Recently, a Pittsburgh Steelers insider, Mark Kaboly from The Athletic, called the 2023 first-round draft pick, Broderick Jones a "loser" after seeing him in OTAs. Now, former Steelers linebacker and podcaster, Arthur Moats, is addressing how he thinks this comment is premature and confusing.
The Arthur Moats Experience
Former Steelers LB Arthur Moats and his co-host Deke discuss Broderick Jones being labeled a "loser."
The Steelers have been running OTAs and media everywhere are eager to report on what they have seen. Kaboly published an article on his "winners and losers" from the sessions. In the article, Kaboly calls Jones a "loser," acknowledging that it is early to judge a player this way, but still does it.
"I hate to label the first-round pick a loser based on what he showed the past month because offensive line play cannot be judged until the helmets and pads go [on]," wrote Kaboly.
Steelers' Arthur Moats Feels Critique Of Broderick Jones Is Unfair
Moats remarks, on his podcast The Arthur Moats Experience, that this time of year, it's slim pickings for writers. People start to get excited to have something to talk about with OTAs happening and seeing these rookies take the field provides that opportunity. He said you can't fault reporters for wanting to report.
"My biggest critique is how do you call an offensive lineman a 'loser' in a shirts and shorts practice? You can't evaluate it. If you notice, you hardly hear me talk about o-line, d-line in OTAs and minicamp because you're in shirts and shorts."
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones participates in the Organized Team Activities, on June 6, 2023, at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
The whole point, according to Moats, of the OTAs and minicamps is just to get a first look at these young players. It allows the coaches to see how their footwork is and if they can follow the plays, the beginnings of getting them familiar with the system.
"I'm not out here to see if you can block a speed rusher. As an outside linebacker, you know we work closely with the o-line and they know if you're speed rushing. I'm not about to try to drive you to the ground in shirts and shorts. So you might look like you're cookin' me."
After Kaboly's original article was published, he took a lot of criticism from fans about the early assessment. Moats agreed with that and felt that it might have just been to nab a headline.
"I just thought when I saw the article, it was premature. I looked at it like if the person is trying to make a headline, let me go at the first-rounder."
The opportunity to accurately evaluate Jones will come when the players get to training camp. Moats says that when you finally get to see him in real action, in pads and a helmet, actually going up against defenders, it will be more clear how skilled he is.
After having Deke read him the rest of the blurb from Kaboly about how good Dan Moore Jr. looked in OTAs, Moats is confused. He says they called Jones a loser in order to promote Moore. Deke says that he just feels like the term "loser" is a harsh label to give a rookie that hasn't even played a single down of football yet.
Ian Johnson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Steelers' Dan Moore Jr. comes out of the tunnel for the start of a game.
Moats said that the impression the team has been giving the whole time is that Moore and Jones would compete in training camp for the starting job. From there, folks had their own opinions about who would win that battle. He says it just confuses him as to why the whole label of "loser" came in.
"Am I missing something? What does Dan Moore have to do with Broderick being labeled the loser from OTAs? If he would have said this is something to watch for, I think that's a different connotation. When you say this person is a loser out of camp, you're sending a different message. When you talk about TA [Teryl Austin] saying that maybe he's a 2024 guy after camp, that is legitimate info. because he is having to show certain things you can evaluate right now. Offensive line, what am I evaluating right now? Play is going right, did you step to the right? All right, cool."
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin expresses frustration over offensive mistakes during the 2022 season.
It just isn't how OTAs work according to Moats. He tells a story about how once a defender strip-sacked Mitch Trubisky and Head Coach Mike Tomlin threw the defender out of practice because that wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. It is about the processes, not making the big play. But he noted that a reporter could have said it was a great pass rush, when it really wasn't the point.
"We're not trying to win nothing right now. I can't evaluate a pass rusher, I can't evaluate an offensive lineman in shorts and shirts."
What did you think about Kaboly's assessment? Is it fair to label Jones a loser because Moore looks better than last year? Click to comment below.
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