Tag: broderick jones

Watch referee give Steelers HC Mike Tomlin nonsense excuse on penalties

We got a little more insight into the unusual call in last week’s Steelers game.

Early on in the Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the officials got involved and it felt a lot like home cooking for the Eagles. On an early red zone play, Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones engaged with Philadelphia cornerback Darius Slay and walked him back into the stands like a scene out of The Blind Side. Slay took exception and a scrum ensued.

When the dust settled, the officials chose to throw two flags. But instead of offsetting penalties as is normally the case when both sides are throwing punches, all flags went to the Steelers. This was in spite of a clear view of multiple Eagles throwing punches.

Head coach Mike Tomlin wanted some clarification from the officials and we got to hear it straight from them on Tuesday’s episode of Hard Knocks. And spoiler alert: It’s ridiculous.

Ultimately, it’s impossible to know how much this interaction impacted the outcome of the game. The Steelers fell to the Eagles 27-13, however, the Steelers still secured a spot in the playoffs.

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Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles hold a 17-13 lead over Steelers

Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles hold a 17-13 lead over Steelers

Philadelphia established its passing game and was dominant on defense, but the scoreboard tells a different story as the Eagles hold just a 17-13 lead over Pittsburgh after one half.

Vic Fangio’s defense held the Steelers to just 80 yards of offense on 30 plays in the first half, but two costly Eagles turnovers and two Chris Boswell field goals have Mike Tomlin’s team within four.

With the second half set to begin, we’re looking at sights and sounds from the first half.

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Steelers QB uses baseball analogy to explain how he stays so positive

Russell Wilson shares how a lesson from baseball taught him to stay calm and maintain a positive outlook both on and off the field.

Russell Wilson’s positive outlook on life and football is truly unlimited. With injuries, roster cuts, and untimely trades, it can be hard for any NFL player to block out negativity. At 36 years old, Wilson has faced his share of challenges but never let them drag down his positive outlook on life.

One of Wilson’s protectors, OT Broderick Jones, shared that he had never seen his quarterback get angry. Wilson explained that his calm demeanor stems from both his upbringing and his baseball career.

Wilson, AKA ‘Mr. Unlimited,’ credited a baseball analogy for his ability to stay positive: “Maybe I just love baseball too much, and played a lot of shortstop, a lot of second base, and pitched too dang much. I just believe in the next pitch. In life and the next day, the next morning, and you renew our mercies every morning.”

Speaking of the ‘next pitch,’ Wilson will need his next performance to be one of his best against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, on December 15th at 4:25 PM EST.

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Mike Tomlin calls out 2 Steelers who got FG blocked vs Bengals

The Steelers pride themselves on their special teams play.

One thing the Pittsburgh Steelers pride themselves on is their special teams. Few teams in the NFL can block kicks the way the Steelers do. Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, the tables got turned on the Steelers when the Bengals blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt.

When head coach Mike Tomlin sat down with Steelers writer Dale Lolley, and Lolley asked him about the blocked kick and Tomlin hilariously called out two Steelers for the blocked kick.

Q. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how field goals get blocked in the NFL, and you pointed out that there has to be some negligence on the part of the kicking team for that to happen. What happened on the 42-yard field goal the Bengals blocked last Sunday?
A. Without naming specific names – Broderick Jones and Spencer Anderson – there was some negligence on the play.

Thankfully blocked kick had no outcome on the game and Tomlin can stay light-hearted about the mistake from Jones and Anderson. This week the 9-3 Steelers are taking on the 3-9 Cleveland Browns.

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Steelers starting OT limps off with injury

Broderick Jones left Sunday’s game with in injury.

It didn’t take long for the first injury to pop up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to multiple reports including Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, starting right tackle Broderick Jones suffered some sort of leg injury and limped off the field under his own power.

Spencer Anderson is in for Jones. The team is still waiting for the return of rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu. Jones has struggled in his second NFL season but was playing better heading into the bye week.

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Should Pittsburgh target an offensive lineman at the trade deadline? 

Poor penalty management by Steelers’ RT Broderick Jones, and injuries to the offensive line may need to be solved via trade by the deadline.

It is truly miraculous how the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to win games given how injured their offensive line is. In Week 8, the Steelers were missing three starting offensive linemen, with two out for the entirety of the regular season. The interior depth on the o-line has been great, but the tackle position may need an upgrade before the upcoming trade deadline on November 5th. 

LT Dan Moore Jr., whose play has been outstanding this season, was banged up and had to sit out one play late in Week 8’s contest. Backup offensive lineman Spencer Anderson replaced him and immediately allowed QB Russell Wilson to get sacked. 

