Nice read on Haskins

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

This is a nice little story on NFL.com. As I read this story, to me this is the "great" that Tomlin is as a coach. Now, I'm not a Tomlin rah rah guy or a basher. On another thread recently I said that I believe he is a good but not great coach, not as good as his cheerleaders would have you think, but nowhere near as bad as those who hate him as coach would tell you.

This is the part that he is so good at:

Coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFGECv18s1E) that he's more concerned about developing a relationship with Haskins off the field, not focusing on on-field progress.

Maybe Haskins makes it, maybe he doesn't. If he does go on to become the next Steelers QB then he will receive, and rightfully so, all the credit in the world for turning his life and career around. However, if that does happen, much of that will be because of the support he receives from those around him, and I'm sure that front and center will be Coach Tomlin. Much of what he does not do well is right there for us to see. I have believed for a long time that much of what he does well, and the reason that his players love him, are actions that happen behind the scenes, and that we do not see on a daily basis. His failures are still his failures, but there is much more to his abilities as a coach than what we see.

https://www.nfl.com/news/dwayne-haskins-grateful-for-the-opportunity-with-steelers

Former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins (https://www.nfl.com/players/dwayne-haskins/) is restarting his career with the Steelers after being unceremoniously cut near the end of the 2020 season.


From the forefront of an organization in Washington to the background in Pittsburgh, Haskins said Thursday morning that he's just looking for any opportunity to earn a job.

"Just coming here to Pittsburgh, I just wanted to prove to the coaching staff and my teammates how much I love football. And just grateful for the opportunity to be here and just show them that my mind's in the right place and that I'm willing to work to be able to show my talent and be able to work and earn a spot here."

Haskins signed a reserve/futures deal with the Steelers in January (https://www.nfl.com/news/dwayne-haskins-set-to-visit-with-steelers-today). Since then, Ben Roethlisberger (https://www.nfl.com/players/ben-roethlisberger/) returned on a reworked deal. Mason Rudolph (https://www.nfl.com/players/mason-rudolph/) signed a 1-year extension. And Joshua Dobbs (https://www.nfl.com/players/joshua-dobbs/) re-upped. Haskins will have to prove a lot to earn a roster spot in Pittsburgh this season.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFGECv18s1E) that he's more concerned about developing a relationship with Haskins off the field, not focusing on on-field progress.

"I've been more concerned about Dwayne the person," Tomlin said. "Getting to know him. Getting an understanding of what he's been through and how that's shaped him affected him positively, negatively. How it's affected the growth and development of his game. I think more than anything, Dwayne and I are trying to get to know one another. I think it starts there, and then we can focus on some things relative to the game itself. I'll leave some of the minutia and some of the details about his football development to him and (quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan) and (offensive coordinator Matt) Canada. I just want to get to know the young man and help him grow in that way."

Haskins' off-field issues in Washington exasperated his on-field struggles during his less-than-two seasons with the club.


Recently retired quarterback Alex Smith previously noted that Haskins is "crazy gifted" but needs to eliminate the "distractions (https://www.nfl.com/news/alex-smith-dwayne-haskins-crazy-gifted-must-eliminate-distractions)."

The 24-year-old said he wasn't stunned by how it ended in Washington.

"I wouldn't necessarily say I was surprised," Haskins said. "It's just a part of the business. Wasn't necessarily the people that, you know, were brought in by the new coaching staff and understanding that this is a business and realizing that as the season went on that things weren't going the way that we both wanted it to.

"Just grateful for the opportunity Washington gave me, but it wasn't completely surprising, but it was also definitely unfortunate to be able to be released the way that I was."

The hope is the 24-year -old big-armed QB can focus on football in Pittsburgh, away from the noise and expectations that overwhelmed his time in Washington.

Given the four QBs on the roster, coupled with the fact that Big Ben is learning a new offense that might require he take more reps in training camp, it's questionable whether Haskins will get the snaps to prove his game has improved from the roller-coaster play in Washington.

For now, he's just trying to soak up the Steelers culture, learn the playbook and stay out of the spotlight.

"My expectations here [are] to make everyone who decided to take a chance on me look good and just work as hard as I possibly can and let my work speak for itself," he said. "Of course, I want to be able to take after Big Ben and stuff like that, but that comes within due time. Just being able to everything I need to do on a day-to-day basis, and they expect a lot out of me as far as just being prepared and being the best version of myself, that's what they pretty much want from me and allowing that to just speak for itself."


The next step comes in training camp, where Haskins must prove he's worth a roster spot or if he's ticketed for practice squad duty.

[Ghost]

Another good article on Haskins:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...loves-football

"I just wanted to prove to the coaching staff and my teammates how much I love football," Haskins said Thursday. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here and showing them that my mind is in the right place and I'm willing to work to be able to show my talents and be able to work and earn a spot here."

