There is no denying Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush has received his fair share of criticism throughout the 2021 season.
With many fans and media alike feeling that the former first-round selection has not played up to expectations this season, the linebacker’s father, Ole Miss recruiting coordinator Devin Bush Sr., came to his defense on Thursday night.
Bush Sr. joined The Paul Zeise Show on 93.7 The Fan, and provided some clarity as to why his son may not be performing up to his full potential.
“Well I haven’t timed him in the 40, but just watching him play, I don’t know if he’s completely back to that speed,” Bush Sr. said of his son’s recovery progress from the torn ACL that ended his 2020 campaign. “I mean he hasn’t really had the time to train specifically for complete speed… so I’m not sure.”
That being said, Bush Sr. still would not characterize his son as slow, regardless of how the injury is still impacting him.
“But he’s definitely not slow,” he added. “I mean if you watch the film, you don’t see slow. You don’t see slow. He has elite speed, especially for the position, but you don’t see slow when you watch the film. So that’s not an issue.”
While the conversation began civil, things did eventually get testy between Bush Sr. and Zeise, as the former accused the latter and critics in general of knowing nothing about football.
Zeise was quick to remind Bush Sr. that he too has a son who played linebacker at the FBS level. His son Elijah played at Pitt.
Still, Bush Sr.’s overarching argument was that those criticizing his son do not actually know what his responsibilities are on any given play.
Ultimately the two agreed to disagree, but did commit to a second interview where they will breakdown Bush’s film together.
Selected with the tenth-overall pic in the 2019 NFL Draft, Bush has tallied 41 combined tackles, two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his return season.