It has been under a week since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for safety Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots, but he already made an impact as the team beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, 27-20. With the Steelers stunning the Colts, Dugger played the whole game as the starting safety, which to getting the game ball after the game.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin would award Dugger the game ball, according to Brian Batko, as the safety position for the team was experiencing injuries left and right, with Jabrill Peppers and Chuck Clark unavailable. It seemed as if Duggers was a seamless fit for the team, even saying after the game that “the standard is the standard,” a phrase famously said by Tomlin.
Dugger was a huge part in limiting Indianapolis in big and explosive plays, attributing his performance to the coaching staff and teammates for guiding him along on short notice, according to TribLive.
“I think it had everything to do with my coaches … and my teammates,” Dugger said. “They were kind of making things like the terminology (sound familiar), as far as like what I used to play, and just kind of matching it up for me and simplifying it in meetings and then communicating on the field in practice. Every [practice] rep counted, and just putting a ton of work and talking to them every play and things like that. It made it simple for me.”
Steelers' Mike Tomlin on being impressed with Kyle Dugger
As the football world has accused the Steelers' defense of flopping with the amount of money put into it, Dugger's addition seems to have brought some life to the squad, especially after the win over the Colts. In total, Pittsburgh picked off Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones three times in the game, giving the offense back the ball, halting any momentum of the team that entered the game with a 7-1 record.
There's no doubt that Tomlin had high praise for the former Patriot in Dugger.
“Can’t say enough about Kyle Dugger,” Tomlin said. “This guy got on a moving train, man, and played a lot of defense for us today. And we needed it. We were really short at the safety position. … We were running super thin. And that dude came in here and gave us some quality work. And we’re certainly appreciative of that.”
With Pittsburgh at 5-3, the team next faces the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.
