PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have a doghouse. Well, at least head coach, Mike Tomlin, and you do not want to find yourself inside it.
Speaking with Bob Labriola of Steelers.com, the Pittsburgh head coach admitted one of the many conversations fans have – that he does indeed have a doghouse, and he takes it seriously.
“I certainly do. I don’t necessarily know that I have any hard-and-fast, black-and-white guidelines in terms of what constitutes what puts someone in the doghouse. I just know when I’m there,” Tomlin said.
The response was to Roman Wilson’s fumble against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10, which Tomlin labeled a “bonehead lack of ball security.” However, he did say he expects Wilson to learn from the situation, leaving us to believe Wilson may have avoided the doghouse.
You’d have to imagine that at one point this season, rookie running back Kaleb Johnson was in Tomlin’s doghouse. After a disastrous play while attempting to return a kick in Week 2, Johnson was removed from kick return duties and has not returned.
Johnson allowed a kick to bounce over his head and into the endzone without making an effort to retrieve it. The Seattle Seahawks recovered it in the endzone, which under the NFL’s new kickoff rules, is a touchdown for the Seahawks.
While Johnson has slowly returned to the backfield since his mishap, he does not appear to be in line for return duties anytime soon.
A player who may be finding himself in the doghouse is safety Juan Thornhill. Thornhill played all of three snaps in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts, all coming on special teams. The one-time starter was benched for Kyle Dugger, who was acquired in a trade just days before the game. Dugger played the entire game alongside Jalen Ramsey.
Thornhill’s emergence in Week 10 against the Chargers could tell you how bad things are for the safety. If he plays more than a handful of defensive snaps, he may be getting another shot. But after several poor performances, the Steelers may be looking in a different direction, and have an option in Chuck Clark as a backup.
Once you’re in Tomlin’s doghouse, you may never leave. Players like Eli Rogers, George Pickens and Chase Claypool have all found themselves on the outside looking in after problems within the team. Most recently, undrafted rookie wide receiver Roc Taylor found himself in the doghouse after a fight at practice. He was released from the team shortly after.
Thornhill, or any player in Tomlin’s doghouse is likely sticking around this season. But some reports did claim the team was looking to move on from one of their own players at the trade deadline. So, you can’t rule out that someone is in the doghouse, and may not leave it anytime soon.
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