Ben won't play vs ATL

[feltdizz]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20352443/ben-roethlisberger-sitting-josh-dobbs-likely-gets-another-start-pittsburgh-steelers

[Slapstick]

That's okay. I'd like to see how Dobbs looks when throwing to AB and Bryant...

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

I wonder why Ben is not suiting up, when most of the other starters are?

[Shoe]

I wonder why Ben is not suiting up, when most of the other starters are?

I hope its OK too. I know he's not hurt or anything, but I hope he's not being complacent in his prep in any way. He always looks big, but there are times in the past where he looks downright pudgy. That wouldn't bode well for a mid-30's guy, in terms of things like lower leg injuries.

[feltdizz]

I hope its OK too. I know he's not hurt or anything, but I hope he's not being complacent in his prep in any way. He always looks big, but there are times in the past where he looks downright pudgy. That wouldn't bode well for a mid-30's guy, in terms of things like lower leg injuries.

Article made it sound like the coaches and FO made this decision.

[raycafan]

If i am not mistaken, Ben only played 12 plays last preseason. All of those against the Saints in game 3. Then he was not on the field until Washington. That is why the offense was not exactly sharp for about 1.5 quarters of game 1. I may be wrong, but I am thinking Iam not. So do not read to much into this. SOP

[NorthCoast]

Ok w BR sitting all but 1 quarter of a preseason game. Ain't much different than other teams.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Steelers vs. Falcons Preseason Week 2: Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown both ruled out; Joshua Dobbs to get second start

The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and they will be without several players as they enter Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
by Jeff.Hartman@BnGBlitz

Aug 18, 2017, 12:37pm EDT

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-0 in the preseason, not that such a feat is of any significance, but they enter Week 2 prepared to host the Atlanta Falcons at Heinz Field. However, for fans who are going to attend the exhibition game, they won’t be seeing Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Mike Tomlin, while meeting media Friday, ruled both out for the second straight week.

With Roethlisberger out of the lineup, and Landry Jones still nursing an abdominal injury, rookie Joshua Dobbs will get his second straight start of his NFL career. In other words, expect Dobbs to play into the third quarter before it is Bart Houston time!

Some more nuggets of information from Tomlin’s press conferece:

•Rookie RB James Conner will suit up for the black and gold, and will be used as much as possible while keeping an eye on his conditioning as he works his way back from that shoulder sprain.

• Martavis Bryant should be making his first, although likely brief, start since the 2015 season. Mike Tomlin and Todd Haley likely want to knock the rust off, and get him off the field to give way to younger, less established, players.

•Tomlin, when asked if he has talked about any type of player protest during the national anthem, said he hasn’t, and won’t, have that conversation with his team.

•Previously injured players, such as: Ryan Shazier (hamstring), Mike Mitchell (lower body), Maurkice Pouncey (lower body), James Harrison (age) and Senquez Golson (hamstring) are not likely to play in the upcoming preseason game Sunday.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/nfl-pittsburgh-steelers-news/2017/8/18/16169174/steelers-vs-falcons-preseason-ben-roethlisberger-and-antonio-brown-out-joshua-dobbs-to-get-start

[RuthlessBurgher]

Tomlin tabs Dobbs to start at QB again
Posted 58 minutes ago

Bob Labriola
Steelers.com

With Ben Roethlisberger out and Landry Jones doubtful, Joshua Dobbs to start his second game.

LATROBE, Pa. – For Sunday’s preseason game at Heinz Field, Steelers fans can look forward to seeing James Conner for the first time and Joshua Dobbs as the starting quarterback for the second time.

During his news conference today, Coach Mike Tomlin said neither Ben Roethlisberger nor Antonio Brown will play against the Atlanta Falcons, and even though he didn’t rule Landry Jones out as well, he did commit to Dobbs as the starter.

“We’ll very much take the same approach as last time in terms of play, including the participation of those who are injured,” said Tomlin. “We’ll deem no one out. We’ll leave the light on for those guys in an effort for some of them to show. Anybody who is healthy will get an opportunity to play. Ben won’t play. Antonio won’t play. Very similar to last time, but all other healthy guys will.”

Earlier this week, Jones returned to practice after missing a good bit of time with what was called an abdominal injury, but he hasn’t been what would be described as a full participant.

“I’m not ready to deem him out,” said Tomlin, “but it’s unlikely that he’ll be a participant in this game based on what I’ve seen to this point from him. He has been a partial participant in practice this week, not enough to include him in the in-crowd at this juncture.”

Which means that Dobbs, the fourth-round pick from Tennessee, will start a second straight preseason game for the Steelers.

