Steelers: The Boykin Secret Is Out

There have been plenty of questions coming from Steeler Nation this season, but none of them have been more frequent than this one: “When is Brandon Boykin going to see more snaps on defense?”

Well, I think we’ve finally gotten our answer.

Defensive backs coach Carnell Lake has given us what the ears of Steeler Nation have been dying to hear. Here’s what he had to say in a recent interview with Steelers.com.

“I’m glad we have Boykin, he’s a good addition,” Lake said. “For Boykin to play (on defense) somebody else would have to be playing bad right now and that’s really just the reality of it. I have faith and confidence that Boykin can play. It’s just that we’re doing OK.” 

With our secondary in transition, I guess that’s a good problem to have. I for one wasn’t expecting Ross Cockrell to come in and play as well as he’s playing. I now understand the coach’s reasoning to not put Boykin in the starting line-up.

I mean, why fix something when it isn’t broken?

Brandon Boykin is expected to become an UFA (Unrestricted Free-Agent) after this season. Some think the Steelers won’t attempt to re-sign Boykin, some think the Steelers should, some think Boykin should test free-agency even if the Steelers make an offer to him. All of this really depends on what happens with William Gay and Antwon Blake, both of whom will be UFA after this season.

If I were GM Kevin Colbert, I’d re-sign Gay and Blake, and let Boykin walk. I think consistency is key right now for our beloved defense. Cockrell, Blake, and Gay have taken a ton of snaps together. They’ve gotten used to each other, which paves the way for better communication on the field. Which is obviously extremely important.

*cough* New England game. *cough*

Now me and my fellow citizens of Steeler Nation can move on and sleep peacefully at night.

Enjoy this bye week, my fellow Steelers fans. We got the Seahawks next week.

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Here we go, Steelers! Here we go!