Would it be striking to hear that Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Mike Mitchell has been one of the team’s top performers on defense through the first quarter of this season? Surprising as it may be based on his first year with the team, and especially in light of the amount of negative attention that he has seen from fans since signing, Mitchell has been a steadying, if flawed, presence at the back end of the defense.
While the defense is still prone to giving up a few explosive plays, and a double-explosive play or two here and there, the unit as a whole has cut down on the quantity of long gains given up, and Mitchell has played a role in reducing that figure, as well as limiting the impact of those registered.