Communication is key on both sides of the ball, which was lacking once Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts went down with a groin injury last week.
Once Roberts was ruled out, Mykal Walker, signed to the practice squad on Oct. 30, had lead critical responsibilities with the green dot and communication dropped off. To combat this, if Roberts (questionable on injury report) can’t go, the green dot will be given to Minkah Fitzpatrick.
“If Elandon is not the guy, it would probably be Minkah from a hierarchy of green dots, if you will,” Tomlin said in his weekly Q&A session with Bob Labriola of Steelers.com.
Fitzpatrick is dealing with an issue of his own but has no injury designation going into tonight’s game. He played with a broken hand against the Arizona Cardinals.
Typically, an inside linebacker relays plays from the coaches to the rest of the defense. But given the mess Pittsburgh has at the position that once was one of their best depth-wise, it’s best a veteran takes over.
It’s likely Roberts won’t play. There’s no sense in risking further injury at a position of need as the Steelers attempt to make a playoff run.
