The first workweek of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 regular season kicked off with Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference today. As usual, he praised several players of their first opponent, the San Fransisco 49ers.
OLB Nick Bosa
It’s 42 days and counting since Niners star edge rusher Nick Bosa has been with the team as he seeks a contract extension in the ballpark of Aaron Donald. Unlike T.J. Watt, who was a hold-in during his contract negotiations, Bosa chose the traditional route. Mike Tomlin is counting on the two parties coming to an agreement in the final hour and facing a full-strength Bosa. Dan Moore is going to have his hands full.
We are preparing for Bosa. It’s prudent for us to assume that he is going to be there and prepare in that vein, as opposed to being surprised. We were in a similar circumstance with a dynamic rusher a couple of years ago in T.J. We got a deal done at the 11th hour, he showed up in the stadium and he was T.J. Watt that day. And so, that’s what those guys do. They show up and they are who they are. And so, we expect him to be there, it’s the prudent approach to take and if he’s going to be there, we know the type of player that he intends on being. And so, that’s something to be dealt with.
Mike Tomlin says they're preparing for Nick Bosa to show up and play on Sunday. Experience with T.J. Watt and getting a deal done at the "11th hour" tells him the 49ers can get things squared away and Bosa can play at a high level once he returns.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 5, 2023
RB Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey, man, we just got to respect the dynamic playmaking ability that he has both in the running game and in the passing game. It’s very evident how significant his addition has been for them. I think prior to his addition they were averaging 20 points a game. With him, in 2022, they averaged 30 points a game — 10 points with the addition of one man. He’s dynamic in the run game, he’s dynamic in the passing game. We better be really careful about being matched up against him in space. He’s a one-on-one space-winner. He might be the most dynamic one-on-one space-winner at running back in the NFL.
"We have to respect the dynamic playmaking ability that he has." Tomlin on the 49ers' Christian McCaffery
— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) September 5, 2023
TE George Kittle, WR Deebo Samuel
Their run-after ability with their offensive eligibles is really impressive. And so, they can throw short and run long and produce big plays without absorbing a significant amount of risk. What does that mean for us? We better tackle well, we better be sound schematically in terms of some matchup related things, and not put people in bad circumstances athletically. It’s a coach’s challenge. It’s just a fundamental technical player’s challenge from a tackling standpoint.
S Talanoa Hufanga
Another Mike Tomlin named is safety Talanoa Hufanga, who just happens to be a player mentored by Steelers Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu. Hufanga has drawn plenty of comparisons to his fellow USC alum.
(Talanoa) Hufanga at the safety level is a special player, first-team All-Pro a year ago.
