Tomlin on Roman, Leal, finishing

Q. During your news conference on Tuesday, one of the things you said was, “So although we’re playing good ball, it’s still about us. It’s still about how we function.” Is that belief the reason why you have had the team practice in pads during each Wednesday of the regular season so far?
A. Absolutely. We’re very much still developing in all areas. In expertise relative to the positions that we hold, technically, schematically, the overall things that we’re trying to get done in all three phases, the cohesion associated with that, redefining and sharpening the division of labor. I think with each passing week, particularly with the new guys, we have a better understanding of what they’re capable of, they have a better understanding of what they’re capable of, and so we’re getting more pointed in terms of the things that we’re asking them to do. All of those things rolled into one mean that we’re still very much in development, and pads are a component of that. This week, for example, we’re playing an attacking, penetrating interior defensive front, which has been different than some of the things that we faced recently. And so, you need to carry pads, because those combination blocks happen a little bit differently when you’re playing penetrators, as opposed to guys who read blocks. And so there’s a lot of reasons why you carry pads. There’s a lot of reasons why you work with an edge. The bottom line is we’re still growing in a lot of ways.

Q. You have said you want Justin Fields focused on starting at quarterback when the week of preparation begins. What is Wednesday morning like for the starting quarterback?
A. He meets with me at 7 a.m. I always want to see the leaders first. I want to give them information prior to others getting it. It aids them in their leadership. The next time I talk in a team meeting at 8:30 it’s the second time it’s hitting their ear, and so they’re able to digest it differently and thus lead and make the day a little bit…