The Pittsburgh Steelers have their work cut out for them on offense and after two preseason games, the glaring issue the unit is presented with right now is the poor play of the offensive line. Saturday evening, the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive line was consistently getting into the backfield and putting pressure on the Steelers' quarterbacks. Both the run blocking and pass protection were poor and the group averaged just 1.7 yards per carry on the ground. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was reportedly fired up about the horrible performance and called out the big men up front during a film review session on Monday.
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Steelers Offensive Lineman Admit Criticism From Tomlin Is Warranted
Second-year offensive guard Kendrick Green was one of the biggest culprits of questionable play on Saturday. Green told media members on Monday that he accepted the criticism that came from Tomlin.
"The natural reaction is to get in the fetal position,” said Green. "But you have to own it. You put it on film. It’s more than just the people in our room watching this. There are 31 other teams watching it. Your peers see that. They’ll come at you with the same things."
Tomlin also specifically singled out Green multiple times according to the lineman.
"Coach T put us up on the board, me specifically, right in front of the team meeting," said Green. "That never feels good."
Starting center Mason Cole held the unit accountable and owned up to simply not being good enough.
“We expected it. It was well deserved," said Cole. “We didn’t perform like we should and we’re paid to do. The only thing we can do now is bounce back. We got no other choice. We’re going to have good games and bad games as a team, as an offense, as an offensive line, throughout the year. We got the right people in the room to do that. We got the right coaching staff. And we will.”
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Tomlin spoke with members of the media on Monday and talked a little bit about the line's performance against the Jaguars and what it is that needs to change for the unit to be successful.
"It's what we talked about. Not enough detail from a fine motor skills standpoint, details relevant to their positions," Tomlin said. "They didn't play with enough of an edge individually and collectively and the things that are on our tape, we gotta own and I think they will be ready to do that."
The Steelers leader did not go into more detail about what was said and his analysis of the group but was very simple in stating that he and the offensive line are on the same page in terms of his expectations of them.
"They know where I stand and what I expect," Tomlin said. "It's going to be fun to watch them work and respond to that adversity this week."
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If the offensive line continues to play poorly in practice and during their final preseason matchup this weekend, the organization may have no other choice but to examine options that are still available via free agency. The bottom line is that they haven't been good enough and Tomlin was right to call them out. The team doesn't have much time left before the offense is exposed during the regular season if the play remains the same.
What do you make of Tomlin calling out the Steelers' offensive line after Saturday's performance? Do you think there's room for improvement? Let us know in the comments below!
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