Arsonist: a person who deliberately sets a house on fire. A perverted arsonist is a person who sets a house on fire and returns to either help extinguish the fire or watch as a gleeful spectator.
On August 9, 2022, I posted a column on newpittsburghcourier.com titled: “The merry, merry-go-round of Steelers backup quarterbacks.” I used that column to profile Chris Oladokun, a young, talented Black quarterback trying to make the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first question that I asked the readers and journalists alike was, “How long will Chris Oladokun stick around?”
At that point, before the 2022 season began, I asked another question and that question was: “Have the Steelers and Mason Rudolph been infected with a ‘variant’ of the Landry Jones syndrome? Did the Black and Gold lose former Steelers and (then) Cleveland Browns QB Joshua Dobbs twice because they held onto Landry Jones a bit too long, hoping that Mr. Jones would somehow morph into a quality NFL starting QB?”
No one expressed any regret when Dobbs, the ex-Steelers QB, was unceremoniously sent packing and was gobbled up by their AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns. Josh Dobbs ended up moving on to also grace the sidelines of the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, subbing for both franchises when their starting QBs were sidelined with injuries.
However, in August 2022, when the quarterback room of the Pittsburgh Steelers was so-called “objectively evaluated,” the “pundits” offered up the following scathing opinion of the then-Steeler roster hopeful, Chris Oladokun.
Alez Kozora wrote the following “insightful” critique of Mr. Oladokun and posted it on steelersdepot.com. “Oladokun went 14 public practices without a single rep in 7v7 or 11v11. He received 19 over the final two practices, scout team sessions. But hey, they were reps. Prior to then the only throwing he did came on air and in 1v1 competition periods. Oladokun was just trying to shake off rust. After presumably not regularly throwing since rookie minicamp as evidenced by the one end zone throw that seemed stuck to his hand and harmlessly dove into the ground five yards away from his intended target. His accuracy and placement were scattershot and he struggled to lead a moving target. Perhaps he can mop up the final two series of the preseason this weekend. Pittsburgh was correct and not giving him reps, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating for him personally. No #4 quarterback in the Steelers camp has logged so few reps as Oladokun has this camp. By comparison #4 quarterback Josh Dobbs had 88 in fewer practices a year ago.”
On August 31, 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Chris Oladokun as a backup QB. Oladokun has gone on to earn two Super Bowl rings. Why would Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, noted for his spot-on evaluations of QBs such as Donovan McNabb and Patrick Mahomes, sign Oladokun as a backup if Oladokun could not “hit a moving target” or the side of a barn for that matter? Did Alex Kozora have a better “eye” than Andy Reid? I am certain that after the KC Chiefs signed Chris Oladokun, many of these experts noticed poopoo-lala stains on their pantyhose, especially after Chris Oladokun has been reported by reliable sources polishing his two Super Bowl rings.
Hey, that’s pretty damn good for a quarterback that couldn’t beat out Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph. BVM Sports recently posted that: “Chris Oladokun’s journey from being cut by the Steelers to finding a place with the Kansas City Chiefs highlights the unpredictability of professional sports and the importance of seizing opportunities when they arise in a competitive environment.” As far as I am concerned, “the unpredictability of professional sports and the importance of seizing opportunities when they arise in a competitive environment” is also important when players are evaluated on a “cultural familiarity” basis as opposed to talent and performance and the lack of a competitive spirit of which ex-Steelers QB Kenny Pickett seemed to have sorely lacked.
People are now hemming and hawing about the Steelers “intentionally cutting” Chris Oladokun. They don’t and never have given a crap about the wellness of Chris Oladokun. They are angry because Mike Tomlin released Oladokun in a timely fashion that enabled him to be signed by a Super Bowl-winning coach and to be on the roster of a Super Bowl-winning team. Of course, Chris Oladokun was intentionally cut because a “cut” means that a player has been released. If Mike Tomlin had not released Chris Oladokun when he did, Oladokun might have been stuck working behind the counter of a restaurant sporting yellow arches, greeting a group of hungry teenagers with the question: “Do fries go with that shake?” However, I am sure that he is more than content barking out signals under center at the Kansas City Chiefs facilities preparing to help his team win another NFL Lombardi Trophy.
I wonder why Reid did not jump at the chance to gobble up one of the Steelers’ cast-off quarterbacks, Landry Jones, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, or Kenny Pickett when they became available on the trade or free-agent market? Chris Oladokun went from the #4 QB on a Steelers team that is on the rise to the #3 QB on a team that is already sitting on top of the mountain. Well, how ya like them apples?
Some folks have tried to douse the competitive fire fueling the career of Mike Tomlin by any means necessary. However, the arsonists that use misinformation to stoke their campfires of deceit and dishonesty are just lying in wait to seize upon any issue or action taken by Tomlin that will enable them to burn his history and program of success to the ground. However, the naysayers have neglected one vital issue. Mike Tomlin has a secret weapon that any coach would almost certainly give his right arm to have in his arsenal. Tomlin is employed by an owner who doubles as a firefighter.