“Josh Dobbs will start at quarterback again for us,” said Tomlin. “It has really been a tremendous opportunity for him to get some big-time repetitions and exposure because of the injury to Landry. Landry has been perking up and I’m sure he’ll be back in the fold as a full participant here soon, but Josh does get the start against Atlanta. We’ll look forward to him showing growth since his last outing.”

With Roethlisberger declared out and Tomlin indicating that Jones won’t play, undrafted rookie Bart Houston again would be the man to follow Dobbs at quarterback.

“Oftentimes a guy in his position gets very little time outside of drill work,” said Tomlin about the life of the typical No. 4 quarterback. “Bart has gotten a significant amount of work, not only in practice but in the game and has really done a nice job in terms of taking advantage of it. I’ve been impressed in terms of some of the things he’s been able to do.”

It wasn’t long after he was drafted on the third round that Conner’s No. 30 Steelers jersey became the top-seller in the NFL, and so it’s safe to assume fans will be excited about seeing him on the field for the first time in the preseason.

“He is scheduled to play, and I haven’t thought about utilization of him relative to his circumstance,” said Tomlin about Conner, who missed significant time during the offseason program with a hamstring injury and then significant time in training camp with a shoulder injury.

“More than anything, I’m going to give him as much as he can handle, but I’m going to keep a close eye on that because of not a lot of work so far for him. I’m going to keep a close eye on the conditioning element of it as we see with him. Crawl before we walk.”

INJURY NOTES: Tomlin characterized Maurkice Pouncey as questionable, and when asked whether James Harrison would play on Sunday, he said, “I don’t know.”

http://www.steelers.com/news/labriola-on/article-1/Tomlin-tabs-Dobbs-to-start-at-QB-again/1cede29c-d715-4d1b-bdda-cda9ac2463fd

[RuthlessBurgher]

Roethlisberger expects to play
Posted 1 hour ago

Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

Ben Roethlisberger expects to see his first playing time of the preseason this week.

Ben Roethlisberger expects to play for the first time this preseason when the Steelers host the Indianapolis Colts at Heinz Field on Saturday night.

He just doesn’t expect to be out there too long, though.

“I think that’s what it’s going to depend on how well we play, how long we play,” said Roethlisberger. “I’ll probably go two series.”

Roethlisberger said the playing time is about getting the offense fine-tuned in advance of the season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 10.

“Looking just to click, move the ball, and pick up first downs,” said Roethlisberger. “Obviously getting in the end zone is always a big deal. We want to move the ball.”

He will still be without one of his biggest weapons on offense, running back Le’Veon Bell who has yet to sign his franchise tender. Bell hinted via Twitter that he will be returning to the team on Sept. 1, ahead of the opener.

“We’ll be ready for him whenever he gets here,” said Roethlisberger. “We always want our guys here. He didn’t have to be here. We want him here. He is an amazing football player. He helps this team. Hopefully it won’t take him long to get into football shape.”

And Roethlisberger definitely emphasized ‘football’ shape, something that will be key for Bell who is coming off a knee injury.

“He is going to come back here in great shape. He always is in great shape,” said Roethlisberger. “There is in shape, and there is football shape. There is running around in shorts and a t-shirt and putting pads on and getting hit. He is going to have to be the judge of how easy it is to come back and be ready to go.”

There will also be the mental aspect of the game to catch up on. Roethlisberger said the offense has put new wrinkles in, something that isn’t uncommon each year but there were more additions this year than in the past.

“We’ll do everything we can to get him up to speed and the rest is up to him,” said Roethlisberger, who hasn’t talked to Bell, but said there are no grudges. “We have a couple of bigger (wrinkles) this year than usual. Every year you change some things. It just happens this year we have more than usual. He is a very smart football player. He is physically gifted. He can relay meeting room stuff to the field pretty easily.

“There will be some mental stuff this year because there are quite a few new things. But physical, he is a physical back. It’s a violent sport, the running back position takes a beating. We just have to hope the other guys are ready to go if he needs spelled. If he just comes back, I don’t know if he will be ready to play every single play like he does during the season. We are going to have to have other guys ready to give him breaks.”

The Outlaw: Jesse James continues to develop and be a weapon for Roethlisberger and the offense, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“It’s been growing every season,” said Roethlisberger. “We continue to talk and communicate. He is getting better. I have seen the strides he has taken.”

Eye in the sky: This will be the first game that Roethlisberger has played since offensive coordinator Todd Haley has moved up into the coach’s box to call plays, something the team is testing during the preseason. In the past quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner has been in the press box communicating to the sideline.

“He has been doing it the last two games, but obviously it’s not with me” said Roethlisberger. “We are going to give it one more shot this week and see what it does, if it makes communication easier, more difficult, what’s going to happen.

