Steelers' Decision To Part With Frisman Jackson Was Due To Poor Discipline From Receivers

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the market for a new wide receivers coach after a report came out Monday that the team is moving on from Frisman Jackson. Before he got into coaching, the former NFL receiver had been with the Steelers since the start of the 2022 season. Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports, said that he wasn't at all surprised that Jackson wasn't being brought back. The Steelers wide receiver room seemed to be a lightning rod for controversy, so Head Coach Mike Tomlin is looking for a shakeup.

Kovacevic opened a segment of The Ramon Foster Show this week with co-host Ramon Foster, that he had been hearing for a while now that Jackson was seen as "not doing his job sufficiently from the disciplinary standpoint." He continued that the organization decided to get Allen Robinson II to ease some of the work on Jackson and "help that wide receiver room to grow up and behave." 

"It turned out that A-Rob [Robinson] did his job, but it was really Diontae Johnson that took over that wide receiver room," he said. "Diontae has his own stuff that's out there on tape that doesn't look that great, but it's a move."   

Diontae Johnson struggled early in the season with a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve for four weeks. He managed to break his touchdown drought that stretched way back to the 2021 season in Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans, but it was a trying year for the fifth-year receiver. 

He reportedly got into an altercation with star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick after the Steelers' Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns. His effort was questioned after a Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals when it looked like he wanted nothing to do with recovering a loose fumble by running back Jaylen Warren as well. He then made little effort to tackle the Browns' defender, who picked it up. 

Foster thinks it's a positive note on Johnson's character that he stepped up to be a leader in the room. Despite the controversy surrounding him this season, Foster said it's a real credit to him that he did that.

"You got to absolutely love the fact that he [Johnson] knew that someone had to lead the room," Foster explained. "That's kind of where we were one of those years before we got Coach [Mike] Munchak. The players really need to step up and challenge each other, and hold each other accountable."  

Foster said that it changed the whole dynamic of their offensive line room and helped him grow as a leader. He said it's not necessarily an indictment on one coach or another. It's a tough job to deal with NFL players and all the different needs he added. 

Steelers' 2023 Receivers Lacked Discipline

When it comes to talking about discipline, it's often talked about in the context of a player doing something or not doing something on the field. Many felt that Tomlin wasn't doing enough to stamp out some of George Pickens' antics. Kovacevic said, however, that it extends to a lack of detail that seemed to be prevalent early in the 2023 season when quarterback Kenny Pickett was having all kinds of trouble finding receivers. 

Foster said that having the right level of discipline leads to better performance. He explained that performance comes down to players knowing their playbook, what they're doing on a specific play, and why. It was clear to him that some of those things were missing from the Steelers in 2023. 

Foster said that when a team has a group as young as Pittsburgh's, you need to have a coach who is harping on the little details. It's also important to make sure a player like Calvin Austin III, who missed his entire first season with injury, is getting the proper instruction. 

Whoever the team decides to bring in as their new wide receivers coach, establishing a better level of discipline will be key. The players themselves will need to hold each other accountable.