Tomlin: Plan 'probably' same in do-over

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday he "probably" would devise a similar game plan for the Denver Broncos if he had to do it over again.

Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow made several big plays in the passing game Sunday to defeat the Steelers, 29-23, in overtime. They came when Steelers cornerbacks were in man-to-man coverage with little or no help from safeties.

That was the case on the game's final play when Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas with the safeties close to the line of scrimmage in run support. Tomlin indicated that the safeties were utilized more in run support because of Tebow's ability to break contain and run via scrambles or designed plays.

"The responsibilities associated with defending their run gaps kind of dictate at times how you attack them," Tomlin said Monday at his news conference Monday at the Steelers training facility on the South Side. "Obviously, they made some plays on us. In hindsight, you analyze with a fine-tooth comb some of the things you did. But I think really your options are limited in terms of how you attack them because of the run gap responsibilities."

Tomlin said it was not a foreign concept for the Steelers to place man-to-man responsibilities on their corners in late-game situations without help from safeties.

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