After Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones took to Twitter to vent his frustrations by interacting with fans who criticized his performance.
You are doing the same thing as meπ€ππ
β Broderick Jones (@millionairemov3) September 29, 2024
Please tell me how to do itπ€£
β Broderick Jones (@millionairemov3) September 29, 2024
There is no shortage of examples on Jones’ page, where he actively responded to replies from fans without wasting any time.
He’s been under a lot of scrutiny lately, much of it unwarranted. Jones’ career hasn’t necessarily gotten off to a perfect start since being taken No. 14 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, but Jones has the qualities necessary to carve out a starting role for years to come. It’s clear the organization believes it is prepared.
He has generally graciously handled all the criticism thrown at him in public, even if for some reason he felt some of it was excessive. Jones’ frustration is understandable, but he has more or less fanned the flames and given his critics exactly what they wanted.
In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, he committed three penalties on a drive in the second quarter, drawing much criticism and being benched for the remainder of the game. Rookie Troy Fautanu took the remaining snaps at right tackle and played well, seemingly taking the starting spot from Jones for good.
However, Jones’ importance to the Steelers grew even more important when Fautanu suffered a season-ending injury a few days later. He had a solid performance in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, allowing just 2 pressures on 35 pass blocks per Pro Football Focus, but against the Colts, he and the rest of the field had a solid performance on both the run and pass. The offensive line struggled.
Pittsburgh has diagnosed what went wrong in Indianapolis and needs Jones to be part of the solution going forward. This situation isn’t positive for anyone, but once he realizes what’s coming, it can be quickly dismissed as a one-off.
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