Four years ago, the Steelers faced a dynamic, elusive rookie who had taken the league by storm. And they dealt with quarterback Robert Griffin III by hitting him whenever, wherever, and however they could.
As they prepare to face dynamic, elusive rookie Tyreek Hill on Kansas City on Sunday night, get ready for more of the same.
“If he’s toting the mail, hey, that ball attracts a lot of attention in the National Football League, and we have to make him feel it,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “That’s not a threat or anything like that, that’s just the way the game is played. You have to try to slow that guy down a little bit.”
That kind of talk has become frowned upon since 2012’s Bountygate brouhaha, but it’s still the essence of football at the highest level. The use of physical force, within the confines of the rules, can cause opponents to become leery of more of the same. Which in turn may cause them to lose focus and effectiveness.
Before the Steelers can do it to Hill, they need to be able to catch him. Which may not be easy to do.