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Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn’t mince words following his team’s 34-9 loss to the Carolina Panthers in the preseason final.
The Steelers, although primarily starting backups against the Panthers starters, did not play at the level he expected – and that more than applied to quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who made his first start in pre-season Friday evening.
“Like the rest of us, I didn’t think it was enough academic work on his part,” Tomlin said. “It wasn’t the type of performance he wanted or wanted. But that is life.”
Facing a first-string defense for the first time this preseason with a spot on the roster, Haskins completed 9 of 16 attempts for 108 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
But even these numbers are misleading. Haskins, selected in the first round of the 2019 draft by the Washington football team, finished the first half with just 3 of 9 attempts for 24 yards and one interception. His first half passer rating was 2.8.
“It was tough,” Haskins said. “I wanted to play better. I know we wanted to do better as a team. You just have to watch a movie, get ready and get ready.”
Haskins led the team to two three-and-outs to start, completing their first two assists on third downs, but both shots were well short of sticks. The next workout ended prematurely as Haskins threw behind rear Derek Watt. The ball flew out of Watt’s hands and into the arms of Panthers cornerback Brian Burns waiting for.
Haskins rebounded with more aggressive throws in his final half-time practices, pushing the ball more down the field rather than controlling it. But on two occasions, Ray-Ray McCloud failed to catch a well-thrown ball. Haskins threw one in tight cover, but the pass hit McCloud on the epaulet and he couldn’t catch. On the next drive, Haskins led McCloud over the sideline and placed the ball perfectly in front of him. McCloud, however, couldn’t keep both feet in line to complete the capture.
Haskins led a practice to start the third quarter, but it was also a three-and-out, and Josh Dobbs took over for the next four practices until he sustained a toe injury in sod on a sack in the fourth quarter.
The injury gave Haskins a chance to redeem himself. The first practice was cut short as running back Tony Brooks-James fumbled for the ball in the second game, but Haskins led a scoring practice in the Steelers’ final series. Facing a third and five on the two-minute warning, Haskins hit McCloud for a 28-yard gain over the middle. In the next two games, he connected with Anthony Johnson for 12 yards and tight end Marcus Baugh for 8 yards. He capped the disc with another accomplishment at McCloud for 22 yards.
“I felt that having the two minute opportunity was good just to get some experience in the game and of course I wanted to start fast but we didn’t,” said Haskins. “Being able to finish in a way where we got a sort of rally afterwards was a good way to end the game.”
Still, Haskins’ late strike hardly captivated Tomlin.
“I’m sure it did it for him, in terms of getting that taste out of his mouth,” Tomlin said of Haskins’ touchdown helping the quarterback. “Obviously that had no consequences or impact on the outcome of the game.”
With the final cups looming, the decision in the quarterback seems to fall to Dobbs or Haskins for last place. Outside of Friday night’s performance, Haskins said he felt good about the job he did during the Steelers preseason.
“I feel like I’ve done a great job just showing that I’m coachable,” said the former first-round player. “Show that I want to learn, that I want to improve myself. I’m just trying to film things that are something that I can show what I can do. The first three games are something that I’m pretty proud of and well. sure how we started is something i wanted better.
“The best thing I can do is just hope that what I’ve been doing throughout preseason, throughout training camp is enough work to show and show how good I’m doing. am improved. “
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