Mentors Advice for Steelers Rookie After a Tough Loss
Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson made a significant error during a kickoff return in the fourth quarter of the game on Sunday. The Seahawks kicked off. The ball bounced through Johnson’s hands. Johnson let the ball go past him into the end zone. Seattle recovered the ball for an easy touchdown. Johnson was apparently unaware that the rules were different for kickoff returns in the NFL than for college football. The NFL’s new kickoff rule is that any ball that lands in the landing zone between the goal line and 20-yard line and goes into the end zone must be returned or downed by the receiving team. The rule in collegiate football is that, if a kick is untouched by the receiving team and the ball goes into the end zone, it is a touchback—and the ball is placed on the 25-yard line. After his mistake, Johnson was taken off of kick returns. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell handled kick returns for the remainder of the game. The Seahawks defeated the Steelers with a score of 31-17.
In a post-game press press conference on Sunday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin summed up the mistake. He referred to it as “poor judgment by a young player.” In a post-game press conference, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had encouraging words for Johnson. He said, “When you have success early on, you have to learn how to handle success. And when you deal with adversity, you have to learn how to deal with adversity the right way. And you can’t let this get your confidence down, can’t hang your head.” Rodgers added, “This is a professional league, and we expect greatness, but we also understand there’s gonna be mistakes and they happen. We’re human and you gotta move on and get better. But he’s a great kid and I know he’ll come to work on Monday and Tuesday and keep his mind sharp.”
Warren has become a mentor to Johnson. Warren offered advice to Johnson. He told reporters, “A saying that we say a lot here, ‘travel light.’ Don't let the last play affect the next play. Whatever happens, your best play is your next play. I know he's going to be good. We all got him. And, you know, nothing to panic about.” Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher sees every mistake as a chance to learn and grow. Dan Patrick interviewed Cowher Monday morning. Cowher remarked, “So I don’t think anyone felt worse about it than he did. It’s a teaching moment that unfortunately came at a very bad time in the game.” The Steelers always try to encourage rookies. The empathy the team is showing Johnson should help him move on from his mistake. He’ll have a chance to redeem himself in future games.
