Rookie WR Markus Wheaton waiting for his turn to play

[sick beats]

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.

He was flashing some skills before he jacked up his finger. And I never put much weight into what any rookie does. It's just the norm for rookie WR to not do much their 1st year. If he is gonna by anything, it will show this year. I have confidence he will pan out. He showed great hands and speed in camp last year. #anotherplaymaker

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers Markus Wheaton is looking for answers

By Jeff.Hartman on Jun 6 2014



The second year wide receiver is expected to play a large role in the offense in 2014, but whether he can handle the full time job has yet to be determined.

At the Steelers' south side practice facility, there is someone looking for answers. That person isn't a beat writer, or a manical fan but second year wide receiver Markus Wheaton.

Wheaton is a player that was plagued with hand injuries in 2013, and is now expected to battle for the No. 2 wide receiver position, but he will be doing that in 2014 without the use of his mentor from last season, Jerricho Cotchery.

Since Cotchery is now employed by the Carolina Panthers, Wheaton has had to follow another veteran around, and that would be newly acquired receiver Lance Moore.

"I feel like I am following him [Lance Moore] now," "When I have a question and Ben isn't around, I am going straight to Lance and asking him what he thinks about it. Since I don't have [Jerricho Cotchery] to lean on, I am kind of leaning on him now." Wheaton told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribue-Review.

Wheaton is wise to try and latch onto a veteran receiver and learn anything he can about the nuances of the position and how to go about his business the right way, but the best way for him to learn is by playing; which is something he did very little last season. Simpy put, he has questions and its the veterans that have the answers, but nothing teaches like experience.

Through the second phase of OTAs, the second year pro has been lining up opposite of Antonio Brown with the starters."It's less watching so I am enjoying it," Wheaton said. A lot can change between OTAs, minicamp and training camp, but with veteran leadership, and the opportunity to actually gain experience on the field, Wheaton could be turning into an every day starter for the Steelers.

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2014/6/6/5786302/markus-wheaton-steelers-wide-receiver-depth-chart-roster-2014[/URL]

[Mr.wizard]

He was flashing some skills before he jacked up his finger. And I never put much weight into what any rookie does. It's just the norm for rookie WR to not do much their 1st year. If he is gonna by anything, it will show this year. I have confidence he will pan out. He showed great hands and speed in camp last year. #anotherplaymaker

Maybe, I was just saying as of now he hasn't shown anything to make me say that is wheatons job and we need him on the field.

[Iron City Inc.]

I'm glad that he's going to have to battle for the starters job. That's what is going to make this team better. In camp last year the sample size I saw was small. He is quick into and out of cuts and separates well and does have a burst. A nice hands catcher. However he will need to show that and more to go from camp rookie who flashes to NFL starter. It will be a position I will watch at Latrobe this summer.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers believe Wheaton ready to step in as No. 2 receiver

By Alan Robinson
Monday, Aug. 18, 2014

Ben Roethlisberger is excelling in the no-huddle. The offensive line is keeping him grass stain-free. Antonio Brown is turning short catches into long gains, and September isn't even here yet.

For all that's going well with the Steelers' offense — and how many times has that been written in August during recent seasons — its regular-season success or failure might hinge on a player with one career start.

The starting wide receiver job opposite Brown is Markus Wheaton's to lose — and, so far, the third-round draft pick from last season is winning it. He turned an inside-out move and solo coverage into a 16-yard touchdown catch against Buffalo, and Brown was as happy afterward as he was.

“I think it's definitely a key — a key — for him to make those plays when he gets one-on-one matchups,” Brown said Monday.

For Brown to again put up team-record stats, for the no-huddle to operate efficiently, for Roethlisberger to have multiple options downfield in an increasingly wide-open offense, the Steelers badly need Wheaton to be productive and reliable.

Failure simply isn't an option.

“It's absolutely important (for him to succeed) or teams are going to come to the stadium and put two or three guys on me,” Brown said. “We're going to need other guys (contributing) to win.”

It's not that the Steelers don't have other options, but Wheaton clearly is the best. They'd prefer to keep Lance Moore in the slot rather than move him outside and, while fourth-round pick Martavis Bryant and 2013 pick Justin Brown are having impressive days in camp, both need more polishing.

“I would say it's my job to lose, but we have a lot of good receivers that are shooting for that spot,” Wheaton said. “I would still say it's still up in the air, but I would definitely say it's my spot to lose.”

Wheaton, a third-round pick in 2013, was just beginning to take on a bigger role in the offense last season when he broke his left pinky finger in three places during the Vikings game in London. He had three catches in that game, but made only three more during what became a lost rookie season.

“It was the first time I'd gotten hurt,” said Wheaton who needed two operations to repair a finger that remains badly bent. “It was very frustrating.”

Spending a year in the NFL, even as disappointing as it was — and with Roethlisberger residing in the locker next to his — appears to be greatly benefiting the 5-foot-11 Wheaton. He was very productive at Oregon State, making 227 catches, including 91 for 1,244 yards and 11 TDs in 2012.

“I'm a lot more confident. It's easier (in his second season) to get out there and play and retain everything,” Wheaton said. “I'm not being force fed as much, knowing a lot of stuff we already learned coming in (to camp). It's made it a lot easier.”

Wheaton is a strong route runner who plays much faster than his NFL Combine 40 time of 4.45 suggests. He's also one of those never-takes-a-day-off-from-practice players who earns the respect of those on the other side of the ball.

