Steelers’ veterans set for preseason debut
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during training camp practice Monday in Latrobe.
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will make his preseason debut tonight against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
The Steelers are about to begin their real preseason.
Forget about last Sunday’s 14-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the Hall of Fame Game. That was largely played by the team’s junior varsity squad, with some notable and, at least in the case of placekicker Shaun Suisham, painful exceptions.
When the Steelers play the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field, the starting lineup is largely expected to include most of the team’s regulars – at least for a little while.
”Our intention is that all healthy men are going to play in this game,” said head coach Mike Tomlin.
That wasn’t the case last week as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown – among others – were healthy scratches against the Vikings.
The starters, including Roethlisberger, Bell and Brown, are supposed to get at least a taste of playing time before giving way to the backups as the Steelers, who have now been at training camp for three weeks thanks to their participation in the Hall of Fame Game, continue to prepare for the 2015 regular season.
Unfortunately, they didn’t make it out of the game against the Vikings unscathed as Suisham suffered a torn ACL that required surgery. Veteran Garrett Hartley was signed to take his place and the game against the Jaguars will offer his first opportunity to show he’s capable of holding down the job.
”I think we all are built off pressure,” said Hartley, who spent the majority of his six NFL seasons kicking for the New Orleans Saints. “I think that’s everybody in this league. We didn’t get to this point without competition. Having that mindset of knowing that this could be my job in the long term, obviously, I know why this job opened up and I wish him the best recovery, but I know what I’m here for.”
The same could be said of a number of roster spots. Third-year quarterback Landry Jones, who will relieve Roethlisberger with second-stringer Bruce Gradkowski still on the PUP List with a sore throwing shoulder, will get a second opportunity to show that he’s making the necessary adjustments to compete in the NFL.
Jones’ final numbers last week – 16 of 32 for 130 yards – weren’t impressive. But he was much better in the first half when he was playing with more veteran players instead of a lineup full of rookies.
”There were good things and bad things,” Jones said of his first performance. “I will learn from it. Obviously it wasn’t good enough to win. That’s the ultimate goal.
”The first game back, there are always some jitters. After you get hit a couple of times, it’s just football. You settle into the game.”
The Steelers certainly hope their younger players got rid of some of the opening-game jitters.
Tight end Jesse James, the team’s fifth-round draft pick, is one of them.
The former Penn State player had a rough game against the Vikings, dropping one pass, fumbling another after making the grab and was penalized for a false start.
What did Tomlin tell James and some of the other young players?
”Catch the ball,” Tomlin said. “Basic football things.
”Some of the younger guys freeze up sometimes. That’s part of the process. I was talking to the young guys the other day and I meant it, I would have liked to show them a cut-up of (linebacker) Lawrence Timmons’ Hall of Fame game from 2007. It was pretty ugly. It provides a window and a ray of light for those who are mentally weak enough to need it. It is just how it goes. You need to start somewhere. Some starts are better than others. Regardless of how you start is not going to define you, and I just use Lawrence as an example of that.”
The Steelers fumbled three times against the Vikings, one each by James, Dri Archer and C.J. Goodwin. The Steelers lost the fumbles by James and Goodwin. … Archer enters the game as the Steelers’ leader in both rushing (24 yards) and receiving (six catches for 33 yards).