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Devin Bush has been heavily criticized this season by Steelers fans and the media for his subpar play. He's just not living up to the standards of being the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Steelers traded up to get Bush, as well.
The bashing of Bush reached a new level on Sunday, as he had the worst game of his young career against the Lions. Just watch Bush's attempt at a tackle on Godwin Igwebuike's 42-yard touchdown run. Absolutely brutal.
Bush also hasn't been great in coverage and was called for a crucial holding penalty in the game, which negated a Minkah Fitzpatrick interception.
Bush's dad, Devin Bush Sr., who is a former NFL player and currently the director of football recruiting at Ole Miss, took issue with some of the criticism that Paul Zeise was giving his son. Zeise and Bush Sr. direct messaged each other back and forth on Twitter, and Zeise ended up having Bush Sr. on his show on 93.7 The Fan.
The start of the interview went pretty well, as Bush Sr. explained that his son is coming off an ACL injury, and some of the bashing has been unfair. That's completely understandable. He also mentioned that people don't know his son's exact assignment on a given play. Zeise said he understood where Bush Sr. is coming from, as his son was a linebacker at Pitt and understands the annoyance of people putting false blame without knowing the details of everything.
However, things went sideways in the back half of the interview, as Bush Sr. continued to ridicule Zeise for not knowing anything about linebacker play and the inner workings of the Steelers defense. So, they just went back and forth and it really didn't go anywhere. Bush Sr. kept asking Zeise if he knew the calls of the defense, which was completely out there as Zeise is not a coach for the Steelers.
Bush Sr. came off as egotistical and overly defensive that people have been getting on his son about his below-the-line play. He said that his son missed just one tackle against the Lions (there were more), but he was still horrendous when it came to making reads and shedding blockers. That's been a big issue with Devin Bush. He's not that big and gets washed away by offensive linemen too easily.
Zeise just sees what everyone else has been seeing in regards to Devin Bush. He's really close to being classified as a bust. His dad coming on 93.7 The Fan and complaining the way he did is also not a good look.
Devin Bush has been praised and coddled his entire life (Bush Sr. coached his son in high school and at Michigan). And that's understandable. He grew up as an elite athlete. But he's facing adversity now in the NFL, so it will be interesting to see how he responds. At least he hasn't taken to Twitter to complain about being unfairly criticized, unlike his dad on 93.7 The Fan.