Weird scenes from inside the gold mine
In the reporting game sometimes, one must veil a question in a way that competitors won鈥檛 be able to pick up the scent of the story.
Of course, one had better know if the coach is going to understand one鈥檚 gibberish, or it will be given right back.
Take Mike Tomlin, for instance.
The other day he answered a line of questioning, which he hadn鈥檛 understood, like this:
鈥淵eah today was a good day, man. We鈥檒l see how they respond to the work tomorrow and kind of let that be our guide as we move forward.鈥�
Tomlin paused before asking, 鈥淚s that who we鈥檙e talking about?鈥�
The reporter said that, no, he was asking about 鈥淣umber 95.鈥�
鈥淲ell,鈥� Tomlin said with a smile, 鈥測ou can use that statement and apply it to any name.鈥�
鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
Levi Brown made it through a week of practice before he went down with an injury in his first pregame warm-up.
Richard Gordon didn鈥檛 even make it that far. The new tight end made it through only one practice before he was ruled out of his first game with the Steelers because of a toe injury.
But there鈥檚 one newcomer who鈥檚 causing a stir, one who might actually help the team. He鈥檚 a skinny little kid who had the kickoff coverage team buzzing after Thursday鈥檚 workout.
鈥淲ho鈥檚 that Number 18?鈥� asked kicker Shaun Suisham.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, but he brought every one of them out today,鈥� said snapper Greg Warren.
His name is Devon Wylie, and not too long ago he ran an official 4.3 40 at the combine. At his first practice with the Steelers he looked like the fastest player on the team.
鈥� Yes, he was on the street for a reason. Check, and point made.
鈥� And, yes, he has fresh legs after a couple of weeks off. Check, and point made.
But the kid can run.
鈥淪ome 4.3 guys don鈥檛 look 4.3,鈥� said special teams coordinator Danny Smith. 鈥淗e looks 4.3.鈥�
Wylie was a fourth-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 after he caught 56 passes as a senior at Fresno State and ranked fifth in the nation with a punt-return average of 15.4.
The Chiefs kept the 187-pounder until Sept. 1 of this year, and then Wylie spent some time on the Arizona practice squad before signing here this week.
He鈥檚 got beep-beep speed 鈥� for as long as he can stay healthy.
鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
Maurkice Pouncey has been hanging around the practice facility and field the past week or so, and lately he鈥檚 been in a great mood and has had that old smile back on his face.
Of course, things were different last month after he tore his ACL in the聽 opener.
鈥淚t was dark,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淟uckily I had people call me, like my brother. One day he started telling me about Eric Wood, how he was injured his first three years in the league. But he ballin鈥� now.鈥�
Wood was a Steelers first-round draft target in 2009, but was drafted four picks earlier by the Buffalo Bills.
As a rookie he suffered a compound fracture of the fibula and tibia. He missed two games the next season, and in 2011 Wood was hurt in the ninth game and put on IR. Since then, he鈥檚 played in 20 of 22 games.
鈥淗e might be the best center in the league now,鈥� Pouncey said.
鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
Brett Keisel was telling a group of reporters how he felt while watching the hated Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl last season.
鈥淢y reaction was 鈥楾hey鈥檙e the champs, man. We鈥檝e got to go get the champs.'鈥�
I had to jump in and ask Keisel if it showed him that 鈥� considering the series split with backup QBs 鈥� could鈥檝e just as easily been the Steelers.
鈥淲e鈥檙e close,鈥� Keisel said. 鈥淲e just got to make that next step.鈥�
I don鈥檛 know whether it was beginning to dawn on Keisel this his 鈥渃lose鈥� Steelers were 1-4, but he just stood there grinning at me. There was a pause, which gave way to awkward silence as no one else had a question. All I could think to ask the bushy-bearded Keisel was this:
Do you play for the Boston Red Sox in your free time?
He laughed. 鈥淣o,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ould be nice to collect two checks though.鈥