Since Haskins arrived in Pittsburgh, he's earned high praise from teammates and the coaching staff -- including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
"I was just telling [quarterbacks] Coach Sully [Mike Sullivan] the other day that his release and throwing motion mechanics are some of the prettiest I have ever seen," Roethlisberger said during OTAs. "I told him I wish I had that. I joked that he could throw it through a car wash, and it wouldn't get wet."

[whisper]

Another good article on Haskins:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...loves-football

"I just wanted to prove to the coaching staff and my teammates how much I love football," Haskins said Thursday. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here and showing them that my mind is in the right place and I'm willing to work to be able to show my talents and be able to work and earn a spot here."

Since Haskins arrived in Pittsburgh, he's earned high praise from teammates and the coaching staff -- including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
"I was just telling [quarterbacks] Coach Sully [Mike Sullivan] the other day that his release and throwing motion mechanics are some of the prettiest I have ever seen," Roethlisberger said during OTAs. "I told him I wish I had that. I joked that he could throw it through a car wash, and it wouldn't get wet."

It's all just lip service, until it isn't, including Ben's comments. Virtually all OSU's QBs only lose 1-2 games a season, but how do they fair when they hit the NFL?

Troy Smith, JT Barrett, Braxton Miller, Terrelle Pryor, Cardale Jones...Heck Mike Tomczak had the best NFL career out of the lot and we know he wasn't that great.

[feltdizz]

It's all just lip service, until it isn't, including Ben's comments. Virtually all OSU's QBs only lose 1-2 games a season, but how do they fair when they hit the NFL?

Troy Smith, JT Barrett, Braxton Miller, Terrelle Pryor, Cardale Jones...Heck Mike Tomczak had the best NFL career out of the lot and we know he wasn't that great.

and this is the exact type of thinking that made people miss out on Patrick Mahomes.

“Texas Tech? Name the last successful Texas Tech QB!!!l Every TT Quarterback post big stats in college”

You never know until they hit the field and show their talent. Every individual is different.

Also, from what I have read most Buckeye fans say the current HC actually develops their QB’s instead of running gimmick offenses that don’t translate well to the NFL.

You can call it lip service but they are actually talking about his physical skills in camp. That is all they can go on right now. Still good to hear positive’s instead of negatives with Haskin’s.

[hawaiiansteel]

Mike Tomlin says he’s building a personal connection with Dwayne Haskins

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 17, 2021

Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been through a lot in his short NFL career, and coach Mike Tomlin wants to learn all about it.

Tomlin was asked on Wednesday about a post-practice talk with Haskins, and he said that while he’s letting quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and offensive coordinator Matt Canada coach Haskins on Xs and Os, Tomlin wants to know about Haskins’ overall development.

“I’ve been more concerned about Dwayne the person,” Tomlin said, via Missi Matthews of the Steelers’ website. “What he’s been through . . . how it’s affected the growth and development of his game.”

Haskins signed a one-year contract with the Steelers for the minimum salary and nothing guaranteed. To agree to that deal, he had to think the Steelers were a team that would spend some time developing him — to a greater extent than Washington did after drafting him in the first round. Tomlin sounds interested in helping that process.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...wayne-haskins/

[Steel Maniac]

It's all just lip service, until it isn't, including Ben's comments. Virtually all OSU's QBs only lose 1-2 games a season, but how do they fair when they hit the NFL?

Troy Smith, JT Barrett, Braxton Miller, Terrelle Pryor, Cardale Jones...Heck Mike Tomczak had the best NFL career out of the lot and we know he wasn't that great.

I hear you but every person deserves a chance for redemption and he’s putting in the work so far. There’s no disputing that. All reports and teammates are saying it. So let’s hope for the best.

[Northern_Blitz]

It's puff piece season, but I believe that Sullivan also said that Haskins has been working hard since being here in Pittsburgh.

I don't doubt the stories from Wasington, but I hope that the realization that it can all fall apart + a positive atmosphere from Tomlin and co. can turn Haskins around.

Odds are against it, but it would be a huge win if he develops into a starter.

[NorthCoast]

Well some say the WFT coaching and org is what failed Haskins. So he is getting a full on dose of coaching and mentoring with Tomlin. Let's hope it works.

[NJ-STEELER]

did tomlin try to mentor paxton lynch while here too?
another 1st round QB that quickly fell from grace

[Northern_Blitz]

did tomlin try to mentor paxton lynch while here too?
another 1st round QB that quickly fell from grace

I'm sure he did.

Most QB's fail.

Haskins will probably fail too. He already has.

But the environment here is likely better than it was in Washington. And maybe he's learned something from getting cut before the end of his first contract.

All accounts are that he has the tools, but not the heart and head. Even Tomlin's detractors suggest that he isn't much for Xs and Os, but is good at rah-rah / motivational stuff. Seems like that's the part that's missing for Haskins.

So maybe even Tomlin's detractors could see that Tomlin's apparent strengths might match up with Haskins' apparent weaknesses.

That's probably why he chose to come here vs. other places where he had offers. I doubt the choice came down to money.