The Steelers will practice today from 115-315pm.
It was obvious coach-speak but it was pretty clear to me that Mike Tomlin will continue with the rotation we saw Sunday night. Brandon Boykin will be getting significant snaps is what I took from Tomlin when he suggested that Antwon Blake seemed to thrive on special teams knowing he had fewer snaps on D.
Last night on the podcast Matt and I discussed Jarvis Jones. Has the light gone on or is he still just a decent player rather than the first rounder he needs to play like. Through 12 games Jones has two sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception. Considering he shares time with James Harrison those are bad numbers but as a former top pick those sack totals need to be higher. It’ll be very intriguing to see what he chooses to do when his rookie contract comes to an end. Click here for the entire show.
Speaking of linebackers, Tomlin also said he liked the rotation of Vince Williams and Ryan Shazier. I think he likes it for two reasons. One, it gives Shazier a blow and an opportunity to stay healthier. Two, it gets Williams on the field and he’s a pounder who is one of the better tacklers on the defense.
Tweet of the Day… I could not agree more with Big Ben’s statement.
Roethlisberger: "We don't feel that anyone can stop us…we only stop ourselves." https://t.co/NrLqxLxUzw
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) December 8, 2015
One thing in football that really can’t be measured is hustle. You can see it and you can see the lack of it, but it’s hard to put it into any sort of meaningful statistic. That said, watch the Steelers’ Cam Heyward. There were several times Sunday night where he made plays in areas that most other defensive linemen do not even bat an eyelash. It’s really a pleasure watching him play.
Not surprisingly Jacoby Jones has been demoted by the Steelers. He now stands as the third-string punt and kick returner after his struggles of late. If you’re wondering why he wasn’t just flat-out released it likely has to do with salary cap issues. The Steelers assumed quite a bit of his contract from San Diego if I recall.
Mike Tomlin was the subject of some abuse on Sirius Radio as Jim Miller suggested that he waited too long to go to Boykin. He believes Blake likely caused them at least three losses with sub-par pass coverage and poor tackling. I’m not sure I can put it all on Blake but Miller certainly ha a point and if Boykin plays well in Cincinnati then his words will have even more merit.
Wear the black and gold with pride this week! Need to beat those Bungles!!
