It’s hilarious now, but the Steelers have spent most of their offseason downplaying — no, outright dissing — the relevance of all the speed that’s suddenly up and down their roster.
Remember Troy Polamalu’s tone-setting one-liner this summer about how “we could put Usain Bolt and the whole track team out there,” and it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t play football?
Or Dick LeBeau declaring upon arrival in Latrobe, “Speed’s fine, but it’s got to be going in the right direction” as well as his own “this isn’t track” comparison?
Or Mike Tomlin critiquing we media types at camp that “too much gets made” of speed?
Well, good luck with that now, gentlemen.
Because, with the sizzling work of some of the Steelers’ newer personnel in the 19-16 preseason victory over the Bills on Saturday night at Heinz Field, that cat’s not only out of the bag, it’s sprinting full-steam toward six more points.
“Yeah, we’ve got some fast guys, no question, and it’s fun to watch,” Polamalu replied to my reminder of his quote. “What makes it count is seeing those guys in their positions, doing their jobs.”
Right. And the most important reminder of all, of course, is that “it’s preseason, y’all,” to quote Ramon Foster. It’s preseason, and those were the Bills.
But even so, one particular player made the evening feel at least a special.
Ryan Shazier, the Steelers’ top pick in the June draft made his professional debut and didn’t need long to become the biggest hit with the crowd of 50,434, piling up nine tackles, two on special teams, plus a leaping interception after blanketing Buffalo tight end Scott Chandler well downfield.
So much for that “boo-boo” that had him iffy into the weekend, huh?
“I felt great out there,” Shazier said.
“I thought he did an awesome job,” fellow inside backer Lawrence Timmons said. “He’s a guy I’ve seen who’s willing to put his hand in the pile. I’m looking forward to playing with him.”
Shazier, typically, stayed even-keel. And here’s betting he’ll keep doing so …
Of the pick, he added, “The coaches called ‘man’ out there. I just played a technique they’ve been teaching us. When I looked back, the ball was in the air. I just took advantage of my opportunity.”
That’s a good rookie, too, tipping the cap to the coaches. They were tough on him at times in Latrobe, and Tomlin was no exception, even beyond the playful jabs at Shazier’s bruised knee that might also have been meant to test his toughness. He was entered into the toughest drills. He heard some of the loudest instruction.
Small wonder, then, that Tomlin stayed reserved tonight: “I thought he did some good things. Bot nut unlike what he’s done from the instant he got here. He’s proven that it’s not to big for him.”
On a normal night, Shazier would be plenty enough to discuss. But the offense went warp-drive on three striking occasions, as well.
A familiar face went first, with Antonio Brown sprinting untouched for a 73-yard touchdown I dare say no more than a handful of NFL receivers could concoct for a daydream: Ben Roethlisberger found him in the right flat, two defenders collided, A.B. saw daylight through three other Bills and burst through them like a bankrobber through a revolving door.
Asked him what it is he sees in such situations …
And what of speedy Markus Wheaton, the Steelers’ most important performer this month, showing that his extraordinary work ethic these past few months can come with a payoff in the form of a 16-yard touchdown from Roethlisberger later in the quarter in the back left corner of the end zone?
“Definitely, that’s how it feels,” Wheaton said. “Like all the work you do, that’s where it all comes together. I’m here to be a big part of this team, and that felt like a start.”
Or the first name that now comes to mind with speed on this roster, Dri Archer, breaking loose for another 40-yard sprint off an innocent-looking short pop from Landry Jones?
Man, this kid is positively electric. Before long, people will stop thinking of him as Chris Rainey II, you’d suppose. They have next to nothing in common.
Speaking of fast, hey, the Steelers rolled out the no-huddle, too, after conspicuously not touching it last week in New Jersey. In fact, they did nothing but with the first unit.
Brown called it a “great point of emphasis,” and Roethlisberger sounded so pleased with it he went out of his way to praise Todd Haley, in the way a pupil would credit a teacher’s absence for the class behaving so well: “This is what it’s all about. It’s about communicating with Todd. He’s in my ear telling me different thoughts. That’s how this this thing should work. It was a good start.”
