Meet Taryn Christion: The man in charge of preparing the Steelers for Lamar Jackson
Christion's 144 passing yards and a single touchdown wasn't the biggest performance of the blowout. When your team rushes for 327 yards, there isn't a pressing need to put the ball in the air much. But the entire game, Christion was behind center; giving his first impression to the city of Pittsburgh.
Today, Christion comes back to the city with a different task. Instead of competing for a championship, the mobile quarterback is here to help the Pittsburgh Steelers earn their second win of the season.
Christion said arrived "10 minutes before practice" before putting on a helmet and stepping on the field for the first time as a Steeler. He didn't waste much time getting to the stadium, saying he got the call last night .
"It was like 6:30, I was actually getting my haircut," Christion said. "They’ll asked if I could come out. I didn't have time last night so I flew out this morning."
Christion's skillset is in Pittsburgh for one reason - the mimic Lamar Jackson. Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, said during his Tuesday press conference that the team's biggest challenge will be trying to replicate Jackson's play. So, instead of putting Delvin Hodges in the backfield, they went out to get Christion.
Throughout his college career, Christion threw for 11,535 yards and 104 touchdowns, while adding 1,515 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. Through only 11 games as an NFL starter, Jackson has almost surpassed Christion's rushing totals, accumulating 933 yards in his short career.
Christion isn't looking at this as a week-long venture in the NFL. After spending a short amount of time with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, the quarterback is excited for the opportunity to continue playing in this league. "I'm just excited to be here," Christion said. "I'm excited to have an opportunity."
Since his time with Dallas, Christion has been preparing - training at the Stanford Field House in hopes of an oppurtunity much like this. "I've just been working out with Coach Riggs," Christion said. "Working out at the Standford Field House. He's done all my training so far."
As for his job responsibilities this week, it's simple - replicate the most athletic quarterback in the league. Unofficially, Christion ran a 40-yard dash time in under 4.5 seconds during South Dakota State's Pro Day. A time as close as you'll get when searching to imitate Jackson's 4.34 time.
Christion knows why he's here, though, and he's ready to take full advantage of it. It won't be an easy week trying to clone one of the NFL's most explosive players, but the rookie is prepared, and looking forward to the chance to play a role in this team's success.
"They're playing the Ravens, so [I'm] Lamar Jackson," Christion said. "I'm just running around a little bit, slinging things on scout team."
