Mike Tomlin offered a lot of praise to his rookie offensive linemen this season, commending them for their collective finish. Whether that is finishing games strong, or playing to the whistle, it is a trait that is critical for the brand of football that the Pittsburgh Steelers want to play. Unfortunately, I don’t think anybody would use that to describe former first-round OT Broderick Jones.
Former Steelers DL Chris Hoke thinks quite the opposite.
“That’s my thing with Broderick Jones. He’s just gotta continue to work. Sometimes you watch it and he has a really good play. I just wanna see him finish plays,” Hoke said Thursday via 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Starkey Show.
Hoke was asked why it seems like Jones is lacking in aggression.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m not questioning his integrity. I’m not questioning him as a man. I’m just saying when you watch the film…it’s not finishing plays. It seems like there’s too many times when he’s turning around and watching his guy run to the ball, and he’s jumping in the air sometimes hoping his guy doesn’t make the play. A lot of times, if you just stay on your block, good things will happen. Just finish the play, play to the whistle. And we’re not seeing that every play from him.”
Najee Harris has experienced a breakout over the last three weeks, and he has credited that to the effort of all 11 guys on the field. He mentioned specifically the need for everybody to do the “dirty” part of their jobs for the offense to be successful. That includes receivers blocking out on the perimeter and running backs working in pass protection. For offensive linemen, sustaining blocks beyond just the typical two or three seconds could maybe be called the “dirty” part of their job. It may feel like the play is done after a couple seconds of blocking, but playing to (or even through) the whistle is key.
Between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the Steelers have two quarterbacks who like to hold onto the ball and extend plays. That means extra work for offensive linemen. That applies more to the passing game, but the outside zone run plays that the Steelers have been running also call for lengthier blocks. Zone runs mean they aren’t running to a specific gap, and creating cutback lanes or opportunities to bounce outside is key to turning runs of two or three yards into runs of 10 or 15 yards.
Jones has been the biggest disappointment along the offensive line in a year where injuries have made his progress even more important to the team. It wasn’t until this point last season that he started to see the field for the first time, so he now has a full season worth of games under his belt.
I think we learned with Dan Moore Jr. that patience can pay off. It wasn’t long ago that everybody was down on Jones and his potential to develop into a serviceable tackle. Now in Year 4, Moore is a very solid left tackle and perhaps the most steady of the Steelers’ offensive linemen this year.
Broderick Jones is still only 23 years old with 18 games of NFL experience. It wouldn’t be fair to write him off as a bust quite yet, but his lack of progression is still cause for concern.
