Pouncey ready to play RT in an emergency
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Maurkice Pouncey didn无毛视频檛 get to play any right tackle Thursday, but not because the experiment has been deemed a failure.
无毛视频淣o, I think they无毛视频檝e seen enough,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hey liked it.无毛视频�
So, why not take more reps?
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 just for an emergency,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淚f one of the guys goes down, they wanted to know if I could handle it.无毛视频�
All the reps instead went to Chris Hubbard, who无毛视频檚 preparing to make his first NFL start Sunday for the Steelers against the New York Jets and one of the most rugged defensive lines in the NFL.
Hubbard is a third-year pro out of UAB who spent 2013 on the practice squad, 2014 on the bench and played in seven regular-season games and two playoff games last season as a reserve. He did get one snap last season at tackle, which is one more than Pouncey and practice-squad tackle Matt Feiler have combined to play in the NFL.
But Hubbard said he无毛视频檒l be ready.
无毛视频淕etting all the reps today and this week are going to help a lot, really a lot,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚t will make the game a lot easier.无毛视频�
The game could also be a bit easier for Hubbard since the Jets employ four big men across their front, instead of two big men and two quick edge rushers.
Hubbard, who无毛视频檚 normally an interior player, will primarily be blocking Muhammad Wilkerson, a 315-pounder with 2.5 sacks this season.
However, Hubbard refused to agree the matchup was better suited to him.
无毛视频淵ou can无毛视频檛 discredit these guys at all, man,无毛视频� he said with a shake of the head. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檝e got to go out there like you would any other Sunday. But this is my first Sunday, so it无毛视频檒l be awesome.无毛视频�
Is the new father getting his sleep?
无毛视频淥h, yeah,无毛视频� Hubbard said. 无毛视频淢y wife understands and she无毛视频檚 helping me out a lot. She无毛视频檚 helping with the baby. It无毛视频檚 working out. We无毛视频檝e got everything planned. We have a schedule that fits for us and it无毛视频檚 working out well.无毛视频�
GETTING HIS RESPECT
Hubbard isn无毛视频檛 the only Steelers starter this week who无毛视频檚 risen from the Steelers无毛视频� practice squad after attending a college with a now-defunct football program.
Jordan Dangerfield is finally getting his respect as the starting strong safety for a second consecutive week.
无毛视频淛ust keeping faith in God,无毛视频� Dangerfield explained of how he stayed the course. 无毛视频淚 just had to be patient and wait for my time.无毛视频�
Dangerfield无毛视频檚 deep confidence caused him to miss out on his only Division I-A scholarship offer coming out of Royal Palm Beach, Fla. He waited for something better than Florida International University, but nothing came along, and then FIU pulled its offer. So he went to Hofstra, which folded its program, and then he went to Towson.
But he still believed he could get here from there.
无毛视频淎bsolutely,无毛视频� Dangerfield said. 无毛视频淲e had a guy at the time, (Jermon) Bushrod, a Pro Bowl lineman from Towson, so I said if he can do it, I can do it.无毛视频�
Undrafted, Dangerfield spent the 2013 training camp with the Buffalo Bills, was cut, and spent most of the last two seasons on the Steelers无毛视频� practice squad. He made the 53-man roster this year and started last week in place of injured starter Robert Golden.
Dangerfield made five tackles in the game and drew unsolicited praise from Mike Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference.
Dangerfield was asked how players such as he and Hubbard, and so many others in the past, are able to rise to the Steelers starting lineup from the practice squad.
无毛视频淭hey keep you around everything. We无毛视频檙e in all the team meetings,无毛视频� Dangerfield said. 无毛视频淭hey keep you active. We don无毛视频檛 just come in, run, lift, practice. They don无毛视频檛 just use us as bodies at practice. They develop us on and off the field.无毛视频�
TRICKLE DOWN FOOTBALL
Of course, the injury wave this week hasn无毛视频檛 subsided. Justin Gilbert (knee) missed Thursday无毛视频檚 practice along with the expected group of Marcus Gilbert (ankle), Ryan Harris (shin), Eli Rogers (toe), Ryan Shazier (knee) and Cody Wallace (knee), with limited practice time for Golden (hamstring) and Jarvis Jones (ankle).
Tomlin worried Tuesday that this wave would create a 无毛视频渢rickle-down无毛视频� problem for special teams, but special teams coordinator Danny Smith said that hasn无毛视频檛 changed his job.
无毛视频淗onestly, it无毛视频檚 not a problem,无毛视频� said Smith. 无毛视频淲e deal with the hand we play. There无毛视频檚 a game at one o无毛视频檆lock on Sunday. We无毛视频檒l be there.无毛视频