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2013 MNF Executive Champion! -
Calvin and dez both had several broken fingers the last few years.
Any WR that played with Favre broke some fingers at some pointComment
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A quiet offseason will precede a loud 2014 season for Steelers WR Markus Wheaton
By Neal Coolong on May 23 2014
He doesn't tweet much, he hasn't done interviews and not much is coming out of his circles. Steelers WR Markus Wheaton isn't making much noise, but he's on the cusp of cranking the volume up to 11 in 2014.
Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton seems quiet.
His timeline on Twitter consists of retweets, supporting his Oregon State teammates as they prepared for the NFL Draft, a few comments on the NBA playoffs and an announcement he'll be headlining Jason Worilds' youth football camp June 23-26.
Not much more than that. Just 14 Tweets in May.
He was quiet on the field in 2013 as well. He played in just 161 snaps, having to experience the downside of the rookie learning curve for the position, not to mention broken fingers on separate plays caused him to miss four games. He played in eight snaps or less in nine of the 12 games for which he dressed.
Never was he more quiet than the time after the Steelers' rookie minicamp last year.
A rule preventing players from joining their NFL teams until their college lets out for the summer cost Wheaton three Phase Three OTA sessions last year, 10 practices with his teammates in total. That's a lot of immersion time lost. A lot of missed opportunities to get tips from All Pro receiver Antonio Brown; a lot of chances to hear Ben Roethlisberger tell him where the pass will be coming.
Wheaton was behind the 8-ball before his career in Pittsburgh started. Minus the broken fingers, he didn't have much of a chance to get on the field right away, let alone to be sharp enough mentally to be expected to make much of an impact.
He was noted, however, to be among the hardest workers the team had in camp last season, and with zero chance of his role not expanding in 2014, things are looking up for the speedy Wheaton.
He will likely replace departed WR Emmanuel Sanders as the team's starting X receiver (split end), and despite conversations regarding numerical designations, the amount of targets he will receive game-to-game will depend more on match-ups and what Roethlisberger sees from the defense. It's fair to say, though, Wheaton will get his chance to make much more noise than he has through his first two offseasons as a professional.
Maybe that will inspire him to Tweet more than once every other day.
[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2014/5/23/5744524/steelers-markus-wheaton-wide-receivers-depth-chart-2014[/URL]Comment
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Markus Wheaton on track to start for Steelers
Posted by Mike Florio on May 25, 2014
In recent years, the Steelers have found a couple of talented receivers via round three of the draft. They now need another one to step up.
With 2009 third-rounder Mike Wallace and 2010 third-rounder Emmanuel Sanders now gone via free agency, 2013 third-rounder Markus Wheaton is in line to start, predicts Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Appearing in 12 games with one start as a rookie, Wheaton caught only six passes for 64 yards on the season. The competition includes veteran free-agents Lance Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Rookie fourth-rounder Martavis Bryant and second-year sixth-rounder Justin Brown also are on the depth chart.
Speaking of sixth-round picks, veteran Antonio Brown — team MVP in 2011 and 2013 — returns as the top option in the passing game. With plenty of attention devoted to Brown, Wheaton has a chance to make an impact.
[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/25/markus-wheaton-on-track-to-start-for-steelers/[/URL]Comment
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Only time will tell on wheaton, I thought clark put a lot of extra pressure on wheaton by saying he was better than mike Wallace. I think trying to put wheaton on the outside and asking him to stretch the field the way Wallace did is a mistake, we saw how ineffective sanders was at it and wheaton is a very similar receiver.Comment
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I don't think moore will be playing for that much longer especially if wheaton could prove to be explosive in the slot. Archer is a great athlete but whether he can be an every down receiver and block in the running game remains to be seen. So I think wheaton has a shot to play in the slot but who knows Wheaton really hasn't shown anything that makes me say we have to get him on the field.Comment
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Moore will play the slot until Archer really learns the reads and route tree. I'm not even sure they use Archer as a traditional slot receiver. I think they want to move him all over the place and force the defense to account for him to get favorable match ups for himself and other players."My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"Comment
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Wheaton has the tools of both Wallace and Sanders...
He is nearly as fast as Wallace while running routes as well as Sanders did coming out of college...
If he had been able to participate in OTAs and/or stayed healthy last year, I think we would feel differently about him this season...
But, neither thing happened, unfortunately...Actually, my post was NOT about you...but, if the shoe fits, feel free to lace that &!+€# up and wear it.Comment
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I predict Antonio Brown at flanker, Markus Wheaton at split end, and Lance Moore in the slot as our primary 3-wide formation this season.