“It could be good. I think it takes distractions away from the play caller. Everybody has to be comfortable with it.”

Better to receive: The Steelers are stacked at wide receiver, and it’s one of the most contested battles on the team for a roster spot. Roethlisberger said he doesn’t know how many the team will keep, but has confidence in those fighting for a spot.

“A lot of confidence,” said Roethlisberger. “It’s a fun battle. It’s a fun competition. Everyone is pushing everyone else. I think it’s bringing out the best in everybody.”

Roethlisberger is looking forward to getting work with some of the receivers this week, even the tried and tested Antonio Brown.

“There are a lot of guys we need in game work with, Justin Hunter, I think even AB and I are always trying to get better,” said Roethlisberger. “Martavis is one who missed last year and hopefully he will get some action this week.”

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Roethlisberger-expects-to-play/96609ed2-4061-4680-ad66-93fe4496a7d5

[RuthlessBurgher]

Tomlin: Ben, AB James Harrison will play
Posted 30 minutes ago

Bob Labriola
Steelers.com

The Steelers are doing what they can to use this week to simulate a regular season week.

This week, there’s an element of preparation being added to the preseason theme of evaluation.

The third week of the preseason has come to be recognized as the closest thing to an actual dress rehearsal for an NFL regular season game, and Coach Mike Tomlin indicated the Steelers will treat Saturday night’s outing against the Indianapolis Colts that way.

“It’s also a big week because we’re doing more extended game planning than we’ve done to this point,” said Tomlin, “and some of the guys who we’ve minimized in terms of play will play more. Ben will play. Antonio will play. James Harrison will play. How long guys play will really be determined by how they perform and how the game unfolds. We’ll play that by ear, but we’re committed to playing our first wave to get a sense of their overall readiness, and then we’ll work from there.”

Other important elements being taught this week have to do with the players adapting to having to mix in real life with their jobs. For the new players, for the rookies, it’s a new experience, completely different from the one on campus at Saint Vincent College.

“This week for us is a big week in a lot of ways,” said Tomlin. “We’ve got to get used to the comforts of home and logistically what that encompasses working in this location under these circumstances and really trying to put together days that would simulate a regular in-season Wednesday.”

In addition to Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and James Harrison, there are some other players who could be getting their first preseason game action of the summer. Ryan Shazier has returned to practice after missing a bunch of training camp with a hamstring injury; rookie Cam Sutton recently returned to the field after sustaining an injury in one of the first few workouts at Saint Vincent College; and Tomlin indicated that Landry Jones should get some snaps at quarterback after Roethlisberger is done for the night.

“It’s a big week for Landry,” said Tomlin. “It appears he’s pushing toward game readiness. He had a good day (Wednesday), and there really were no negative consequences of that work today. It’ll be an opportunity to get him in the stadium and play the quarterback position for us.

“The process is running its course. The sand is running through the hour-glass. Guys are going to make a move and state a case for themselves. They better get busy if they haven’t already. There is a certain urgency to this time of year, and I think that adds to the excitement of this performance.”

Tomlin also is using this week to teach the concept of expectations to the young players.

“I’m being very transparent about certain things I’m looking for in some instances, because it’s also a good opportunity to teach guys expectation,” said Tomlin. “James Conner, for example, played a good offensive football game for us in running for almost 100 yards, but he was JV as a special teams performer. I’m challenging him in a big way. We’re expecting him to give us quality contributions in the special teams game when he’s not playing running back. It’s reasonable to expect that.”

Just as it’s reasonable to expect some guys to answer Tomlin’s challenges, while others will fall off between now and cut-down day on Sept. 2.

“We’re working with 90 guys and still working to establish roles and the division of labor and so forth, but the structure of these days are very much regular season-like, so they can gain some traction not only in terms of what can be expected here on a day to day basis, but they can also make plans relative to their own personal plans,” said Tomlin. “A lot of guys are establishing routines at this juncture that simulate a game week – things that they do to take care of their bodies, things they do to prepare individually for these days and ultimately for the play. That’s been some of our focus.”

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Tomlin-Ben-AB-James-Harrison-will-play/8ef82b69-20ea-4e41-b69e-d7776c142cd1

[RuthlessBurgher]

Mike Tomlin Press Conference: James Conner a “JV” performance, Sensabaugh impressing and a shot fired towards Senquez Golson

The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach addressed the media Thursday, and he provided some in-depth information regarding the upcoming game against the Colts.

by Jeff Hartman

Aug 24, 2017, 1:44pm EDT

For whatever reason, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was not mincing words when he met with the media Thursday leading up to the team’s Week 3 preseason game at Heinz Field against the Indianapolis Colts. Tomlin was very precise in his description of player expectations, as well as just how the team is preparing for their upcoming game.

