Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky (9.22.22)
On how close the game was offensively:
“We just have to be better in the second half and I thought the first half we did pretty good. We are getting there, it is just not where it needs to be and we need to get a victory. The first half we made steps in the right direction but the second half just was not good enough.”
On the difference between the first and the second half:
“I think it was a little bit of the rhythm and then we just did not hit on the plays that we needed to. We had some crucial plays in the second half that if we got those plays, then it might have been a different story. I think there are a few more details in there that we will have to go back and watch on the film, but that is kind of what it felt like in the second half. Those plays we needed to hit, we just did not.”
On if the issue today was inconsistency:
“Inconsistency, I would say in the second half. So, it was just inconsistent and not hitting those plays that we needed. We hit some in the first half which is why we scored 14 points. Three points in the second half is not going to do it for us. I would say not putting two halves together would be inconsistent.”
On his 6-yard touchdown run:
“I was reading the end and pulled it. The offensive line did a great job with their blocks, (TE) Pat Freiermuth made a great block and I got the end zone. We look to do more of that stuff going forward.”
On only being 1-for-9 on third down:
“I think we will have to go back to the film and see how we could do better. Definitely stay out of third-and-long. We will just have to go back and see where we can improve and where we were off. It has to be better for sure, the third down is crucial.”
On struggling with inconsistency and miscommunication:
“I think we just missed on some plays that we could have gone either way. Especially in the second half. Communication is crucial, especially on the sidelines. These next few days, we need to communicate on how we can get better. Everyone just needs to be brutally honest with themselves and I think everyone can be a lot better, myself included. We just have to look at that and see where we can improve. We need to stick together. It is only going to get better if we stick together, communicate and talk about our problems. Everyone needs to be willing to fix it.”
On his last few plays before half and what he saw:
“So in those situations, if you do not have (what I think) is a completion, then it is more of a throw away. You should be trying to protect the football and not trying to give them a short field. You try to be aggressive while also being smart at the same time. We like to have a couple more timeouts before the half so we can use the whole field. They did a good job covering the sidelines so we could not get out of bounds. A couple of those were throw-aways and a couple of them were ‘us or nobody’. Then I hit (WR) Chase (Claypool) on that one. We just have to be better at the end of half and in those situations. We would like to have another timeout so we can stop the clock and use the whole field.”
On how tough it is to get everyone the ball when there are a variety of playmakers:
“That is how it is going to be. We have a lot of playmakers and we just have to try to get them the ball. I think when the ball is moving, everyone is happy. When we are scoring, everyone is happy. So, it is just going to come from everyone sticking together, everyone doing their job and getting the playmakers the ball. You kind of see at the end. Pat Freiermuth was not involved for a while but then he had big catches on that last drive. So, as an experienced player, you just need to know and you need to keep your head in the game at all times. You never know when your number is going to get called and you are going to be able to make a big play for the team. You just have to keep doing those things and we will figure it out.”
On whether they were put in better positions for down-field passes:
“It was good but I think we did not connect on the ones that we needed to. We took some shots downfield and we just needed to come down with it. I can throw a better ball, they made some great catches and we can make some more. We just need to continue to keep (inaudible). It was good and it is something we can improve with and keep going.”
On how comfortable he is now that he is starting regularly again:
“Yes, I feel like I am in a good rhythm with my routine. I felt good tonight but we just got to be better in the second half.”
On whether he saw a lot of cover one tonight:
“No we did not. We saw a mix. They played a lot of what we call six, quarter, quarter half, some Tampa, some more two-high looks. That is why we were running the ball well in the first half. When they came out with two safeties, we were able to throw the ball to (RB) Najee (Harris), which we did a good job of. Offensive line did a great job with creating holes for them and we tried to be pretty balanced. We just have to make those crucial plays in the second half. They did a great job of mixing it up but they played a lot of both.”
On the short week behind them and how they plan on maximizing their time after their loss:
“I think just getting back and going through the film the next couple of days and see where we can improve, especially on offense. We just got to come in and meet. Everyone just has to be on board with what we need to improve on, be brutally honest about the film, and where we are overall. I am looking forward to getting back to work. It is worth these next couple of days to see where we are going to get better. We can rest and recover but we have to make improvements.”
On how it feels playing primetime in Cleveland:
“It was cool, really cool. It is nice to be back home. It felt very welcoming but we would have loved to get a win. It was definitely special coming back home and playing in front of my friends and family. It meant a lot but we have to come out with a win next time.”
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