It has been open season on Devin Bush for quite some time now. Whether it's the lingering effects of last year's knee surgery – or something else – Bush is not only failing to perform at the level of a first round draft pick but at times he is playing like he doesn't belong in the National Football League at all.
The criticism had been simmering for a couple of months then escalated to the point that Bush's father - himself a former pro player - became the latest close relative of an NFL player to publicly leap to the defense of an "aggrieved" loved one. Unlike Odell Beckham, Sr. and the lovely Emily Mayfield, Devin, Sr. didn't take to social media but made an old school phone call to debate Paul Zeise on 93.7 The Fan!
The elder Bush's argument was that since Zeise isn't in the huddle he couldn't possibly criticize young Devin because he didn't know the defensive calls. As the esteemed Ed Bouchette later put it on The Fan Morning Show – "I didn't have to be in the huddle to know that Jack Lambert was pretty good."
And this was before Sunday Night's game in L.A. when Bush looked especially useless on 2 of Austin Ekeler's 4 TDs. But getting beaten on the pass play was one thing; not being able to get off TE Jared Cook's block on the 6-yard run was another. We'll get back to that in a moment.
First, I figured I'd give Mike Tomlin a chance to answer that question at his weekly news conference. What is his evaluation of Bush's performance so far this season? "It's been spotty at times," he admitted. "It hasn't been at the level of consistency that he would like or we would like."
No kidding. Then Tomlin went on. "But he's had some challenges from a health standpoint, working back from the injuries and things that he has," he continued. "He was the Ed Block Courage Award winner for his ability to come back. You look at some of the similar injuries that are going on around the league, guys that are in similar circumstances, they're participating much less.
"We want more from him. He wants more from himself. But we are appreciative that he's put himself in position to be available and is playing as much as he is and is having the level of consistent availability and production that he is."
Consistent production is highly debatable unless by consistency he means poor performance. Many of us can't understand why Tomlin and his coaches aren't seeing that. Furthermore, if Bush is still hampered by his knee then why is he playing? Why isn't Robert Spillane getting more snaps? Worse, Bush did not appear to make much of an effort to free himself from Cook's block; in fact, it looked as if he didn't even try.
But, of course, I never played the game so – as Bush, Sr.
might say – who am I to criticize? I rarely criticize a player's effort unless I know for sure. I'd like to think watching pro football for 50-plus years – and especially covering it first-hand for the last 35 – gives me some credibility.
Even if I don't have credibility, I know who does. People who did play the game like Arthur Moats and Chris Hoak. If you caught them on The Fan this week they said the same things. As former players they understand the rigors of recovering from major surgery but they also understand if a player has medical clearance he needs to actually play and, at least in that one instance, Bush did not.
There is one narrative that Bush and the other inside linebackers are hampered because the back-up defensive linemen aren't occupying blockers the way they need to allow the LBs to make plays. Both Moats and Hoak say that's not the case, certainly not all the time
When it came to not being able to defeat Cook's block they were incredulous. Moats was more like a wounded parent as in "I'm not angry but disappointed" but Hoak was downright angry. He had said a week ago that he hadn't seen Bush beat a block by a lineman all season and now he saw Bush capitulate against a tight end. It's not like Jared Cook is Heath Miller.
If ex-players are seeing this, current players certainly are and Bush's teammates cannot be pleased. Cam Heyward is probably too nice a guy to throw Bush up against a wall and demand results but I am surprised he hasn't taken Bush aside for a heart-to-heart.
Coaches and players are always telling people like me – and you – that they can't worry about things they can't control. So I guess that means Steelers fans shouldn't worry about Devin Bush's continuing struggles.
But you should worry that nobody seem to be trying to do anything about it.
