The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel to the NFL by sacking him six times in their 23-9 win on Sunday.
Despite it being only Gabriel’s second start in the NFL, head coach Mike Tomlin worried about how quickly the young quarterback could process information.
“This guy has thrown around the football a lot,” Tomlin said on Tuesday. “He’s older, more experienced than most rookies. I think timely processing is his superpower, and I think his experience and that superpower have been on display.”
The Steelers did a good job preventing Gabriel from having time to sit back and process the defense, and Tomlin spoke about how the defense pressured him.
“We did a nice job with our pre-snap looks, but it’s aided again by having our secondary intact,” Tomlin said on Sunday. “You’re able to execute when you have a full complement of guys. I thought they did a nice job with their pre-snap disguises. They didn’t allow him to digest information prior to getting the ball in his hands.”
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Pittsburgh kept Gabriel guessing throughout the game, as he completed 29 of 52 passes for 221 yards without throwing a touchdown. Although Gabriel didn’t throw an interception, the defenders came close to picking the ball off several times.
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