On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media and was asked to comment on the play of his inside linebackers so far this season. Tomlin made it clear they could be playing better but pointed out a strong distinction you must make when talking about the position.
“Quality of their play could be better but so could the play in front of them,” Tomlin said. “Much like we talk about rush and coverage working hand in hand, it’s very difficult to evaluate inside linebackers in a vacuum.”
The Steelers have a ton invested in the inside linebacker position but it hasn’t paid much in the way of dividends. Devin Bush is a former first-round pick the Steelers traded up to get and Joe Schobert was an offseason trade to improve coverage.
Having said all that, Tomlin isn’t wrong. The Steelers defensive line has not pulled its weight so far this season aside from Cam Heyward. Tyson Alualu and Stephon Tuitt are both on IR and there’s no timetable for a return for Tuitt. The guys in front of the linebackers are consistently getting pushed off the ball, especially in the run game. Those linebackers need space to make plays, not working to shed offensive guards.
