Aaron Smith practiced on a limited basis today and it doesn't look all too promising for him to suit up on Sunday for the AFC Championship against the Jets.
Of the Steelers who did not practice Wednesday, only Will Allen (knee) is not expected to be ready to go.
The Jets are a little more banged up than the Steelers.
Defensive end Jason Taylor (concussion) did not practice Wednesday. Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis (hamstring), Drew Coleman (knee), safety James Ihedigbo (knee, ankle) and wide receiver Brad Smith (groin) were limited in practice.
© I saw today that Santonio Holmes said that if the Jets win the Super Bowl, it would be a "slap" in the face to the Steelers.
I don't know about that.
I've heard nothing but good things about him from his former teammates and coaches.
But does Holmes really think he gave the Steelers any choice but to get rid of him after his second failed drug test and then telling fans on his Twitter account that he hoped they died and he owed them nothing?
© Apparently, Mike Tomlin was a little ticked off at ESPN's Bob Holtzman for reporting the Steelers planned to use a trick play if they got a certain look on defense against Baltimore.
Holtzman wrote his report citing two unnamed Steelers players and did not give away either the trick play or the look.
But when Holtzman asked Tomlin how much extra time it takes to prepare for the Jets and Rex Ryan, Tomlin replied, "It depends on whether or not you give him my plays."
Tomlin should focus his anger on the players that let the cat out of the bag with Holtzman.
I just don't think the Steelers have the time to get Smith in a game now...its not like we play the Browns next week. Every game is make or break at this point. Plus you have no idea if he can handle full on contact yet.
ReplyDeletePart of me thinks it would have been smarter to put him on IR and gotten a kickoff specialist to supplement Suisham but hindsight is 20/20 and I don't blame the coaches for waiting on him to come back.
Dale, I agree that the players shouldn't disclose secrets like that to reporters, but from an outsiders perspective it seems a little inappropriate for a reporter to report on play selection or insider tactics in advance of a game. In the grand scheme of things it probably didn't play a major role but to me it would seem to erode some of the openness that may go on between reporters and players/coaches. In hindsight, would you have reported the information that ESPN did?
ReplyDeleteI've been watching the TV analysts who say that the Jets will continue their 3-man rush and cover that worked against Brady and Manning... but Ryan is to smart for that, because Ben isn't a rhythm passer and won't be taken down by a 3-man rush.
ReplyDeleteI'm betting the Jets are going to be bringing lots of pressure, taking a page from our 2010 game against the Saints and 2008 game against the Eagles.
Hope we are working on quick screens and hot routes....
If the Jets decide to blitz a lot, I hope we can connect on the hot routes to Wallace. He's turned into a super dangerous threat on those.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with Steve-O above, seems like poor form for the ESPN reporter to disclose anything resembling tactics.
No, I wouldn't have reported it. I may have alluded to a special package the Steelers had planned.
ReplyDeleteI see them run trick plays all the time in practice. But the difference is that I'm bound by gentlemen's agreement during the season with them not to report what I see in practice outside of who practiced and who did not.
Dale,
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate your gentlemen's agreement. I'm a little surprised/disappointed to learn that agreement doesn't extend to the national media, particularly during the playoffs. Nevertheless, thanks for answering my question and thanks even more for honoring that agreement.
Tomlin is a good coach, but his behavior with the media is boorish and unprofessional. He makes himself look like an arrogant jerk.
ReplyDeletelol at Dale siding with that idiot media guy
ReplyDelete"No, I wouldn't have reported it." - Dale
ReplyDeletecoming from the guy who leaked they were using the wildcat.
leaked the wildcat?
ReplyDeleteyou mean the formation they used in Latrobe...at the practices in training camp...that were open to the public...
shhh honey. it'll be ok. back to your corner
it was completely inappropriate to report that. and national media do have the same standards. look at the sunday and monday night games. those guys meet with coaches and players before every game, but wait until the broadcast to reveal what was discussed or how teams were preparing for their opponent.
ReplyDeleteespn owes them an apology.
Didn't the Steelers turn the 5th rounder they got from the Holmes trade into McFadden and Brown? If so, in hindsight I would do that trade again because Brown has been a pleasant surprise. IMO Holmes would have been gone when his contract was up so we got a nice replacement for at least a few more years.
ReplyDeleteThink is was more like it enabled us to pick Butler, Sylvester and Scott. Brown was a 6th round pick
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, basically the holmes trade gave us more options. And in the end we could have been without antonio if not for the trade
Steelers traded the 5th round pick they received from the Jets to the Cardinals for McFadden and a 6th rd pick. They selected Antonio Brown with that 6th rd pick
ReplyDeletePractices aren't open to anyone except the local media. Thus, they have no such agreement.
ReplyDeleteThe crew that broadcasts the game is also permitted in. Other than that, no other media.
And yes, the Steelers ran the wildcat throughout training camp and in the spring but hadn't run it again since that time. Therefore, everybody knew they had worked on it.
I'll say one thing for Suisham, he is not afraid to try to made a tackle. Jeff Reed was just a lazy coward that would NOT put himself in a situation where he just might his pinky. The only time him had any moxie at all was, when he was drunk!
ReplyDelete