Tim Benz: At 9-3, Mike Tomlin can avoid 'feeding the beast' — at least in front of the cameras

There are plenty of good vibes coming out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 44-38 win in Cincinnati last week, and surrounding their 9-3 record overall.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t points of concern heading into this Sunday’s game against the 3-9 Cleveland Browns, though.

How is George Pickens going to regulate his emotions? How can Joey Porter Jr. avoid getting so many penalties? How can the offensive line block Myles Garrett and the defensive line of Cleveland better this time around? How can the defense get off the field without relying on turnovers and Russell Wilson to bail them out? When is new receiver Mike Williams going to get involved?

But head coach Mike Tomlin seemed to have a steadfast approach toward dealing with all those questions from the media Tuesday.

“Being transparent with you guys doesn’t necessarily help or accelerate the growth process,” Tomlin said. “That’s my agenda, not necessarily feeding the beast.”

Specifically, that was a response from Tomlin about Pickens getting two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in Cincinnati on Sunday. But it also seemed to be his tone when peppered with inquiries about some of those other problems.

On the Porter front, after drawing six flags (four accepted) against the Bengals on Sunday, Tomlin made his rough day seem like nothing more than a matter of circumstance because the young corner was trying to deal with 6-foot-4, 220-pound Tee Higgins.

“He is a challenge. When we play Shaq, we’re going to use our fouls,” Tomlin said.

I don’t know if Higgins is quite the Shaquille O’Neal of NFL wide receivers. If he is, then his running partner, Ja’Marr Chase, is Tim Duncan, dipped in Steph Curry and rolled in Larry Bird.

But if a little hyperbole from Tomlin tamps down concerns — and, more importantly, assumptions from the officials — that every game is going to be a flag-fest on Porter, so be it.

Regarding how the Steelers’ offensive line has improved since the debacle against Garrett and company in the first half two weeks ago, Tomlin was less colorful.

“I have no idea. I hadn’t looked at that small sample size,” Tomlin said. “We’re just trying to be our best each and every down. We had a bad half, we made some corrections, we went out and played better in the second half. We had a week’s preparation (for the Bengals) in an effort to tee up against a familiar opponent. So I don’t know that there’s any trends there worth mentioning from my perspective.”

Actually, I’m sure there are. He just doesn’t want to reveal them with the Cleveland rematch looming in a few days.

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Regarding Williams being a non-factor since his arrival, Tomlin preached patience — if that hasn’t been exhausted yet.

“It’s going to happen. It’s simply a matter of time,” Tomlin insisted. “I was really encouraged by the playmaking that he made during the week in preparation for the (Cincinnati) game. Oftentimes, when you’re making plays in preparation, it ultimately shows up in play. So, I don’t think any of us are pushing the panic button in that regard.”

And what about that suddenly big-play-reliant defense that’s given up 24.5 points per game in the past four weeks?

“When you’re going against the likes of Joe Burrow and Chase and Higgins, you’re going to be challenged. I just like that group’s collective fight,” Tomlin said.

On Tuesday, we essentially got 25 minutes of Alfred E. Tomlin. “What me, worry?”

At this point, that makes sense. At 9-3 with an opponent they should beat on the rebound at home up next, Tomlin is wise to avoid “feeding the beast.”

Publicly, anyway.

If he’s not getting through to Pickens (and I worry that no one can), then there’s still a problem. If they can’t get Porter’s technique right in time to face Jerry Jeudy after 235 receiving yards for Cleveland on Monday night, that’s a problem. If Calvin Austin is limited after being in the concussion protocol, and they still get nothing from Williams, that’ll be a problem.

Garrett and the Browns’ defensive front is always a problem in Cleveland. I’m dying to see if those corrections Tomlin minimized carry over to the rematch Sunday.

Sure, Tomlin is wise not to worry at the podium. The fanbase and those of us in the media are plenty capable of doing the heavy lifting on his behalf when it comes to that.

The only concern that really matters is if Tomlin is getting across a more direct message when the “Hard Knocks” cameras aren’t around to film it.

Listen: Tim Benz and Chris Adamski wrap up Mike Tomlin’s press conference and preview Sunday’s match against the Browns.