Steelers HC Mike Tomlin: 'It's put up and shut up time' after blowout loss to Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin left no doubt when speaking with reporters Tuesday he's not interested in making practices more "fun" after wide receiver Chase Claypool suggested the team should add music to the midweek sessions coming off Sunday's embarrassing 41-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that dropped Pittsburgh to 5-5-1 on the season.
As Chase Goodbread noted for the league's website, Tomlin did say he could embrace a change-up such as a padded practice ahead of this coming Sunday's rivalry matchup with the first-place Baltimore Ravens (8-3).
"Like I mentioned earlier it's put up and shut up time," Tomlin said of the upcoming showdown with Baltimore. "Talking doesn't get it done. I can quell you in that question with an answer, but it's not real. What we do in that stadium on Sunday is real. We're not seeking comfort, we're not trying to quell the masses. We stunk it up, so we're going to wallow in our stench for a while and wait for our next opportunity to play football."
Former Steelers defensive back Ryan Clark generated headlines Monday when he torched the franchise during a Monday appearance on ESPN.
"They would know. They know the things that we value," Tomlin said about former Pittsburgh players such as Clark criticizing the current state of the Steelers. "I don't know specifically what you're talking about. The guys that have been here, guys that have been in that room, guys that understand the standards that we aspire to, they probably have a better understanding of that than anybody that's not in that room right now. I would imagine, whatever it is you're referring to, I agree with them."
Tomlin and company can silence such takes for at least one week by defeating Baltimore on the first Sunday of December.
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