Report on progress of Steelers’ rookies
Mason Rudolph ended the bye week on what Tyler Matakevich considered a high note.
It was the last play of the week and Matakevich intercepted Rudolph无毛视频檚 pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Hooray for Matakevich and the starting, beleaguered defense as 无毛视频淒irty Red无毛视频� left Pittsburgh with a big smile.
But, of course, it was too bad for the rookie quarterback.
无毛视频淵eah, that无毛视频檚 not how you want to end the day,无毛视频� said Randy Fichtner. The Steelers offensive coordinator was asked about Rudolph无毛视频檚 development at the 6-week marker.
无毛视频淲ell,无毛视频� Fichtner said as he pondered, 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 really pleased where he无毛视频檚 at, minus a handful of plays like that that get you beat.无毛视频�
Rudolph, the third-round draft pick, had emerged from preseason with 116 snaps under his belt and an outstanding QB rating of 90.6. But since then he无毛视频檚 had to fight for practice reps with Ben Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 other backup, Joshua Dobbs, and has been inactive in all six regular-season games.
Do rookie quarterbacks normally regress in such instances?
无毛视频淚t usually happens,无毛视频� Fichtner said. 无毛视频淚 guess that无毛视频檚 a pretty harsh word, because they无毛视频檙e still getting a lot of work, but you无毛视频檙e right. They无毛视频檙e not getting that game experience. They无毛视频檙e not getting those valued reps like that. The quote-unquote pressure is still on them daily, because in their own way they无毛视频檙e still competing. We无毛视频檝e made it pretty clear that we want to develop both guys and give everyone an opportunity to see where we无毛视频檙e at, so if Ben tweaks an ankle or something and you have to move forward, both guys would be ready to do so.
无毛视频淏ut, yeah, we don无毛视频檛 want to turn the ball over, and that无毛视频檚 what we did today.无毛视频�
Rudolph and Dobbs try to make up for a lack of game reps by utilizing a virtual-reality tool the Steelers have brought into their practice facility. The team films what, say, Roethlisberger sees from his helmet against the 无毛视频渓ook无毛视频� team in practice, and the young quarterbacks take turns with the VR goggles in a conference room upstairs.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 great, another learning tool for him,无毛视频� Fichtner said of Rudolph. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 pretty consistent with his work day. I think the thing I无毛视频檓 most proud of with him is he无毛视频檚 establishing that professional work day. He无毛视频檚 in early; he无毛视频檚 out late. He has a progression of things he does daily. I can无毛视频檛 speak for maybe his eating habits and some other things 无毛视频� that type of stuff once he leaves here 无毛视频� but I know that (throughout) his day he无毛视频檚 doing the right things. That can only help him. And that无毛视频檚 just one tool.无毛视频�
Here无毛视频檚 a look at how the other Steelers rookies are progressing at the breakpoint following six regular-season games:
Terrell Edmunds (Round 1) 无毛视频� Easily the team无毛视频檚 top rookie thus far. Edmunds has started 5-of-6 games at strong safety, and he无毛视频檚 unlikely to give it up, even if Morgan Burnett returns from his groin injury.
Edmunds has played every defensive snap in the last four games and is tied for sixth place on the team with 21 tackles. He无毛视频檚 also flashed future big-play skills with his interception and blazing return for 35 yards. He无毛视频檚 becoming more comfortable and fulfilling his assignments, and the next step is for him to begin living up to his potential as a playmaker.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 gotten better each and every game,无毛视频� said DBs coach Tom Bradley. 无毛视频淭he thing that got him three games ago doesn无毛视频檛 get him now. He tweaked it. There无毛视频檚 something else he picked up that becomes easier in his repertoire as we progress through this thing, and he无毛视频檚 playing a lot of plays for a young guy. I think he logs about 75 plays a game, which is a lot for a rookie. We ask him to do a lot of things. As we go along, and through this process he无毛视频檚 able to adjust and we无毛视频檙e able to give him more.无毛视频�
Edmunds无毛视频� average snaps-per-game is actually 65. He played only 32 in the second game, the game he didn无毛视频檛 start. He无毛视频檚 also adding an average of 18 snaps per game on special teams. And the safety from Virginia Tech is a hard worker in practice.
