PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He prefers left tackle, but Broderick Jones is good with what he’s doing. He said he will do whatever he needs to help the team and currently, that’s on the right side.
Jones hasn’t been told he will start, but confirmed he worked with the first team Thursday at practice. There is little doubt the first-round pick will play right tackle against Green Bay.
He says left tackle feels a little more natural to him right now, but at the end of the day he will do what the coaches say. If that means he will play right tackle to help them win, he’s learning right tackle. To do that he’s been leaning on Chukwuma Okorafor, who he replaced in the starting lineup.
“It’s not even awkward, it’s like what was going on with me and Dan (Moore),” Jones said Thursday. “Chuks is like a big brother on the field. Just being able to talk to me and coach me through the things that he sees. Things I can do better, giving me little tips. I feel like it’s a big help for me being able to have him behind, watching. It’s like having an extra coach.”
Last week he only had a couple of walk-through practices to prepare for a short turnaround game against the Titans. He feels like he’s getting the hang of right tackle with the extra practice reps, especially the time around the other first-team linemen. He also likes the opportunity to run a bit and take it to a defense.
“I actually like being able to pull and get on the perimeter, just show my athleticism,” Jones said. “I did it a couple of times last game. I don’t know what the plan is for this week. Just be able to do different things and show my athleticism.”
While there are other factors, Jones only start at right tackle is also by far the Steelers best rushing performance. They ran for a season-high 166 yards, but that’s really not enough.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like that is good enough,” Jones said. “I came from Georgia, not to dwell on the past, but we were big on running the football. I want to be 200+ every time. That’s just me. I know this is the NFL level, but if we are going to commit to the run game we have to do it all the way.”