that growth. They are 1-1 like me 1-1. We are all 1-1.