Report on progress of Steelers’ rookies
Mason Rudolph ended the bye week on what Tyler Matakevich considered a high note.
It was the last play of the week and Matakevich intercepted Rudolph鈥檚 pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Hooray for Matakevich and the starting, beleaguered defense as 鈥淒irty Red鈥� left Pittsburgh with a big smile.
But, of course, it was too bad for the rookie quarterback.
鈥淵eah, that鈥檚 not how you want to end the day,鈥� said Randy Fichtner. The Steelers offensive coordinator was asked about Rudolph鈥檚 development at the 6-week marker.
鈥淲ell,鈥� Fichtner said as he pondered, 鈥淚鈥檓 really pleased where he鈥檚 at, minus a handful of plays like that that get you beat.鈥�
Rudolph, the third-round draft pick, had emerged from preseason with 116 snaps under his belt and an outstanding QB rating of 90.6. But since then he鈥檚 had to fight for practice reps with Ben Roethlisberger鈥檚 other backup, Joshua Dobbs, and has been inactive in all six regular-season games.
Do rookie quarterbacks normally regress in such instances?
鈥淚t usually happens,鈥� Fichtner said. 鈥淚 guess that鈥檚 a pretty harsh word, because they鈥檙e still getting a lot of work, but you鈥檙e right. They鈥檙e not getting that game experience. They鈥檙e not getting those valued reps like that. The quote-unquote pressure is still on them daily, because in their own way they鈥檙e still competing. We鈥檝e made it pretty clear that we want to develop both guys and give everyone an opportunity to see where we鈥檙e at, so if Ben tweaks an ankle or something and you have to move forward, both guys would be ready to do so.
鈥淏ut, yeah, we don鈥檛 want to turn the ball over, and that鈥檚 what we did today.鈥�
Rudolph and Dobbs try to make up for a lack of game reps by utilizing a virtual-reality tool the Steelers have brought into their practice facility. The team films what, say, Roethlisberger sees from his helmet against the 鈥渓ook鈥� team in practice, and the young quarterbacks take turns with the VR goggles in a conference room upstairs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great, another learning tool for him,鈥� Fichtner said of Rudolph. 鈥淗e鈥檚 pretty consistent with his work day. I think the thing I鈥檓 most proud of with him is he鈥檚 establishing that professional work day. He鈥檚 in early; he鈥檚 out late. He has a progression of things he does daily. I can鈥檛 speak for maybe his eating habits and some other things 鈥� that type of stuff once he leaves here 鈥� but I know that (throughout) his day he鈥檚 doing the right things. That can only help him. And that鈥檚 just one tool.鈥�
Here鈥檚 a look at how the other Steelers rookies are progressing at the breakpoint following six regular-season games:
Terrell Edmunds (Round 1) 鈥� Easily the team鈥檚 top rookie thus far. Edmunds has started 5-of-6 games at strong safety, and he鈥檚 unlikely to give it up, even if Morgan Burnett returns from his groin injury.
Edmunds has played every defensive snap in the last four games and is tied for sixth place on the team with 21 tackles. He鈥檚 also flashed future big-play skills with his interception and blazing return for 35 yards. He鈥檚 becoming more comfortable and fulfilling his assignments, and the next step is for him to begin living up to his potential as a playmaker.
鈥淗e鈥檚 gotten better each and every game,鈥� said DBs coach Tom Bradley. 鈥淭he thing that got him three games ago doesn鈥檛 get him now. He tweaked it. There鈥檚 something else he picked up that becomes easier in his repertoire as we progress through this thing, and he鈥檚 playing a lot of plays for a young guy. I think he logs about 75 plays a game, which is a lot for a rookie. We ask him to do a lot of things. As we go along, and through this process he鈥檚 able to adjust and we鈥檙e able to give him more.鈥�
Edmunds鈥� average snaps-per-game is actually 65. He played only 32 in the second game, the game he didn鈥檛 start. He鈥檚 also adding an average of 18 snaps per game on special teams. And the safety from Virginia Tech is a hard worker in practice.
鈥淎ll the time,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very conscientious in everything he does and how he goes about his practice. There aren鈥檛 many practices I come out of and I鈥檓 disappointed in the effort he gave us. One of the things he takes to heart is when he makes a mistake, he鈥檚 not going to let it happen again.鈥�
What was that aspect he wasn鈥檛 getting three games ago?
鈥淭he fire zones gave him trouble before,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淎long with his line up on some of our formation blitzes that he鈥檚 been able to pick up. It鈥檚 just little things. Each week there are one or two things he now puts in his back pocket and he knows it now because he鈥檚 done it a lot of times.
鈥淧laying defense a lot of times is like driving a car. When you first start out, you鈥檙e all 10 and 2, staring constantly, and now as you start to drive more you see it more often and you still see everything, but you鈥檙e able to look, talk to people, do different things. As time goes on, you鈥檒l see he鈥檒l start to play faster.鈥�
James Washington (Round 2) 鈥� After catching five passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the second preseason game, the rookie wide receiver has been quiet. A core-muscle injury bothered him late in the preseason and in the regular-season opener, but he started games 2-4 as the third receiver, and against Kansas City he played a season-high 66 snaps and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass. But Washington鈥檚 only caught four passes for 35 yards since, and the 14-yard touchdown remains the long catch by one of college football鈥檚 top deep threats last season.
