Following 3-day bye, Tomlin got approval before putting Steelers through workout Monday
Before Mike Tomlin put the Pittsburgh Steelers through a practice Monday morning, he made sure the NFL and its players association were on board with his decision.
The collective bargaining agreement states teams on a bye week must give players four days off. The Steelers had just three after their Week 4 game at Tennessee was postponed until Oct. 25 because of a coronavirus outbreak among Titans players and staff.
Players already had arrived at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Thursday when the NFL announced the postponement. Tomlin had his players go through a light workout before giving them off the next three days.
The question was whether Tomlin could bring them back to the facility before a fourth day off.
“We were given special permission,” Tomlin said. “We always work on Mondays coming out of byes, but very rarely do we work on Thursday. The issue for us last week was we didn’t know we had a bye until we were at work on Thursday. The PA and the league were considerate of those special circumstances, and they allowed us to stick to our schedule.
“We did nothing special on Monday. It is just more general work for us in terms of us getting acclimated and back to work after coming off a weekend.”
After getting their customary day off Tuesday, Steelers players will resume practice Wednesday in preparation for their game Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field.
Coming up short
Tomlin didn’t mince words when asked to assess Dustin Colquitt, who has a net average of 36.7 yards per punt after three games and 13 attempts.
“Not where we want to be,” Tomlin said. “Not only with Dustin, but with the group. The collective work has to improve. We are simply concerned about raw numbers, net punting, and where we are right now is not where we would like to be.”
Colquitt, 38, signed with the Steelers after Jordan Berry was released the week before the season opener. In 15 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Colquitt had a net average below 40 yards just twice — as a rookie in 2005 (36.7) and in 2010 (38.0).
Colquitt, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, averaged 40.3 net yards in 2019.
For comparison, Berry had a net average of 40.7 yards per punt in five seasons with the Steelers.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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