Tomlin, Steelers bracing for Rams superstar D-lineman Aaron Donald

[T-REX]

Tomlin, Steelers bracing for Rams superstar D-lineman Aaron Donald

Taking advantage of a bye week, Aaron Donald left the West Coast and returned to the South Side last week to spend time around the Pitt football program that helped mold him into arguably the NFL’s most dominant defensive player. Donald was talking to players outside UPMC Rooney Sports Complex

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JOE RUTTER | Tuesday, November 5, 2019 6:16 p.m.

Taking advantage of a bye week, Aaron Donald left the West Coast and returned to the South Side last week to spend time around the Pitt football program that helped mold him into arguably the NFL’s most dominant defensive player.
Donald was talking to players outside UPMC Rooney Sports Complex when practice ended for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. Coach Mike Tomlin crossed the parking lot from the indoor facility and passed the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle without any acknowledgement.

Tomlin won’t have the luxury of avoiding Donald the next time they cross paths, which will be this weekend at a much bigger venue.

The Rams are making their first visit to Pittsburgh in eight seasons, and after all of the accolades Donald has earned — five Pro Bowl selections in as many seasons and back-to-back NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards — he will make his debut Sunday at Heinz Field as a visiting player.
Tomlin spent a significant portion of his weekly news conference Tuesday talking about Donald and the impact he has made for the Rams, who have won two in a row and, at 5-3, occupy third place in the NFC West a year after they advanced to the Super Bowl.

“Any discussions start with minimizing Aaron Donald and the ways he can control and dominate a game,” Tomlin said.
And then Tomlin listed the attributes that helped Donald lead the NFL with 20 1/2 sacks in 2018, when he was named the NFL’s top defensive player for the second year in a row.
“They move him around a lot,” Tomlin said. “All you have to do is look at his sack reel, and it illustrates that. He’s got sacks against right guards, against left guards, against left tackles. This guy moves up and down the line of scrimmage.”
NFL teams have decided the best way to deal with Donald is to pit two — and sometimes three — players against him on the offensive line. Trouble is, that has paved the way for other Rams defensive players to get to the quarterback. Dante Fowler has a team-high 6 1/2 sacks this year, and Clay Matthews has six. Donald is third with five sacks, but he has recorded four in the past three games.

“People work hard to get bodies on him and minimize his impact on the game,” Tomlin said. “Often, when you do that, it creates opportunities for others. … That’s what the strength of the pack is.”
Before the 2018 season, the Rams made Donald the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player with a six-year, $135 million contract. In the spring, Donald made a seven-figure donation to the Pitt Football Championship Fund.
“What an impressive person,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday. “And then you see the production and see the way he works at it. You look at Pittsburgh and the loyal fanbase, I don’t think they have anything but respect for Aaron Donald.”
It was during Donald’s senior year with the Panthers when Tomlin began to project greatness for the former Penn Hills star. He had 28 1/2 tackles for loss, including 11 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 2013. The Rams selected Donald with the No. 13 overall pick, and it proved to be anything but an unlucky choice. Donald was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after the 2014 season.

“I think it became evident (as a senior) that what you were looking at was not relative to who (Pitt) was playing against,” Tomlin said. “It was more about him. He’s got an unbelievable work ethic, unbelievable talent in terms of strength and quick twitch. He’s got built-in leverage for the game. His stature is an asset.
“He’s always underneath people, and he wins one-on-one confrontations because he has the combination of unbelievable athleticism and unbelievable strength. I’m not surprised by anything we’re seeing from him, and I imagine the Rams aren’t, either.”

In 2015, when the Rams still were based in St. Louis, Donald faced the Steelers for the only time in his career. He had one sack and four tackles in a game the Rams lost 12-6.
Tomlin probably would be happy if the Steelers held Donald to similar numbers this weekend. He said the Steelers will try to use two linemen to keep him away from quarterback Mason Rudolph regardless of which side of the formation Donald is deployed.

Even if doing so provides the Rams a personnel matchup elsewhere on defense.
“You have to pick your poison,” Tomlin said.

 

[Ramrocket]

Coach Mike Tomlin crossed the parking lot from the indoor facility and passed the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle without any acknowledgement.

Tomlin always struck me as a surly prick. Seriously, why wouldn't he acknowledge AD if he walked past him? Just common decency and mutual respect I would have thought. All it would have taken is a simple nod of the head or to paraphrase the Australian vernacular, "G'Day mate"

 

[A.J. Hicks]

Tomlin always struck me as a surly prick. Seriously, why wouldn't he acknowledge AD if he walked past him? Just common decency and mutual respect I would have thought. All it would have taken is a simple nod of the head or to paraphrase the Australian vernacular, "G'Day mate"

I was curious about that as well.

Could it be a tampering type situation?

 

[jap]

Tomlin always struck me as a surly prick. Seriously, why wouldn't he acknowledge AD if he walked past him? Just common decency and mutual respect I would have thought. All it would have taken is a simple nod of the head or to paraphrase the Australian vernacular, "G'Day mate"

It might simply be that Tomlin follows the ideology that goes, "You are my enemy until the final whistle. Only then can we relax and be friends."

Some folks are just wired differently.

 

[Ramrocket]

It might simply be that Tomlin follows the ideology that goes, "You are my enemy until the final whistle. Only then can we relax and be friends."

Some folks are just wired differently.

Yeah maybe. I've known people that get antsy just before playing each other but the whistle hasn't even gone for the match to start. surely hostilities can be put on hold until then. JMHO.

I played rugby for many years and you inevitably play many of the same players across your time in the game. Some you never got along but would still acknowledge. Others became lifelong friends and you would seek them out and have a beer with them after the game. But whilst the game was going on, you would be doing everything in your power to destroy him. Haha.

I agree though, some people are wired differently. Simple courtesy doesn't cost much though.

 

[LesBaker]

Maybe he didn't want to interrupt the meeting with the Pitt players that AD was in the middle of..........IMO that's respectful.

 

[Ramrocket]

Maybe he didn't want to interrupt the meeting with the Pitt players that AD was in the middle of..........IMO that's respectful.

Yep quite possible. And who's to say that he didn't give a nod of the head as he went by. I was only commenting on what was said in the OP. None of us were there so don't really know what went on. Still think he's a surly prick though.