Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin noncommittal on NFL forfeit question. That's smart. For many reasons. - TribLIVE

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This 2020 NFL season has to be a special kind of torture for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

Almost all coaches from pee-wee football to the NFL pound a message of “controlling the controllables.”

In other words, focus only on your team. Your own job within that team. On that given day.

Anything else is out of your control. So don’t let that excess stress get in your way.

Tomlin preaches that belief even more than most. Too bad for him the uncontrollable nature of the coronavirus pandemic is omnipresent around the NFL.

Maybe that’s why during his Tuesday media Q&A Tomlin seemed almost jovial talking about anything related to football. Whether it was about the upcoming challenge of facing the Philadelphia Eagles defensive front Sunday. Javon Hargrave’s return to Pittsburgh. How his team might utilize its tight ends. Or Ben Roethlisberger’s continuing re-acclimation to the offense.

But he couldn’t escape the excess stuff entirely. Initially, one of the extraneous covid-19 storylines appeared to be good news for the Steelers. As Tomlin was speaking, word was circulating that Heinz Field may be allowed to open its doors to 7,500 fans for Sunday’s contest

“We will be excited if we have an opportunity to perform in front of fans in our home venue,” Tomlin said. “They inspire us. We look forward to entertaining them.”

The news became good on that front. Just not as good as initially believed. Only 5,500 fans will be in attendance. The additional 2,000 counts players, coaches, staff, etc. Thus, a mere 10% of the seats will be occupied.

It’s something. But it’s not exactly going to be the 2008 AFC Championship game.

Tomlin also was noncommittal when it came to the topic of potential NFL forfeits. Something that has been discussed in the wake of the covid-19 outbreak within the Tennessee Titans organization. That outbreak is what caused last week’s postponement of the Steelers game in Nashville and the resulting reconfiguration of the bye weeks for both clubs as well as the Baltimore Ravens.

Some have suggested that the Titans and other teams who get high virus counts be slapped with a forfeit instead of canceling or rescheduling games.

“I don’t have a strong opinion about that,” Tomlin said. “Sure, there should be a penalty for negligence because there is a ‘one fail, all fail’ mentality in the environment that we are in. To the extent of what it should be, that is not my charge.”

Tomlin has to be diplomatic on this front. Granted, his team was an aggrieved party after the Titans were infected. It was Tomlin’s Steelers that essentially practiced through what was supposed to be their bye.

It’s Tomlin’s Steelers who now have to play 13 weeks without a break. It’s Tomlin’s Steelers who now have to go to Tennessee anyway in Week 7 and then go straight to Baltimore to play a well-rested Ravens squad who will now be coming off a real bye weekend of their own.

If anyone should be clamoring for a free forfeit win, it’s Tomlin.

But he knows better. He knows there are 13 more weeks to go in this regular season. Try as they might to adhere to the protocols, Tomlin is aware his team might get sick someday. Tomlin knows that maybe it’ll be the Ravens who are about to go up against a team that suddenly can’t take the field because of a spread.

Tomlin doesn’t want to see the Ravens gifted a free victory just like Baltimore coach John Harbaugh would’ve hated to see the Steelers gifted one. Especially since that game was going to be a 50-50 toss-up in Nashville in the first place.

“We don’t overthink it,” Tomlin said of 2020’s constant uncertainty. “You can paralyze yourself with contingency plans on top of contingency plans. We have a hard-core plan, but we are just committed to being light on our feet and being ready to adjust when circumstances dictate it. So, we are moving within our normal rhythm.”

Based on what we’ve seen from the 1-2-1 Eagles this year, staying on beat toward a 4-0 record should be attainable for Tomlin’s team.

This is something he and his players can control.

Regardless of how many people are in the seats singing “Renegade” in the second half.

TribLive Steelers beat writer Joe Rutter joined me for our weekly conversation after Mike Tomlin’s press conference. You can download the podcast here. Or view our chat on the TribLive video page.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL | Breakfast With Benz