A mini-series I’ll be writing about following each episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the AFC North. We’ll write about the headlines and biggest takeaways separately but this post will serve for the non-headlines, little things, and hidden Easter Eggs captured in each episode. These are written in the order they appeared during the show.
Also check out the two separate articles we’ve written so far.
Mike Tomlin’s Message To George Pickens
Nick Herbig Answers The Call Against “Zeus”
– Early shot of a defensive meeting that FS Minkah Fitzpatrick soon joins. In the past, we’ve heard about Fitzpatrick joining coaches meetings so this isn’t brand new but it’s really our first-ever look behind-the-curtain from Pittsburgh.
The coaches I spotted in the meeting were: OLBs Coach Denzel Martin, DC Teryl Austin, DBs Coach Grady Brown, DL Coach Karl Dunbar, and LBs Coach Aaron Curry. So basically everyone on the defensive staff.
“We’re losing a lot of bolts and nails to change calls these days,” Tomlin says.
“They’re speeding us. They’re getting us with speed to figure us out,” Austin says.
Presumably, referring to issues with teams checking at the line and running tempo to keep Pittsburgh’s defense basic and not allow for their own adjustments.
“We just don’t get a lot of boots in the field,” Austin says as they watch Cleveland Browns QB Jameis Winston completes a red zone pass off play-action to TE David Njoku.
“Because of the dog rush,” Tomlin adds.
Dog Rush referring to both Steelers EDGE players rushing/blitzing. “Dog Rush” is their term for it, as Tomlin noted in this 2021 interview with Pat McAfee. In that interview, Tomlin added that’s been the name for that rush throughout the history of the team’s 3-4 defense, Tomlin keeping the name for tradition and so players from current and past generations can relate.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re losing a lot of them?” Tomlin says, referring to boots. “It’s been an issue for us in the red zone but it could be an open-grass issue as well.”
– The next scene showed a separate meeting of just coaches watching Bengals’ tape.
“It’s like Brett Favre in Minnesota,” Tomlin said. “Anyone around Joe Burrow’s gonna get a job.”
“We’re playing any form of Tampa in a gotta-have-it moment, we better have an athlete playing from depth,” said Tomlin. “Because he’s going to take middle of the field open.”
“Tampa” referring to “Tampa 2” coverage with split safeties and a two-high shell, the middle of the field a weakness and requiring an athletic linebacker to run down the seam (or some type of post-snap rotation).
– Because Burrow was hurt and didn’t see the Steelers in 2023, the team was watching 2022 tape, cameras showing the 2022 Week 1 opener with Devin Bush and Myles Jack at linebacker. Burrow threw for 338 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions that day.
DBs Coach Grady Brown weighed in.
“Our ability to show one thing pre-snap and play something post-snap is going to be critical,” he said.
“We gotta keep his ass guessing for four quarters,” Tomlin said of Burrow.
A less polite version of what Tomlin said to the media, pointing out the need for a large “menu” of plays to beat a quarterback talented like Burrow.
– The coaches watched WR Ja’Marr Chase run a “Bang 8” off play-action. A skinny post, essentially.
“This boy flat and friendly,” Tomlin says, noting Chase doesn’t drift on routes and stays flat for his quarterback.
– During what I assume was the Wednesday team meeting with Tomlin speaking to the entire group, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were sitting at the same table in the front of the room. STs Coordinator Danny Smith was also sitting at the front of the room. You can see Wilson’s detailed notebook that looks to be color coordinated.
– Tomlin had a PowerPoint slide entitled “Joe Burrow Plan” and referenced having one for Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any of the bullet points of said plan.
The show then cut to a later meeting with DL Coach Karl Dunbar, noting the rush can’t be “four independent contractors.” Meaning, they have to rush as a unit to contain Burrow, who Tomlin and the coaching staff noted was mobile and able to escape against four-man rushers. I assume this is where T.J. Watt got the “independent contractors” line when he spoke with the media Friday. Dunbar works with the d-line and EDGE rushers.
“We can’t let him step up and we can’t let him get to his right, our left,” Dunbar stressed.
– In one of the practice shots, backup C Ryan McCollum was working with QB Russell Wilson.
“They’re so afraid of the go-balls and all that stuff. When you run off the ball like that, you create all that space for you,” Wilson told WR George Pickens on the side during practice.
I assume that was noting how much space Pickens can create on slants, curls, and underneath routes by threatening vertical.
– The show cut to the Bengals and ex-Steelers CB Mike Hilton, who said he knows that Wilson always looks for Pickens as his first read.
“3rd and 1, Mike Tomlin don’t care,” Hilton said. “He won’t want the first. He wants to flip the field, he wants the momentum,” Hilton said, having spent years being coached by Tomlin.
– The cameras then cut to a shot of Danny Smith meeting with Tomlin.
