If you want to run the football in the National Football League, you need some offensive linemen who play with a certain edge, bring a mauling mentality to the position and look to impose their will on defenders snap after snap.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have at least one offensive lineman who operates like that.
That would be rookie right tackle Broderick Jones.
Jones brought that mauling, finishing mindset from the University of Georgia, so he didn’t need to learn it or try and uncover it in the NFL. Now that he continues to get more and more comfortable at right tackle after being inserted into the starting lineup in Week Nine on a short week against the Tennessee Titans, the first-round pick is starting to show that physical presence more and more.
It stood out in a big way against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12. Jones went viral on social media for a clip in the run game where he buried Cincinnati standout defensive end Sam Hubbard.
Appearing on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show with host Randy Baumann Friday, Jones addressed that play and stated that he’s trying to finish like that every single play when he’s on the field, bringing that edgy mentality to the offensive line.
“I’m trying to finish ’em every time I can. Just playing o-line, that’s what comes with it. Just trying to impose your will every chance you get,” Jones said on DVE Friday morning, according to audio via the show’s podcast page. “That shows something to the defender on the other side of the ball. So it wears ’em out, and they just don’t…they can’t take it for a full 60 minutes.
“So the more you can do it, the better.”
Spoken like a true, nasty offensive lineman.
Since stepping into the lineup, Jones has played a big part on the Steelers’ offensive line, grabbing hold of the right tackle position and becoming the full-time starter. In the process, the run game has taken off. In the four weeks Jones has been in the starting lineup the Steelers have rushed for 150-plus yards and gone 3-1.
Those 150-plus yards in the four-game stretch is the first time since 2004 that the Steelers have done that in four consecutive games. If they do it again on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, it would be the first time since 1977.
Jones isn’t taking any credit for the improvements, stating that it’s just a coincidence and that the offense as a whole is playing more together. But the film doesn’t lie. Jones is making a sizable — and physical — impact week after week. Hubbard learned that lesson the hard way in Week 12.
Defenders beware.