The theme for this week was to give an actual game-week feel, and that included just how the team practiced and prepared for the Colts. There is some game planning going on, but nothing to the extent of what will be done in the regular season when the games really count.

There was a lot of information disseminated, so sit back and digest all that went down as Tomlin fielded questions.

Welcome Back

• Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and James Harrison will all play Saturday, to some extent. The duration of their playing time will likely depend on the quality of work they perform as a unit, and individuals. With Harrison back, it will be interesting to see the workload between T.J. Watt and Harrison. Landry Jones, everyone’s favorite backup quarterback, is also trying to make his preseason debut this weekend.

“JV” performer

•After the Steelers’ Week 1 game against the Giants, Tomlin called Arthur Moats “an eleventh grader in a JV game”. Moats was being praised for his performance, but when Tomlin used the Junior Varsity tag on Thursday, it wasn’t in a good way. He was referring to James Conner’s special teams play. Stating how Conner was “JV as a special teams performer”. Message received for the rookie running back, but Tomlin chalked his lack of performance up to him being injured in Spring workouts (hamstring) and the majority of training camp (shoulder) when the teaching was really going on. I’m guessing Conner will be better this weekend when it comes to his role on special teams. Just a guess.

Cornerback Movement

•Tomlin praised both Coty Sensabaugh and Mike Hilton, stating both deserve to get a look at more playing time with the starters. Tomlin expounded on Sensabaugh calling him a savvy veteran who has merited a consideration to start on the outside. With that said, Saturday’s game should be a big one for both Sensabaugh and Ross Cockrell. Tomlin also talked about newcomer Deshaun Phillips, and mentioned how he is an “NFL capable” player who will have a chance to prove himself when he arrives in Pittsburgh.

Special Teams are actually good?

•Danny Smith has long been the whipping boy of the fan base, but so far this preseason his units have been ‘en fuego’. Forcing fumbles, pinning teams deep in their own end, blocking punts and taking a punt back to the house. You name it, and they are doing it. Tomlin cited the maturation and growth of players like Tyler Matakevich and Anthony Chickillo as examples of why the ‘teams are improving, but also said Jordan Berry has been playing extremely well so far this preseason. Their arrow is certainly pointing up.

Offensive Wrinkles

•When asked about Roethlisberger’s comments on the new offensive “wrinkles” the team has installed, Tomlin mentioned how this has been an ongoing process the entire Spring, and throughout training camp. He also added this process was occurring whether Le’Veon Bell was there, or not. How fast Bell can pick up these wrinkles, whenever he returns, could be what determines whether or not he is inserted into the lineup immediately, or has to get acclimated to the new system.
Hope you are listening Senquez

•At the end of the media session, Tomlin was asked whether it was a safe assumption how Senquez Golson would have to get back to practice soon if he wants to stay in Pittsburgh. Tomlin stated, “That would be a safe assumption.” Well then. It seems the organization is at the end of their rope with Golson, and rightfully so. Time to shape up, or ship out, for the former Ole Miss cornerback.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/nfl-pittsburgh-steelers-news/2017/8/24/16198548/mike-tomlin-james-conner-a-jv-performance-sensabaugh-impressing-a-shot-fired-towards-senquez-golson

[Steel Maniac]

Love to see Tomlin singling people out both positive and negative.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Love to see Tomlin singling people out both positive and negative.

True. With Golson, camp began with the idea that the CB crop was still so thin that his status as a recent second rounder warranted him consideration. In the meantime...

- 5th rounder Brian Allen looks too good to stash on the PS. He might need to be on the 53 if the Steelers want to eventually tap into his potential.
- Out of nowhere guy Mike Hilton has had maybe the best camp of any Steeler not wearing #84 and has gone from "camp body" to genuine roster candidate.
- Coty Sensebaugh, an under the radar signing, is about to be tested as a starter on the outside this week. If a guy starts pre-season game three, his status is obviously above a guy who hasn't suited up in three years.
- Cam Sutton has done nothing so far - much like Golson, but I'm pretty sure unknown third round pick this year trumps unknown second round pick from three years ago.

I thought coming in that Sutton was already a lock for the roster based on draft status. Sensebaugh was coming in to compete for a possible spot in the slot, and Allen was a PS candidate, and Golson was a "show me you are still the guy who we thought you were when we drafted you in the second round" guy. Hilton wasn't even an afterthought.

Right now, all four along with Burns, Cockrell, and Gay are well above him. The fact that they are also still signing and trading for corners IMO means that the team has moved on from him. His best shot is if they have a spare space on the PS...maybe.