Did Steelers find their punt returner?
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� If the Pittsburgh Steelers were to act decisively and boldly, they would announce their new punt returner right now, just after the very first practice rep of the new season.
Of course, they don无毛视频檛 operate that way, but it appears that Cameron Sutton might force the issue.
The rookie cornerback lined up first 无毛视频� ahead of Eli Rogers and Demarcus Ayers 无毛视频� in the opening PR drill of the season Wednesday. Sutton caught the punt, got into his sprint, cut sharply at full speed and finished up in the end zone.
It was his first, and last, return of the day because Sutton had to 无毛视频済et some gunner reps无毛视频� on the defensive side of the workout.
Perhaps that lack of reps is part of the reason Mike Tomlin so rarely uses defensive players to return kicks.
Did Tomlin tell the rookie that?
无毛视频淣o, he never told me that,无毛视频� said Sutton, who was a dangerous return man in college at Tennessee.
Sutton returned three punts for touchdowns as a Vol and averaged 14.3 yards per return. That无毛视频檚 4.3 more than his stated goal.
无毛视频淲e want to steal 10 and get the offense going in the right direction,无毛视频� he explained. 无毛视频淎nything that happens after (10) is always special.无毛视频�
Sutton didn无毛视频檛 return punts as a freshman, and returned only six as a senior before breaking his fibula and missing most of the season. But as a sophomore, Sutton averaged 11.3 yards per return with one touchdown, and as a junior he returned a career-high 25 punts, averaged a whopping 18 yards per return and scored a pair of touchdowns.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 something I无毛视频檓 real comfortable doing, ever since I无毛视频檝e been playing football,无毛视频� Sutton said. 无毛视频淎t this stage you无毛视频檙e just relying on your front 10. Those are your best friends. Those are your guys you无毛视频檝e got to get around and finish it with. And it无毛视频檚 bigger than just those moments when you无毛视频檙e out there as a punt returner. All of the work that goes into those moments, the constant communication with those guys, knowing their thought process, knowing the returns out there on the field, and then just from a punt returner无毛视频檚 aspect I always want to catch the ball first because that无毛视频檚 the ball for the offense.无毛视频�
While Tomlin has looked for a return man to replace Antonio Brown 无毛视频� in order to give his valued wide receiver a rest and to minimize the injury risk 无毛视频� the coach hasn无毛视频檛 given many chances to defensive players. After using Allen Rossum throughout the 2007 season (6.4 avg.), Tomlin无毛视频檚 first with the Steelers, no defensive player has lined up as a punt returner.
Sutton should break that dry spell.
无毛视频淪ome veteran guys told me it looks like I无毛视频檝e been doing it a while,无毛视频� Sutton said after Wednesday无毛视频檚 practice. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 about the constant competition and taking it one day at a time. Continue to get with the vets, continue to stay in the playbook, compete every day, come to work every day, and everything falls into place.无毛视频�
And the potential KR 无毛视频�
Knile Davis has received plenty of work in the backfield this spring with Le无毛视频橵eon Bell home and rookie James Conner recovering from a hamstring injury. But Davis has yet to show off his skills as a kickoff returner.
He无毛视频檚 hoping the Steelers work on that aspect of special teams for the first time today.
无毛视频淔or sure next week,无毛视频� said Davis, who signed with the Steelers as a free agent in March.
Davis came out of Arkansas the same year Bell came out of Michigan State, but Davis was faster. At 5-11 3/8, 227 he was timed in the 40 at the NFL Combine in 4.37 seconds. And he showed that speed to the Steelers six months later when he returned a kickoff 109 yards for a preseason touchdown.
无毛视频淚 remember getting my bell rung on the first kickoff return,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淭he second time I just wanted to make up for it. I caught it deep in the end zone, caught a seam and went 109. It was a good memory. We won the game.无毛视频�
Davis went on to return 10 kickoffs that season with a 32.1 average and a 108-yard touchdown.
In 2014, Davis returned 29 kickoffs at a 28.6 clip with a 99-yard touchdown.
In 2015, his 25.1 average would无毛视频檝e been higher had his 106-yard return in the playoffs counted in the regular-season stats.
Overall, Davis has a career average of 26.8 yards per kickoff return, a number that would rank second all-time in Steelers history behind 1950s star Lynn Chandnois (29.6).
As a running back, Davis无毛视频� best season was 2014 when he recorded career highs of 463 rushing yards, 3.5 yards per carry and 16 receptions. He had hoped to replace the injured Jamaal Charles in the middle of the 2015 season, but the Chiefs turned to Charcandrick West instead and the following season traded Davis to the Green Bay Packers.
Davis lasted only two weeks with the Packers, was claimed by the New York Jets on waivers and 无毛视频渨as released by the Jets in two hours,无毛视频� he said. Davis then went back to Kansas City to finish the season before signing with the Steelers.
Davis isn无毛视频檛 sure why he bounced from team to team last season. He was healthy, said he still runs in the 4.3s, and now has his weight down to 224. Davis said he isn无毛视频檛 carrying a big chip on his shoulder coming into this season.
无毛视频淎 little bit,无毛视频� he admitted, 无毛视频渂ut it无毛视频檚 more of a fresh start and just having fun playing the game that I love to play. The past is the past. I无毛视频檓 going in a straight direction. Everything无毛视频檚 in front of me and I无毛视频檓 just happy. Really.无毛视频�
Juju in thick of it
While Davis beamed about making a catch of a bad Ben Roethlisberger pass and spinning it into a touchdown during red-zone work, rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster did the same when asked about catching a Roethlisberger bullet as an inside receiver in the same drill.
无毛视频淥h yeah, yeah,无毛视频� Smith-Schuster said with a big smile. 无毛视频淲hen I无毛视频檓 thrown in there with Ben, I get too excited. Write 10 times 无毛视频業无毛视频檝e got to keep calm.'无毛视频�
Smith-Schuster said he无毛视频檚 working both the inside and outside receiver positions, and when he无毛视频檚 in with the first team he无毛视频檚 usually inside of Brown and Martavis Bryant.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 what I strive for,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e all want to start and obviously you want to play with the best of the best.无毛视频�
Smith-Schuster said he无毛视频檚 learning from Brown about releases off the line and 无毛视频渞outes in general.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲hen I无毛视频檓 watching film,无毛视频� Smith-Schuster said, 无毛视频渇irst I watch the play and then I watch the offense and then I watch AB, his whole section, and what I can take out of him every day.无毛视频�
After practice, the rookie catches at least 240 passes off the JUGS machine. He无毛视频檚 obsessed with getting better.
无毛视频淛ust today I was watching AB and Ben,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 eight years they无毛视频檝e put together. That无毛视频檚 something I would want with a quarterback.无毛视频