During the Pittsburgh Steelers 2014 training camp, both head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau praised rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt for always running to the football. Saturday night in the preseason win over the Buffalo Bills, the Notre Dame product showed why he is worthy of that praise.
On a 3rd and 27 pass play early in the second quarter, Tuitt showed just how well he can move for a player of his size as he raced nearly 30 yards up the field to tackle tight end Scott Chandler after he eluded rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier following a catch.
You can see two different angles of the play below.
Tuitt was reportedly dogged by a hernia and foot problem in 2013 and that is probably what ultimately led to him falling completely out of the first round and into the hands of the Steelers in the second round.
“The big thing was the hernia that he had,” said Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell following the selection of Tuitt back in May. “He gained weight. If you go back and look at him as a sophomore, he played around 308 to 310. Last year he played around 330 to 335. He was carrying that extra weight with the foot and the hernia, so he didn’t play well. He didn’t play up to his ability.”
As you can clearly tell, Tuitt is no longer hampered by either of those injuries.
Tuitt finished the game against the Bills with three total tackles and a quarterback hurry and played 33 snaps.
