Hard to bet on Tucker as camp sleeper
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� The mathematics would seem to favor Marcus Tucker becoming that Camp Sleeper everyone loves to bet on this time of year:
n Tucker has played on the Steelers无毛视频� practice squad the last two seasons, and he无毛视频檚 tough and fast and shows up every single day ready to work. At rookie mini-camp, the former two-time captain from Northern Michigan University led the rookies through drills and Mike Tomlin repeatedly brought him forward for teachable moments.
n The Steelers lost their third and fourth most productive wide receivers, Martavis Bryant and Eli Rogers, due to trade and injury, respectively. And last preseason, Tucker was the most productive wide receiver with eight catches for 97 yards.
n JuJu Smith-Schuster has missed the first three OTAs, or as Tucker described it, 无毛视频溛廾悠郸 for a minute. That无毛视频檚 when I knew I was next guy up who knew what to do.无毛视频�
Antonio Brown missed Thursday无毛视频檚 workout as well, so there was a real need for an experienced receiver to play alongside veteran Justin Hunter and second-round draft pick James Washington.
At 5-10, 190, Tucker even looks the part to take on the role formerly played by the 5-10, 187-pound Rogers.
Marcus, are you the next Eli Rogers?
无毛视频淯h, man,无毛视频� he said as he searched for words. 无毛视频淚 can无毛视频檛 say I无毛视频檓 the next Eli Rogers. I just want to be the best Tuck I can be.无毛视频�
The players call him 无毛视频淭uck,无毛视频� and, no, you headline writers out there, he无毛视频檚 never heard of The Marshall Tucker Band. But can he play the slot?
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 fairly new,无毛视频� Tucker said. 无毛视频淚 usually play outside for the most part, for the most part X. Even in college I played on the backside, and then my senior year I dibbled and dabbled in the slot in college, but I无毛视频檓 three years out of college so that doesn无毛视频檛 even matter now.无毛视频�
Don无毛视频檛 fool yourself. Dibbling and dabbling in college always matters. But he underscored the point former coordinator Todd Haley used to make about Rogers: He played the slot in college and it gave him an edge over all the transplanted X无毛视频檚 and Z无毛视频檚 who starred out wide in school but struggled with the move inside.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been playing X here, but now I无毛视频檓 moving into kind of a new position,无毛视频� Tucker said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a new feel for me, because in the slot it无毛视频檚 about timing, spacing, being in the right place at the right time. It无毛视频檚 not so much about beating your guy as it is on the outside, where you无毛视频檙e in one-on-one type situations. You still have to have a feel for the guys outside of you, the guys inside of you, be at your mark in the right space and at the right time, be where the quarterback needs you to be. So I无毛视频檝e got to step it up in that aspect and come out here and get better and get a feel with those guys.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 the logic that fails the numbers. Tucker无毛视频檚 inexperienced at a spot all of the numbers above seem to scream Camp Sleeper. But now it sounds as if he might be a sleeper to become Camp Sleeper.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 OK with that,无毛视频� he said with a chuckle. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been an underdog my whole life, man. I无毛视频檓 not supposed to be here right now, so that don无毛视频檛 mean nothing to me. I just come out and compete with the regulars and make plays and try to make it tough for them to get me out of here. That无毛视频檚 all I can do.无毛视频�
Underdog his whole life?
Well, yeah. He was born in Flint, Michigan. That right there hurts the odds of even being alive at age 26.
Actually, Tucker won无毛视频檛 turn 26 until late June, after minicamp, during summer break. So on his birthday he无毛视频檒l probably be back home in Flint. The water at his place is drinkable, but that won无毛视频檛 be the case across town.
无毛视频淵ou take clean water for granted when you无毛视频檙e out here,无毛视频� Tucker said as he looked out at the lush practice fields. 无毛视频淚 go back and visit my aunt and I catch myself going to the sink 无毛视频� 无毛视频極h s*!#, got to find the bottle or boil it.'无毛视频�
To summarize the catastrophe that无毛视频檚 ongoing in Tucker无毛视频檚 hometown, let无毛视频檚 turn to the most recent edition of The Detroit News:
无毛视频溛廾悠郸 the state-appointed fiscal manager in 2014 switched the city无毛视频檚 water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in a reckless attempt to save money. The water corroded the city无毛视频檚 aging pipes, causing them to leach lead into the system. The lead impacted the water in every home, business and school.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 a very touchy subject for myself,无毛视频� Tucker said. 无毛视频淢y mom, who now stays in Houston, Texas, she had a play that she did at The Whiting in Flint on May 12th, and she actually had a water drive to give out waters and she helped the community with that. I had my hand in that also. Just doing what we can to kind of support the community and just help out with some of those things.无毛视频�
Tucker无毛视频檚 mother, Cynthia Tucker, is a playwright and a former policewoman who, through her play, hoped to create awareness for diabetes. Raising awareness for clean drinking water was on her son无毛视频檚 mind as he was being interviewed by Pittsburgh reporters.
无毛视频淔lint is home. I love it. Back at the crib,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 a place where I fell in love with the game, just fell in love with the community. All my friends and family are back there. Special place for me. But that situation is tough. I无毛视频檝e got friends and family that are still dealing with that right now. The water无毛视频檚 still unsafe, so if anybody out there can continue to help in that regard, I urge you guys to do what you can.无毛视频�
The affected populace is forced to 无毛视频渦se water bottles for everything. You can无毛视频檛 do anything out of the sink, out of the pipeline. It无毛视频檚 tough. You bathe with it. You eat with water bottles. You无毛视频檝e got to boil water. You无毛视频檝e got to take water bottles and pour it to boil water, to cook food, to bathe, to 无毛视频� everything.无毛视频�
The numbers on the football field should take care of themselves, as Tucker, in his third year with the team, can visualize that opening for his first 53-man roster spot. He knows it无毛视频檚 there for the taking.
That, of course, would in turn help his visibility, and perhaps those in his seemingly forgotten hometown.
无毛视频淭here are people still fighting out there,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淧eople still keeping the hope that one day things are going to get better. This has been going on for three or four years now, where they无毛视频檝e been dealing with this and nothing has been done just yet. We无毛视频檝e just got to stay prayerful and keep giving and do what we can. And keep the awareness up, so people know that situation is still out there.无毛视频