Tomlin just not that into five-man rotation at outside linebacker
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Sorry, Jarvis Jones, Arthur Moats and Anthony Chickillo, Mike Tomlin just isn无毛视频檛 that into a five-man rotation at outside linebacker.
During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, the Steelers coach intimated that one of the aforementioned three won无毛视频檛 be getting many snaps, if any, beginning with this week无毛视频檚 game against the New York Giants at Heinz Field.
The issue came to a head with the return of Bud Dupree from IR after missing the first nine games of the season following groin surgery.
Now that Dupree is back, apparently full-time after playing 20 snaps against Indianapolis after playing just one against Cleveland, the Steelers have one too many outside linebackers.
无毛视频淎 five-man rotation is more difficult (to manage) and less fluid,无毛视频� Tomlin said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 really not into a five-man rotation. I expressed that to the group last week. As Bud gets up to speed, somebody is going to win and somebody is going to lose. I don无毛视频檛 care who wins. I think we all win when we play the hot hand and those are our intentions.
无毛视频淭he other guys are going to be based on performance and I think that无毛视频檚 fair.无毛视频�
Tomlin said that James Harrison, with four sacks in the last four games, is the hot hand and wouldn无毛视频檛 be coming out of the rotation. And neither would Dupree, just because of the 2015 first-round pick无毛视频檚 potential.
In last week无毛视频檚 win at Indianapolis, Chickillo played the most snaps (49.1 percent), followed by Harrison (49), Jones (41), Dupree (32) and Moats (27). In recent weeks, Chickillo and Harrison have emerged as the starters on the left and right side, respectively. But Dupree could supplant Chickillo on the left side.
Last week, Dupree said that he preferred to get more snaps to allow him to find a rhythm to set up tackles with his pass rushing moves and that a five-man rotation was cumbersome. He also said that he could play either side of the field.
无毛视频淚f he无毛视频檚 getting to the quarterback, certainly, I agree with him,无毛视频� Tomlin said. 无毛视频淧rovided production reflects that.无毛视频�
By throwing down the gauntlet publicly as he did, Tomlin may have spelled the end of Jones无毛视频� run in Pittsburgh. The 2013 first-round pick, who was liable on Dallas无毛视频� game-winning touchdown run in Week 10, was demoted in place of Harrison going into the Cleveland game.
Jones is also the only Steelers outside linebacker 无毛视频� excluding Dupree 无毛视频� not to record a sack this season. The Steelers have recorded 11 sacks during their current two-game winning streak.
Whether it无毛视频檚 Jones, Moats or Chickillo who isn无毛视频檛 playing, Moats said that the sidelined player can still be a valuable contributor.
无毛视频淚f coaches want to play a certain type that week, that无毛视频檚 what it is,无毛视频� Moats said Monday. 无毛视频淵ou just have to control what you can control. If you get a certain amount of snaps, you got to go out there and do the best you can in those snaps. It doesn无毛视频檛 matter what you do the previous week. Just make the most of your opportunity.无毛视频�
Talking points
n While the Steelers dominated the Colts on both sides of the ball, they did not win in all three phases. Special teams errors continue to nag the Steelers and Tomlin admitted as much, saying changes could be coming. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e going to do what无毛视频檚 required for us to win in all three phases,无毛视频� he said. But Tomlin quickly added that Danny Smith无毛视频檚 group has been hurt by the injuries to Shamarko Thomas and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
n On the weekly did-he-talk-to-Antonio-Brown-about-the-receiver无毛视频檚 celebrations question: Tomlin said: 无毛视频淵ou know, I didn无毛视频檛.无毛视频� Brown was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike in the first quarter last week in Indianapolis. That, after being fined twice previously this season for $33,424 for the same offense. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e already discussed it and discussed it wholly,无毛视频� Tomlin said. 无毛视频淥bviously, we had a setback in that area. But I don无毛视频檛 think it requires additional discussion.无毛视频�
n One of the more encouraging developments for the Steelers is that WR Sammie Coates无毛视频� broken fingers, sustained almost two months ago, are close to healed. Tomin said that he is close to being back to where he was pre-injury and again singled out the receiver for his work on special teams.
n Tomlin seemed quite pleased to get production from receivers other than Brown. Eli Rogers had a big 30-yard catch on the Steelers无毛视频� first scoring drive in Indianapolis and Cobi Hamilton added a five-yard reception on a third-and-1 in the third quarter. 无毛视频淏oth guys are on the rise, big picture, both guys are working hard daily to fit that bill,无毛视频� Tomlin said. 无毛视频淏ut both guys have a ways to go in terms of being solid, consistent contributors to our efforts, particularly in situational football when things are most urgent and probably most complex.无毛视频�
n Why is Bud Dupree receiving, what would seem to be, a pass into the four-man rotation outside linebacker rotation after playing just 21 snaps the past two weeks? Tomlin said that he likes what he无毛视频檚 seen from Dupree besides improved health. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 been proving his overall readiness beyond his health,无毛视频� Tomlin said. 无毛视频淚 think last week was a significant step for him. 无毛视频� As long as that continues to move forward, as long as he continues to show detail in assignment and getting up to speed from a football-conditioning standpoint, it无毛视频檚 reasonable to expect his contributions to increase.无毛视频�
n Though Lawrence Timmons might be 30 and slowing down a step, Tomlin hasn无毛视频檛 been shy to use Timmons on obvious passing downs. Tomlin said that it无毛视频檚 been a by-product of the Steelers not having to use their dime package as much in recent weeks as teams have used more traditional two- and three-receiver sets against them. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e got more flexibility,无毛视频� Tomlin said. 无毛视频淣ot that we无毛视频檙e unwilling to go dime versus three, we are and we have in the past. But the necessity hasn无毛视频檛 been there.无毛视频�
n Speaking of Timmons, Tomlin has had the veteran and fellow inside linebacker Ryan Shazier rushing from the outside a little more. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e versatile guys,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e inside backers, but both guys were outside-like backers in their schemes in college. Both guys work very hard at developing that aspect of their game. They realize being a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers mean that you无毛视频檙e a blitzer.无毛视频� Tomlin pointed out that Timmons and Shazier, with 1.5 sacks each, have helped the pass rush. With 11 sacks the past two games, the Steelers now rank 15th with 24.
Injury update
n WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) is still week-to-week after missing the past three games.
n RB DeAngelo Williams is 无毛视频減erking up, doing some good things无毛视频� and would seem to have an outside chance of at least practicing this week. He has also missed the last three games after undergoing minor knee surgery.
n S Shamarko Thomas (groin) and TE Xavier Grimble (quad), participated in practice Monday and could play this week. Each has missed the last two games.
This 无毛视频楴无毛视频檃t
Tomlin called on more crowd noise at Heinz Field with the Giants running a no-huddle almost exclusively. The Giants offense starts with QB Eli Manning, according to Tomlin. 无毛视频淗e makes good and quick decisions, rarely does he get sacked, he spreads the ball around. No question, Odell Beckham is his primary target and security blanket, but (Manning) does a good job of taking what defenses give him.无毛视频