First Call: Troy Polamalu defends Mike Tomlin; J.J. Watt’s idea to replace his brother
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Wednesday’s “First Call” gives us a Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer rushing to the defense of Mike Tomlin.
J.J. Watt thinks he has an idea for the Steelers to offset the loss of his brother at outside linebacker. We tell you how Broderick Jones graded out among rookie tackles.
And a former Steeler is jumping on board another team’s playoff train.
Touting Tomlin
If the Steelers don’t beat the Bills on Sunday, that will be the seventh consecutive season to end without a playoff win.
Yet head coach Tomlin is still getting an endorsement from one of the franchise’s all-time greats.
Appearing on “The Jim Rome Show,” Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu pushed back against those who want the Steelers to move on from Tomlin after this season.
“They’re probably the same fans that are saying, get rid of Ben (Roethlisberger) too. And me,” Polamalu joked. “I think Coach Tomlin is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. I think the talk is crazy for people to consider or think that he wouldn’t be our coach next year. I think it would be terrible for him not to be.”
Via CBSSports.com, Polamalu said Tomlin’s greatest strength is player relations.
“He’s able to connect with the younger players unlike any coach that I’ve seen,” Polamalu said. “He’s an amazing coach from a tactical perspective. I’ve been in meetings with him and learned so much from him.”
Polamalu played his final eight seasons under Tomlin. He played his first four under Bill Cowher.
Now that you mention it …
With Steelers star T.J. Watt out for the playoff game in Buffalo on Sunday, a number of ideas have been thrown around to mitigate his absence.
Blitz more? Encourage the defensive linemen to push upfield more often? Scheme up ways to get Alex Highsmith free?
Sure. Or they could just sign his older brother, J.J. Watt, out of retirement. That’s not my idea. That’s J.J.’s.
think they’d notice? pic.twitter.com/25E4aUfJKv
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 9, 2024
Yeah, J.J., I think we’d notice. But it’s a nice thought. What I’d prefer is if we notice Markus Golden or Nick Herbig a few times on Sunday.
Swimming with the Dolphins
One player who previously tried — unsuccessfully — to fill the void left by an injured Watt is Malik Reid.
He was traded to the Steelers by the Denver Broncos prior to the 2022 season. But Reed managed just one sack and eight solo tackles in 14 games. He was acquired with the hope that he’d provide impact depth at outside linebacker if Watt or Highsmith got hurt. But when Watt went down after the season opener in Cincinnati last year, Reed was largely ineffective when called upon.
Now, the Miami Dolphins have signed him to their practice squad.
The Dolphins can use bodies on the edge of their defense after the loss of Bradley Chubb to a torn ACL in Week 17. The franchise also signed Bruce Irvin to the active roster and plans to sign former Pro Bowler Justin Houston, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Miami visits Kansas City in Round 1 of the AFC playoffs Saturday.
More sports
• Must-win games over past 3 weeks have Steelers ready for playoffs, Mike Tomlin says
• Loss of T.J. Watt for playoff opener another in long list of injury setbacks for Steelers
• Tim Benz: If Mike Tomlin wants to avoid ‘stupid human tricks,’ stop Josh Allen without T.J. Watt
K.D. was A-OK
Former Pittsburgh Steeler Kevin Dotson was traded to the Los Angeles Rams before this season began. Both of the Steelers’ starting guards — Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels — have been good. But Dotson had an excellent year out in L.A.
Via Steelers Depot, Pro Football Focus ended up grading Dotson as the league’s second-best guard and its top-rated run blocker.
The NFL ratings outlet had Dotson with an 85.2 overall grade to finish 2023. That was second in the NFL of any guard who blocked on at least half his team’s snaps this season. Quinn Meinerz of Denver was No. 1.
Dotson was PFF’s fifth-highest offensive lineman. He even trimmed the penalty problem that plagued him with the Steelers, committing only two. He and the Rams visit Detroit on Saturday night in the first round of the playoffs.
As for Steelers rookie Broderick Jones, he ended up as the website’s third-best rookie offensive tackle. He graded out at 60.7 behind Cleveland’s Dawand Jones (64.7) and Chicago’s Darnell Wright (62.4).