DK: My sermon on the (bigger than you think) Mount
Maybe the most uncomfortable question, through the unveiling of these Steelers over the past month, has been this one: Should Darnell Washington play left tackle?
Speaking only for myself, I'll offer this answer:
Yeah. That.
That up there is the Mount his very big and bad self, blowing by the linebacker level and basically bulldozing the resultant corner in coverage for a 19-yard touchdown that shone brightest in the Steelers' 31-25 preseason-opening victory over the Jaguars tonight here at EverBank Field.
Perfect protection by the embattled line. Perfect pass by Rudolph. Perfect route by Washington, followed by a perfect catch and fall over the goal line.
"Just perfect," Rudolph would tell me. "He nailed it."
They all did, but the driving force, undeniably, would be the universe's biggest tight end.
How big?
Well, pull up a chair. We need to talk. Like, real talk.
See, upon arrival here this afternoon, I'd been asked, somewhat playfully, by someone within the team what I thought Washington's weight was. From memory, I'd recalled it being around 270. And then, checking the official game roster published for this press box, I saw that his frame's listed at 6 feet 7, 267 pounds.
"Nope," came the reply.
I was then told it was over 300. And that, even at that weight, Washington remains in exceptional body-fat shape. And that sliding to tackle might well be in his future, albeit not the immediate future.
Three reasons for that:
1. Broderick Jones is still the starting left tackle, still one of the top priorities to set straight after all that's been invested and, by the way, also had himself a pretty nice night here.
2. Thumb back up to watch that play again. As Calvin Austin put it when I brought up Washington at left tackle, "Aw, man, no. And take away that skill? What he can do? Why?"
3. Washington's not interested. Yet.
"That's something for down the road," he told me of any plan related to tackle. "I love blocking, but that's not ... that's down the road."
I then asked about the weight, which, again, doesn't in any way, shape or form appear to be excessive on him, and he replied after some significant hesitation that the last time he recalled being weighed, early in training camp, he was "near" 300.
Doesn't seem to matter, I mentioned.
"Really doesn't," he responded.
OK, good. Because for all the rightful fuss among this team's fans about how to solve left tackle, whether it's an outside acquisition or firing Pat Meyer as the positional coach or other internal concepts like this, the ideal solution remains for Jones to perform the way he did here, and for Washington to be afforded the room to grow. As a tight end, I mean.
It's worth emphasizing, though I've reported it all summer, that Washington's no spare part in the tight end equation. Even after Jonnu Smith was added to a room already led by Pat Freiermuth, the same Arthur Smith schemes that've featured Washington have held firm. It began at OTAs, it's been seen every day at Saint Vincent, and here it was again.
I'd suggest letting it play out, but I'd also like to see anyone try to get in this guy's way.
THE ASYLUM
DK: My sermon on the (bigger than you think) Mount
Maybe the most uncomfortable question, through the unveiling of these Steelers over the past month, has been this one: Should Darnell Washington play left tackle?
Speaking only for myself, I'll offer this answer:
Yeah. That.
That up there is the Mount his very big and bad self, blowing by the linebacker level and basically bulldozing the resultant corner in coverage for a 19-yard touchdown that shone brightest in the Steelers' 31-25 preseason-opening victory over the Jaguars tonight here at EverBank Field.
Perfect protection by the embattled line. Perfect pass by Rudolph. Perfect route by Washington, followed by a perfect catch and fall over the goal line.
"Just perfect," Rudolph would tell me. "He nailed it."
They all did, but the driving force, undeniably, would be the universe's biggest tight end.
How big?
Well, pull up a chair. We need to talk. Like, real talk.
See, upon arrival here this afternoon, I'd been asked, somewhat playfully, by someone within the team what I thought Washington's weight was. From memory, I'd recalled it being around 270. And then, checking the official game roster published for this press box, I saw that his frame's listed at 6 feet 7, 267 pounds.
"Nope," came the reply.
I was then told it was over 300. And that, even at that weight, Washington remains in exceptional body-fat shape. And that sliding to tackle might well be in his future, albeit not the immediate future.
Three reasons for that:
1. Broderick Jones is still the starting left tackle, still one of the top priorities to set straight after all that's been invested and, by the way, also had himself a pretty nice night here.
2. Thumb back up to watch that play again. As Calvin Austin put it when I brought up Washington at left tackle, "Aw, man, no. And take away that skill? What he can do? Why?"
3. Washington's not interested. Yet.
"That's something for down the road," he told me of any plan related to tackle. "I love blocking, but that's not ... that's down the road."
I then asked about the weight, which, again, doesn't in any way, shape or form appear to be excessive on him, and he replied after some significant hesitation that the last time he recalled being weighed, early in training camp, he was "near" 300.
Doesn't seem to matter, I mentioned.
"Really doesn't," he responded.
OK, good. Because for all the rightful fuss among this team's fans about how to solve left tackle, whether it's an outside acquisition or firing Pat Meyer as the positional coach or other internal concepts like this, the ideal solution remains for Jones to perform the way he did here, and for Washington to be afforded the room to grow. As a tight end, I mean.
It's worth emphasizing, though I've reported it all summer, that Washington's no spare part in the tight end equation. Even after Jonnu Smith was added to a room already led by Pat Freiermuth, the same Arthur Smith schemes that've featured Washington have held firm. It began at OTAs, it's been seen every day at Saint Vincent, and here it was again.
I'd suggest letting it play out, but I'd also like to see anyone try to get in this guy's way.
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