Steelers' Sanders named special teamer of the week

[ColumbusSteelerFan]

[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_706340.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 06340.html[/url]

Steelers' Sanders named special teamer of the week

By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Last updated: 12:23 pm


Steelers rookie Emmanuel Sanders, whose 48-yard kickoff return set up Jeff Reed's game-winning field goal in Miami, has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Sanders' average of 28.8 yards on five kickoff returns led the AFC last week.

He is the first Steelers kickoff returner to win Player of the Week honors since Antwaan Randle El.

[steelblood]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_706340.html

Steelers' Sanders named special teamer of the week

By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Last updated: 12:23 pm


Steelers rookie Emmanuel Sanders, whose 48-yard kickoff return set up Jeff Reed's game-winning field goal in Miami, has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Sanders' average of 28.8 yards on five kickoff returns led the AFC last week.

He is the first Steelers kickoff returner to win Player of the Week honors since Antwaan Randle El.

He had a nice game, but this must have been a slow week for special teamers or Steeler fans ruled the vote.

[ikestops85]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_706340.html

Steelers' Sanders named special teamer of the week

By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Last updated: 12:23 pm


Steelers rookie Emmanuel Sanders, whose 48-yard kickoff return set up Jeff Reed's game-winning field goal in Miami, has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Sanders' average of 28.8 yards on five kickoff returns led the AFC last week.

He is the first Steelers kickoff returner to win Player of the Week honors since Antwaan Randle El.

He had a nice game, but this must have been a slow week for special teamers or Steeler fans ruled the vote.

The lions were on a bye so Logan wasn't eligible.

[calmkiller]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_706340.html

Steelers' Sanders named special teamer of the week

By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Last updated: 12:23 pm


Steelers rookie Emmanuel Sanders, whose 48-yard kickoff return set up Jeff Reed's game-winning field goal in Miami, has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Sanders' average of 28.8 yards on five kickoff returns led the AFC last week.

He is the first Steelers kickoff returner to win Player of the Week honors since Antwaan Randle El.

He had a nice game, but this must have been a slow week for special teamers or Steeler fans ruled the vote.

The lions were on a bye so Logan wasn't eligible.

The Lions are in the AFC?

[phillyesq]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_706340.html

Steelers' Sanders named special teamer of the week

By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Last updated: 12:23 pm


Steelers rookie Emmanuel Sanders, whose 48-yard kickoff return set up Jeff Reed's game-winning field goal in Miami, has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Sanders' average of 28.8 yards on five kickoff returns led the AFC last week.

He is the first Steelers kickoff returner to win Player of the Week honors since Antwaan Randle El.

He had a nice game, but this must have been a slow week for special teamers or Steeler fans ruled the vote.

It must be a slow week - especially when you can fumble the opening kickoff and still win the award!

[hawaiiansteel]

Sanders aces test from the 'football gods'

October 27th, 2010


Byron Leftwich didn’t play last Sunday in Miami.

But the backup quarterback should get credited with an assist in the Steelers’ 23-22 win at Sun Life Stadium.

It came right after rookie wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders lost a fumble on the opening kickoff.

“He basically just walked up to me and said, ‘Just let the play go. The football gods are testing you right now. Just be patient and another opportunity will come back up,’ ” Sanders recalled.

It did, and boy did Sanders respond.

His 48-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter set up Jeff Reed’s game-winning field goal, a Sanders finished the game with 144 return yards, the second-most of any NFL player last week.

Wednesday he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

It marked the first time that a Steelers kick returner has won the award since Antwaan Randle El in 2003.

Sanders' performance probably ended the competition, at least for the foreseeable future, that he and Antonio Brown have waged on a weekly basis for the job of No. 4 wide receiver and kickoff returner.

But Sanders, who has dressed the last two weeks instead of Brown, said that is not necessarily the case.

“That competition’s still open,” Sanders said, “I don’t know if I’m playing or not (against the Saints). Mike Tomlin likes to keep the wide receivers room hot and he’s definitely doing that.”

Tomlin has Sanders and Brown -- the two are good friends off the field -- compete for one gameday roster spot every week in practice to make both of them better.

That strategy appears to be paying off for the Steelers.