无毛视频淎ll the time,无毛视频� Bradley said. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 very conscientious in everything he does and how he goes about his practice. There aren无毛视频檛 many practices I come out of and I无毛视频檓 disappointed in the effort he gave us. One of the things he takes to heart is when he makes a mistake, he无毛视频檚 not going to let it happen again.无毛视频�
What was that aspect he wasn无毛视频檛 getting three games ago?
无毛视频淭he fire zones gave him trouble before,无毛视频� Bradley said. 无毛视频淎long with his line up on some of our formation blitzes that he无毛视频檚 been able to pick up. It无毛视频檚 just little things. Each week there are one or two things he now puts in his back pocket and he knows it now because he无毛视频檚 done it a lot of times.
无毛视频淧laying defense a lot of times is like driving a car. When you first start out, you无毛视频檙e all 10 and 2, staring constantly, and now as you start to drive more you see it more often and you still see everything, but you无毛视频檙e able to look, talk to people, do different things. As time goes on, you无毛视频檒l see he无毛视频檒l start to play faster.无毛视频�
James Washington (Round 2) 无毛视频� After catching five passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the second preseason game, the rookie wide receiver has been quiet. A core-muscle injury bothered him late in the preseason and in the regular-season opener, but he started games 2-4 as the third receiver, and against Kansas City he played a season-high 66 snaps and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass. But Washington无毛视频檚 only caught four passes for 35 yards since, and the 14-yard touchdown remains the long catch by one of college football无毛视频檚 top deep threats last season.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 coming,无毛视频� said WRs coach Darryl Drake. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a process for him, too. He无毛视频檚 coming, and we无毛视频檝e got to push him along faster and get him more involved. When those opportunities come for him he无毛视频檚 got to be ready to deliver. And those opportunities will come.无毛视频�
One came last Sunday when Roethlisberger unloaded a deep pass to Washington in the fourth quarter. He had a step on Bengals cornerback William Jackson, but the ball was directly over his head and Washington couldn无毛视频檛 get a good enough read to go up and make a 无毛视频渃ombat catch.无毛视频�
无毛视频淏een a combat catch guy,无毛视频� Drake said. 无毛视频淏ut you know in the National Football League when we talk about separation, separation in the National Football League is a step, especially when you have man coverage. He无毛视频檚 able to do that in a lot of instances.无毛视频�
In six games, Washington无毛视频檚 played 215 snaps and been targeted 14 times. He无毛视频檚 made five catches for 49 yards and the touchdown. He averages 9.8 yards per catch.
In JuJu Smith-Schuster无毛视频檚 first six games as a rookie last season, he played 277 snaps, was targeted 23 times, made 15 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 12.8 yards per catch.
无毛视频淲e ask them to do so much,无毛视频� Drake said of rookie receivers. 无毛视频淭hey really have to understand the coverages, they have to understand what safeties are doing, they have to understand the concepts of what we无毛视频檙e asking him to do, and they have to be able to make that decision in less than a second. The thing that I无毛视频檝e tried to do is get him to not think, react. The game is a reaction game, and you无毛视频檝e got to react in the right way. As time goes on, they get more and more comfortable, they get more and more of an understanding of what无毛视频檚 happening to them.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 was very surprised last year,无毛视频� Fichtner said of Smith-Schuster. 无毛视频淗aving been in that room for several years in this League, rookies, it无毛视频檚 hard. There无毛视频檚 a lot you have to learn, and if you make a mistake at the wrong time, it无毛视频檚 usually critical. JuJu didn无毛视频檛 make those mistakes. I think the thing that allowed him to do that was his physicality, his toughness, and mentally that just allowed him to fight through that little freshman training camp and the toughness of a long training camp and preseason. James is the same type. James got a little nicked up in just about the middle of the preseason. It might have set him back a little bit, but you无毛视频檙e starting to see him being capable of doing those same type of things and his consistency has gotten a lot better.无毛视频�
Chuks Okorafor (Round 3-B) 无毛视频� The rookie tackle from Western Michigan started three preseason games at right tackle, but has played only a handful of mop-up snaps at tackle this regular season. Okorafor did make a start in the opener as one of the extra tight ends in the jumbo package, and played a season-high 17 snaps, but he无毛视频檚 only played 27 offensive snaps since.
