Steelers confident in DL despite numerous injuries
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Keith Butler didn鈥檛 deny the unsubstantiated rumor that he鈥檚 activating himself this week to play defensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
鈥淚 might be,鈥� said the defensive coordinator. 鈥淚鈥檓 almost heavy enough.鈥�
Butler was kidding, of course, but with Cam Heyward on IR, and Stephon Tuitt and Ricardo Mathews missing practices with injuries, there鈥檚 not much left on the active roster.
Butler wouldn鈥檛 comment on the progress, or lack thereof, of Tuitt (knee) and Mathews (ankle), but the expectation from teammates is that Tuitt will be a game-day decision and could play.
Does he need to practice?
鈥淭hose guys, they gotta know the fronts and stuff like that,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not as complex as it is on the back end. Some of the back end stuff, we have to know checks. They have to know some checks, too, but if they鈥檝e done it before it鈥檚 easier for them.
鈥淚 think our guys, whoever鈥檚 ready, John will do a good job of preparing them.鈥�
John Mitchell has been coaching Steelers defensive linemen for 23 years, so he鈥檚 instilled trust in those who would otherwise be worried that the Steelers鈥� starters going into their biggest game of the season are L.T. Walton, Javon Hargrave and Johnny Maxey.
That was confirmed to have been the starting group this week in practice, and in case you don鈥檛 know them:
n Walton was last year鈥檚 sixth-round draft pick who鈥檚 started the last two games to give him two career starts;
n Hargrave is this year鈥檚 third-round rookie who鈥檚 started 11 games this season and moves off the nose to play tackle when the Steelers are in their nickel (about 80 percent of the time);
n And Maxey is still on the practice squad. He鈥檚 an undrafted rookie out of Division II Mars Hill University.
Behind them are Daniel McCullers and the other practice squad lineman, Caushaud Lyons.
Tuitt sprained his knee in the first series last Sunday and Mathews injured his ankle and was on and off the field throughout a second half in which the Bengals scored no points and rushed for only eight yards.
How did the Steelers front pull that off?
鈥淲e just tightened up the interior line,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淪ome of the gaps were expanded a little bit, we tightened up the front a little bit, our guys played a little better, we got more comfortable with what we were doing and we knew we had to play. We had to at least try to keep them from getting very few points, if any, in the second half as our offense kept grinding.鈥�
Butler said of the group鈥檚 veteran, Walton, 鈥淚 thought he played technique well during the game. He鈥檚 going to get better as the year goes long. He鈥檚 a very sharp-minded kid that plays above the neck and he finds a way to do it.鈥�
Could that be enough against a Ravens offensive line that鈥檚 been intact the last five games, during which it鈥檚 paved the way for 4.8 yards per carry and allowed only eight sacks?
鈥淚鈥檓 not worried,鈥� said linebacker Ryan Shazier. 鈥淚 know those guys have the best coach in the NFL at that position. I know they鈥檙e going to come ready.
鈥淵eah, the Ravens are doing pretty good but I feel like we鈥檙e doing pretty good, too. We鈥檝e just got to keep playing like ourselves. Even though we鈥檝e got new guys in, I know they鈥檙e going to do their thing.鈥