Broderick Jones Gives Critical Review of First NFL Performance

TAMPA, Fla. — Broderick Jones played a lot against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he was not happy with the first NFL performance he put out on tape. Coming from Georgia, he is trained to have high expectations, and it appears that Jones is following that model. Despite having a solid game on tape, Jones focused a lot on the negatives. It felt good for Jones, but for him, it was far from perfect.

“It was pretty good (being out there). It wasn’t too bad but there are plays I wanted back,” Jones said. “It was mostly what I expected. I try to get better each and every day but I feel like I still have things I need to work on, skills I need to hone. But for the most part, I give it my best shot every time.”

There is a go back to the tape and evaluate aspect to preseason football. Mike Tomlin knows that all too well entering another cycle in this time of year. However, he did have some praise for his first-round pick, and enjoyed his demeanor in his first NFL look. Jones ended up playing from the middle of the first quarter largely until the end of the football game.

“Gave him big exposure. I like his demeanor, I like how he finished,” Tomlin said. “We’ll comb through specifically and look at hand usage and how he mixed up his protections and some of things that are very technical that are major components of this level of play.”

Offensive line coach Pat Meyer has made it clear that Broderick Jones will have a learning curve. But playing a lot in the preseason is one way to soften that curve right out of the gate. In the coming games, Jones needs to continue to show that ‘arrow up’ trajectory that the organization sees in him.

Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Tampa