Haden, Smith-Schuster return to practice
PITTSBURGH 鈥� JuJu Smith-Schuster watched last week鈥檚 game 鈥� while suspended 鈥� at home with his helmet on.
Strange, but passionate. Although he didn鈥檛 watch the AFC Championship Game last season, he鈥檒l play in the rematch on Sunday.
Joe Haden watched the AFCCG but never imagined he would be playing in a big game like it so soon; not with the Cleveland Browns anyway.
Haden still might not play this week against the New England Patriots, but he practiced through a light walk-through, was the first-team left cornerback, yet is waiting until Thursday鈥檚 practice to make a better determination on his recovery from a broken fibula that鈥檚 kept him out of the last four games.
Is this week just to knock off the rust for Haden?
Or does he have a legitimate chance to play Sunday against the Patriots?
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a legitimate chance,鈥� Haden said.
That would give the Steelers two key players they didn鈥檛 have last year.
Throw in Martavis Bryant, a healthy Le鈥橵eon Bell, a healthy Cameron Heyward and rookie T.J. Watt, and the Steelers have certainly been upgraded since the ugly 36-17 loss in Foxboro that kept them from the Super Bowl.
Of course, the Steelers are without Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons, whom they had a year ago. But the Patriots are without their star inside linebacker, Dont鈥檃 Hightower, wide receiver Julian Edelman, and right trackle Marcus Cannon, who was just put on IR this week.
Rob Gronkowski is back, but Trey Flowers, Kyle Van Noy and Deatrich Wise, the Patriots鈥� Nos. 1, 2 and 3 pass-rushers, have been out with injuries as well.
It could be an entirely different game, and one in which Haden would make a major difference.
Since the cornerback broke his fibula late in the first quarter in Indianapolis, the Steelers have allowed a passer rating of 95.2. With Haden, they allowed a passer rating of 73.0.
Suffice to say, Haden would help out a bit against Tom Brady, but he holds back on his optimism, because he knows how wrong he was on the play he was hurt.
鈥淚 thought I had a calf bruise,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 thought I was going to be out for 10 minutes. I was like, 鈥楪ive me 60 seconds. I鈥檒l be right back out there.鈥� I thought I was going to be able to go back out there and play. When they said 鈥榊ou鈥檝e got a fracture,鈥� I was like 鈥榃hat? What are y鈥檃ll talking about?鈥� Then they told me four to six weeks.鈥�
Haden鈥檚 been out four weeks and hopes he can play this week, but he won鈥檛 push it since he鈥檚 headed to the playoffs for the first time in his eight-year career.
鈥淣o matter what, we have three more games left, and, no matter what, we鈥檙e going to have playoffs afterwards,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o for me it鈥檚 just about getting my body right trying to get back. The thing the coaches and everybody said is it鈥檚 no rush, because we know what we鈥檙e chasing.鈥�
If Haden can鈥檛 make it back this week, that cornerback position might be left to rookie Cameron Sutton. The third-round pick spent 12 weeks on injured reserve before returning to play the last two games. Sutton played 53 snaps in those games while rotating with Coty Sensabaugh, who played 75 snaps. Sensabaugh injured his shoulder Sunday night and didn鈥檛 practice Wednesday. He鈥檚 also been more ineffective than has Sutton.
鈥淭he thing I like about Cam is he doesn鈥檛 have any fear,鈥� Haden said. 鈥淲hen we play man-to-man he loves to press, he loves to get his hands on guys on the line. When you have a guy who likes to go up there and put hands on guys in man-to-man, that鈥檚 half the battle. When you know that if they run that fade ball, and you鈥檙e standing out there with single-high showing, they鈥檙e going to look to throw it to you, and when you鈥檙e pressed up like that it shows confidence.鈥�
Speaking of confidence, Smith-Schuster said he鈥檚 not changing the way he plays. He just returned to the team this week after being suspended for what appeared to be a clean block on Vontaze Burfict. But it was a brutal block, and Smith-Schuster stood over him. The combination of the hard hit and the taunt, in a game in which Shazier had been taken away on a stretcher, paralyzed from the waist down, probably affected the officiating, the announcing (thus the public perception) and then the punishment.
But, the charismatic JuJu is back.
鈥淚t was tough,鈥� he said. 鈥淢e home, when I鈥檇 rather be out there with my guys, my teammates, I kept the helmet on just to stay locked in, you know, focused on the game. Best to never do that again.鈥�
How did the suspension affect him mentally?
鈥淥h, I鈥檓 still playing physical,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not going to stop my game. That鈥檚 how it鈥檚 been since I was a kid. I鈥檓 still going to make those blocks. Yes, I鈥檓 going to be more careful. I鈥檓 going to aim for their shoulder and lower and just be more protective of the game.鈥�
Smith-Schuster leads AFC rookies with 37 receptions, 585 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns, but he missed a golden chance to pad those numbers in the last game when Ben Roethlisberger threw for 506 yards.
鈥淵eah, everyone was eating,鈥� Smith-Schuster said. 鈥淚 was like 鈥榃here鈥檚 my plate at?'鈥�
Smith-Schuster paused before answering his own question.
鈥淎t home,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it was awesome to see Ben on fire. For him to throw 66 balls in a single game like that and throw for 500 yards and everyone gets their touches? I mean it makes it even tougher to watch the game.鈥�
But not this game. Smith-Schuster may not have watched Patriots-Steelers last year, but this time he can not only play in it, he can make a difference.
鈥淥h, I鈥檓 so excited. I鈥檓 very excited,鈥� the rookie said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor. It鈥檚 a blessing. I mean, me being young, I was always a fan of Brady, Gronk, all those guys. And now to have an opportunity to be back and play against them 鈥� and now I鈥檓 playing with my guys.鈥�
NOTES: Bryant missed Wednesday鈥檚 practice with a team excuse. Sensabaugh (shoulder), TE Vance McDonald (shoulder) and DL Stephon Tuitt (illness) were also sidelined. 鈥� Limited were Haden and ILB Tyler Matakevich (shoulder).