The NFL's annual meetings are underway in Orlando, and the Yields, of course, have a lot to talk about. But the biggest story for them, both locally and nationally, the changes in their quarterback room that have happened recently here in the off season, a topic Mike tom Went addressed with media from around the country.
You know, when the free agency process began, we only had one quarterback on our roster. Obviously when we got into it, after he got permission to talk to other teams from Denver, the conversations were very fluid and natural. He did his appropriate research on us, and I think that that's probably was one of the more impressive things about the process from my perspective, his level of preparedness in terms of knowing us and who we are and
how he might potentially fit. Just really putting ease over the process. Obviously, you know, we anticipated it to be in a competitive market. I think he went to New York prior to coming in our place, and so we're pleased that it was able to come together.
Mike Tomlin described Russell Wilson as driven and says that Wilson has the pole position to be the Steelers starter, but the Steelers also traded Kenny Pickett and acquired Justin Fields from Chicago to complete the transformation in their quarterback room.
In the days following our acquisitional Russell, Kenny expressed a desire for a change of scenery. As I mentioned, we had been in pretty fluid communication with Chicago after we got a sense of what direction that was going. Then the domino started the fall and we did the transactions necessary to send Kenny to Philly and acquired Justin. We're excited about the guys that we have in Russell and Justin Man and just really can't wait to get started.
Beyond the quarterback situation, there are plenty of huge topics for the Steelers in this offseason. Mike Tomlin was good enough to sit down with us here in Orlando at the ENF annual meetings, and Mike, let's start with the hiring of Arthur Smith this UH winner. What drew you to Arthur Smith and what do you expect out of him?
You know, I think the first thing that drew me to him was just how tough he was to compete against. We've seen him a lot UH in recent years, whether it was in Atlanta or Tennessee. In terms of his approach to offense, some core beliefs were really attractive to me. His his willingness to run the ball and play behind the run game, uh, the way he throws the ball
down the field and play action. All of those were were really attractive components of his profile to me, again based on what it is that we wanna do and how we're built, but also his recent assignment as a head coach is really attractive. There's some there's some awesome unintended consequences picking up an assistant with that level of experience, calendar things, approaches to business. There's just a lot about Arthur that's that's really attractive and I'm glad we have him.
Does he fit your personnel as well? Do you think certainly?
A and and by fitting our personnel, I just think he's adaptable. I think we as coaches have to be adaptable. We can have a mindset about how we wanna go about our business, but we better be light enough of on our feet to to to adapt that that vision
to fit personnel. And just competing against him, over the number of years that I have I've seen that adaptability based on personnel and and He's expressed, uh that through this process, and so I'm really comfortable not only in terms of his core beliefs, but I'm also comfortable in terms of his adaptability to to cater that, to to to what's best for the collective.
User word adaptability. You hire other new coaches as well, some of them have to come in and adapt or learn your personnel of How does that work sort of behind the scenes, with getting everybody integrated on a coaching staff. Is it seamless? Is there a give and take on both sides? How does that work?
I think it It starts first and foremost with a commitment to to communicate and formally and informally to get to know new coaches oftentimes start with video to get to know players and whether you're talking about them as an individual or about them as a collective, video is where it starts. And and then you start having conversations or to get to know the people involved. And so more than anything, it's about a commitment to to communication
formal and informal. There's no other way around it other than the roll your sleeves up and start attacking it. And and that's what's been exciting, That's what we've done. It creates uh, some anxiety, some urgency because of the newness of it, because you know the transitional component of it. Uh, But usually that brings the best out in.
All of us. What drew you to Patrick Queen?
You know, he has the definitive unique combination of youth and experience. He came into the league as a twenty year old. He's played in every game since he's been in the NFL, He's been highly available, and so he has that experience yet and still he's twenty four and a half years old, and so I think youth and experience is a unique thing he has it. I'm really excited about what he is gonna be for us, and not only in terms of what he's gonna bring, but
just to get better. You talking about a guy that's twenty four and a half years old, that is a Pro Bowl level and caliber player as we sit here today, it's reasonable to expect him to continue to get better.
When you bring a guy like that in just maybe not him in specific, but high end players like that, how much do you tweak your scheme a little bit to them? How much is it incumbent upon them to play the style you want. I'm sure that's part of the selection process for player as well.
I think I think initially is probably the onus is on the player to assimilate into the environment. But I just think the more time you spend with a player, the more you gain an understanding of what they're capable of, what they do well, and what they don't. And shame on you as a coach if you don't work to highlight the things that they do to well or work to minimize the things that they don't. And so it's
gonna be dual responsibility. Responsibility on a guy like Pat first to figure out how we do things, you know, win in Rome, be Roman, but also over time it's gonna be important for us as coaches to put him in the very best position for him to play well, to to utilize his talents, and an effort for us to play good defense and win games.
You added to Sean Elliott Dante Jackson to your secondary. How do they help you? What are their skill sets?
Like? You know, uh D jack is a guy that's a very capable cover man, a guy that's undersized yet plays with an edge. He's really quick, his anticipatory skills are very evident. He's a ball guy. He's he attacks the football. I have always liked that about his profile. And Elliott is a guy that, because he was in division at the early stages of his career, where highly familiar with what he what he brings. He is a strong tackler and aggressive player. Has always had the appearance
of being a really good communicator. And those are some things that are really critical to the safety position.
I know there are still holes to fill, but do you feel like right now, maybe projecting out or maybe just where you sit right now, that your team has improved over the team that you know lost in the first round of Buffalo?
You know, I don't know that I feel that, as I said here, I just think that, you know, the draft and and what remains in free agency is such significant work. Make no mistake, we we like what we've done thus far. But man, we're still very much in the midst of this thing. The draft is so significant, and sometimes late acquisitions, although they don't get headlines, are
really significant. We signed Kwan Alexander, for example, last year when we were in camp, and you know, prior to his injury, man, he was shaping up to be a significant component of what we were doing defensively, and so I'm still excited about the work that lies ahead, and we still have a high level of urgency, uh for the work that lies ahead.
I think the last question is the biggest for a lot of fans. Do you expect to be coaching the Steelers for the foreseeable future?
Hey?
Absolutely, you know.
I love what I do, I love where I do it, I love who I do it with. And so I answered that question rather easily to be quite honest with you. Certainly we have, you know, things like contracts and things to address, but just in spirit, in terms of what I do, the energy in which I bring to what did I do, the desire to to get out of that car every day and step into that facility, It hasn't waned in any way. If if it's done anything different, it is intensified.
Mike. Thank you, Thank you. M