With Elandon Roberts wearing Pittsburgh’s green dot as the team’s defensive play caller after injuries to Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander, his injury in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals really affected defensive communication. He’s questionable for Pittsburgh’s Week 14 matchup tonight with the New England Patriots, and if he can’t go, Mike Tomlin said the Steelers would do something a little bit unconventional: give the green dot role to a safety, in this case All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick.
“You know, probably Minkah Fitzpatrick because he’s an all-circumstances player. With the other linebackers, we’re probably better served to cast a big net and utilize all of them in an effort to maximize performance. It might be a lack of conditioning or preparation from that perspective in the case of a Blake Martinez, who hasn’t been here a long time, or it might just be a lack of exposure from a guy like Mark Robinson, in terms of defensive snaps in the National Football League. So it’s best to cast a big net to be inclusive to utilize multiple people when you’re doing that. If Elandon is not the guy, it would probably be Minkah from a hierarchy of green dots, if you will,” Tomlin told Bob Labriola for Steelers.com.
He added that someone who wears the green dot has to be on the field for at least every first- and second-down snap, as it’s easier to signal plays in from the sideline on third downs. But Fitzpatrick usually plays every snap for the Steelers anyway, hence why Tomlin called him an “all-circumstances player.” If he leaves the field, it would be due to injury, and the absolute last thing Pittsburgh needs is another disruption to its defensive hub of communication.
By mentioning Martinez, that may be a sign that Tomlin plans on making him active tonight. Martinez has yet to play for the Steelers this season, but if Roberts can’t go, the Steelers probably aren’t going to roll with Mykal Walker and Mark Robinson as starters, as those two did not play all that great against Arizona. Martinez is a veteran and a skilled tackler, so it will be interesting to see what sort of impact he could provide Pittsburgh down the stretch.
With Pittsburgh’s communication being a point of concern on defense dating back to Week 10, after Alexander went down, making sure you have the right choice for wearing the green dot in the event Roberts’ groin doesn’t allow him to play is important. Fitzpatrick is a good choice, someone who will play every down and is respected and seems to be a good communicator.
The Steelers already used OLB T.J. Watt as a green-dot guy once against the Patriots and it was a disaster, so having someone like Fitzpatrick, who also understands various areas of the defense is a good choice, even if the green-dot role is usually a linebacker.
Obviously, in an ideal world, Roberts can play tonight and none of this will end up mattering. Roberts had been really good for the Steelers before suffering the injury late in the first quarter against the Cardinals. Now, if he can’t go, the Steelers are going to rely on a series of veterans who weren’t with the team to start the season in Martinez, Walker and maybe even Myles Jack, if he gets elevated from the practice squad. It will be interesting to see how things shake out tonight, but no matter who’s wearing the green dot, the Steelers will have no excuses for not getting a win over the 2-10 Patriots.
