Mike Tomlin, Steelers doing their best to shut out the noisy preseason hype ahead of opener

It was 42 days ago when Mike Tomlin arrived at Saint Vincent College and proclaimed he liked the feel in the air about the 2023 Steelers.
Now, after an unbeaten preseason and near-flawless performances by the first-team offense and defense, there is another feeling in the air. This one is laced with unbridled optimism, and it’s so palpable Tomlin’s biggest chore as he begins his 17th season might be trying to keep everything in perspective.
Nonetheless, Tomlin opened his weekly Tuesday press conference by saying, “I really feel good about where our group is.”
He will find out in a hurry if what he saw in the preseason will continue into the regular season when the Steelers play the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The 49ers led the NFL in total defense and points allowed in 2022 and made it to the NFC championship game for the second year in a row.
“I asked my guys to remain singularly focused and ignore outside noise that’s really irrelevant in terms of our growth and development and trajectory of what we’re doing,” Tomlin said.
However, ignoring the outside noise might be like asking them to ignore the lanternflies.
There is much about which to be optimistic with the Steelers after what they did in the preseason, especially on offense. Quarterback Kenny Pickett had a perfect 158.3 passer rating, produced touchdowns on all five possessions and averaged 11.6 yards per play.
It was almost as good on defense. The starters — or most of them, anyway — did not allow a point in five series and gave up just 3.3 yards per play. The longest gain they surrendered was a 15-yard completion by Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Couple that with a 7-2 finish to the 2022 season and the hype — maybe even hysteria — has reached dizzying heights. Whether they are attainable or unrealistic remains to be seen.
Tomlin was asked if he tries to embrace the optimism that surrounds his team or tamp down the expectations.
“I don’t worry a whole lot about it because a lot of what you mention is outside-like things,” Tomlin said. “We’re just trying to have good days. We’re trying to do appropriate things that allow our group to advance individually and collectively. We want to create an environment that allows them to address the areas that needed improvement.”
Tomlin said his family and friends “know better” than to ask him about the excitement that is surrounding his team.
“Those that are close to me know not to delve into that,” Tomin said, “because I do not care.”
Preparing for Bosa
The 49ers could be without defensive end Nick Bosa, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year who remains a contract holdout.
Tomlin, though, isn’t counting him out for the game or what impact he might have despite missing the entire preseason.
“It’s prudent for us to assume he is going to be there and prepare in that vein, as opposed to being surprised,” Tomlin said. “We were in a similar circumstance a couple years ago with T.J. and we got a deal done at the 11th hour. He showed up in the stadium and he was T.J. Watt that day. That’s what those guys do.”
The reference was to Watt signing a monster five-year, $122 million contract after sitting out the entire preseason and then getting two sacks and forcing a fumble in the season opener in Buffalo.
One difference, though: Watt was a hold-in, not a holdout, during training camp. He was at every practice, though he did not participate in team drills or play in a preseason game.
Captain’s chair
Kenny Pickett has replaced running back Najee Harris and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky as the offensive captain for the season. Pickett was selected in a vote by his teammates.
“Him being the lone captain on offense is obviously no disrespect to the leadership of others but probably more a reflection of his growth and development, not only as a player but as a leader,” Tomlin said. “I think the votes reflected that. They weren’t just one-sided.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac
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Published September 5, 2023, 9:00PM