PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Hear what Steelers tackle Broderick Jones said about his struggles. Mike Tomlin discusses the penalties and other notes including inactives from the Steelers 13-6 win in Denver Sunday.
Troy Fautanu starts
When left tackle Dan Moore missed Wednesday’s practice due to an ankle injury, thought was we would finally see the last two first-round picks on the field at the same time. Instead, Moore returned to full practice the rest of the week and Broderick Jones was the one to not start. Rookie Troy Fautanu, praised by Tomlin for his work, started at right tackle despite only a couple of full practices and part of one preseason game in the last month.
Jones came in during the third series and replaced Fautanu. He committed three penalties on that one series including a hold that wiped out a 51-yard pass play. He did not return.
Jones talks struggles
“It was kind of frustrating,” Jones said of the penalties. “You just got to flush it as quick as possible. We still had a game to win. I didn’t want to bring that bad energy to the sidelines with the rest of the team and it just goes haywire from there.”
“I just tried to stay locked into the game and continued to push my teammates to be better. Continued to talk to my teammates, talked to Troy, tell him what I see. I feel like he had a great game. A couple of things he could clean up, but for his first start I feel like he did really well.”
If not for the penalties in the third series, Jones probably would have returned. It appeared the Steelers went in having a rotation in mind or that they would have ridden the hot hand. The penalties ended that. Read into what Jones said, he wasn’t big on a rotation.
“If I’m not starting, I really don’t feel like I should be playing,” Jones explained. “Rotation is really not a big factor for me. At the end of the day, they call it. I haul it. I just continue to go out there to the best of my ability.”
It seemed he did the first thing he needed to do after the game which was own up to his mistakes and face adversity, at least in the media. Now it’s about showing better technique and winning his job back, either on the right of left side.
“It’s alright, everybody has ups and downs,” Jones said. “You just got to continue to battle on be on the right side of it. That’s how I’m looking at it. That’s how I see it. I’m not looking at it as a punishment or anything, you just got to continue to get better.”
Penalties
It was called on both sides with 19 total penalties Sunday in Denver, 10 on the Steelers including the three by Jones. It cost them 78 yards and opportunities to extend drives or stop Denver drives. Combine that with the nine penalties for 60 yards against Atlanta, that’s 19 for the season.
“I’m not looking for comfort and officiating messaging,” Tomlin said. “We have to play cleaner and it’s as simple as that. We are not going to hope for a change we are going to do something to create a change.”
Tomlin added that with offenses still trying to get their feet under them, September penalties are magnified.
Inactives
Quarterback Russell Wilson was designated as the emergency quarterback still dealing with calf tightness. He was given a game ball as his teammates said he was ‘done dirty’ by the Broncos. Others who were inactive
· WR Roman Wilson-making progress, but only one full practice last week
· S Jalen Elliott
· S Terrell Edmunds-signed back on Tuesday
· G Isaac Seumalo-second straight game missed due to a pectoral injury
· DE Dean Lowry
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