Mike Tomlin revealed today that not only does Byron Leftwich have fractured ribs, but Jerricho Cotchery has "multiple" fractured ribs as well.
Because of that, the Steelers are expected to sign both Plaxico Burress and Brian Hoyer today.
The Burress signing also tells me that the Steelers are very unsure about Antonio Brown's availability this week against Cleveland, though Tomlin says that Brown ran Tuesday and will hopefully practice this week.
Tomlin also said that he was encouraged by a checkup Ben Roethlisberger had Tuesday. Though Roethlisberger is doubtful to play this week, he's moving in the right direction.
Troy Polamalu and Marcus Gilbert are also expected to practice this week, though both are listed as questionable at this point. That's a step up for Polamalu.
Tomlin would not commit to Gilbert or Mike Adams at right tackle when asked.
14 comments:
Dale,
Any news about Decastro's health?
adams is strange to me. some plays he looks like a beast. then other times it looks like he's surprised when he gets hit hard.
the injuries, the timing of the injuries and the personnel affected this year has been unreal.
i challenge anybody to name another team where its #1 RB is coming off ACL, #1 pick goes out with a knee, #1 pass rusher rehabbing a knee, #1 defender goes down indefinitely, #1 WR goes down, #1 QB goes down, #2 QB goes down, #4 WR goes down, #2/3 RB goes down, etc., etc.....it's just amazing.
I agree marc and yet Tomlin still has them in playoff contention. If Ben gets healthy, this season could have a 2005 vibe to it.
Picking Between Gilbert and Adams is going to be a tough call. Gilbert is better in pass pro but Adams is better at everything else. Including not putting his teammates on IR.
Don't forget #3 pick goes down, and #4 pick goes on a drunken rampage...
I think Adams' play has been erratic because he is a rookie, the fact that he's even able start against NFL players is a testament to his ability.
Did Tomlin say anything about Ziggy Hood? PFF had an interesting blurb about him and Heyward:
With Ziggy Hood a continual disappointment as a starter for the Steelers along their defensive line, he left this game injured after just a dozen snaps, opening the door for Cameron Heyward to show what he could do. Hood had actually made a couple of plays in the run game before he went out, but they both came from being blocked to the ground around the point of attack and simply clogging up the intended running lane. It was certainly an interesting tactic, and given his play in the past, might be his best bet to make an impact.
Heyward showed after he came in that it simply is not the scheme that is holding Hood back, because in the same position and role he made far more of a presence of himself. Heyward made five tackles, which is more than half of the total that Hood has for the entire season and the story is the same when it comes to pass-rushing, with a hit and two hurries exactly half of the total pressure Hood has at this point in the year. Pittsburgh has just been given the tape that justifies a switch at the position. Let’s see if they notice.
Hood: it's his 3rd year and has not shown very much. I think it's a problem when teams run their schemes straight at Hood.
Balt game: after that first drive Lefty was inconsistent at best. If you're afraid to bring in Batch then why have him on the roster? It was apparent that Lefty was throwing sinkers and change-ups after that first drive and in my opinion he should have been taken out regardless of what he told Tomlin. The game was huge and they needed to maximize their chances of winning.
I thought the defense played great and Dywer, although lacking burst, is playing well.
So what's the story on Jerrod Johnson? He played well enough in preseason that some were saying he might be signed to the practice squad as a receiver so he could learn the offense. But then, he wasn't even brought in?
this is going to sound ridiculous, but I remember reading awhile back that the UFL actually had huge buyouts in their contracts. I'm sure its not so big anymore, but the Steelers might have had to deal with that in one form of another for Johnson. For a 2-3 week rental QB it might not be worth the headache.
Heres a link:
http://www.mrsec.com/2011/05/locke-on-the-ufl-im-not-going-to-that-crap/
Or maybe, and most likely, they just are more confident in Hoyer who has more experience.
Leftwich was inconsistent after the first drive? He threw one pass in the first drive - a pass interference.
He threw a perfect ball to Mike Wallace in the corner of the end zone.
He threw a perfect strike in stride 20 yards downfield to Sanders on the play Ed Reed was fined for.
He threw a nice pass to Heath Miller that was broken up late in the fourth quarter and also had a perfect pass to Cotchery on the same drive that was also broken up with a big hit because the Ravens were dropping back and loading up for kill shots.
I thought he actually got better as the game went on. Did he throw some bad balls? Absolutely. But so did the guy on the other side who is an "elite" quarterback wanting big money.
Charlie Batch would have been broken in half in that game. Leftwich was playing ahead of him because he gave them a better chance to win. At the end of the day, it was a three-point game.
If Wallace catches the TD in the corner, the Steelers win.
If Miller or Cotchery can hold onto those passes - despite big hits - the Steelers possibly tie the game and, given that their offense was moving the ball better, likely win.
I never thought I see see plax in black and gold again. Assuming he has anything at all left in the tank I like the thought of brown, Wallace, sanders, plax, and miller in the rz. That's a nitemare to cover
One thing that kinda made me chuckle reading all the articles on the Baltimore game: EVERY single one of them focused on Balt winning and taking control of the afc north, etc. Not a single one mentioned the fact that they BARELY beat a practically crippled steelers team. I mean, obviously a win is a win, but that was hardly a statement game for Baltimore.
I saw a clip of Harbaugh in the locker room after the game saying, "the toughest team just won that game". He's a horses ass!
^ just before that clip of HArbough the cowardly clown, they showed Ray Rice and Torey Smith waiving terrible towels and taunting the crowd
that team is so classless. i will enjoy them choking again
I wouldn't expect the Ravens media to focus on anything else. That's the bottom line in the game. The Ravens took firm control of the division
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