无毛视频淭he good thing is 无毛视频� like we did with other players since I无毛视频檝e been here 无毛视频� we无毛视频檝e gotten him in the rotation at tight end,无毛视频� said OL coach Mike Munchak. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 on the field, he无毛视频檚 in the huddle. The good thing is we无毛视频檙e getting him in there, so he无毛视频檚 getting on the field and getting a feel for it, and then just out here (in practice) he无毛视频檚 playing both tackle spots. So, yeah, he无毛视频檚 come along.无毛视频�
So, Munchak无毛视频檚 happy with him?
无毛视频淵eah,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淎nd this is a good week for him to get a lot of the work in practice and continue to develop. But, yeah, he无毛视频檚 moved a long way. He无毛视频檚 way ahead of where I thought he无毛视频檇 be when you draft a kid. You无毛视频檙e not quite sure how they无毛视频檒l adjust to what you ask them to do, but I think he无毛视频檚 done a nice job.无毛视频�
Marcus Allen, Jaylen Samuels (Round 5) 无毛视频� Samuels, the H-back from North Carolina State who was drafted as a running back, has been prepared for specific duty for a couple of games, but has yet to be targeted with a pass or handed the ball to run.
Active for every game, Samuels has played only two snaps on offense, and both times he was flanked wide. He无毛视频檚 played 23 snaps on special teams.
In the preseason Samuels carried 28 times for 86 yards (3.1 avg.) and scored a 1-yard touchdown. A player who was utilized so often in 无毛视频淪even Shots无毛视频� as a mismatch receiver for linebackers, Samuels caught eight preseason passes for 50 yards.
无毛视频淚 love Jaylen,无毛视频� said Fichtner. 无毛视频淎nd I无毛视频檝e said this before about (Stevan) Rid(ley), we无毛视频檙e trying to get him in and fit him in as best as possible. It isn无毛视频檛 anything that has been NOT done. Situationally, we无毛视频檝e had opportunities to put him in and it just didn无毛视频檛 fall right. It just wasn无毛视频檛 the right timing. He无毛视频檚 played a little bit in every game, just not enough. Hopefully this week was good for him, getting a lot more reps and maybe we can see how we can fit him in more.无毛视频�
Allen, the strong safety from Penn State, has been inactive in all six games. He had 13 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in three preseason games, and no doubt needs more experience before stepping into his natural niche as a dime linebacker.
Matthew Thomas, Ola Adeniyi (Undrafted) 无毛视频� The two defenders were preseason highlights on defense, as Thomas was the runaway tackles leader with 22 and Adeniyi was the sacks leader with three, and two of those resulted in turnovers.
But Adeniyi injured his hamstring in the final preseason game and was placed on injured reserve.
Thomas has been active for all six games but has primarily played special teams, in which he无毛视频檚 made two tackles and shown potential as a 232-pound gunner. He also played four snaps on defense after being prepared for spot duty when Vince Williams missed with an injury.
Thomas titillates the coaching staff with his athleticism as an inside backer, while Adeniyi packs a James Harrison-type wallop as a short-but-bullish outside backer. Adeniyi has been healthy and is eligible to return to the roster in after Week 8. OLBs coach Joey Porter was asked if Adeniyi will eventually contribute.
无毛视频淗opefully,无毛视频� said Porter. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 the plan of keeping him. That无毛视频檚 the plan of getting him ready, and when his number无毛视频檚 called hopefully he无毛视频檚 ready.无毛视频