Wide reciever competition...

How many will make the roster & who?? Traditionally we carry 5, but I think/hope we're gonna carry 6 this year.

1. Antonio Brown
2. Martavis Bryant
3. JuJu Smith-Schuster
4. Eli Rodgers
5. Justin Hunter
6. Darrius Heyward-Bey

PQ
1. DeMarcus Ayers
2. Cobi Hamilton

Hoping they can trade Sammy Coates. After game 3 this guy was absolutely worthless for us plus Justin Hunter is better upgrade

 

Jettison Darrius hands of stone Bey and keep Coates.

 

Sammie is not getting traded.


Up until week four against the Jets, Sammie was averaging more yards per catch than any other receiver in the league at the time. A hand injury to a player of a position like Wide Receiver is damaging.


He will bounce back for sure. If anything, Heyward Bey is the one on notice.

 

Those aren't the fingers I want to depend on for 3rd and short bombs.

 

Fingers like that and far worse are very common for NFL wide receivers.

 

Obviously you start with DHB as number one (all time and forever) and then go from there. This is DHB's team the same as Jasper Missouri is Brad Wesley's town. And don't you forget it.

 

Very true,he didn't have those in college when he was dropping ordinary passes.He needs to stay on the jugs gun daily.

 

Yeah I guess you didn't see the pictures of Coates hands yesterday. He's not going anywhere. At his worst he is a younger DHB.

 

Yeah his fingers broke to the point he need stitches from the webbing ripping apart. I think he will be fine.

 

whats even worse then his fingers was his mentality last year, he even admits it that it got to his head with all the drops. Sometimes that is a worse thing to fix. If he starts out dropping things in training camp, then you got to change him out with all the talent at that position.

 

HeyBey will be fighting for a spot, true

Apparently though he is sort of a locker room leader guy, plus he is good on special teams. They might keep him just for that.

I guess its not hard to be a leader among the WR's in the locker room when you got guys like A.B. who just likes playing with his phone.

 

I did not know that. I expect linemen to be mangled, I would have thought receivers would have piano player fingers. Although, I do remember Bradshaw breaking a rookie receivers fingers once with a bullet throw.

 

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Pittsburgh Steelers
Antonio Brown talks about living up to his contract

One thing that seems to have an effect on players is money. That is no secret, and last season Antonio Brown was playing for his next contract. Now that he is the highest paid receiver in the NFL, he needs to attempt to live up to those expectations.


"It's pressure every day," Brown said via ESPN. “It was pressure today for me to come here, pressure today for me to work here. You've got to love it. It comes with the job. My focus now is helping us win a championship."

Brown hasn’t been a stranger to putting in hard work during his career. He chronicles his extensive workout process every day on social media. Brown turns 29 in July, which means he will be entering his 30s early on during this lucrative deal, but what’s troubling is Ben Roethlisberger could walk away from the NFL as soon as next offseason. While his discussions of retiring this offseason didn’t seem sincere, it should be a wake up call that a 35-year-old quarterback who has been injured pretty often is nearing the end of his run.

Roethlisberger leaving during Brown’s deal could have the biggest impact on him living up to the money. If Brown can produce at this same level without Roethlisberger, then he will have truly earned all of money.

Bryant gearing up for last chance

It was no secret the Steelers missed Martavis Bryant last season. After bursting onto the scene in 2015, his year-long suspension for 2016 left a huge hole opposite Brown, which no one could seem to fill. In fact, a lot of that workload in the passing game fell onto Le’Veon Bell who finished 2016 as the second leading receiver in Pittsburgh, despite missing three games as well as being the primary running back.

Bryant is an insanely talented receiver. His speed coupled with his size just isn’t fair. He could easily be a top receiver on most teams in the NFL, and having him on the same roster as Brown makes Pittsburgh a threat. Still Bryant’s biggest weakness has always been his issue of getting in his own way. It is also clear he’s on his last chance with the Steelers, and he isn’t out of the woods yet as far as the NFL is concerned. The NFL released this press release on his conditional return:


"Bryant may join the Steelers at the training facility and participate in meetings, conditioning work and similar activities. Once arrangements have been confirmed regarding Bryant's clinical resources in Pittsburgh, he will be permitted to participate in all preseason activities, including practices and games... Prior to the start of the regular season, the NFL will review Bryant’s progress. Based on his compliance and engagement with his program and resources, he will be permitted to participate in all regular season activities beginning in Week 1. He will be evaluated later in the season for full reinstatement."

Bryant will have to break the trend of troubled receivers who couldn’t make their ways back to the NFL before him (like Josh Gordon and Justin Blackmon) to keep his spot with the Steelers.

 

As long as that hand works, and he says it does, it's not a problem. If Coates can grow some as a player this year, I still think he's a good weapon.

Pretty sure we keep 6.

Brown and Bryant are the top tandem in the league
Eli is a weapon in the slot and, though I still think it's a bad pick, I like Juju and he will impress
I happen to like Hunter and think Coates will contribute

Ayers, Hamilton and DHB probably won't make it but are all worthy of an NFL roster.

 

Check google for Torrey Holts fingers, plaxico's...

You get your fingers jammed by enough footballs traveling 50-60mph and they have a tendency to get pretty mangled.

 

Brown, Bryant and JuJu are locks

I believe they wlll keep 3 additional WRs and it will 3 of Rogers, Hunter, Coates, and DHB. And of those 4, Rogers is the closest to a lock.

Don't count out DHB, his position versatility, S/T value, and playbook knowledge are all assets for a #5/6 WR. Meanwhile, it's hard to say where Hunter falls in all of this. Preseason will be important for him

Ultimately, Coates will have to beat out DHB on the S/T unit (or be the beneficiary of someone else winning the gunner spot, like a DB)

Ayers is likely to be on the PS. But I don't think Cobi Hamilton is eligible for the PS this year.

 

Can't see Cobi making it this year. Which is a shame for his story, but I guess how it goes given the competition.

I'm even wondering if they cut him earlier to let him try out elsewhere.

 

Saw that... Dang! Has a Merle haggard finger

 

I was thinking his finger looked like a dead guys finger. Then I remembered Merle is dead. So yes, it does look like a Merle Haggard finger.

 

Dude Merle will never die. Neither will Roy Nichols for that matter. You can't die when you're as awesome as Merle and Roy.

 

I agree with you about the first 3 being locks.
I believe Rogers will also be a lock.
From film Hunter looks like a slower version of Bryant, but with reliable hand, a deep threat, and he's 6'4"...
DHB has value as he contributed on ST & made some season-saving plays last year at wr...
Coates was good for 3 games. If this guy was so hurt last year, why did he suit up every game?? Because was he not 100% worthless as a pass catcher?? If you know your useless to your team, why suit up & waste downs if you know you can't catch anything?? Before his injury, he was 50/50 catching balls. After injury catch rate was lower than Mariana Trench. Ben gave him many chances, this guy drop far more balls than DHB, & DHB is more reliable on ST than Coats. DHB is taller, faster, & a better leader than Coates. Sammy Coats had 2 opportunities to make huge plays on 3rd down in that Patriot game, he dropped both balls, plus this guy has a diva attitude. Replacing Coates with Ayers would've been a better option in that game...

 

I believe JuJu Smith-Schuster is Marcus Wheaton's replacement. I think he will be a dynamic possession receiver in the mold of Hines Ward...