As Sanders said, “When I fumbled the ball (against the Dolphins) I was like, ‘Man, I probably won’t be playing next week if I don’t get myself together and bounce back from the fumble.’ ”

[url="http://blog.triblive.com/view-from-the-press-box/2010/10/27/sanders-aces-test-from-the-football-gods/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaig n=Feed%3A+triblive%2Fblog%2FViewFromThePressBox+%2 8View+from+the+Press+Box+Blog%29"]http://blog.triblive.com/view-from-the- ... ox+Blog%29[/url]

[chiken]

I am all for the whole competition breeds good play thing - but I hate that the kid feels if he screws up once he is going to be sitting down. The REAL competition should be him and the 3rd spot and Brown in the 4th... EL needs to feel the heat.

wishful thinking, I know.

And Also I don't think he got it because it was slow - hindsight with how the Dolphins were playing us defensively in the 2nd half - the K.O. Returns were just as responsible for us winning that Game as Ben was.. They were clutch runs.

[hawaiiansteel]

10/29/2010 3:34 AM

Steelers: Rookie Sanders is catching on

By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer [email="dlolley@observer-reporter.com"]dlolley@observer-reporter.com[/email]


PITTSBURGH - Emmanuel Sanders thought he had blown his opportunity to be on the active roster each week on the opening play of the Steelers' game last Sunday against Miami.
While returning the kickoff, Sanders attempted to spin out of a tackle. But instead of spinning free, he wound up turning right into a hit by Miami's Lex Hilliard.

The ball squirted loose and the Dolphins recovered at the Pittsburgh 22-yard line - just about the worst possible thing that could happen, not just to the Steelers, but to Sanders as well.

"I'm just thinking in my head, 'Did I really just fumble?' I rarely ever fumble," said Sanders, a third-round draft pick out of SMU. "I thought, 'Please, let me be dreaming.' I pinched myself and I knew I had to bounce back. It's all about moving on to the next play. I knew that if I let that fumble linger the whole game, I would have just messed up even more. When I got to the sideline, I realized what happened and then I thought, 'What do I need to do from here?'"

Given his ongoing battle for playing time with fellow rookie Antonio Brown, Sanders wondered if he'd ever see the field again.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has pitted the two rookies against each other on a weekly basis. It's worked out well for the Steelers (5-1) as Brown, who was active for the first three games, won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a kickoff for a touchdown against Tennessee Sept. 19. Sanders won the same honor this week.

After botching that first play, Sanders rebounded to return a pair of kickoffs to midfield, the second of which set up the Steelers' game-winning field goal. He finished with five returns for an average of 28.8 yards.

Sanders said some encouragement from backup quarterback Byron Leftwich helped settle him down following the fumble.

"He basically told me, 'Look, just let the play go. The football gods are testing you. Another opportunity will come back,'" Sanders said. "At the time, I just felt he was being a vet, trying to hype up a young guy. But the opportunity actually came and I tried to make the most of it."

Sanders' rebound from the fumble is no guarantee that he'll be active when the Steelers play at New Orleans (4-3) on Sunday, but it sure helps. It also helps that he's earned the trust of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Sanders has three receptions in the past two games, including one against the Dolphins. All three catches have come on third-and-long and have resulted in first downs.

"He's got good football skills. He can pluck the ball and run and not break stride," Roethlisberger said of Sanders. "I think (offensive coordinator Bruce Arians) has done a good job of putting him in certain situations, where he knows exactly what he's doing."

But will hSanders get the opportunity again in New Orleans?

"That competition is still open," Sanders said. "That's one thing I knew when I fumbled the ball. I was like, 'Man, I probably won't even be playing next week if I don't get myself together and bounce back from the fumble.'

"Every day, I know I have to bring my A-game to practice. That's what you want."

Odds and end zones

Right tackle Flozell Adams (ankle) and linebacker LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday. Each was injured against the Dolphins. ... Defensive end Brett Keisel (hamstring) and center Maurkice Pouncey (illness) sat out Thursday. ... Linebacker James Harrison was awarded an interception on Miami's final offensive play in an official ruling issued this week by the NFL.

[url="http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/localsports/10-29-2010-Sanders-catching-on"]http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/loc ... atching-on[/url]