Mike Tomlin Critical of Pressley Harvin’s Performance vs. Jaguars

PITTSBURGH — There were many issues against the Jaguars for the Steelers, but one not talked about enough is the punting struggles. Pressley Harvin III, after a strong performance before his hamstring injury, came back with a poor performance in the rain against the Jaguars. It allowed Jacksonville to have great field position, allowing them to cash in on short fields for field goals early in the game. Mike Tomlin did not like what he saw from Harvin, and noted how much it hurt the Steelers in the field position battle.

“Flash plays in the special teams could be an asset to us,” Tomlin said. “We didn’t get that. Obviously, we’d like more consistent punting than we got yesterday, as well.”

Harvin averaged 42.8 yards per punt with some fantastic booms, including a 52-yard moonshot. But he had a few hits off the side of his foot, one traveling for less than thirty yards. Of course, punting is far down the list of issues, but when the field position battle for the Steelers, a team that often fails to score many points on sustained drives, is so huge, the punting game becomes a forefront skill.

Harvin’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas was historical. He boomed punts during that game, averaging 53 yards per punt and pinning the Raiders back consistently. Due to Harvin, the Steelers won the field position battle handily.

Mike Tomlin has used callouts like this to motivate Harvin. In Week 1, after a poor performance following the team’s loss against the 49ers, Tomlin did just that. But since then, Harvin has continued to elevate his game into another stratosphere. When they drafted him coming out of Georgia Tech, this was the guy they were hoping to see on the field. That was until Sunday, when Harvin hit some rocky roads.