Mike Tomlin's first game as Steelers coach is 20-7 win over Saints
ESPN - Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio -- Mike Tomlin is a no-nonsense guy. So he didn't seem particularly interested in all the extracurriculars surrounding his debut as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Oh, he got a kick out of being interviewed by Deion Sanders before the game. And out of meeting the five new Hall of Fame members who were on hand for the preseason opener: Michael Irvin, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Matthews, Roger Wehrli and Charlie Sanders.
Otherwise, it was a business trip to Canton for only the third head coach of the franchise since 1969.
"I took myself out of it. I tried to create an environment for the coaches and players to do their jobs," Tomlin said Sunday night after a 20-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. "You do that, you get involved in the process."
The process of getting the 2005 NFL champions back to the top began well. Less than three minutes into the game, the Steelers were ahead to stay under the man replacing the retired Bill Cowher.
Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in his only series, going 2-for-3 for 73 yards to Cedrick Wilson. On a 55-yard play, Wilson got behind safety Kevin Kaesviharn, then he beat New Orleans' top cornerback, Mike McKenzie, on an 18-yard crossing pattern.
"This was the start of all of us getting repetitions with a new coordinator (Bruce Arians) and new coach," Roethlisberger said. "There's going to be some new things, of course, but I think we made adjustments and did well first time out."
Najeh Davenport, starting for 1,400-yard rusher Willie Parker, bulled in from the 4 for a 7-0 lead.
Pittsburgh's first-stringers were so much more efficient than New Orleans' starters, who missed blocks and dropped passes on offense and couldn't handle Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch when they threw. And that was just in the first quarter.
In the first half, Pittsburgh outgained New Orleans 305-56, including 205-32 in the air. Overall, it was 413-214.
"I thought we gave up some big plays -- I could point to 15 things. We've got to look at our preparation coming into this weekend," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I thought we were lethargic, especially in the first half. You're always looking to see how your first group does."
Pittsburgh's second group didn't fare badly, either. Nor did the third-string.
The Steelers made the Saints look inept in coverage at times, an unfortunate carry-over from last season for New Orleans, which allowed 16 plays of more than 40 yards in 2006 -- a league high.
Along with Wilson's big gainer on the game's second play were a 38-yard screen pass to Carey Davis and a 41-yard completion from Brian St. Pierre to Santonio Holmes. St. Pierre hit Holmes on a 3-yard fade for a 14-0 edge.
"It was back to business for us," Steelers tackle Max Starks said. "We have some new coaches, but a lot of players here have been together and know what to do. So it wasn't that surprising that we got some good yardage."
The lead grew to 17-0 on Jeff Reed's 28-yard field goal set up by Davis' 58-yard run.
"In the first preseason game, you are finally getting a chance to go against someone else, and see where you have progressed," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said after going 1-for-6 for 6 yards. "Obviously, we still have some work to do."
But the Saints' third-stringers staged a 16-play, 72-yard drive capped by a fourth-down, 1-yard TD pass from Jason Fife to Kevin Dudley to open the second half. Pittsburgh's subs answered with a 13-play, 44-yard march to Reed's 39-yard field goal, taking up the remainder of the third period.
Not on hand for the game was the ailing Gene Hickerson, the sixth hall inductee this year.
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