Tomlin: Steelers need consistency

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Mike Tomlin doesn’t have the patience or the roster depth to make sweeping changes. Besides, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach isn’t sure they’re necessary.

Last Tomlin checked, his team was 3-3 not 0-6, even if it felt that way after Cleveland crushed the Steelers by three touchdowns last Sunday, Pittsburgh’s worst loss to its nearest rival in a quarter-century.

“We are a .500 football team,” Tomlin said. “That’s not something we desire to be.”

Yet, it beats a bleaker alternative. Pittsburgh has been a maddening mixed bag during the first six weeks, flipping between exciting and erratic, often from possession to possession. The same team that trailed 31-3 in the fourth quarter Sunday dominated the first quarter and had a chance to take a two-score lead before fizzling.

“We got to put a more positive, consistent performance on the grass than we’re putting right now,” Tomlin said.

That means there may be some new faces in the huddle when the Steelers begin a pivotal three-game homestand Monday against Houston (3-3).

Rookie nose tackle Daniel McCullers will likely be active for the first time with starter Steve McLendon out with a shoulder injury. And 6-foot-4 rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant may finally get a chance to provide quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with the big red-zone target the Steelers have lacked for the better part of a decade.

It’s not the way Tomlin would like to get his first-year players into the mix, but borne out of necessity because the veterans are not producing regularly.