One dramatically improved Steeler could remedy headaches of missing Bell, Bryant
LATROBE, Pa. – When Senquez Golson went down Monday, the collective groan in Pittsburgh Steelers training camp felt familiar. The promising cornerback chosen in the second round of the 2015 draft, and a key cog in a rising defense, crumbled to the ground grabbing his lower leg. Overcome with emotion, he slammed his helmet and ejected his mouthpiece. A few moments later, a cart arrived to ferry him off the field.
And with that, another key Steelers piece went into an all-too-familiar, late-summer limbo.
The impact of Golson’s foot injury, which NFL Network reported as a Lisfranc ailment, puts him on a growing list of unknowns that have come to mark recent training camps for the Steelers. For a talented roster that has an arrow pointed upward, it’s another challenge that cuts both ways, offering opportunity to some, frustration to others. Golson isn’t alone in that space. Among the other players whose circumstances will fiddle with the depth chart:
• Running back Le’Veon Bell, who is appealing a four-game suspension for missing a drug test in the offseason. While there is some internal optimism in the organization that the suspension could be reduced, a league source familiar with the process told Yahoo Sports the NFL is reticent to lessen penalties in the case of missed drug tests. Why? Largely because doing so could set a precedent encouraging players who fear a failed test to skip it altogether, believing it would be easier to appeal a missed test rather than a failed one.
• Wideout Martavis Bryant, who has been suspended for the 2016 season for failing multiple drug tests. Perhaps more concerning is the strain the suspension has put on Bryant’s relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who acknowledged that Bryant lied to him about the suspension and has since stopped returning the quarterback’s messages.
• Tight end Ladarius Green, whose recovery from ankle surgery has been slow and left his position looking thin. No timetable has been set for Green’s return from the physically unable to perform list.
With Golson added to the mix, that’s four significant players whose absence (either now or later) is expected to impact the roster to varying degrees. But after dealing with some of the same issues last offseason, the hurdles were greeted with nonchalance. Asked about the offensive pieces that could be missing heading into the regular season, offensive coordinator Todd Haley smiled on Monday and shrugged.
“I’ve been trained not to think that way,” he said. “You’ve got what you’ve got and you better find a way to make it work. Otherwise you’ll be looking for a job. I just don’t let my mind wander that way. Our job is to get everybody ready, figure out what everybody on hand does best, and play to their strengths.”
For these Steelers, those strengths are looking considerable, even without some of the missing pieces. Despite Golson’s injury, the defense appears to be considerably ahead of where it was this time last season. And that trademark Steelers grit was never more apparent than Monday, when the physical nature of practice looked more like an AFC North matchup in December. While other camps are going out of their way to avoid bumps, bruises and injuries, the Steelers’ first two practices in pads were a monument to carnage. Just don’t call it tone-setting. If anything, it’s more a testament to getting back to a punishing way of life that was a little harder to accomplish with an inexperienced or aging roster over the past few seasons.
“It’s just part of football. We’re not trying to set a tone,” head coach Mike Tomlin said of the surprisingly rough nature of padded practices. “We’re trying to prepare. It’s very much an element of our game, so we’re working in that area.”
How much of an element remains to be seen. But early indications are this Pittsburgh team has gotten better coming out of last season’s 10-6 playoff campaign. And that may very well start with the defense, where inside linebacker Ryan Shazier has been terrorizing the offensive coaching staff, much to the delight of Tomlin. Meanwhile, 2015 first-round pick Bud Dupree and Golson (until the injury) showed signs of taking much-needed steps forward. While Golson’s fate could impact that progress, one thing is certainly clear about the secondary: With rookie draft picks Artie Burns and Sean Davis in the fold, the competition and raw talent is already exceeding last season’s edition.
Essentially, what’s finally coming to fruition for Pittsburgh is what amounts to a three-year reloading and maturing of the roster, moving beyond aging veterans and setting a new foundation. Finally, the Steelers appear to be transitioning from building the roster to maximizing it.
“You don’t feel like it’s as young of a team,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “I feel like we went through that transition phase of kind of having a group of older guys – we still had quite a few of them – and some young guys came in and we were teaching the young guys. And then the older guys started cycling out a bit. And the younger guys start to become a little older. I really feel good about where we are now as a team. Especially offensively, in that we’ve got a good amount of veteran guys out there now.”
Remarkably, the offense has the potential to be even better than last season despite the loss of Bryant for the season and the retirement of tight end Heath Miller. But it might ultimately hinge on three aspects: Bell returning from suspension; Green getting healthy and making good on his considerably high ceiling as a pass-catcher; and someone stepping into the offensive void left by Bryant.
Replacing Bryant may be resolved more quickly than the coaching staff expected, thanks to the rise of Sammie Coates, who is entering his second season. Coates remained in Pittsburgh the entire offseason and according to the staff was in the building working almost every day during the offseason. The result is a player who is quickly erasing the image of the overwhelmed rookie who had significant difficulty with conditioning and route-running.
“Night and day difference,” Haley said of Coates. “That’s typical. These guys just don’t understand the level of conditioning [as rookies]. They don’t have the time to do it that they get once it’s their job. Last year wasn’t different from what a lot of guys go through, especially higher-pedigree guys. They’re used to being the guy. All of the sudden they’re not getting the reps, so mentally, when you’re not getting the reps physically, it’s a lot harder to pick it up mentally. You’re not in condition, so you’re tired. You’re not able to think correctly. … As tough a year as it was for him last year – he had probably never run [scout] team in his whole life – I think the light went on about halfway through the year. He started working his butt off and making plays consistently.”
Naturally, Haley played a motivational role, much like he did in the past with players like Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Dwayne Bowe. Specifically, Haley seized on a blown opportunity by Coates early in a 23-20 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when a poor slant route by Coates resulted in an incompletion on third down. That play became the needle Haley would use to jab Coates as the season went on.
“I have to do what I do,” Haley said. “All you’ve got to do is throw [that play] out there a few times. But he was already thinking about that the entire year.”
The result was Coates steadily showing practice flashes as the season went on, then catching two balls in a playoff loss to the Denver Broncos. While his overall rookie numbers were fairly meek (three total catches for 72 yards), he teased the skills that enticed the Steelers to take him in the third round of the 2015 draft. When the season finally ended and the roster fanned out, Coates never left.
“He took [his progress] into the offseason,” Haley said. “You can’t look any better than he looks with his conditioning. The other day he ran a go [route] that we didn’t complete. The very next play, he’s still flying down the field and he catches it. He understands the conditioning level now. … He’s a strong guy. That’s what we’re preaching to him. That strength and speed, he doesn’t need to be dancing around. He can run through people.”
Ultimately, that could be the overall assessment of this Steelers team. With a more talented defense and an offensive line that is arguably the best unit since the last Super Bowl win, Pittsburgh has the potential to run through some people this season. So long as the Steelers make it out of the August attrition without running over itself first.
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