鈥淗e鈥檚 coming,鈥� said WRs coach Darryl Drake. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a process for him, too. He鈥檚 coming, and we鈥檝e got to push him along faster and get him more involved. When those opportunities come for him he鈥檚 got to be ready to deliver. And those opportunities will come.鈥�
One came last Sunday when Roethlisberger unloaded a deep pass to Washington in the fourth quarter. He had a step on Bengals cornerback William Jackson, but the ball was directly over his head and Washington couldn鈥檛 get a good enough read to go up and make a 鈥渃ombat catch.鈥�
鈥淏een a combat catch guy,鈥� Drake said. 鈥淏ut you know in the National Football League when we talk about separation, separation in the National Football League is a step, especially when you have man coverage. He鈥檚 able to do that in a lot of instances.鈥�
In six games, Washington鈥檚 played 215 snaps and been targeted 14 times. He鈥檚 made five catches for 49 yards and the touchdown. He averages 9.8 yards per catch.
In JuJu Smith-Schuster鈥檚 first six games as a rookie last season, he played 277 snaps, was targeted 23 times, made 15 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 12.8 yards per catch.
鈥淲e ask them to do so much,鈥� Drake said of rookie receivers. 鈥淭hey really have to understand the coverages, they have to understand what safeties are doing, they have to understand the concepts of what we鈥檙e asking him to do, and they have to be able to make that decision in less than a second. The thing that I鈥檝e tried to do is get him to not think, react. The game is a reaction game, and you鈥檝e got to react in the right way. As time goes on, they get more and more comfortable, they get more and more of an understanding of what鈥檚 happening to them.鈥�
鈥淚 was very surprised last year,鈥� Fichtner said of Smith-Schuster. 鈥淗aving been in that room for several years in this League, rookies, it鈥檚 hard. There鈥檚 a lot you have to learn, and if you make a mistake at the wrong time, it鈥檚 usually critical. JuJu didn鈥檛 make those mistakes. I think the thing that allowed him to do that was his physicality, his toughness, and mentally that just allowed him to fight through that little freshman training camp and the toughness of a long training camp and preseason. James is the same type. James got a little nicked up in just about the middle of the preseason. It might have set him back a little bit, but you鈥檙e starting to see him being capable of doing those same type of things and his consistency has gotten a lot better.鈥�
Chuks Okorafor (Round 3-B) 鈥� The rookie tackle from Western Michigan started three preseason games at right tackle, but has played only a handful of mop-up snaps at tackle this regular season. Okorafor did make a start in the opener as one of the extra tight ends in the jumbo package, and played a season-high 17 snaps, but he鈥檚 only played 27 offensive snaps since.
鈥淭he good thing is 鈥� like we did with other players since I鈥檝e been here 鈥� we鈥檝e gotten him in the rotation at tight end,鈥� said OL coach Mike Munchak. 鈥淗e鈥檚 on the field, he鈥檚 in the huddle. The good thing is we鈥檙e getting him in there, so he鈥檚 getting on the field and getting a feel for it, and then just out here (in practice) he鈥檚 playing both tackle spots. So, yeah, he鈥檚 come along.鈥�
So, Munchak鈥檚 happy with him?
鈥淵eah,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd this is a good week for him to get a lot of the work in practice and continue to develop. But, yeah, he鈥檚 moved a long way. He鈥檚 way ahead of where I thought he鈥檇 be when you draft a kid. You鈥檙e not quite sure how they鈥檒l adjust to what you ask them to do, but I think he鈥檚 done a nice job.鈥�
Marcus Allen, Jaylen Samuels (Round 5) 鈥� Samuels, the H-back from North Carolina State who was drafted as a running back, has been prepared for specific duty for a couple of games, but has yet to be targeted with a pass or handed the ball to run.
Active for every game, Samuels has played only two snaps on offense, and both times he was flanked wide. He鈥檚 played 23 snaps on special teams.
In the preseason Samuels carried 28 times for 86 yards (3.1 avg.) and scored a 1-yard touchdown. A player who was utilized so often in 鈥淪even Shots鈥� as a mismatch receiver for linebackers, Samuels caught eight preseason passes for 50 yards.
鈥淚 love Jaylen,鈥� said Fichtner. 鈥淎nd I鈥檝e said this before about (Stevan) Rid(ley), we鈥檙e trying to get him in and fit him in as best as possible. It isn鈥檛 anything that has been NOT done. Situationally, we鈥檝e had opportunities to put him in and it just didn鈥檛 fall right. It just wasn鈥檛 the right timing. He鈥檚 played a little bit in every game, just not enough. Hopefully this week was good for him, getting a lot more reps and maybe we can see how we can fit him in more.鈥�
Allen, the strong safety from Penn State, has been inactive in all six games. He had 13 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in three preseason games, and no doubt needs more experience before stepping into his natural niche as a dime linebacker.
Matthew Thomas, Ola Adeniyi (Undrafted) 鈥� The two defenders were preseason highlights on defense, as Thomas was the runaway tackles leader with 22 and Adeniyi was the sacks leader with three, and two of those resulted in turnovers.
But Adeniyi injured his hamstring in the final preseason game and was placed on injured reserve.
Thomas has been active for all six games but has primarily played special teams, in which he鈥檚 made two tackles and shown potential as a 232-pound gunner. He also played four snaps on defense after being prepared for spot duty when Vince Williams missed with an injury.
Thomas titillates the coaching staff with his athleticism as an inside backer, while Adeniyi packs a James Harrison-type wallop as a short-but-bullish outside backer. Adeniyi has been healthy and is eligible to return to the roster in after Week 8. OLBs coach Joey Porter was asked if Adeniyi will eventually contribute.
鈥淗opefully,鈥� said Porter. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the plan of keeping him. That鈥檚 the plan of getting him ready, and when his number鈥檚 called hopefully he鈥檚 ready.鈥