“He didn't look like a rookie even when he was a rookie,” cornerback Ike Taylor said.

According to Roethlisberger, Wheaton is “learning and growing fast — and we need him to.”

“He doesn't make the same mistake twice,” Roethlisberger said. “He's going to be a key because if we don't have another receiver, then people can just watch A.B. We all see what A.B. can do in a game. So we need Markus to step up. … We can't afford for teams to put three guys on A.B.

“I hope Wheaton is that guy because he is a young guy that people don't quite know about yet. He hasn't earned the respect, and that's probably rightfully so because he hasn't done much. But I'm excited for him because I think he is going to surprise a lot of people.”

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#ixzz3ApJtRAR3[/URL]

[K Train]

That one route/TD catch was better than i can remember sanders ever doing

[Shawn]

Wheaton looked good last game. I think the guy is going to be legit. I would love to see Brown, Wheaton and then Dri in the slot.

[hawaiiansteel]

Alex Kozora @Alex_Kozora ·

Have a feeling Markus Wheaton's first possession drop threw him off for the rest of the day. Have it on good word that's how he is mentally.

[URL]https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora[/URL]

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

Alex Kozora @Alex_Kozora ·

Have a feeling Markus Wheaton's first possession drop threw him off for the rest of the day. Have it on good word that's how he is mentally.

[URL]https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora[/URL]

Who is Alex Kozora? Is he saying we have another head case for a wide receiver?

[steelsnis]

Who is Alex Kozora? Is he saying we have another head case for a wide receiver?

This is why the Internet is a dangerous thing. Kozora is a college kid who tweets about the Steelers. Maybe he's got deep, deep connections in the locker room, but I kind of doubt it.

[Slapstick]

If Kozora had deep, deep connections in the Steelers locker room, would he be soliciting Paypal donations to finance his career in sports journalism?

[hawaiiansteel]

by Jim Wexell

YOUNG RECEIVER'S BLUES

The Steelers started strong Sunday but were stymied, said Tomlin, when "Markus Wheaton dropped a conversion that would've put us inside the five. We settled for a field goal attempt. That ball was mishandled by Brad Wing. They took that momentum from those two negative plays and completed a throwback ... and scored on the next play. ... In a very short period of time the makeup of the game changed."

Tomlin was later asked about the play of Wheaton, the first-year starting wide receiver who in the opener against the Browns caught six of seven passes to him for 97 yards. But the second-year player followed that up Sunday by catching only four of 11 passes to him for 33 yards.

"He's got to do a better job," Tomlin said. "When you're playing Cleveland and they're defending Antonio (Brown) in the manner in which they defended Antonio with multiple people it usually creates opportunities for the other guy.

"Markus had a big game in the opener and we won the opener. He made a lot of significant plays. It was a similar structure in this football game. He didn't make as many plays. The outcome of the game obviously was different. But they didn't do much different in terms of how they played us. They put Joe (Haden) on Antonio and on top of Joe he oftentimes had help."

Tomlin added "You want to make it complex, and a lot of it is, but sometimes when it's just one-on-one football it's about who's making plays and who's not. We made plays in the opener, particularly offensively; Markus Wheaton being one of the central guys in that area. We didn't make situational plays last Sunday. That's why we lost."

[URL]http://pit.scout.com/story/1463611-seeking-help-tomlin-names-names?s=68[/URL]

[squidkid]

by Jim Wexell

YOUNG RECEIVER'S BLUES

The Steelers started strong Sunday but were stymied, said Tomlin, when "Markus Wheaton dropped a conversion that would've put us inside the five. We settled for a field goal attempt. That ball was mishandled by Brad Wing. They took that momentum from those two negative plays and completed a throwback ... and scored on the next play. ... In a very short period of time the makeup of the game changed."

Tomlin was later asked about the play of Wheaton, the first-year starting wide receiver who in the opener against the Browns caught six of seven passes to him for 97 yards. But the second-year player followed that up Sunday by catching only four of 11 passes to him for 33 yards.

"He's got to do a better job," Tomlin said. "When you're playing Cleveland and they're defending Antonio (Brown) in the manner in which they defended Antonio with multiple people it usually creates opportunities for the other guy.

"Markus had a big game in the opener and we won the opener. He made a lot of significant plays. It was a similar structure in this football game. He didn't make as many plays. The outcome of the game obviously was different. But they didn't do much different in terms of how they played us. They put Joe (Haden) on Antonio and on top of Joe he oftentimes had help."

Tomlin added "You want to make it complex, and a lot of it is, but sometimes when it's just one-on-one football it's about who's making plays and who's not. We made plays in the opener, particularly offensively; Markus Wheaton being one of the central guys in that area. We didn't make situational plays last Sunday. That's why we lost."

[URL]http://pit.scout.com/story/1463611-seeking-help-tomlin-names-names?s=68[/URL]

throwing guys under the bus now..................ol mikey is feeling the heat

[Mr.wizard]

Its the truth, Wheaton is having a lot trouble getting open and reading defenses. So far he hasn't been any kind of a benefit as the number 2, and maybe could benefit from a move into the slot where he has some easier routes against more favorable matchups. Im not really sure we have a clear cut guy we could stick on the outside though so we may just be stuck with him in that spot.

[K Train]

I vote the 6-3 guy with 4.3 speed, 2300 receiving yards, and 12 TDs in his career