August 16, 2014
Column: Steelers’ speed thrills, kills
by Dejan Kovacevic • Columns • Steelers
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
It’s hilarious now, but the Steelers have spent most of their offseason downplaying — no, outright dissing — the relevance of all the speed that’s suddenly up and down their roster.
Remember Troy Polamalu’s tone-setting one-liner this summer about how “we could put Usain Bolt and the whole track team out there,” and it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t play football?
Or Dick LeBeau declaring upon arrival in Latrobe, “Speed’s fine, but it’s got to be going in the right direction” as well as his own “this isn’t track” comparison?
Or Mike Tomlin critiquing we media types at camp that “too much gets made” of speed?
Well, good luck with that now, gentlemen.
Because, with the sizzling work of some of the Steelers’ newer personnel in the 19-16 preseason victory over the Bills on Saturday night at Heinz Field, that cat’s not only out of the bag, it’s sprinting full-steam toward six more points.
“Yeah, we’ve got some fast guys, no question, and it’s fun to watch,” Polamalu replied to my reminder of his quote. “What makes it count is seeing those guys in their positions, doing their jobs.”
Right. And the most important reminder of all, of course, is that “it’s preseason, y’all,” to quote Ramon Foster. It’s preseason, and those were the Bills.
But even so, one particular player made the evening feel at least a special.
Ryan Shazier, the Steelers’ top pick in the June draft made his professional debut and didn’t need long to become the biggest hit with the crowd of 50,434, piling up nine tackles, two on special teams, plus a leaping interception after blanketing Buffalo tight end Scott Chandler well downfield.
And that’s to say nothing of just generally flying to the football.
So much for that “boo-boo” that had him iffy into the weekend, huh?
“I felt great out there,” Shazier said.
“I thought he did an awesome job,” fellow inside backer Lawrence Timmons said. “He’s a guy I’ve seen who’s willing to put his hand in the pile. I’m looking forward to playing with him.”
Shazier, typically, stayed even-keel. And here’s betting he’ll keep doing so …
Of the pick, he added, “The coaches called ‘man’ out there. I just played a technique they’ve been teaching us. When I looked back, the ball was in the air. I just took advantage of my opportunity.”
That’s a good rookie, too, tipping the cap to the coaches. They were tough on him at times in Latrobe, and Tomlin was no exception, even beyond the playful jabs at Shazier’s bruised knee that might also have been meant to test his toughness. He was entered into the toughest drills. He heard some of the loudest instruction.
Small wonder, then, that Tomlin stayed reserved tonight: “I thought he did some good things. Bot nut unlike what he’s done from the instant he got here. He’s proven that it’s not to big for him.”
On a normal night, Shazier would be plenty enough to discuss. But the offense went warp-drive on three striking occasions, as well.
A familiar face went first, with Antonio Brown sprinting untouched for a 73-yard touchdown I dare say no more than a handful of NFL receivers could concoct for a daydream: Ben Roethlisberger found him in the right flat, two defenders collided, A.B. saw daylight through three other Bills and burst through them like a bankrobber through a revolving door.
Asked him what it is he sees in such situations …
And what of speedy Markus Wheaton, the Steelers’ most important performer this month, showing that his extraordinary work ethic these past few months can come with a payoff in the form of a 16-yard touchdown from Roethlisberger later in the quarter in the back left corner of the end zone?
“Definitely, that’s how it feels,” Wheaton said. “Like all the work you do, that’s where it all comes together. I’m here to be a big part of this team, and that felt like a start.”
Or the first name that now comes to mind with speed on this roster, Dri Archer, breaking loose for another 40-yard sprint off an innocent-looking short pop from Landry Jones?
Man, this kid is positively electric. Before long, people will stop thinking of him as Chris Rainey II, you’d suppose. They have next to nothing in common.
Speaking of fast, hey, the Steelers rolled out the no-huddle, too, after conspicuously not touching it last week in New Jersey. In fact, they did nothing but with the first unit.
Brown called it a “great point of emphasis,” and Roethlisberger sounded so pleased with it he went out of his way to praise Todd Haley, in the way a pupil would credit a teacher’s absence for the class behaving so well: “This is what it’s all about. It’s about communicating with Todd. He’s in my ear telling me different thoughts. That’s how this this thing should work. It was a good start.”
Fast one, too.
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