We're at the first major hurdle of Broderick Jones' young career as a Steeler. Just two games into his second season, Jones has been benched in favor of this year's first-round pick Troy Fautanu. After a horrid series Sunday in Denver that not only ended his day but cost him his spot on the depth chart, it's more than fair to ask what's happened to Jones?
Before we dive into the film, it's important to note that in his Tuesday press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Mike Tomlin is hardly slamming the door on any possibility that Jones could earn his spot back, one way or another.
"I'm going to give Broderick an opportunity to rebound," Tomlin said. "He's a talented young player. I am sure he suffered some disappointment in terms of Troy starting. It's a natural thing. But he has to move past it and I have to give him an opportunity to move past it as a leader.We'll get into this week. We'll let participation be our guide and the quality of participation for both guys be our guide in terms of how we divvy up this week. It's a new week."
As I reported Sunday night, Fautanu was chosen to start over Jones in Denver not only because of the team's belief in Fautanu, but also due to concerns over Jones' effort and unwillingness to finish blocks. When that's the concern, beating a rookie or the incumbent left tackle Dan Moore Jr. is pretty much out of the question.
I was curious to see what else went right and wrong for Jones on the one series he played in Denver before Tomlin put him on the bench. Three penalties costly penalties that killed a promising drive were the ultimate reason Tomlin pulled the plug on Jones. But, how did some of his other reps look?
I dove into the film and found some good, but quite a bit of play that aligns with the concerns that have been relayed to me by those on the inside:
To reiterate the good news, Jones isn't in the doghouse. He'll get more opportunities, whether that's on the right or left side.
And for those concerned over how the Steelers have handled Jones' usage on the left or right side, I'd urge you to consider the effort issues before clinging to a narrative that doesn't carry as much weight as anyone might think. Jones has predominantly been used on the right side throughout training camp and preseason, and also in weekly preparation for games. Yes, he gets some reps on the left side, but this idea of jerking him back and forth is simply not true. And, it's not like he didn't put out good tape while playing right tackle as a rookie.
Effort is the bigger concern here. That is 100% on the player, not on the coaches. If effort is ever in question, it's on the player to correct it. Coaches are there to teach technique, coach up details, etc. Professional athletes should never have to rely on coaching to give full effort. And, regardless of what anyone thinks of my opinion on that, Tomlin surely doesn't operate under the umbrella that he has to motivate people to give a full effort.
If and when Jones gets another opportunity, limiting some of the bad reps we saw in Denver needs to be his first priority. Get back to moving bodies. The rest will fall in line after that.
