Pouring on the love....
Mike Tomlin appreciates moments when Steelers QB Devlin Hodges goes off ‘script’
In assessing Devlin Hodges’ third career start and second since replacing Mason Rudolph as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, coach Mike Tomlin applauded the undrafted free agent for “staying to the script.”
Tomlin also liked how Hodges maneuvered outside the lines on occasions in the 23-17 victory against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Hodges broke containment several times and had a 22-yard run among his five rushes for 41 yards. And Tomlin liked the way Hodges improvised on a third-and-13 pass to Diontae Johnson when the Steelers were trying to run down the clock in the fourth quarter.
“He was also doing a good job of being thoughtfully aggressive at the appropriate times,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference.
Tomlin liked Hodges’ poise on the drive after the Cardinals tied the score, 10-10, with 1 minute, 51 seconds left in the first half. Hodges led a drive to the Cardinals 19 before Chris Boswell kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired.
After the Cardinals pulled within 20-17 with 6:44 left, Hodges led an 11-play drive that resulted in another Boswell field goal. Arizona got the ball back with 1:42 remaining. Hodges’ 17-yard pass to Johnson for a first down was the biggest play of the drive.
“Those are moments that define a young passer, those situational moments,” Tomlin said. “Those plays are weighted a little differently when you’ve got a line to gain, when time is a factor. He’s done a nice job of continuing to be the guy even in the midst of those circumstances. That bodes well for him and for us.”
https://triblive.com/sports/mike-to...en-steelers-qb-devlin-hodges-goes-off-script/
