On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin praised the team’s revamped inside linebacker corps for its performances this season, particularly at home, and said the unit has already made some splash plays, which is more than you can say about Pittsburgh’s inside linebacker unit in 2022. While he never mentioned splash plays continuing to come for the inside linebackers, he did say he felt they were coming for at least safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Cole Holcomb, the leader of the inside linebacker unit, said he feels them coming for the inside linebacker group, but thinks there’s more that they can be doing.
“I feel the splash plays coming, and I feel that we are progressing, but I do think there’s a lot of more meat on that bone. I think that we’re capable of giving a little more, but I think that’s the competitive side of all of us,” Holcomb said in an interview with Missi Matthews on Steelers.com.
It’s great to see the defense, particularly the veteran inside linebacker unit, hungry for more. The Steelers haven’t found any sort of consistency with their inside linebackers in recent years, and it was a position marred by missed tackles, poor coverage and a lack of splash plays. That’s not the case this year, as Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander have all made an impact and helped the defense look a lot better at the second level.
Holcomb said the group bonded because they were all in a similar situation with everyone in the room except Mark Robinson coming in from other organizations, and that bond can help lead them to common goals. They’ve been solid but there’s certainly still room to grow, and Holcomb recognizes that. It sounds like the rest of the linebacker unit does as well, and it’s only going to benefit Pittsburgh the better this unit plays.
They’ve already been a pleasant surprise, and while I had high hopes for Holcomb coming into the season, I was still a little bit apprehensive due to his coverage struggles and the fact he was coming off an injury. But he’s been an anchor in the middle of the Steelers’ defense, and he’s got to continue to play at a high level, particularly against the run, for the defense to keep its momentum going.
All three of Holcomb, Alexander and Roberts are veterans who have played a lot of football and been successful elsewhere. As a collective, they’ve managed to find success in Pittsburgh, and hopefully that’s something that can continue and ramp up as the season goes on.
