Tomlin focused on looking ahead

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Mike Tomlin isn’t big on trips down memory lane, particularly painful ones.

The Pittsburgh Steelers coach grew so annoyed this week by repeated questions about Jacksonville’s win at Heinz Field in the NFL Divisional playoffs four seasons ago that he hung up on reporters.

“Anybody got any questions relative to this week?” Tomlin asked just before the phone went click.

Forgive Tomlin for his lack of enthusiasm when talking about one of the lowest points of his highly successful tenure. Besides, as he is quick to point out, the Jaguars’ 31-29 upset is ancient history for both franchises.

The Steelers have won a Super Bowl and lost another in the interim while Jacksonville has floundered, going 21-33 since David Garrard’s gutsy fourth-down scramble set up Josh Scobee’s game-winning field goal.

The two teams that face off when Pittsburgh (3-2) hosts the rebuilding Jaguars (1-4) today bear little resemblance to the two that played on that chilly January night.

“I understand that might have been a big game in Jacksonville four years ago but that’s old news,” Tomlin said. “Many of those guys are no longer here and definitely many of the guys that were in Jacksonville are no longer there.”

Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert wasn’t even in college yet. Now the rookie is learning on the job and in the midst of a daunting run that will have the Jaguars facing the NFL’s top three defenses in successive weeks.

The returns have been mixed so far. Gabbert threw for 200 yards against Cincinnati last week, easily the best performance of the 22-year-old’s brief career. Yet the numbers haven’t translated to joyful jogs off the field. If the Jaguars can’t beat the Steelers, they’d match their longest losing streak since 2001.

The Steelers have failed to string together consecutive solid games during an uneven opening month of the season. Pittsburgh appeared to get back on track with a 38-17 rout of Tennessee last weekend in which quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes.

Considering a daunting stretch ahead that includes games against Baltimore and New England, the Steelers know they can’t afford to take a misstep.

“Offensively we can’t have inconsistency,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “We can’t come out and play a great game against Tennessee then come out and lay an egg. We’ve got to continue to build upon it and build steps in the right direction.”

The Steelers should have running back Rashard Mendenhall, who dressed but didn’t play against the Titans with a hamstring injury.