Pouncey ready to play RT in an emergency
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Maurkice Pouncey didn鈥檛 get to play any right tackle Thursday, but not because the experiment has been deemed a failure.
鈥淣o, I think they鈥檝e seen enough,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey liked it.鈥�
So, why not take more reps?
鈥淚t鈥檚 just for an emergency,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淚f one of the guys goes down, they wanted to know if I could handle it.鈥�
All the reps instead went to Chris Hubbard, who鈥檚 preparing to make his first NFL start Sunday for the Steelers against the New York Jets and one of the most rugged defensive lines in the NFL.
Hubbard is a third-year pro out of UAB who spent 2013 on the practice squad, 2014 on the bench and played in seven regular-season games and two playoff games last season as a reserve. He did get one snap last season at tackle, which is one more than Pouncey and practice-squad tackle Matt Feiler have combined to play in the NFL.
But Hubbard said he鈥檒l be ready.
鈥淕etting all the reps today and this week are going to help a lot, really a lot,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t will make the game a lot easier.鈥�
The game could also be a bit easier for Hubbard since the Jets employ four big men across their front, instead of two big men and two quick edge rushers.
Hubbard, who鈥檚 normally an interior player, will primarily be blocking Muhammad Wilkerson, a 315-pounder with 2.5 sacks this season.
However, Hubbard refused to agree the matchup was better suited to him.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 discredit these guys at all, man,鈥� he said with a shake of the head. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to go out there like you would any other Sunday. But this is my first Sunday, so it鈥檒l be awesome.鈥�
Is the new father getting his sleep?
鈥淥h, yeah,鈥� Hubbard said. 鈥淢y wife understands and she鈥檚 helping me out a lot. She鈥檚 helping with the baby. It鈥檚 working out. We鈥檝e got everything planned. We have a schedule that fits for us and it鈥檚 working out well.鈥�
GETTING HIS RESPECT
Hubbard isn鈥檛 the only Steelers starter this week who鈥檚 risen from the Steelers鈥� practice squad after attending a college with a now-defunct football program.
Jordan Dangerfield is finally getting his respect as the starting strong safety for a second consecutive week.
鈥淛ust keeping faith in God,鈥� Dangerfield explained of how he stayed the course. 鈥淚 just had to be patient and wait for my time.鈥�
Dangerfield鈥檚 deep confidence caused him to miss out on his only Division I-A scholarship offer coming out of Royal Palm Beach, Fla. He waited for something better than Florida International University, but nothing came along, and then FIU pulled its offer. So he went to Hofstra, which folded its program, and then he went to Towson.
But he still believed he could get here from there.
鈥淎bsolutely,鈥� Dangerfield said. 鈥淲e had a guy at the time, (Jermon) Bushrod, a Pro Bowl lineman from Towson, so I said if he can do it, I can do it.鈥�
Undrafted, Dangerfield spent the 2013 training camp with the Buffalo Bills, was cut, and spent most of the last two seasons on the Steelers鈥� practice squad. He made the 53-man roster this year and started last week in place of injured starter Robert Golden.
Dangerfield made five tackles in the game and drew unsolicited praise from Mike Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference.
Dangerfield was asked how players such as he and Hubbard, and so many others in the past, are able to rise to the Steelers starting lineup from the practice squad.
鈥淭hey keep you around everything. We鈥檙e in all the team meetings,鈥� Dangerfield said. 鈥淭hey keep you active. We don鈥檛 just come in, run, lift, practice. They don鈥檛 just use us as bodies at practice. They develop us on and off the field.鈥�
TRICKLE DOWN FOOTBALL
Of course, the injury wave this week hasn鈥檛 subsided. Justin Gilbert (knee) missed Thursday鈥檚 practice along with the expected group of Marcus Gilbert (ankle), Ryan Harris (shin), Eli Rogers (toe), Ryan Shazier (knee) and Cody Wallace (knee), with limited practice time for Golden (hamstring) and Jarvis Jones (ankle).
Tomlin worried Tuesday that this wave would create a 鈥渢rickle-down鈥� problem for special teams, but special teams coordinator Danny Smith said that hasn鈥檛 changed his job.
鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 not a problem,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淲e deal with the hand we play. There鈥檚 a game at one o鈥檆lock on Sunday. We鈥檒l be there.鈥