
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Steelers' receivers had another abysmal performance on Monday against the Washington Football Team. The receivers had seven drops after having nine drops against the Baltimore Ravens the week before. Diontae Johnson and Eric Ebron both had three drops and JuJu Smith-Schuster had a drop. Johnson leads the league in drops with nine and the team overall leads the league in drops with 34, according to Pro Football Focus. The drops by the receivers have hindered the offense, and it's become a glaring concern.
“They can catch the ball or they can get replaced by those who will catch it,” Mike Tomlin said during his weekly press conference on Wednesday. “It’s as simple as that. I expect guys to make routine plays routinely. When there is a pattern of that not happening, then we have to look at who we’re throwing the ball to.
Catching the football is something that should just be natural for a receiver, and the fact that it has been an issue for the Steelers' receivers is frustrating for Tomlin.
"The coaching of catching the football to those who are employed to do it at this level is not something I have a lot of patience for," Tomlin said. "It's not something any of us have a lot of patience for. Those guys job is to catch the football, particularly the routine ones. Where there's a pattern you should expect to see less opportunities. That is just fair. That is just part of what this business and our game is about."
Hopefully, the receivers can correct the issues with the drops because this group is really talented and should be making those routine plays. Just a few weeks ago people wondered if this was the best receiving core that Ben Roethlisberger has ever played with or at least the deepest group. It's really a mental thing and getting back to the fundamentals.
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