Tomlin says ‘mix of guys’ will replace injured Cam Heyward
PITTSBURGH 鈥� The Steelers鈥� injury plight might be getting a little bit better, Mike Tomlin announced on Tuesday, saying that they could get nine players back, including four starters, this week against Miami.
One player who won鈥檛 be playing, however, is Cam Heyward. The star defensive end will miss the first game of his career with a hamstring injury sustained in the Steelers鈥� 31-13 win over the New York Jets in Week 5.
Tomlin said that he didn鈥檛 have a time frame on Heyward鈥檚 return, but expects that the sixth-year pro will do everything to get back as soon as possible.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 fall in the realm of what鈥檚 normal in anything he does,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淗e just has that level of commitment and that talented of a guy.鈥�
According to multiple reports, Heyward is out 2-3 weeks, which would include the Steelers鈥� Week 8 bye. Tomlin said he would meet with his staff later Tuesday to discuss how Heyward鈥檚 reps would be split up.
鈥淭he reality is who starts is probably irrelevant,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably going to be a mix of guys and that mix is going to be determined by situations and circumstances.鈥�
Rookie Javon Hargrave would seem the likely starter with veteran Ricardo Mathews getting a bump in snaps. This season, Hargrave has four tackles, two of them coming last week, while Mathews has two assists.
Tomlin praised Hargrave, the Steelers鈥� third-round pick, who played 55 percent of snaps against the Jets.
鈥淗is arrow has been pointing up continually over the course of the first five games,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淚 thought last Sunday was his best performance and it鈥檚 reasonable to anticipate that it鈥檚 going to continue.鈥�
The Steelers signed Mathews in free agency last March and he鈥檚 provided quality depth, an improvement over the departed Cam Thomas.
鈥淗e has a ridiculous motor,鈥� Tomlin said of Mathews, who played 29 percent of the snaps against New York. 鈥淗e鈥檚 highly conditioned for a guy his size. Those are things that we like. He鈥檚 a good teammate. He鈥檚 a hard worker.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about, maybe, the opportunity that could be presented to him and others given the misfortune that Cam鈥檚 dealing with.鈥�
Starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle), Ryan Shazier (knee), wide receiver Eli Rogers (turf toe) and safety Robert Golden (hamstring), among others, could possibly return this week. Tomlin said he鈥檇 make determinations on each after seeing them in practice.
Below, Times Steelers Writer Chris Bradford gives you a recap of Tomlin鈥檚 Tuesday press conference:
TALKING POINTS
n Mike Tomlin recognizes that there is great media interest in Antonio Brown鈥檚 shoes and dances, but it has zero effect on the Steelers. For the second week in a row, Brown was made to change shoes for the messages contained on them. 鈥淵ou guys can have it, but don鈥檛 expect us to participate or be enthusiastic participants in it,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淩eally, it鈥檚 irrelevant.鈥�
n In five games, Ross Cockrell has all but shutdown Cincinnati鈥檚 A.J. Green and the Jets鈥� Brandon Marshall. Not bad for a guy picked off the scrap heap last summer. But Tomlin said he鈥檚 not surprised. He sees it in practice every day. 鈥淚 appreciate his approach to work and his day to day demeanor and the work that he puts in even more than the contributions that he鈥檚 given us,鈥� Tomlin said. Expect Cockrell to see a lot of Jarvis Landry this week in Miami.
n If you鈥檙e looking for, say, Vince Williams or Chris Hubbard to 鈥淲ally Pipp鈥� Ryan Shazier or Marcus Gilbert, it could happen. Only in theory, of course. Tomlin does not have a blanket policy regarding starters losing their jobs due to injury. 鈥淚 deal with it on a case-by-case basis,鈥� Tomlin said. Back to Shazier, Tomlin said their is no chance that he would move the inside linebacker to safety. 鈥淣o. I鈥檒l just let you guys continue to speculate,鈥� Tomlin said.
n Asked about the progress of Ladarius Green as he rehabs from ankle surgery in January, Tomlin said only: 鈥淗e鈥檚 doing great.鈥� Green appears to be getting closer to a return but it鈥檚 hardly imminent.
