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Big Dot might find himself starting the season as a backup.

SteelerFan448 said:


Dotson is completely dismissing it to not practicing. I again will say that Okorafor didn't practice and went back into the lineup and a rookie is in the starting lineup. Also, the guy ahead of him is terrible. If Tomlin, Canada, and Klemm had full confidence in Dotson as the starting LG he would be back in with the starters. They clearly want to challenge him and not hand him a starting job for a reason.
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The whole situation is just beyond odd at this point.

I'd be inclined to believe Dotson, if this same **** did not surface during minicamp as well.

Tomlin had an opportunity to put this to sleep, but didn't.
 
Punxsutawney said:
The whole situation is just beyond odd at this point.

I'd be inclined to believe Dotson, if this same **** did not surface during minicamp as well.

Tomlin had an opportunity to put this to sleep, but didn't.
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Tomlin easily could've said he wanted to ease Dotson back into the lineup coming off an injury. He didn't. He called him a "second-year player." Again, Okorafor immediately went into the starting lineup. Green is a rookie they are basically handing the starting job. And Tomlin goes out of his way to praise Harris every opportunity he gets. Tomlin is sending a message to Dotson and the fact that Dotson has been so active in defending himself on Twitter after the DK report and after Tomlin's comment today makes me wonder if he gets it.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
Tomlin easily could've said he wanted to ease Dotson back into the lineup coming off an injury. He didn't. He called him a "second-year player." Again, Okorafor immediately went into the starting lineup. Green is a rookie they are basically handing the starting job. And Tomlin goes out of his way to praise Harris every opportunity he gets. Tomlin is sending a message to Dotson and the fact that Dotson has been so active in defending himself on Twitter after the DK report and after Tomlin's comment today makes me wonder if he gets it.
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Definitely an element of motivating involved. Right or wrong in approach. Message received now let us see what he does with it.
 
slashsteel said:
Definitely an element of motivating involved. Right or wrong in approach. Message received now let us see what he does with it.
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Thing is, if Dotson is being a hardheaded, unprepared ******** and Tomlin says nothing, folks would blame him for not saying anything.
If he says something, then he's the ********. No win situation I guess. So, if I'm Tomlin, I handle it the way I want to and **** what anyone else has to say.
 
I don't know about Check down. Maybe they are trying to remind him he needs to. People are critical about Haskins performance Thursday. If he reads two high he is supposed to throw it deep down the middle?
I'd like to know where Cheddar Bob came from. Did he live on Eight Mile?
 
SteelerSask said:
I don't know about Check down. Maybe they are trying to remind him he needs to. People are critical about Haskins performance Thursday. If he reads two high he is supposed to throw it deep down the middle?
I'd like to know where Cheddar Bob came from. Did he live on Eight Mile?
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I not sure if that nickname had any real thought process behind it.
 
Sounds like Dotson either hasn’t followed doctor’s orders on rehab or he hasnt studied his playbook and when quizzed he has wrong answers. The worst part is his tweet basically blowing off Tomlin’s direct public call out as if he has no idea why anybody would be upset with him.
 
Big Dot best learn this lesson early and fast. He has the makings of being an all pro. He needs to realize this isn't college and he isn't playing against other kids.

Dotson will get it turned around and Coach Tomlin knows that thus the hard push.




Salute the nation
 
Weird situation all around. You'd think with the way he took care of his body that he'd take care of everything else. Right? Just doesn't make sense, but where there's smoke there's fire.
 
Steelworth said:
Weird situation all around. You'd think with the way he took care of his body that he'd take care of everything else. Right? Just doesn't make sense, but where there's smoke there's fire.
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In Santonio Holmes' case it was "where theres smoke theres BAKE".......................................just saying

thanks for all you freat post(s) along the way.


EDIT: Great poat(s)


Salute the nation
 
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SteelBuckeye said:
Thing is, if Dotson is being a hardheaded, unprepared ******** and Tomlin says nothing, folks would blame him for not saying anything.
If he says something, then he's the ********. No win situation I guess. So, if I'm Tomlin, I handle it the way I want to and **** what anyone else has to say.
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As I hard as I've been on Coach Tomlin, this is a fair point
 
I watched the clip from the presser. He was referring to Dotson being unavailable at least in my mind 100% and it is just a fact. The most important ability is availability. I really don't think it's a pointed statement. Dotson is a second year player and he is out. He has to earn his way back to the first team.
 
