Although the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to rush for over 100 yards at 4.6 yards per clip, at no point would one say that they dominated the game. They struggled in pass protection even if they allowed just one sack, as well. I don’t think the linemen will be using yesterday’s performance against the Buffalo Bills as teach tape.
But some of the Bills might want to. And it sounds as though they came into the game motivated by some good old-fashioned bulletin board material supplied by rookie RT Broderick Jones. Prior to the game, he expressed the opinion, “I could see us just dominating up front”, though surely Bills players only saw that out of context.
Via The Athletic’s Tim Graham, defensive lineman Ed Oliver seemed to have done some social media scrolling. “I heard they wanted to play yesterday in the blizzard because they thought they could run the ball. Then we give them even better conditions, and they still can’t run the ball”, he said. “Then you got a rookie tackle, talking about how he thinks he can dominate up front. OK”.
Ed Oliver to me about the Steelers and rookie RT Broderick Jones:
"I heard they wanted to play yesterday in the blizzard because they thought they could run the ball. Then we give them even better conditions, and they still can’t run the ball. …" 1/2
— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) January 16, 2024
Ed Oliver to me about the Steelers and rookie RT Broderick Jones:
"I heard they wanted to play yesterday in the blizzard because they thought they could run the ball. Then we give them even better conditions, and they still can’t run the ball. …" 1/2
— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) January 16, 2024
That rookie tackle is obviously Jones, their first-round draft pick, who has started most of the season at right tackle. He was a key part of the improvement of the run game, though certainly not a finished product. His work in the passing game is especially ongoing, and Oliver made sure to point out that teammate Greg Rousseau got his sack working against Jones, beating him inside.
“Like Coach [Mike Tomlin] always says, weather doesn’t dictate running the ball. If we’re able to run the ball at an efficient pace, just keep that going”, Jones said on Friday. “I could see us just dominating up front and just trying our best to do what we can to keep that pace rolling for us, staying on track with the football and not getting behind the chains”.
The full quote isn’t so emphatic as the juiciest bit sounds, but it’s the juiciest bits that get amplified, and understandably so. I don’t think that Jones was being cocky and arrogant and predicting that they were going to run all over the Bills, necessarily, even though he literally said he could see them dominating.
I would imagine every offensive lineman expects to go into every game able to dominate, though. Why wouldn’t they? Shouldn’t they? Is it wrong to say as much? That’s what the plan is every week. You never go into a game saying, “Okay, let’s just hold our own as best we can this time and take it easy”.
Jones said and did nothing wrong here, but athletes will always find a way to draw motivation. Not that they necessarily needed the motivation. The Bills have a talented defense and probably would have performed just as ably whether Oliver ever read these comments or not.
But having done so, they do get to talk a little bit of trash. I don’t make the rules, I just observe them.
