And those Steelers are worried about Tomsula's 49ers. There was something decidedly throwback about San Francisco's physical domination of the Vikings. Carlos Hyde powered for 168 yards. Colin Kaepernick made plays with his legs and his feet. Minnesota's Adrian Peterson found little room to move against the 49ers' defensive front. For a team representing one of the nation's most eclectic cities, San Francisco seems to have quickly adapted to Tomsula's decidedly Old World approach.
FINISHING WITH A FLOURISH: The Steelers only had one three-and-out in nine drives against New England, but also missed two field goals and were relegated to two more when touchdowns were needed. It was an issue early last season, one they corrected after inserting rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant into the lineup. Bryant, however, is out until Week 5 for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
"I don't think we had something that was broke,
China Jerseys, to be quite honest with you," Tomsula said. "What do we fix? We have a guy that is a very talented athlete. He is a very talented quarterback."
Take out the two 'e's in the middle and replace them with a single 'i.' Ditch the last 'e' and switch it with a 'u.' Oh, and throw in a 'z' at the end for good measure. Listen close and you can hear it when Tomsula is asked if he took a moment to savor his team's decisive 20-3 victory over Minnesota in the opener on Monday.
Some things to look for as the Steelers try to avoid their fourth 0-2 start since 2000:
SHORT WEEK: Tomsula sees no reason to worry about the tough schedule, tough travel and early game time 3,000 miles away.
PITTSBURGH (AP)