Burns turning into Steelers’ lockdown corner
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Last year, Artie Burns was just a skinny cover corner trying to survive as a 21-year-old rookie.
This year, he无毛视频檚 a muscled-up veteran who无毛视频檚 turned into the Steelers无毛视频� lockdown cornerback.
无毛视频淭op DB in the room,无毛视频� said Antonio Brown. 无毛视频淏oy a beast.无毛视频�
Brown, of course, spent the spring and summer schooling Burns, but Brown is quick to say, 无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 play into that. That无毛视频檚 all him.无毛视频�
In two games so far, Burns 无毛视频� the 无毛视频渙ther A.B.无毛视频� 无毛视频� has allowed six catches and a pass interference call on 13 passes to the receiver he covered.
Including the 17 yards penalized, Burns has allowed those receivers to gain only 46 yards, or 6.6 yards per completion. The 17-yard pass interference call was the longest play he无毛视频檚 allowed.
One of his highlights in Sunday无毛视频檚 win over the Minnesota Vikings occurred after Burns stayed home on a play in which Case Keenum faked to the running back, faked to the receiver coming around, and threw a screen that Burns stopped for a one-yard loss.
He无毛视频檚 not only covering, he无毛视频檚 tackling, and Burns credits Mike Tomlin with telling him after last season that he needs to get stronger.
无毛视频淭hat was my No. 1 goal for the offseason, to get stronger,无毛视频� said Burns. 无毛视频淭o be able to play in this league, you无毛视频檝e got to be strong.无毛视频�
The added muscle on the 6-0, 197-pounder is obvious. So is the confidence. And it doesn无毛视频檛 matter to Burns that he无毛视频檚 无毛视频渙ld news无毛视频� to reporters who无毛视频檝e focused lately on newcomer Joe Haden instead of last year无毛视频檚 first-round draft pick.
无毛视频淚f we get to the Super Bowl, man, that无毛视频檚 all that matters,无毛视频� Burns said. 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 care what the media无毛视频檚 talking about. I want a ring and a trophy. That无毛视频檚 all I have to worry about. However my career goes, it goes.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 going in the direction of a scheme-versatile, lockdown corner.
无毛视频淚 see things better,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 have more experience. Things are coming to me better than they did last year.无毛视频�
BEN无毛视频橲 BIG 无毛视频楴O-PLAY'
The longest gain by the Steelers on Sunday came on a 无毛视频渘o-play,无毛视频� when a Viking jumped offside and Maurkice Pouncey snapped immediately to Ben Roethlisberger, who threw deep to a diving Martavis Bryant for a 51-yard gain in the third quarter. It led to a field goal and a 20-9 lead.
无毛视频淭hey know when the ball无毛视频檚 snapped on a no-play to take off long,无毛视频� said Roethlisberger. 无毛视频淭he receivers know what they无毛视频檙e supposed to do.无毛视频�
So did Pouncey, although the snap was high.
无毛视频淚 told him 无毛视频業t was a horrible snap, Pounce,'无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淲e had a good laugh about it, but we knew it was a free play.无毛视频�
Roethlisberger said the same thing happened about a dozen times last season.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e had quite a few of those, more than people probably know,无毛视频� he said.
Another under-the-radar play by Roethlisberger was his low block on Pro Bowl defensive end Everson Griffen that sprung Bryant for a seven-yard gain on an end around in the first quarter. Roethlisberger later dove at backside pursuer Harrison Smith in an attempted block that actually slowed Smith and allowed Le无毛视频橵eon Bell to get out of the backfield.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檒l do anything to help the team,无毛视频� said Roethlisberger, who throws coaching advice to the wind in the middle of a game.
无毛视频淯sually on the reverse, I am supposed to block and they无毛视频檒l say, 无毛视频楧on无毛视频檛 use your right shoulder.无毛视频� That无毛视频檚 usually what无毛视频檚 said, but you can无毛视频檛 think about that. In the heat of the battle you无毛视频檙e just trying to slow a guy down.无毛视频�
DOWN GO THE VOLS
David DeCastro was talking after the game Sunday about the high number of talented 无毛视频渇reaks无毛视频� on the Vikings defense when he overheard someone ask Ramon Foster about Tennessee无毛视频檚 last-second loss to Florida the previous day.
无毛视频淥h, too soon,无毛视频� DeCastro scolded. 无毛视频淭oo soon.无毛视频�
Of course, DeCastro and the rest of the offensive line had already given it to Foster. But even Pouncey, from Florida, felt kind of bad for Foster.
无毛视频淎 little bit,无毛视频� said Pouncey. 无毛视频淏ut they won last year, so it was payback.无毛视频�
For rookie QB Josh Dobbs, also from Tennessee, it was a case of deja vu.