RT Broderick Jones continues to commit penalties that kill offensive momentum, and while it is probably time for HC Mike Tomlin to bench him, there is truly no quality starter who could take his place. 

Offensive tackle trade targets such as Cam Robinson, Andrus Peat, or Walker Little could help alleviate the injury woes. This team looks primed to make a deep playoff run, but they’ll first need to address depth issues on the offensive side of the football. 

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Does Mike Tomlin need to bench RT Broderick Jones again?

Broderick Jones’ penalty woes continued in Week 8, taking an opening-drive TD off the board. Does HC Mike Tomlin need to intervene again?

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive unit appears much more dynamic under Russell Wilson’s leadership, issues on the offensive line continue to hold the offense back.

Specifically, several backup offensive linemen are stepping up in a big way for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet 2023 first-round draft pick RT Broderick Jones is struggling, arguably making him the weakest link on offense. In 2024, Jones has had issues in all aspects of blocking, with penalties being his greatest weakness. 

On a key play during the Steelers’ Week 8 opening drive, Wilson rolled out to his right and connected with WR George Pickens for a touchdown, only to have it nullified by a face mask penalty from Jones. The penalty yardage proved too much to overcome, forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. 

Jones was benched earlier in the year by HC Mike Tomlin for similar issues, and the team may need to consider it again to prevent the offense’s momentum from stalling.

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Broderick Jones weighs In: Can Russell Wilson outshine Justin Fields?

During Friday’s media availability for Pittsburgh, RT Broderick Jones was asked what exactly the difference was between Wilson and Fields.

During Friday’s media availability, Broderick Jones was asked about the differences between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Jones kept his response short and sweet, emphasizing that the main difference lies in the ‘energy’ each quarterback brings to the offense.

“Russ has been doing this for so long,” Jones explained, “When he comes in, he has a little swagger about him.”

This swagger and poise is exactly what this offense seems to be missing, as Fields’ decision making and lack of pocket awareness continues to kill drives.  Wilson’s resume speaks for itself—nine Pro Bowl selections, 2015 leader in passer rating, 2017 leader in touchdowns, and Super Bowl XLVII champion.  However, the anger of fans and wise insight from their offensive lineman cannot bring Wilson’s presence on offense into fruition.

Pittsburgh’s young 2023 first-round offensive tackle seems to be stating the obvious answer to the question Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin are trying to avoid—can Russell Wilson win more games for the Steelers than Justin Fields?

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NFL Network analyst breaks down Broderick Jones’ performance in Week 3

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger breaks down one key play from Broderick Jones’ bounceback performance in Week 3.

Broderick Jones has had an up-and-down start to the year, to say the least.  The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ right tackle struggled with pass protection in Week 1, allowing a pair of sacks against Atlanta’s defense.  His lack of discipline with penalties was on full display early into the Week 2 contest, resulting in his subsequent benching.  Just as fans were starting to lose hope in the 2023 first-round draft selection, he bounced back in a major way with a solid Week 3 performance.

Troy Fautanu suffered a severe knee injury during a Week 2 practice, which led to Jones re-entering the starting lineup.  It was his shot to silence the naysayers, and that’s exactly what he did.

Brian Baldinger, an NFL analyst known for his in-depth player breakdowns, highlighted Jones’ first play of the game against four-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa:

Recording a pancake on one of the NFL’s best edge rushers is guaranteed to get eyes on a player.  Jones looked impressive in his return to starting duties and can continue to rebuild the trust of his team moving forward.

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3 Steelers we can’t wait to watch this week vs the Chargers

The Steelers face a huge challenge this week against the Chargers.

It’s only Week Three of the NFL season but there has still been plenty of drama on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Injuries throughout the offseason have disrupted the Steelers roster plans and this week against the Los Angeles Chargers is no different.

There are really three guys who we want to keep a close eye on this week for the Steelers. One who is coming back from injury, one with a new lease on life as he gets back into the starting lineup and one big-time free-agent addition who hasn’t produced.

OT Broderick Jones

An injury to Troy Fautanu gives offensive tackle Broderick Jones a chance at redemption after being benched last week. We saw good Broderick Jones last season and maybe this week, against a huge challenge of the Chargers defense we will see him again.

WR Roman Wilson

This week will mark the NFL debut of rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson. We don’t expect a huge game out of Wilson but given how bad the Steelers wide receivers have been this season not named George Pickens, we do hope he gets some targets.

L B Patrick Queen

Chargers running back JK Dobbins is the NFL rushing leader heading into this season and presents a familiar challenge to the Steelers defense and to his former teammate Patrick Queen. The Steelers added Queen on a huge free-agent contract to be the athletic run-stopper this defense was missing. But after only six tackles through two games, we want to see a lot more this week.