Mike Tomlin puts Kaleb Johnson on notice after exposing that he will be going a different direction at kick returner
Johnson will have to earn Tomlin’s trust back.
Kaleb Johnson’s blunder against the Seattle Seahawks not only cost the Pittsburgh Steelers the game, it has also cost him his job, or at least in the short term. Before Coach Tomlin spoke to the media during his weekly address, the depth chart proved that he had been demoted from starting kick returner.
Then came Tomlin’s address, where he confessed that Johnson will have to take Sunday’s mishap and use it as a learning lesson…
“Probably not in the short term,” said Tomlin when asked if Johnson would continue returning kicks. “I’m certainly going to give him an opportunity to work his way back from that error. I believe in his talent. He’s a sharp young man. He’s a hard worker. And so you leave the light on for him to give an opportunity to move on. He has to do that. He has to display that with his daily work, and he’s got to earn himself back into the position to be a participant. And so we’ll see where the roads lead us.”
Kaleb Johnson benched as the starting kick returner
Honestly, you could see this one coming. Not only did Johnson not return kicks for the rest of the game after his brain burp, but he also didn’t touch the field again on offense. It may seem harsh, but as Mike Tomlin would add, it’s the NFL, and he views this adversity as a learning opportunity for Johnson.
“Certainly, but, you know, I don’t think you get to the National Football League without having faced some adversity and responding appropriately,” added Tomlin when asked if he thinks the move to bench Johnson could hurt him. “He’s a young guy, and so certainly I’m gonna watch him closely, but I expect him to rebound. I expect him to roll his sleeves up and go to work and to wait for his next opportunity.”
Let’s be clear here, it’s been a rough start for Johnson. He didn’t have the best camp, was slow to see it in the preseason, and now he had a game-costing blunder. But football is a fickle sport, Johnson is a rookie, and the NFL is a roller coaster. The Steelers won in large part due to a special teams play against the New York Jets in Week 1, and they were cut by the double-edged sword against the Seahawks in Week 2.
But his teammates have literally and figuratively put their arm around him and Aaron Rodgers has offered Johnson some great advice. In the end, it’s been a bumpy start, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a good finish to his rookie season.
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