无毛视频淪ame exact thing happened when we played Texas A&M last year,无毛视频� Dobbs said. 无毛视频淲e were down seven. They had the ball, third-and-6, and dude breaks it 65 yards for a touchdown. Malik Foreman chases him down, strips at the 1, out the back of the end zone, we recover, go on the field, score a touchdown, go to overtime, double overtime, lost in double overtime. Same exact feeling. Same exact feeling.无毛视频�
Dobbs made that feeling clear immediately after the Vols无毛视频� rally started with a strip-fumble at the goal line, only to tie the game and lose on a bomb as time expired. He tweeted, 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 sick,无毛视频� immediately after the play.
无毛视频淵eah, I was sick,无毛视频� Dobbs said. 无毛视频淚 know all the guys on the team so I know how much that play meant. Bled with everyone who was down there fighting for the dub (W) down there.无毛视频�
SPECIAL TEAMS PRO BOWLER?
For the second consecutive game, reserve linebacker Tyler Matakevich made a key special-teams play for the Steelers.
Matakevich blocked a punt for a touchdown in the opener, and Sunday broke up the Vikings无毛视频� pass off a fake punt to end the first series of the second half. The Steelers took over at the Minnesota 36 and eventually kicked a field goal for a 17-3 lead.
无毛视频淲e were just saying to be alert for the fake,无毛视频� Matakevich said. 无毛视频淣ear midfield, fourth-and-4, you无毛视频檝e got to know first of all they无毛视频檒l try a hard count to get you to jump.无毛视频�
Amid teammates无毛视频� calls to be alert for a potential fake, Matakevich also noticed he was across from a new man, tight end Blake Bell, instead of the linebacker who normally lined up at the left tackle spot on the Minnesota punt team.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 usually a linebacker, (Kentrell) Brothers, a guy I know,无毛视频� Matakevich said. 无毛视频淪o I noticed it was a different guy, and then he didn无毛视频檛 even try to block. He just sort of ran a route. As soon as he didn无毛视频檛 block me, and with people yelling 无毛视频榃atch the fake! Watch the fake!无毛视频� you无毛视频檙e like 无毛视频榃hat无毛视频檚 about to happen?'无毛视频�
Matakevich followed Bell into the flat and broke up the pass to give the Steelers the ball.
QUICK HITTERS
Stephon Tuitt said he made big strides last week with his injured biceps muscle and hopes to play this week. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 the plan,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 just going to keep doing exactly what I did last week and hope it continues to get better.无毛视频� 无毛视频� Rookie CB Brian Allen replaced Mike Hilton as the punt gunner in the second half Sunday and downed Jordan Berry无毛视频檚 punt inside the Minnesota 1-yard line. 无毛视频淭hey told me to go in for Mike because he had played so many reps on defense and on kick coverage,无毛视频� Allen said. 无毛视频� It was the first time Allen touched the football in his NFL career. That success was rivaled by another rookie, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who scored on his first pro touch when Roethlisberger shoveled to him a three-yard touchdown pass. But Smith-Schuster无毛视频檚 most impressive play Sunday was his crushing interior block of Smith, the Vikings无毛视频� box safety, during a Steelers running play. 无毛视频淚t was something we无毛视频檝e been working on all week,无毛视频� said Smith-Schuster. 无毛视频淚t just so happened he came in that gap. That无毛视频檚 my gap and I just did my job.无毛视频�
TOMLIN ON INJURIES
At his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin talked about these injuries: RT Marcus Gilbert (hamstring) and TE Jesse James (ankle) could miss early practices; Vance McDonald (back spasms) should be back, as should Tuitt (biceps), who 无毛视频渉as potential to play,无毛视频� Tomlin said, and the same for T.J. Watt (groin). Reserve safety J.J. Wilcox is 无毛视频渇inishing up his last elements of the concussion protocol.无毛视频�
TOMLIN ON HARRISON
Tomlin was asked why he didn无毛视频檛 play James Harrison at all when Watt left in the second quarter wih an injury.
无毛视频淲e wanted to leave the hot hands in there,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频�(Anthony) Chickillo being that hot hand. We appreciate James. We know what James is capable of. James will ready himself. There will be a time in the season where we无毛视频檒l call on his services and he无毛视频檒l deliver and deliver in a big way, much like he did in the latter part of 2016. In the meantime, we无毛视频檙e going to continue to roll people and play and play guys that we see fit and not do a real good job of maybe describing our mindset or outlining their intentions because part of it is gamesmanship and part of it will define itself as we move forward.无毛视频