The Pittsburgh Steelers moved up 10 spots in the 2019 NFL Draft to select linebacker Devin Bush. It was the first time the Steelers moved up in the draft since 2003 when they selected Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu. That shows you what they believed that they had in Bush when they moved up to select the Michigan product.
It's been a rollercoaster since Bush joined the team. He's flashed brilliance, and was likely on his way to an outstanding season in 2020 before he tore his ACL during a Week 5 victory over Cleveland. Bush rehabbed and returned prior to the start of the 2021 season, but his play didn't reflect that of his previous two seasons. He also had some strange social media posts that resulted in some negativity from fans. In one instance, he shared a video of a cat falling to it's death, and it didn't go over well.
Bush ended up losing some playing time this season to back up Robert Spillane, and found himself on the sideline on third downs a lot. That was supposed to be Bush's thing. He was supposed to be able to play every down and be a factor in stopping tight ends in the middle of the field. The criticism was strong against Bush from every outlet. Former players even spoke out about Bush's lack of awareness on the field. The Steelers defense couldn't stop anyone from running down their throats, and much of that blame fell on Bush's unwillingness to step into the hole to make the play -- or just being completely taken out of the play by going the wrong direction.
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A lot of his troubles seemed to be mental, though. Former Steelers standout linebacker Ryan Shazier knows all about mental obstacles, and early career struggles. Shazier was the Steelers first round pick in 2015 out of Ohio State. He came into the league with high expectations, but knee injuries and mental errors slowed his progression in the NFL. He eventually was able to get healthy, and attributed his time in the film room to his turn around.
"Devin doesn't look like he's 100 percent healthy like when he was a rookie," Shazier said. "Obviously when you have knee problems, and I went through a bunch of them, you don't feel as confident. When you're not feeling as confident that you can make some of the plays that you made before, it kind of makes you second guess sometimes, or make you antsy."
He believes Bush can have the same type of turn around as he did.
"I think if Devin started to dedicate a lot of time to that, then his game will understand that I don't have to use my athletic ability as much as I had to use it before," Shazier told 93.7 The Fan.
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Shazier recalled seeing former defensive backs Mike Mitchell, and William Gay watching film before 8am practices. He asked Mitchell if they could watch some run defense tape, but Mitchell decided giving Shazier in a different direction would be better for the young linebacker. He advised Shazier to arrive earlier, and that he could watch whatever film he wanted to watch. The point being that he needed to dedicate time in the film room himself.
Shazier said he began coming in a half hour earlier to watch film, but shortly realized he wanted to watch more.
"Instead of going at 7:30, I got there at 7. And I was like, 'Man I'm still missing some stuff.' So then I just jumped it and started watching film at 6. So I watched two hours worth of film before the average guy gets in the building, every single day."
That film study proved its worth to Shazier. In 2017, and 2018 Shazier had six interceptions and 20 passes defended.
Do yinz think some extra film study can help Bush get his career back on track? Click to comment below!
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