Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that there's a good chance Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, LaMarr Woodley and Emmanuel Sanders will suit up and play in the team's critical game at Cleveland on Sunday.
Tomlin said the the foursome practices this week, they'll play, which would be a boost for the Steelers, who need a win over Cleveland and a loss by Baltimore at Cincinnati to clinch the AFC North title and No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
Tomlin said he expects Pouncey, Woodley and Sanders to practice on Wednesday, but would not commit to Roethlisberger doing so.
© Doug Legursky and Mewelde Moore were the only two players declared out against the Browns.
© If Trai Essex starts at left guard as expected, the Steelers would start their eighth different grouping of offensive linemen this season. They started seven different variations in 2010.
© Since averaging 3.0 yards per carry in Pittsburgh's first four games, Rashard Mendenhall has averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
That coincides with the team's signing of Max Starks to play left tackle.
© Pouncey, Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace were named to the Pro Bowl Tuesday night.
James Harrison and Ryan Clark were among the alternates at their positions.
Getting the snub for the Steelers: Ike Taylor and Brett Keisel.
11 comments:
Mendenhall's resurgence also coincided with his benching (er, I mean 'injury') vs. Tennessee after his abysmal first quarter of the season. He appeared to run like a different man after that (granted, not having the RDE in your lap as you receive the handoff probably helps, some).
The Steelers have 3 big time offensive players to resign. Brown, Wallace and Mendenhall. Mendenhall almost has to be the odd man out after next season.
Pouncey making the Pro Bowl is kind of a joke, and I always hear Tunch talking about how Brian Waters can't even get in a 3-point stance. Otherwise, I have surprisingly few complaints about the selections. Lots of good players got snubbed, but they got snubbed in favor of other good players. Houston's O-line is awesome, shouldn't they have had at least one player make it?
Mendy has ran hard lately and has done better.
Mendenhall needs an oline
But if you could only keep 2 out of Brown, Wallace and Mendenhall, who goes?
Its a passing league and RB's are easier to replace than WR's
But if you could only keep 2 out of Brown, Wallace and Mendenhall, who goes?
Take the receivers, but only because Mendy is older, has more wear & tear , and have more years of prime left.
Brown and Wallace. No brainer. While Mendenhall has been solid and occasionally dynamic (when healthy) over his almost 4 seasons with the steelers, he has not been great. OL woes considered, he really hasn't lived up to his first round billing. I bet he will probably play out his deal here in Pittsburgh and get offered more money elsewhere and leave. I also subscribe to the theory that RBs are not as hard to replace as dynamic WRs.
I get the feeling that Brown is going to break the bank. Problem is, I can say the same thing about Wallace. There's just no way we tie up that much money in WR for the next 5 years.
The Steelers can resign all 3 youngsters but it probably means letting a few veterans go to clear up cap space. Bmac, Farrior, Foote, Kemo, Ward, Moore, Dixon, and Hoke are all gone after this season. The housecleaning will be swift and painful but necessary. It's a brutal business but they've all had their paydays.
Mendenhall is 24. Brown is 23. Wallace is 25.
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