Mike Tomlin will 'leave the light on' for T.J. Watt to play for Steelers against Chargers

Mike Tomlin already has played one game this season — and parts of two others — without All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt creating havoc for opposing offenses.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers losing four players to injury in a 16-16 tie against the Detroit Lions, Tomlin is hoping Watt will be one who can return Sunday when the Steelers play at the Los Angeles Chargers.

Watt left late in the third quarter against the Lions after he collided with inside linebacker Joe Schobert. The injury came while Watt was sacking Jared Goff for a 6-yard loss. It gave Watt 12.5 sacks for the season, which is second-most in the league.

MRIs taken on Watt’s hip and knee reportedly were negative.

“I’ll always leave the light on for T.J. Watt,” Tomlin said. “The things he does routinely are not things that are done routinely by others. We’ll see where his participation leads us this week.”

Tomlin said he is “confident” that guard Trai Turner will return this week from an ankle injury that forced him from the game in the second half. Wide receiver Chase Claypool, who missed the game with a toe injury, is expected to resume practicing Wednesday.

Tomlin said he is “less clear” about the availability of guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) and cornerback Joe Haden (foot). Dotson reportedly sustained a high ankle sprain in the first half, and Haden left the game after playing just nine snaps.

Practice makes perfect

Schobert’s postgame comments about the Steelers needing to “take practice seriously” caused a stir on social media and talk shows. It barely registered with Tomlin, though.

“I have no issue with how we practice, and I’m sure Joe doesn’t,” he said. “I’m sure he was just answering a question after a football game.”

Schobert was asked about the team’s tackling issues against the Lions. Per Pro Football Focus, the Steelers had 10 missed tackles in the game, their highest total since whiffing on 14 tackles against Seattle.

“It’s something we have to go and execute,” Schobert said. “It’s hard to execute in the middle of the season at practice. It’s something we have to work on, get ourselves in those positions and take practice seriously and be able to improve on that.”

Asked whether the Steelers already weren’t taking practice seriously, Schobert said, “No, not necessarily, but it’s something when repeat mistakes show up, you have to start emphasizing them in practice.”

After the Steelers allowed a season-high 229 rushing yards to winless Lions, Tomlin said such emphasis will happen this week.

“Not that we’ve had bad practices in that regard,” Tomlin said, “but when you have a less than desired result, it ratchets you down and makes you focus on some things that we carry a candle for anyway.”

Snap judgment

Mason Rudolph is 6-foot-5, the same height as Ben Roethlisberger, according to the Steelers roster.

Rudolph, though, was the recipient of several high snaps courtesy of rookie center Kendrick Green, who didn’t have such consistent problems in the first eight games with Roethlisberger starting at quarterback.

One of the snaps sailed over Rudolph’s head in overtime and resulted in a 19-yard loss.

Tomlin acknowledged the problem but said he won’t overreact to it if Rudolph starts again Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers.

“Green’s just got to get the snaps down,” Tomlin said. “It doesn’t require a meeting. It doesn’t require a schematic adjustment. Certain things are just fundamental and when you coach and play football at this level, sometimes you can make the simple complex or you can get too smart.

“No, we’re just going to ask that guy to snap the ball in a proficient, professional manner, and we’re going to move on with our life. We’re not going to put our quarterback under center and change our personality or approach that way. It’s reason to expect the center to execute shotgun snaps on a consistent basis. He didn’t last game, so he has to re-center his focus.”