LG Joel Bitonio (11.16.23)
Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all right.
“Yeah, it was. It was tough news. You know, I thought we were kind of getting our groove. He was coming back a couple of games in a row. It was unfortunate. He toughed it out for that game. So, I think it’s the hard part. You see him play through the game and you’re like, oh, he made it through, he’s a little banged up with ankle. You don’t really know the severity of it. So, you come in on Wednesday and you hear the news and it’s tough. But we do have a resilient bunch you know. Obviously, we want Deshaun out there with us but DTR (Dorian Thompson-Robinson), PJ (Walker), you know. They’re going to be ready to go. Our defense is playing well. We got to take care of the ball and offense, give it to our guys like Coop (Amari Cooper) and David (Njoku) and those guys and try and make some plays.”
How did you notice DTR (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) this week then, Joel, kind of like really taking control out there in practice?
“Yeah, he’s been very focused, you know from the jump. I was working out and I saw him kind of moving around out there and he looked focused, he looked locked in. I know he had a chance, and it wasn’t really a fair shot earlier in the year. So, this week I think he’s really focused and just trying to absorb the game plan and not do too much but do his job.”
Is that a noticeable difference from over a month ago when he played versus this week as he’s getting ready?
“Yeah, we were unsure that week if he was going to get the ball or if Deshaun (Watson) was going to be the one playing that game. And we really truly didn’t know until a couple of hours before the game started. So, I don’t think he had that. It’s hard. You’re a rookie, you’ve never done it before to get that mental processing that, hey, I’m going to play in this game. I’m going to be the starter, so it’s a big difference.”
Joel, it looked like those tackles held up in Baltimore. Did the coaches’ grades treat them kindly?
“Yeah, they did a good job. We have a lot of respect for Baltimore’s defense. I think they lead the league in sacks and they did a good job. Geron (Christian) coming off the street and James (Hudson) you know obviously being here, but both those guys coming out and competing like that is pretty impressive. Big challenge this week obviously with TJ (Watt) (Alex) Highsmith, those guys can rush the passer, so it’ll be another big challenge, but it was impressive. I think it’s a shout out to our coaching staff and those guys for really understanding the plan and getting down to our terminology.”
Glad you don’t have to play left tackle now?
“Yeah, I was ready for whatever we had to. I’ve done it in the past a little bit here, so I’ll stay ready. There’s always that emergency and if it’s needed, but I like my spot of left guard.”
Joel, what adjustments do you have to make with DTR (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) versus Deshaun (Watson)? Or are there any adjustments you guys have to make in that scheme?
“I don’t think so. I think we run a very similar offense, similar plays. He’s pretty mobile like Deshaun. He can run him a little bit, give him some read options. He did a lot of that in college at UCLA, so he has a lot of experience in that kind of scheme. But I think you find what he’s comfortable with compared to Deshaun, and that’s probably mostly like, in the routes, concepts and stuff like that. But protection wise and running our stuff, I think we’re going to try and stick to our scheme and what we’ve been doing well.”
Well, Joel, as Mary Kay (Cabot) mentioned before, it’s been one thing after the next this season, has it brought you guys even closer together and you just feel like this is the kind of season it’s supposed to be that we’re supposed to overcome obstacles week after week?
“Yeah, it’s tough. You see teams across the league, and it started week one, obviously, with Jack (Conklin) and (Nick) Chubb and Jed’s (Wills) gone out on offense and now Deshaun (Watson). So it’s one of those ones that’s tough. I think Coach (Kevin Stefanski) has done a great job of stressing, like, how do we get to 1-0 this week? If you try and look at the big picture or you try and look down the road, I think it gets too overwhelming. But we have the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. They’re a good team, great defense, and how do we beat them? And that just brings everybody that’s able to play together and we go out there and we’re trying to go 1-0.”
Joel, who was pushing harder on that (Jerome) Ford play, you or Elijah Moore?
“Elijah Moore’s feet were moving now. I was a little bit late you know. Me and (Jadaveon) Clowney kind of met in the backfield, so I was a little bit late to the party. I looked up and I was like, oh, man, they’re still going. So, I got in there and helped, but it was very cool to see. I mean, as an offensive lineman, that’s like the ugly dream play. You know what I mean. Like, how long can they let us keep us moving forward, but it was a testament to those guys, to our team and just how much we wanted to try and get that one.”
Kevin (Stefanski) said you guys were having some fun with Elijah watching those legs go.
“He’s welcome to come to the party anytime he wants.”
I know you talked about after the game, like in a play like that, you don’t want to be caught not pushing on film. So what was it like just watching it back and what kind of reaction did you guys give?
