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Wide receiver Cotchery glad to help young, talented group
By Alan Robinson
Published: Saturday, July 28, 2012
Steelers receiver Jerricho Cotchery cuts after a catch during practice at St. Vincent College July 27, 2012.
Jerricho Cotchery long admired Hines Ward from afar, the passion he displayed and the intensity he self-demanded while playing a skill position with the physicality and the mindset of a defensive player.
Cotchery found himself thinking, “Now that’s the way to play wide receiver.”
“He just plays the game the right way, tough, hard and physical,” Cotchery said.
After becoming Ward’s teammate with the Steelers last season, Cotchery’s respect for Ward grew even more because he saw how a player unaccustomed to taking off a single play suddenly had to adjust to taking off most of a game as his playing time shrunk during his final NFL season.
As the Steelers go about their first training camp since 1997 without the now-retired Ward, it is fitting that Cotchery is filling the role that Ward held for years as an effective possession receiver with a tough-guy personality and an ability to make difficult catches for first downs. Ward ended his career with 1,000 catches, the eighth most in NFL history.
Cotchery isn’t a carbon copy, but he’s close. An example: He started only one game with the Jets in 2009, yet he still caught 57 passes.
“It’s definitely going to be different without Hines. Steeler Nation has been seeing No. 86 on the field for the last 15 years, so it’s definitely going to be different,” receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “Up in our receivers room, it’s definitely going to be different. But Jerricho, Antonio (Brown) and myself are going to lead the room in the right direction. The way Hines taught us.”
The way that the 30-year-old Cotchery played even before signing with the Steelers last August following his release by the Jets, his team since 2004. During a tight game against the Browns late in the 2010 season, Cotchery broke off a pass route after realizing quarterback Mark Sanchez was in trouble. Doing so, he tore a groin muscle, yet still managed to make a diving catch for a first down and Jets went on to win 26-20.
“I’m going to try to hold up my end of the bargain by showing up for work every day and making plays,” said Cotchery, who had a pair of 82-catch seasons with the Jets. “If the guys see that, maybe they’ll want to hold up their end, too, and that’s how you accomplish your ultimate goal.”
Cotchery found himself behind from the start when he injured a hamstring not long after signing. But he came on late in the season as he moved into Ward’s role, making 10 catches in the final four games and another for a 31-yard touchdown in the playoff loss to Denver.
He could have signed elsewhere following the season but agreed to a two-year contract with the Steelers.
“It was going to be a pretty tough sell to get me away from Pittsburgh. This atmosphere, I love it,” he said.
Cotchery, who will be used primarily as a slot receiver, is behind Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders on the depth chart. But Wallace is currently holding out, and Sanders is trying to get over previous problems with his feet, so the Steelers wanted to make sure they had a reliable receiver with experience and the ability to be an effective teacher to younger receivers.
Another Ward.
“There are many different pieces to the offense. I’m just another piece,” Cotchery said. “Those three guys are very talented, and I’m going to do everything I can to get the best out of them. They welcome that. That’s why they are the way they are. If Emmanuel can stay healthy, it can be a special, special group.”
[URL="http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2265607-85/cotchery-ward-receiver-steelers-season-game-jets-catches-definitely-hines"]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2265607-85/cotchery-ward-receiver-steelers-season-game-jets-catches-definitely-hines[/URL]
By Alan Robinson
Published: Saturday, July 28, 2012
Steelers receiver Jerricho Cotchery cuts after a catch during practice at St. Vincent College July 27, 2012.
Jerricho Cotchery long admired Hines Ward from afar, the passion he displayed and the intensity he self-demanded while playing a skill position with the physicality and the mindset of a defensive player.
Cotchery found himself thinking, “Now that’s the way to play wide receiver.”
“He just plays the game the right way, tough, hard and physical,” Cotchery said.
After becoming Ward’s teammate with the Steelers last season, Cotchery’s respect for Ward grew even more because he saw how a player unaccustomed to taking off a single play suddenly had to adjust to taking off most of a game as his playing time shrunk during his final NFL season.
As the Steelers go about their first training camp since 1997 without the now-retired Ward, it is fitting that Cotchery is filling the role that Ward held for years as an effective possession receiver with a tough-guy personality and an ability to make difficult catches for first downs. Ward ended his career with 1,000 catches, the eighth most in NFL history.
Cotchery isn’t a carbon copy, but he’s close. An example: He started only one game with the Jets in 2009, yet he still caught 57 passes.
“It’s definitely going to be different without Hines. Steeler Nation has been seeing No. 86 on the field for the last 15 years, so it’s definitely going to be different,” receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “Up in our receivers room, it’s definitely going to be different. But Jerricho, Antonio (Brown) and myself are going to lead the room in the right direction. The way Hines taught us.”
The way that the 30-year-old Cotchery played even before signing with the Steelers last August following his release by the Jets, his team since 2004. During a tight game against the Browns late in the 2010 season, Cotchery broke off a pass route after realizing quarterback Mark Sanchez was in trouble. Doing so, he tore a groin muscle, yet still managed to make a diving catch for a first down and Jets went on to win 26-20.
“I’m going to try to hold up my end of the bargain by showing up for work every day and making plays,” said Cotchery, who had a pair of 82-catch seasons with the Jets. “If the guys see that, maybe they’ll want to hold up their end, too, and that’s how you accomplish your ultimate goal.”
Cotchery found himself behind from the start when he injured a hamstring not long after signing. But he came on late in the season as he moved into Ward’s role, making 10 catches in the final four games and another for a 31-yard touchdown in the playoff loss to Denver.
He could have signed elsewhere following the season but agreed to a two-year contract with the Steelers.
“It was going to be a pretty tough sell to get me away from Pittsburgh. This atmosphere, I love it,” he said.
Cotchery, who will be used primarily as a slot receiver, is behind Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders on the depth chart. But Wallace is currently holding out, and Sanders is trying to get over previous problems with his feet, so the Steelers wanted to make sure they had a reliable receiver with experience and the ability to be an effective teacher to younger receivers.
Another Ward.
“There are many different pieces to the offense. I’m just another piece,” Cotchery said. “Those three guys are very talented, and I’m going to do everything I can to get the best out of them. They welcome that. That’s why they are the way they are. If Emmanuel can stay healthy, it can be a special, special group.”
[URL="http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2265607-85/cotchery-ward-receiver-steelers-season-game-jets-catches-definitely-hines"]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2265607-85/cotchery-ward-receiver-steelers-season-game-jets-catches-definitely-hines[/URL]
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