Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been criticized at times for giving players too wide a berth, and selectively deciding who to apply certain rules to.
But for new Steelers linebacker Mark Barron, his new boss’s style was a plus in deciding to come to Pittsburgh.
“With the things I heard about him, I thought it might be a good fit,” Barron said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “The way he goes about things and how straight up and down he is about his work and how he handles and communicates with players.
“I feel like I’m a similar type of person. I’m straight up and down. I like things to be on the table clear cut.”
What’s less clear is his role when he walks in the door. He’s not a like-for-like replacement at inside linebacker for Ryan Shazier (whose loss on the field has never been compensated for), but he’s far more than a sub-package player with safety experience like Morgan Burnett was last year.
“I don’t think I’ll be coming off the field,” Barron said.
He’s still 6-1 and 214 pounds, and knows that requires something more from him to play inside.
“If a guy is going to be a smaller linebacker, he has to be tough,” Barron said. “He has to be physical. He has to be strong. He also has to be smart and understand that you are undersized, so you have to do some things differently in how you attack playing the run.
“For the most part, you have to be a pretty tough guy.”
It’s also a unique locker room, but Barron seems to like what he knows about it so far.