Next season, though, I could see Antonio Brown at flanker, Martavis Bryant at split end, and Markus Wheaton in the slot instead.
Archer will be used more like a Darren Sproles type, I would imagine.Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.
Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.
We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.
We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.Comment
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Markus Wheaton must pan out for the Steelers' to be successful
By Jeff.Hartman on May 27 2014
When Steelers fans and experts speak of the potential in the upcoming 2014 offense, they always count on a big year from second year wide out Markus Wheaton. That talk might be a little premature.
The talk and excitement of another football season has already begun, and the Steelers' re-tooled offense looks to be as lethal as always with the additions of Lance Moore, LeGarrette Blount and Dri Archer. However, when talking about receivers, outside of Moore and Antonio Brown who has established themselves as a worthy No. 2 receiver to line up opposite of Brown?
The answer, no one. When Emmanuel Sanders departed the steel city, it left a gaping hole in the wide receiver position. Fans immediately follow Mike Tomlin's words and his "next man up" mentality and turn to 2013 3rd round draft pick from Oregon State, Markus Wheaton to be the guy to step in and fill those shoes, but thats asking a little much of a player who registered a mere 6 receptions for 64 yards in 2013 and battled hand injuries throughout the season.
Certainly, Wheaton could step in and be every bit as polished in his route running and smooth out of his breaks as Sanders was, but can he master the offense and make the catches when they matter the most. That is the question that needs to be answered.
When talk is about a general lack of training camp battles when training camp starts in late July, this is certainly one that should be discussed as one of the biggest. It is essentially Wheaton's job to lose, but if he isn't able to secure that position it could mean trouble of an otherwise stellar offense.
Some might say Martavis Bryant as a rookie could step in, but rarely is a rookie able to get the nuances of the offense, the verbage and the adjustments made at the line of scrimmage to be able to do any more than simply specific package football.
If the Steelers want to truly contend this year and have a balanced offense, they need Wheaton to step up in his second year and show the speed and athleticism that had the Steelers select him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. If he isn't capable, then it will make life much more difficult for Ben Roethlisberger and the passing game.
[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2014-steelers-otas/2014/5/27/5753964/steelers-otas-markus-wheaton-depth-chart-wide-receiver-2014[/URL]Comment
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Second-year receiver has golden opportunity with Steelers
By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Head and knee injuries are football players’ worst nightmares. Seasons and careers are ended when those part of the bodies are hurt. When a football player injures a finger, the expectations are to tape it up and re-enter the game.
For receivers, it’s one of the hazards of the job. When quarterbacks routinely rifle passes that can reach speeds of more than 40 mph, dislocations and fractures will happen.
It didn’t take Markus Wheaton long to discover that.
Four games into his rookie season last year, in his first career start, Wheaton fractured the pinky finger on his right hand. He had two surgeries to stabilize the finger, which has presented no problems for him this spring except when it comes to appearances.
The sight is enough to make a grown man squeamish. The finger is mangled, bent in a manner it was not meant to bend. But there is no pain for Wheaton, no issues catching the football and no excuses as he enters his second season in the league.
“It looks horrible, but it feels good,” Wheaton said. “It doesn’t bother me at all. I can still catch and still block. It hasn’t affected me yet.”
A crooked finger might look gruesome, but it’s not necessarily a handicap for a receiver. Torry Holt, who finished his career with 920 receptions for 13,382 yards and 74 touchdowns, has a permanently disfigured middle finger. Former Steeler Plaxico Burress also has permanently disfigured digits. He played 12 seasons in the league and caught the winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII for the New York Giants.
Wheaton did not have a productive rookie season in part because of his twice-fractured pinky. He missed four games and managed only six receptions for 64 yards. He never developed a rapport with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Wheaton is looking to change that this season. A starting job is open after the offseason departure of Emmanuel Sanders, and Wheaton is the odds-on favorite to win the job.
“I wouldn’t say there is more pressure,” Wheaton said. “I’m getting a lot more reps. I’m having fun. It’s less watching, so I’m enjoying it.
“There are a lot of us chasing that spot. It’s not mine. There’s a lot of good competition. I’ll get the work that I need and hopefully I’ll get it.”
Knowing Sanders was likely to leave in free agency, Roethlisberger took Wheaton, Derek Moye and Justin Brown to California in February so they could train together and develop better chemistry.
The Steelers operated this offseason as if they expect Wheaton to flourish with the starting opportunity.
