Hard to bet on Tucker as camp sleeper
PITTSBURGH 鈥� The mathematics would seem to favor Marcus Tucker becoming that Camp Sleeper everyone loves to bet on this time of year:
n Tucker has played on the Steelers鈥� practice squad the last two seasons, and he鈥檚 tough and fast and shows up every single day ready to work. At rookie mini-camp, the former two-time captain from Northern Michigan University led the rookies through drills and Mike Tomlin repeatedly brought him forward for teachable moments.
n The Steelers lost their third and fourth most productive wide receivers, Martavis Bryant and Eli Rogers, due to trade and injury, respectively. And last preseason, Tucker was the most productive wide receiver with eight catches for 97 yards.
n JuJu Smith-Schuster has missed the first three OTAs, or as Tucker described it, 鈥溾�� for a minute. That鈥檚 when I knew I was next guy up who knew what to do.鈥�
Antonio Brown missed Thursday鈥檚 workout as well, so there was a real need for an experienced receiver to play alongside veteran Justin Hunter and second-round draft pick James Washington.
At 5-10, 190, Tucker even looks the part to take on the role formerly played by the 5-10, 187-pound Rogers.
Marcus, are you the next Eli Rogers?
鈥淯h, man,鈥� he said as he searched for words. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say I鈥檓 the next Eli Rogers. I just want to be the best Tuck I can be.鈥�
The players call him 鈥淭uck,鈥� and, no, you headline writers out there, he鈥檚 never heard of The Marshall Tucker Band. But can he play the slot?
鈥淚鈥檓 fairly new,鈥� Tucker said. 鈥淚 usually play outside for the most part, for the most part X. Even in college I played on the backside, and then my senior year I dibbled and dabbled in the slot in college, but I鈥檓 three years out of college so that doesn鈥檛 even matter now.鈥�
Don鈥檛 fool yourself. Dibbling and dabbling in college always matters. But he underscored the point former coordinator Todd Haley used to make about Rogers: He played the slot in college and it gave him an edge over all the transplanted X鈥檚 and Z鈥檚 who starred out wide in school but struggled with the move inside.
鈥淚鈥檝e been playing X here, but now I鈥檓 moving into kind of a new position,鈥� Tucker said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a new feel for me, because in the slot it鈥檚 about timing, spacing, being in the right place at the right time. It鈥檚 not so much about beating your guy as it is on the outside, where you鈥檙e in one-on-one type situations. You still have to have a feel for the guys outside of you, the guys inside of you, be at your mark in the right space and at the right time, be where the quarterback needs you to be. So I鈥檝e got to step it up in that aspect and come out here and get better and get a feel with those guys.鈥�
It鈥檚 the logic that fails the numbers. Tucker鈥檚 inexperienced at a spot all of the numbers above seem to scream Camp Sleeper. But now it sounds as if he might be a sleeper to become Camp Sleeper.
鈥淚鈥檓 OK with that,鈥� he said with a chuckle. 鈥淚鈥檝e been an underdog my whole life, man. I鈥檓 not supposed to be here right now, so that don鈥檛 mean nothing to me. I just come out and compete with the regulars and make plays and try to make it tough for them to get me out of here. That鈥檚 all I can do.鈥�
Underdog his whole life?
Well, yeah. He was born in Flint, Michigan. That right there hurts the odds of even being alive at age 26.
Actually, Tucker won鈥檛 turn 26 until late June, after minicamp, during summer break. So on his birthday he鈥檒l probably be back home in Flint. The water at his place is drinkable, but that won鈥檛 be the case across town.
鈥淵ou take clean water for granted when you鈥檙e out here,鈥� Tucker said as he looked out at the lush practice fields. 鈥淚 go back and visit my aunt and I catch myself going to the sink 鈥� 鈥極h s*!#, got to find the bottle or boil it.'鈥�
To summarize the catastrophe that鈥檚 ongoing in Tucker鈥檚 hometown, let鈥檚 turn to the most recent edition of The Detroit News:
鈥溾�� the state-appointed fiscal manager in 2014 switched the city鈥檚 water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in a reckless attempt to save money. The water corroded the city鈥檚 aging pipes, causing them to leach lead into the system. The lead impacted the water in every home, business and school.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very touchy subject for myself,鈥� Tucker said. 鈥淢y mom, who now stays in Houston, Texas, she had a play that she did at The Whiting in Flint on May 12th, and she actually had a water drive to give out waters and she helped the community with that. I had my hand in that also. Just doing what we can to kind of support the community and just help out with some of those things.鈥�
Tucker鈥檚 mother, Cynthia Tucker, is a playwright and a former policewoman who, through her play, hoped to create awareness for diabetes. Raising awareness for clean drinking water was on her son鈥檚 mind as he was being interviewed by Pittsburgh reporters.
鈥淔lint is home. I love it. Back at the crib,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a place where I fell in love with the game, just fell in love with the community. All my friends and family are back there. Special place for me. But that situation is tough. I鈥檝e got friends and family that are still dealing with that right now. The water鈥檚 still unsafe, so if anybody out there can continue to help in that regard, I urge you guys to do what you can.鈥�
The affected populace is forced to 鈥渦se water bottles for everything. You can鈥檛 do anything out of the sink, out of the pipeline. It鈥檚 tough. You bathe with it. You eat with water bottles. You鈥檝e got to boil water. You鈥檝e got to take water bottles and pour it to boil water, to cook food, to bathe, to 鈥� everything.鈥�
The numbers on the football field should take care of themselves, as Tucker, in his third year with the team, can visualize that opening for his first 53-man roster spot. He knows it鈥檚 there for the taking.
That, of course, would in turn help his visibility, and perhaps those in his seemingly forgotten hometown.
鈥淭here are people still fighting out there,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople still keeping the hope that one day things are going to get better. This has been going on for three or four years now, where they鈥檝e been dealing with this and nothing has been done just yet. We鈥檝e just got to stay prayerful and keep giving and do what we can. And keep the awareness up, so people know that situation is still out there.鈥