Who knew the key to that opportunity ultimately was held by defensive backs coach Carnell Lake?
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By Mark Kaboly
For weeks, Brandon Boykin was saying that all he needed was an opportunity, and when that opportunity presented itself, he was “1,000 percent sure that I am going to do what I have been doing the past three or four years of my career.”
Who knew the key to that opportunity ultimately was held by defensive backs coach Carnell Lake — with, of course, coach Mike Tomlin signing off on it?
Lake said Thursday, as the Steelers prepared for Sunday’s key AFC North game against the Cincinnati Bengals, that he was the one who thought it was “about time” to give Boykin more playing time.
Or, in this case, any playing time at all.
After Boykin, a player the Steelers traded a conditional fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for in training camp, made the “1,000 percent” proclamation in late October, he didn’t take a defensive snap over the next four games until Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
“To be honest with you, I just thought it was about time, and Coach Tomlin agreed,” Lake said. “We made the change to help the unit out and give the unit some energy and provide productivity in the end, and that’s what happened. I thought it was time, and we got the changes made.”
The Steelers reduced first-year starter Antwon Blake’s playing time by nearly a half and inserted Boykin into the slot, where he played 40 of the final 52 snaps against the Colts on Sunday and came up with a key interception and pass breakup.
That rotation will stay intact Sunday against a much more dynamic Cincinnati offense highlighted by receivers A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu and tight end Tyler Eifert.
“I liked it, I think it helps us,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “Our guys were getting worn out this time of year. We played a lot of football games, including five preseason games. Those guys have never played that many snaps in a season.”
Lake said the reason he didn’t pull the trigger earlier with Boykin and Blake was a matter of his coaching philosophy, even if the Steelers allowed three consecutive 300-yard passing games.
“I don’t like to do knee-jerk reactions, especially when I have young guys and they are trying to learn,” Lake said. “You have to give them the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from it and grow. If you shuffle the deck all the time, then it doesn’t allow for that or breaks down the player’s confidence.”
But with Blake struggling with his tackling (he leads NFL cornerbacks with 23 missed tackles, eight more than the next highest) and giving up splash plays, Lake knew it was time to alter things. Plus, it gave Blake more of a chance to focus on special teams.
“I remember my first year starting,” Lake said. “It was a lot. You get over the hump, but your productivity slides a little bit, so I wanted to make sure before it became a real problem that we could do something about it.”
Still, the situation is fluid. While Boykin played well against the Colts, he’s sure to be tested in a number of ways by the Bengals, including the running game. Cincinnati’s power back is Jeremy Hill, who has 588 yards and eight touchdowns.
“Every player on their defense is going to have their spots, and they are going to have to stand up and buck up and handle their business,” Lake said. “Each player comes with something he has to deal with. Boykin has his, just like the rest of the guys, and we are going to have to address those issues and (make sure) they get the job done.”
Boykin, one of the smaller corners in the league at 5-foot-10, 182 pounds, scoffed at the notion he can’t stand up to the run game even though he mentioned teams trying to run at him at times.
Boykin had 112 tackles in three years with the Eagles, including 102 solo while playing the majority of his plays as the slot corner.
“It’s never been a problem,” Boykin said. “I missed a tackle last game, but I missed like four or five tackles in my career. Anytime you have a defensive back in the run position, they are going to use that to see if you can tackle. Once they see that you can tackle, they don’t mess with it.”