“Yeah, no, we played in the meeting and it was funny. I had to make sure I got in there. I was probably the last one. Obviously, Deshaun (Watson) was back there and (Amari Cooper) Coop but couldn’t be a lineman that wasn’t allowed to get in the pile.”
Can you weigh in a little bit on Ronnie Stanley and his hit on Denzel Ward? What did you think of that from an offensive lineman’s perspective?
“I actually haven’t seen the hit. I heard some rumblings about it possibly being a dirty hit, but I haven’t seen it myself. I know he was like cleaning the pile or something, right? He was going to hit him when he was playing. Yeah, standing around the pile. I’ve met Ronnie a few times and you never know in those situations. The helmet-to-helmet stuff is what we kind of want to get out of, at least from player safety wise. You don’t want to hit people in the head and the neck when you don’t have to, but as a lineman, you are taught to go push the pile as well. So, it’s one of those plays where I hope guys don’t do things maliciously like that. You know what I mean? I think they’re trying to play football hard, but it’s one of those things you’d hope not to happen either.”
Do you think that this season reminds you of any way in 2020? Just kind of obviously the COVID not being part of it, but just guys being out and trying to win every week.
“Yeah, COVID was obviously a different beast, but we had a lot of obstacles that year as well. You didn’t know who was going to test positive. You didn’t know sometimes when you were going to play the game and things like that. So we’ve had some experience with that, and I think Coach (Kevin) Stefanski is very trying to go one on this week. We’re very even-keeled about things. So, his personality, I think, leads us to be resilient in that know whatever is out there, whoever’s out there for us is the team that we’re going to take out there and we got to try and go 1-0.”
Joel, a lot of guys are saying that the goals don’t change, right? Just because Deshaun’s (Watson) out, Nick’s (Chubb) out, whoever’s out, makes out and whoever’s out, I guess. How do you maintain that focus and how do you think that’s realistic given all the major losses?
“For the players, I think it’s like you have to go out and execute. Like everybody here is playing. It’s their job to go out there and play football. And our defense is playing really well, best in the league right now. Our offense is taking the steps and I think we can ball control, not turn the ball over, execute in the red zone, all those things. Special teams has been great. So, I think we have the ingredients, you know what I mean? And so for us, we’re just trying to go 1-0 and that’s our goal this week. We just try to go 1-0. We’ll see what happens later on the year, but we know we have the right guys in this locker room and the right mindset to continue to play the way we want to play.”
Can you address the fact that you guys have dedicated your season to Nick Chubb and then he had his second surgery this week and you guys are playing the Steelers? Will this be sort of a rallying cry for you guys a little bit, that Nick’s there for you?
“Yeah. It was good to see Nick get his second surgery. I know he’s been rehabbing his first one, trying to get as ready as possible for that second surgery. And anytime you play the Pittsburgh series of AFC North game, like they’re 6-3, we’re 6-3. It’s a big game for us. So, we’ve really been focused on that. Obviously, we’re trying to play our best for those guys that are hurt, Nick and Jack (Conklin) and Deshaun (Watson) and know I was watching the first game and I saw Nick obviously, in the first quarter running, I’m like, man, that guy’s pretty good. That’s a heck of a player. So, yeah, anytime we go out there, we want to represent Nick and play the right way and you know, Pittsburgh’s up next and they’re the big challenge for us.”
With the run game and the way you guys seem to have kind of turned a little bit of a corner. You’re starting to be a little more consistent there offensively, regardless of whether it’s Kareem (Hunt) or Pierre (Strong), Jerome (Ford).
“Yeah, I think Jerome ran the ball really well this last game against Baltimore. I think we’re finding what works with these running backs. You know Nick’s (Chubb) kind of that can do anything you know for us and some of these guys we’re like, oh, he’s more of an inside zone guy or a power scheme, you know and those things, we’re kind of finding our footing there and as O line, we just want to try and execute our blocks, give him a chance to get to the second level and make things happen, but hopefully we continue to. And if we need to lean on a little bit more with Dorian (Thompson-Robinson) back there, we’ll be ready to do that, too.”
Jim Donovan’s back in the booth. I know you don’t get to hear him during the games, but how important is for the organization to have him back in the broadcast booth?
“Yeah, it’s great, you know you see some of those highlights after the game when they show the radio highlights on Instagram and stuff, and those are always cool to see. A big game like that, you’re like, oh, I wonder how that would have sounded with Jim up there. So, it’s great if you can get back in there and call games for us and stuff like that. We miss him. We know he’s a big part of this team, and it’s always special when you can call games.”
Needs a few touchdowns to call.
“Yeah, definitely.”
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