n With the wealth of soft-tissue injuries (i.e., muscle pulls), Tomlin was asked if he鈥檚 re-evaluated what his team does in pre-game, he answered, 鈥淣ot at all.鈥�
n Tomlin did not know how Sammie Coates cut his finger, nor did he care. 鈥淚 coach. I鈥檓 not a medical expert,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淭he medical expert deemed him capable of playing.鈥� Tomlin said that he doesn鈥檛 expect the cut will interfere with the receiver鈥檚 ability to catch the ball.
n Tomlin liked what he saw from his outside linebackers, the tandem of Jarvis Jones and Anthony Chickillo in particular. He wasn鈥檛 ready to say that it was their best game, but Tomlin was pleased with Jones as a disruptive force against the run and the pass. 鈥淚 like to believe that our better days lie ahead,鈥� Tomlin said. The coach thought that they had chances for more sacks and more turnovers. Tomlin added that James Harrison started because he had taken more preparation reps last week.
n Little known fact about Jordan Berry: The punter is a gym rat, according to Tomlin. 鈥淗e鈥檚 here every day working to get better, not only in terms of understanding the nuances and techniques associated with the position but working to improve his body physically,鈥� Tomlin said. Berry averages 43.2 net yards per punt and has landed 10 his 21 punts inside the 20.
n The Steelers haven鈥檛 been burnt by the big pass play nearly as much this season as in past years. The Steelers have given up just two passes of 40-plus yards (ranking 19th) and 15 of 20-plus (ranking 17th). Tomlin said he attributed it to scheme and execution. 鈥淲e have a desire to be a difficult team to beat and for us is starts with not beating ourselves,鈥� he said, pointing to a lack penalties.
n Tomlin said not too read too much in his decision to place T Ryan Harris and CB Senquez Golson on IR. Due to injuries, the Steelers were forced to juggle the roster last week. The two, along with LB Bud Dupree, are on IR but only one can be brought back.
n Promoted to the 53-man roster on Saturday night, Al-Hajj Shabazz played six snaps against the Jets. Tomlin said Shabazz was merely playing the role of Justin Gilbert, who suffered a knee injury last week, in four corners. 鈥淲e felt good about the (sub) package, we didn鈥檛 want to take a step backward,鈥� Tomlin said.
n Tomlin was sporting a pink 鈥淧ittsburgh is stronger than cancer鈥� T-shirt, which is the motto of RB DeAngelo Williams鈥� foundation. Williams lost his mother and four aunts to breast cancer. 鈥淒eAngelo is a great and valued teammate,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淚 want to support him, his teammates want to support him in this cause and we鈥檙e honored to do so.鈥�
INJURY UPDATE
n Add RB DeAngelo Williams (knee), one carry against the Jets, to the injury list. Williams could be limited in practice this week.
n Along with Heyward, S Shamarko Thomas (groin) has been ruled out.
n Tomlin said Coates (finger), WR Markus Wheaton (shoulder), FB Roosevelt Nix (back) and Gilbert (knee) will be monitored in practice but he expects they could be ready to go.
THIS N鈥橝T
As he鈥檚 been known to do, Tomlin made the 2016 Dolphins sound a lot like the 1972 Dolphins. Though they are 1-4, the Dolphins are better than what their record indicates, he said. They have talent on both sides, led by WR Jarvis Landry. 鈥淕ot a lot of respect for his talents,鈥� Tomlin said. He also praised the mobility of QB Ryan Tannehill and said of RB Arian Foster: 鈥淗e鈥檚 the type of guy who can hurt you in the run game and hurt you bad.鈥� 鈥� Offensively, the Dolphins also have WR Kenny Stills and TE Jordan Cameron, who have hurt the Steelers before in previous stops. 鈥� Tomlin compared Miami鈥檚 defense with DE Mario Williams and DT Ndamukong Suh to Cincinnati鈥檚 Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins.
QUOTEWORTHY
鈥淣obody ask me about 鈥榣ocker room talk.鈥� I ain鈥檛 into that.鈥� 鈥� Tomlin, warning reporters before his weekly press conference not to ask him about a political hot-topic.