Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin referred to rookie T Broderick Jones as “an oversized toddler” in his weekly press conference yesterday. He was asked about a comment the lineman made about cohesion between the line and the running backs coming from their weekly get-togethers, and Tomlin was warning reporters not to read too much into what the rookie might have to say about what is working and why.
In no way was it intended as an insult on Tomlin’s part. It was almost another way of calling him a kid in a candy store—possessive of deep, unchecked enthusiasm. “He loves to play football”, Tomlin said of Jones. “He’s flat getting after it, but don’t start talking about all these little things that he’s doing in preparation and so forth”.
Jones is actually an interesting interview, if you’ve ever watched one of them. He doesn’t seem particularly inclined to give stock answers, but rather gives it serious consideration. And he won’t just give the answer that a question is set up to give. He often seems to disagree with the premise of what a reporter is asking—though he might not always necessarily be entirely right about it.
The point is he is a very young, still inexperienced player embracing his own point of view. And he’s embracing the game, the team, and his role within it. He might not uniformly say what the coaches might prefer him to say or not say—not that he’s ever stepped out of line—but everything he says in response to a reasonable question seems to reflect the enthusiasm of his oversized toddlerdom.
And his enthusiasm permeates the rest of the offense, as well. There’s no denying that they seem to have a bit of new life since he was installed into the starting lineup on a full-time basis. He brings a physicality, an athleticism, an energy to the unit that had been missing. Including his ability to pull and get out in space.
The Steelers have rushed for over 350 yards in the two games that he has started at right tackle over the past two weeks. They had been held to under 100 yards in five of the first seven games, though that includes the game he started at left tackle.
That’s not wholly a coincidence, though his ascension was also well-timed to match a general improvement of the running game as a whole. James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo, for example, have begun to come into their own, and the Steelers are finding a healthy equilibrium in the backfield as well.
All they needed as the finishing piece was the giant baby who just wants to be on the field playing football. Just look at the way that he celebrates with RB Jaylen Warren after the second-year back scores a touchdown, thanks in part to his block. Kid in a candy store.
