Haden, Smith-Schuster return to practice
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� JuJu Smith-Schuster watched last week无毛视频檚 game 无毛视频� while suspended 无毛视频� at home with his helmet on.
Strange, but passionate. Although he didn无毛视频檛 watch the AFC Championship Game last season, he无毛视频檒l play in the rematch on Sunday.
Joe Haden watched the AFCCG but never imagined he would be playing in a big game like it so soon; not with the Cleveland Browns anyway.
Haden still might not play this week against the New England Patriots, but he practiced through a light walk-through, was the first-team left cornerback, yet is waiting until Thursday无毛视频檚 practice to make a better determination on his recovery from a broken fibula that无毛视频檚 kept him out of the last four games.
Is this week just to knock off the rust for Haden?
Or does he have a legitimate chance to play Sunday against the Patriots?
无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 a legitimate chance,无毛视频� Haden said.
That would give the Steelers two key players they didn无毛视频檛 have last year.
Throw in Martavis Bryant, a healthy Le无毛视频橵eon Bell, a healthy Cameron Heyward and rookie T.J. Watt, and the Steelers have certainly been upgraded since the ugly 36-17 loss in Foxboro that kept them from the Super Bowl.
Of course, the Steelers are without Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons, whom they had a year ago. But the Patriots are without their star inside linebacker, Dont无毛视频檃 Hightower, wide receiver Julian Edelman, and right trackle Marcus Cannon, who was just put on IR this week.
Rob Gronkowski is back, but Trey Flowers, Kyle Van Noy and Deatrich Wise, the Patriots无毛视频� Nos. 1, 2 and 3 pass-rushers, have been out with injuries as well.
It could be an entirely different game, and one in which Haden would make a major difference.
Since the cornerback broke his fibula late in the first quarter in Indianapolis, the Steelers have allowed a passer rating of 95.2. With Haden, they allowed a passer rating of 73.0.
Suffice to say, Haden would help out a bit against Tom Brady, but he holds back on his optimism, because he knows how wrong he was on the play he was hurt.
无毛视频淚 thought I had a calf bruise,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 thought I was going to be out for 10 minutes. I was like, 无毛视频楪ive me 60 seconds. I无毛视频檒l be right back out there.无毛视频� I thought I was going to be able to go back out there and play. When they said 无毛视频榊ou无毛视频檝e got a fracture,无毛视频� I was like 无毛视频榃hat? What are y无毛视频檃ll talking about?无毛视频� Then they told me four to six weeks.无毛视频�
Haden无毛视频檚 been out four weeks and hopes he can play this week, but he won无毛视频檛 push it since he无毛视频檚 headed to the playoffs for the first time in his eight-year career.
无毛视频淣o matter what, we have three more games left, and, no matter what, we无毛视频檙e going to have playoffs afterwards,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淪o for me it无毛视频檚 just about getting my body right trying to get back. The thing the coaches and everybody said is it无毛视频檚 no rush, because we know what we无毛视频檙e chasing.无毛视频�
If Haden can无毛视频檛 make it back this week, that cornerback position might be left to rookie Cameron Sutton. The third-round pick spent 12 weeks on injured reserve before returning to play the last two games. Sutton played 53 snaps in those games while rotating with Coty Sensabaugh, who played 75 snaps. Sensabaugh injured his shoulder Sunday night and didn无毛视频檛 practice Wednesday. He无毛视频檚 also been more ineffective than has Sutton.
无毛视频淭he thing I like about Cam is he doesn无毛视频檛 have any fear,无毛视频� Haden said. 无毛视频淲hen we play man-to-man he loves to press, he loves to get his hands on guys on the line. When you have a guy who likes to go up there and put hands on guys in man-to-man, that无毛视频檚 half the battle. When you know that if they run that fade ball, and you无毛视频檙e standing out there with single-high showing, they无毛视频檙e going to look to throw it to you, and when you无毛视频檙e pressed up like that it shows confidence.无毛视频�
Speaking of confidence, Smith-Schuster said he无毛视频檚 not changing the way he plays. He just returned to the team this week after being suspended for what appeared to be a clean block on Vontaze Burfict. But it was a brutal block, and Smith-Schuster stood over him. The combination of the hard hit and the taunt, in a game in which Shazier had been taken away on a stretcher, paralyzed from the waist down, probably affected the officiating, the announcing (thus the public perception) and then the punishment.
But, the charismatic JuJu is back.
无毛视频淚t was tough,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淢e home, when I无毛视频檇 rather be out there with my guys, my teammates, I kept the helmet on just to stay locked in, you know, focused on the game. Best to never do that again.无毛视频�
How did the suspension affect him mentally?
无毛视频淥h, I无毛视频檓 still playing physical,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 not going to stop my game. That无毛视频檚 how it无毛视频檚 been since I was a kid. I无毛视频檓 still going to make those blocks. Yes, I无毛视频檓 going to be more careful. I无毛视频檓 going to aim for their shoulder and lower and just be more protective of the game.无毛视频�
Smith-Schuster leads AFC rookies with 37 receptions, 585 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns, but he missed a golden chance to pad those numbers in the last game when Ben Roethlisberger threw for 506 yards.
无毛视频淵eah, everyone was eating,无毛视频� Smith-Schuster said. 无毛视频淚 was like 无毛视频榃here无毛视频檚 my plate at?'无毛视频�
Smith-Schuster paused before answering his own question.
无毛视频淎t home,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淏ut it was awesome to see Ben on fire. For him to throw 66 balls in a single game like that and throw for 500 yards and everyone gets their touches? I mean it makes it even tougher to watch the game.无毛视频�
But not this game. Smith-Schuster may not have watched Patriots-Steelers last year, but this time he can not only play in it, he can make a difference.
无毛视频淥h, I无毛视频檓 so excited. I无毛视频檓 very excited,无毛视频� the rookie said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 an honor. It无毛视频檚 a blessing. I mean, me being young, I was always a fan of Brady, Gronk, all those guys. And now to have an opportunity to be back and play against them 无毛视频� and now I无毛视频檓 playing with my guys.无毛视频�
NOTES: Bryant missed Wednesday无毛视频檚 practice with a team excuse. Sensabaugh (shoulder), TE Vance McDonald (shoulder) and DL Stephon Tuitt (illness) were also sidelined. 无毛视频� Limited were Haden and ILB Tyler Matakevich (shoulder).