Kevin Gorman: Steelers got steal in true turnover thief Minkah Fitzpatrick

Kevin Colbert couldn’t suppress his smile when the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager was asked if he’s still hearing complaints about surrendering a 2020 first-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in a trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick.

“Kevin Colbert probably should have given four picks away for him,” Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree said, expressing a sentiment shared by many Sunday at Heinz Field.

That wasn’t the reaction in mid-September, when the Steelers traded for Fitzpatrick the day after Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury against Seattle and they lost safety Sean Davis to shoulder surgery. The fear was the Steelers gave away a potential top-10 pick in a lost season that could have been used to select their next franchise quarterback.

What a steal Fitzpatrick has been for the Steelers.

The free safety returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the first half and picked off a pass in the final minute to seal the Steelers’ 17-12 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

The Steelers are in awe, just like the rest of us.

“It’s nothing we’re doing,” said Steelers cornerback Joe Haden, who raved about Fitzpatrick’s instincts. “It’s him. That man is balling. … He’s in the right position all the time.”

Fitzpatrick is just what the doctor ordered for the Steelers this season, a center fielder who has corrected their communication issues in the secondary and a ball hawk who always seems to be in the right place at the most opportune moments.

Fitzpatrick has a clear nose for the football: He has been involved in seven turnovers in as many games with the Steelers, including four interceptions and the fumble recovery in their past three games.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has made no secret of the need for creating turnovers, preaching great defenses stand up in the face of adversity and great players are capable of making plays.

“Can’t say enough about Minkah,” Tomlin said. “The tear he is on is what it is. He needs no endorsement from me. But it is also our approach and how we work in the environment of our preparation.”

The attention to detail in preparation is what Fitzpatrick loves about the game, the technical aspect and fundamentals of football. Fitzpatrick doesn’t just have a nose for the ball but the end zone. He scored a touchdown for the second consecutive game, a blessing for a team decimated by injuries on offense. The Steelers haven’t had a defender score in back-to-back games in 35 years, since Sam Washington in 1984.

Hard to believe Fitzpatrick has played only 25 NFL games.

“Every time I say he’s a second-year player, that’s what throws me off,” Haden said, “because it feels like he’s been in it for a while. He studies tape very well and comes ready to go.”

Credit Teryl Austin for issuing a challenge.

Fitzpatrick said when he was caught out of position earlier in the season, the Steelers secondary coach challenged him to be in the right place. Since then, Fitzpatrick has focused on improving in practice and executing in games.

But Fitzpatrick took exception when jokingly asked where he hides the ball magnets. He doesn’t attract turnovers so much as he relies on film study and muscle memory.

“There ain’t no ball magnets,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s just being in the right position. It’s just making sure I’m in the right spot and also my teammates, they’re hitting the ball, they’re getting to the quarterback and just being around the ball.”

Fitzpatrick was perfectly positioned when Steelers nose tackle Javon Hargrave knocked the ball out of Jared Goff’s hand in the second quarter for a strip sack. The ball bounced into Fitzpatrick’s hands, and he ran 43 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers their first lead 14-7 with 1 minute, 44 seconds left in the first half.

Fitzpatrick made the play amid confusion as it wasn’t clear whether Goff’s arm was moving forward in a throwing motion or if Hargrave had forced a fumble. That’s the lesson Fitzpatrick learned at Alabama: scoop first, ask questions later.

“Whenever the ball is on the ground, you’ve got to go pick it up,” Fitzpatrick said. “Even if I know it’s a forward pass or the runner was down, you still have to scoop it because you never know. I always scoop the ball.”

Except, perhaps, for when he picks it.

The Steelers had stopped the Rams once late in the fourth quarter when strong safety Terrell Edmunds broke up a pass in the end zone. They had to do it again in the final minute, clinging to a five-point lead against an offense that had yet to score a touchdown.

And the Rams caught a break when slot corner Mike Hilton was called for pass interference on a third-and-7, an automatic first down with 30 seconds left. Operating out of the shotgun, Goff threw a short pass right to Robert Woods that Haden tipped.

The ball ricocheted right into the hands of Fitzpatrick at the Steelers 45, another pick to put the game away. Not surprisingly, Fitzpatrick credited Haden with being in the right position.

“Whenever you see that, you’ve got to go where the ball is,” Fitzpatrick said. “Joe was in the right spot, made a nice play and I just finished.”

Somehow, it seems Fitzpatrick is just getting started.

And that the Steelers got a steal for a safety who’s a true turnover thief.

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