The Steelers host the Detroit Lions this Sunday at Heinz Field. Kickoff is at 1:00 Est., and the game will be televised on Fox with Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick as commentators.
You can see if your local Fox affiliate will be broadcasting the game in the map below.
H/t the506
Red- Steelers vs. Lions
Blue- Eagles vs. Redskins
Green- Bucs vs. Falcons
Yellow- Jaguars vs. Cardinals
Grey- no game
The list of walking wounded was a little longer than usual today. Ramon Foster (ankle), Brett Keisel (foot), Fernando Velasco (knee), and LaMarr Woodley (calf) did not practice. Sharmarko Thomas has already been ruled out of this week’s game due to the high ankle sprain he suffered on Sunday. Ramon Foster was reportedly walking around the facility without a walking boot.
Kelvin Beachum (hip), David DeCastro (ankle), Marcus Gilbert (ankle), Heath Miller (not injury related) were all limited in practice. Basically, the entire starting offensive line was either out or limited in practice today. Mike Adams was a full participant.
The Steelers will be donning the much maligned “Bumble Bee” jerseys this Sunday against the Detroit Lions. This is the only game that the team will wear the throwback uniforms this season. The uniforms drew a great amount of criticism last season, but at least no one could complain about block numbers for a couple weeks. The uniforms will likely have a warmer reception this year, as Casey Hampton is no longer on the roster. 🙂
Here’s a refresher on the 1934 throwback in case you forgot exactly how they look.
Ben did his weekly radio spot this morning. Some of the topics they covered included the trade rumors, and his relationship with Todd Haley. When asked if sees himself as a Steeler for the rest of the career, Ben says he hopes so, and that there’s no other organization in the world that he’d rather play for than this one.
Some other topics they discuss are “rebuilding”, the wind on Sunday, Heath, and the mentality of the team repairing the season. Ben also confirmed what I said during the gameday thread that Markus Wheaton made a mistake on his route during the interception that happened early in the 1st quarter. Ben closes the interviewing praising Bell and Dwyer, saying that Dwyer has brought an energy that fires up the o-line, an energy that’s just awesome. You can listen below.
H/T 93.7 TheFan
Coach Tomlin held his weekly press conference with the media today. He gave injury updates, discussed the challenges the team faces against the Lions, the Ben trade rumors, Jonathan Dwyer, the Tight Ends, and a lot more. Obviously, you can listen below.
In today’s press conference Coach Tomlin gave updates on the players who were injured during the Bills game on Sunday. Shamarko Thomas has a high ankle sprain and Tomlin said he can be considered OUT for this week’s game against the Detroit Lions. Ramon Foster has a right ankle sprain and will be limited earlier in the week. Brett Keisel has plantar fasciitis (heel), and will be limited in the earlier portion of the week.
LaMarr Woodley has a calf strain that will limit him early in the week, and Fernado Velasco has a knee contusion that will also likely limit him earlier in the week. Tomlin also mentioned some players that he characterized as having bumps and bruises, who he didn’t anticipate having their participation altered much or at all this week- Mike Adams (ribs) Kelvin Beachum (left hip flexor), David DeCastro (ankle), and Marcus Gilbert (ankle).
This week’s depth chart is out, and it isn’t very different from last week. One change of note is TE Michael Palmer moving up to the #2 spot behind Heath Miller. Palmer saw playing time this Sunday on offense against the Bills, and David Paulson, who is now listed at #3, did not.
Regarding Palmer’s advancement on the depth chart, Coach Tomlin said, “Mike’s been earning it in practice. (He’s) been very consistent…doing a nice job and we want the reps on Sunday to represent that, and that’s why he’s been given more opportunity -and will- if he takes advantage of it.”
You can view the chart below.
The Steelers defense did a great job of shutting down the Bills run game on Sunday. Spiller, who ran for 116 yards last week against the Chiefs, was held to only 23 yards. Here is a breakdown of the Bills running attempts by direction. Normally I wouldn’t refer to gaps by left and right, but it works best for the chart. If you have a question, don’t hesitate to ask.
[table id=31 /]
Below are the play counts for offense and defense during yesterday’s win over the Bills. Some noteworthy differences on offense- David DeCastro returned from his ankle injury and played every snap. Derek Moye, who saw 12 snaps last week, was inactive yesterday due to the return of Markus Wheaton. Guy Whimper took over for Ramon Foster after he left the game early with a right ankle injury.
On Defense, Keisel, Thomas, and Woodley saw a decrease in snaps due to injuries, while Jarvis Jones saw an increase in playing time from last week.
[table id=29 /]
[table id=30 /]
Earlier today, Ian Rapoport reported that a source close to the Steelers said that Ben was “extremely frustrated” with the direction the team was going, and was expected by the team to ask for a trade.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/399557001904410624
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/399557204199899137
The team, Ben’s agent, and Ben himself were quick to respond to these rumors. Here’s what his agent had to say shortly after Rapoport’s report aired~
https://twitter.com/Rep1Sports/statuses/399594815202930688
https://twitter.com/Rep1Sports/statuses/399595246209613824
https://twitter.com/Rep1Sports/statuses/399595505556004864
Art Rooney II released the following statement shortly after~
“Contrary to erroneous reports, the Pittsburgh Steelers have not explored trading quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and have no plans to do so.”
Lastly, here is the audio from Ben’s interview after the game where he vehemently denies the trade rumors, and calls the story BS. Enjoy.