SteelBuckeye said:
New playbook, new blocking scheme and techniques .... maybe he didn't do enough of the mental stuff as they expected.
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This is it right here. Folks from camp at the enshrinement are just laughing at the media and their attempt to create drama, when there is none. Dotson, while solidly conditioned himself, he did not immerse himself in learning Canada’s playbook this past offseason. While much of it is the same, there is a lot of terminology changes and blocking cues adjusted with his scheme. Big Dot apparently hasn’t learned them.
 
It could be as simple as Dotson being aloof, not showing the proper commitment to the game, being disrespectful to coaches, not doing what's being asked of him, goofing off, not being focused or serious enough. That's my sense of what's going on. He may have come in with a big head, a big ego after a relatively successful rookie year, and just rubbed Tomlin & Coach Klemm the wrong way this spring & summer.

Don't forget, new O-line coach, new blocking scheme, new OC, new offense.... something happened with Dotson that seemed to poison the well a bit, and they're still trying to work their way back from it. Hopefully, Dotson gets things straight, they patch things up in the best interest of the Steelers and move on.

This is of course hyperbole, based on my observations of bits & pieces of info from the past few months.

Dotson's a talented kid who could be a plug & play starter for years. Crazy to think it's him we're talking about as a question mark. Dotson was seemingly one of the *stable points* on OL with so much transition and turmoil this offseason.
 
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Drink IRON City said:
Big Dot best learn this lesson early and fast. He has the makings of being an all pro. He needs to realize this isn't college and he isn't playing against other kids.

Dotson will get it turned around and Coach Tomlin knows that thus the hard push.
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Something like 2% of D-1 players get to the NFL.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
If he's healthy enough to practice, he's healthy enough to practice with the starters. He's behind Rashad Coward, a guy who arguably shouldn't even be on the roster.
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What part of he hasn't returned fully to practice from his injury aren't you getting? He's not healthy. He ran team drills once all training camp. This is why he's not with the 1s.
 
Come on Big Dot, get that big *** in gear and learn that playbook, blocking assignments and move up to starting guard. You have unlimited potential and possibilities and I can see very bright future for you if you want it bad enough.
im already disappointed with loss of DeCastro so don’t **** this up.
 
Cope said:
What part of he hasn't returned fully to practice from his injury aren't you getting? He's not healthy. He ran team drills once all training camp. This is why he's not with the 1s.
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I just don't buy that. If a player is ready to practice they're ready to practice. Okorafor returned to practice and was immediately with the starters. The same thing with Banner. What's the difference between those two and Dotson?
 
Cope said:
What part of he hasn't returned fully to practice from his injury aren't you getting? He's not healthy. He ran team drills once all training camp. This is why he's not with the 1s.
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I think you're probably right, Cope. I'm reading too much into it, thinking it's something mysterious or complicated. Tomlin may simply be voicing his displeasure how much time Dotson's missed and is trying to motivate him to stick his hand in the pile and get back to work. Presuming his injury isn't a significant one.
 
If Coward is one of the 5 starters on the OL, we're in big trouble...
 
mdk2 said:
If Coward is one of the 5 starters on the OL, we're in big trouble...
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No matter all of the talk around this, Dotson is going to be the starter Week 1 and I'd expect he'd be back in the starting lineup sooner rather than later because they need to get this line ready to go for the regular season.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
No matter all of the talk around this, Dotson is going to be the starter Week 1 and I'd expect he'd be back in the starting lineup sooner rather than later because they need to get this line ready to go for the regular season.
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ok, fair enough.

So why wouldnt that method have worked on Villenueva last year.. Or Pouncy. Everyone complained how they declined etc.

Tomlin does this occasionally. Its not how he normally does things. IMO its a ****** thing to do to a guy. Praise in public, chastise in private.
 
Black & Gold Bleeder said:
ok, fair enough.

So why wouldnt that method have worked on Villenueva last year.. Or Pouncy. Everyone complained how they declined etc.

Tomlin does this occasionally. Its not how he normally does things. IMO its a ****** thing to do to a guy. Praise in public, chastise in private.
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It actually is his normal thing. If you go back and look at it, he pulls this trick out of his bag when he has a talented YOUNG player or players that he wants to motivate and get the best out of quickly. "Two dogs, one bone", "One trick pony", calling certain rookies by number and not name ... now "Check Down" and the whole Dotson thing. Think it's a coincidence that he started calling Haskins "Check Down" right after the media buzz started about his camp performance?

Edit: Wouldn't have worked on Villenueva or Pouncey because it was their physical abilities that started slipping. Can't squeeze blood from a turnip.
 
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