“They’re not a big fake team. But anybody gets desperate will do crazy shit,” Smith told Tomlin, who agreed.
At 4-7 and needing a win, you have to expect and prepare for teams to pull out trickery. The Bengals didn’t but it was a salient point.
– The cameras cut back to Tomlin meeting stressing the importance of facing RB Chase Brown for essentially the first time. Brown became the lead runner after Joe Mixon was traded and Zach Moss got hurt. Here was the PowerPoint slide for that.
“He might not know your name today,” Tomlin told the defense. “He better know your name on Monday morning.”
– Tomlin noted that Alex Highsmith’s success against then-Bengals LT Jonah Williams compelled the team to sign high-prized free agent Orlando Brown Jr.
“In 2022, Alex Highsmith walked the absolute dog on this dude,” referring to Williams. Highsmith finished that game with four QB hits, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
– Rarely apart and true best friends, Herbig and NT Keeanu Benton are sitting together in the team meeting.
– It’s no secret the Steelers and Pitt Panthers share a practice facility but still a funny visual to see them on the field at the same time as the Steelers. You can see them in the background of this shot.
– They cut to Thursday with Tomlin’s opening meeting on Thanksgiving as he spoke to the entire team.
“Good morning, men. Happy Thanksgiving. I’d like to open my home up to anyone and everyone in here.”
On Saturday night in a hotel in Cincinnati, second-year NT Keeanu Benton briefly spoke in front of the defense.
“For me, I had a bad week,” he said. “Mentally, physically. I was down. This morning, driving in, just feeling, what the hell I am coming here to do today is what I’ve been dreaming of my whole life. There’s no way you can mad out there tomorrow.
We know Benton didn’t play the final drive of the Browns’ loss for unknown reasons and then showed up on the injury report on Thursday with a hip injury.
He ended it by saying “let’s kick these boy’s ass” as the group laughed and cheered.
– To gameday. After QB Russell Wilson hit WR George Pickens for a 17-yard touchdown, Wilson went to the bench and high-fived each of the starting offensive linemen. “Great communication, Hell of a job,” he repeated to the group.
– During one timeout, Wilson brought the group together and started offering motivation and overall thoughts in the huddle.
“I love when you start to tell us the play and go straight into a motivational speech,” someone – I believe OT Broderick Jones – joked with Wilson.
– Walking to the locker room at half, Tomlin and Heyward had a brief conversation.
“We stop this back [RB Chase Brown] and we stop [QB Joe Burrow’s] ass from running up in the pocket, it don’t matter what our offense does. Have that mindset and have your group ready to go,” Tomlin told him.
Heyward replied, “I gotcha.”
Tomlin and Heyward also walk off the field together after every road win.
– Below appears to be LB Cole Holcomb, travelling with the team despite still on Reserve/PUP with his severe knee injury a year ago. A nice way to keep him engaged. Those injured-list players don’t always travel on the road.
– Still out with an ankle injury, Alex Highsmith supported his teammates, celebrating with Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt after their sacks.
– Though now titled a “Senior Assistant,” former QBs Coach Mike Sullivan was offering a quick coaching point to Russell Wilson alongside new QBs Coach Tom Arth before Wilson once took the field for a drive.
– Tomlin on Wilson’s 37-yard moonball connection to Pickens.
“You know he’s going to catch it. It’s amazing how efficient it is. Like a hitch [route].”
– Wilson was ecstatic after throwing his scramble drill TD to TE Pat Freiermuth. He quickly found and pointed out at Mike Tomlin, who pointed back.
– TE Connor Heyward slapping his chest and exclaiming “I want it!” as he walked out for the onside kick. He recovered it to help Pittsburgh close out the game.
– Post-game, Mike Tomlin acknowledged a “Douglas” on the Bengals’ side. That is Doug Rosfield, the Bengals Chief of Coaching Staff. An Ohio native, Rosfield coached in the Cincinnati area in high school and also spent a few years last decade with the Cincinnati Bearcats, where Mike Tomlin briefly coached from 1999-2000.
– Najee Harris ran up to Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase before Chase got into the tunnel to embrace him and say good game.
“Walk over your trap, take over your trap,” Tomlin said in the locker room after the game, the Steelers’ mantra when they win on the road. CB Donte Jackson said the same thing in the post-game celebration.
– Finally, this was a very Steelers-centric episode. By my rough count, about 30 minutes of this 54-minute episode featured Pittsburgh. It helped they were playing a divisional matchup and the show was essentially edited before the Browns could play the Denver Broncos Monday night (the final shot of the standings hadn’t even updated their record to 3-9) but it’s clear the director was anxious to show Pittsburgh having never had them on Hard Knocks before.
Overall, there was minimal air time dedicated to the Ravens and Browns.