Despite one of the deepest drafts for receivers in years, the Steelers waited until the fourth round to take Martavis Bryant, an underclassman from Clemson who might need more seasoning before he can play a major role in the offense. They signed Lance Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey in free agency, but Moore is best-suited to play in the slot and Heyward-Bey was signed to provide depth.
“He’s a competitor, he’s a guy that wants to prove that he’s a guy that he can be out here and that he can be a starter,” Roethlisberger said. “So, I’m excited to see what he can do.”
The offense was at its best in the second half of last season when Roethlisberger ran the no-huddle and got on a roll with his veteran receivers. But Sanders is gone, and so is Jerricho Cotchery, the productive slot receiver who led the team in touchdown receptions last season.
Roethlisberger said earlier this week it will be important for Wheaton and the other new receivers to learn subtleties involved in the no-huddle if it is going to be used as much as it was last season.
Wheaton indicated that process is ongoing.
“There is definitely still some I have to learn,” he said. “I know it, but there are things I have to keep in mind when I get to the line. Because I haven’t gotten the reps I should have gotten, I tend to miss the signals he throws at us. I just have to keep up with Ben and keep on the same page with him.”
•NOTES — Rookie running back Dri Archer missed OTAs this week because his presence was mandatory at the NFLPA rookie premiere event in Los Angeles. Archer and several other rookies from other teams took part in the marketing event. … Fifth-round draft pick Shaquille Richardson, a cornerback, signed his four-year rookie contract. … The Steelers cut offensive lineman Nik Embernate and signed another offensive lineman to replace him. Emmanuel McCray, an undrafted free agent from Mississippi who was recently cut by the St. Louis Rams, was added to the roster.
[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...#ixzz33BeKituD[/URL]Comment
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Wheaton works to win a spot
By Mike Prisuta
The Steelers have an opening for a starting wide receiver opposite Antonio Brown
Markus Wheaton did his best not to publicly read too much into how the wide receivers were being deployed at the outset of OTAs, but even then his ambition was showing.
“There are a lot of us chasing that spot,” Wheaton said of the starting wide receiver position opposite Antonio Brown. “There’s a lot of competition, a lot of good competition. Obviously it’s not mine yet, or, not mine.”
There indeed is a lot of competition for the spot opposite the Steelers’ Pro Bowl receiver, but as a former third-round pick in 2013 who lit up training camp because of his ability to grasp the offense quickly and make plays while doing so … well, it’s safe to assume there is some expectation that Wheaton should win the competition.
His rookie season was derailed by a pinky injury that turned out to be a lot more serious than initially anticipated, one that included multiple fractures and required multiple surgeries to repair. That had a lot to do with Wheaton catching just six passes for 64 yards while appearing in 12 of 16 games.
As Coach Mike Tomlin observed, “It’s tough to play wide receiver with broken fingers.”
But that’s not to suggest Wheaton’s rookie season was a waste. In fact, he makes the case that it was beneficial in preparing him to perhaps embrace a much more significant role this time around.
“I learned a lot,” Wheaton insisted. “Coverages, a lot of the adjustments that (quarterback) Ben (Roethlisberger) throws at us. The playbook. Being able to sit out last year, pretty much, helped me, I think.”
So did his locker room address at the Steelers’ practice facility. Wheaton and Roethlisberger were next-door neighbors.
“I was always picking his brain,” Wheaton said. “Any time I have a question, I don’t have to go too far to ask. It makes it easy on me.”
Wheaton and Roethlisberger continued working on the necessary quarterback-wide receiver rapport when they spent a week working out together in California in advance of OTAs.
“I wanted to take the three younger guys out there,” Roethlisberger explained. “Obviously, I offered it to everybody but most importantly it was him, Derek (Moye) and Justin (Brown), just to work with them and get a feel and try to get an early start.”
Now it’s time for Wheaton, among others, to begin showing the Steelers he’s capable of making a big jump in terms of what he’s able to contribute this season.
“He’s a competitor,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s a guy who wants to prove he can be out here and that he can be a starter. I’m excited to see what he can do.”
Wheaton wouldn’t go as far as to say the Steelers are depending on him specifically to complete such a transition. But he’s well aware of the void created by the departure of Emmanuel Sanders via free agency, and the subsequent opportunity waiting to be realized by someone at the position.
“I’m definitely chasing that spot,” Wheaton said. “Hopefully, I can take it. There are a lot of us chasing that spot. Hopefully I can get it first, and then go on from there.”
[URL]http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Wheaton-works-to-win-a-spot/0d0a7074-c57b-4594-a395-92aae00ff41b[/URL]Comment
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