Steelers’ Mike Tomlin chose Pressley Harvin over Corliss Waitman because of holding skills

Rare does a punters’ debate stoke the fires of a team’s football fans, but in Pittsburgh some were irked by a recent choice.

The Pittsburgh Steelers elected to go back to Pressley Havin III to handle the punting duties during Sunday’s AFC wild-card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Corliss Waitman — who filled in during the Week 16 and 17 games — was released Saturday.

Waitman averaged 52.1 yards and had a 63-yarder among seven boots in a loss at Kansas City on Dec. 26 and a home win against the Cleveland Browns a week later. A Steelers’ seventh-round draft pick last spring, Harvin missed those games after the death of his father on Christmas Day.

Harvin returned, though, for last week’s regular-season finale at Baltimore. He averaged just 37.3 yards on eight punts, and only three could be considered above-average. Four times when he had a chance to pin the Ravens deep in their own end, Harvin had mediocre kicks that were fair caught at the 20, 20, 16 and 18.

Most egregiously, though, just inside the first half’s 2-minute warning with the Steelers at their own 7 and in need of a good punt, Harvin shanked a ball that ended up giving Baltimore its first points.

Coach Mike Tomlin, though, came away satisfied with Harvin’s effort for another reason.

“We’ve had great success with Christian (Kuntz) snapping and Pressley holding and (Chris Boswell) kicking,” Tomlin told Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola in the pre-recorded Steelers Radio Network pregame show interview. “We’ve been in some big moments (with placekicking), and so that was a decision-maker last week.

“And wouldn’t you know, we go out there and in that inclement weather, and those guys snap-hold-kick and send us home with a victory.”

The Steelers won in overtime on Boswell’s 36-yard field goal. On a rainy, sloppy day, Boswell made all four of his placekicks.

“Punting is just a part of the equation (in making a decision about which punter to keep),” Tomlin said, according to transcription on the Steelers’ official website. “That snap/hold/kick component, the cohesion required to be varsity there is attractive as well.

“And so Pressley remains our punter.”

Harvin was the only punter drafted after winning the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best college punter last season. He beat out six-year incumbent Jordan Berry for the Steelers’ punting job during a training-camp competition.

But he ranks 33^rd out of 35 punters (min. 20 punts) in gross average (42.6). Waitman would lead the league if he had enough punts to qualify. Waitman’s net average was 42.6; Harvin’s 38.0.

Waitman was part of the Steelers’ 2020 camp roster. It is possible he could again be added to their offseason roster for 2022. Tomlin, though, seems to have reached a comfort level with Harvin — because of his holds.

“The Wednesday before the game in Baltimore, (special teams coordinator) Danny Smith, myself, Christian and Pressley were off on the side during an offensive period,” Tomlin said on his pregame radio show, “and we were dipping the ball in a bucket and delivering a wet ball to them. And they were snapping and holding a wet ball, because we read the advance forecast that it might be inclement weather in Baltimore.

“And so that’s what the division of labor allows you to do. It allows you to prepare. It allows you to get singularly focused and really produce a high-floor in terms of consistency in performance.”

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