On to New England! It's Cheetahs week.

[RuthlessBurgher]

IMO they should give Ridley the ball more as i feel he can run between the tackles.
Samuels did too much stuttering and looked to bounce things outside the tackles consistently.
Samuels was much better on the screens and check downs.

Use Ridley like they use Sony Michel.

Use Samuels like they use James White.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Thursday, Dec 13, 2018 04:01 PM

Week 15 Injury Report (Patriots)

Teresa Varley

Steelers.com


Preparation for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots continued on Thursday, and there was good news as Ben Roethlisberger was back on the practice field as a full participant.


Roethlisberger missed practice on Wednesday, still recovering from a hit he took late in the first half against the Raiders that resulted in rib contusions. Roethlisberger missed much of the second half of the game with the injury but returned late in the fourth quarter.


Roethlisberger has indicated from the get-go that he would be ready to play this week, and knowing the importance of the game in the playoff hunt his desire to be out there comes as no surprise.


“It’s always a big game,” said Roethlisberger. “They’re the best for a reason and everyone wants to go after them. They are fun, they are physical, a big challenge for us. It hasn’t been a big challenge for them, but for us it has been.


“The Patriots are one of the best teams for a reason. We are not the only team that has issues with them. They’re that good. The past is the past, we can only focus on this week. We realize what’s at stake. Not panic. It’s not going to get any easier.


While Roethlisberger was back, James Conner continues to be sidelined with an ankle sprain. Conner suffered the injury against the Los Angeles Chargers, and missed last week’s game against the Raiders.


With Conner out it appeared the ground game struggled with just 40 yards rushing, but looking at the bigger picture is the key. Jaylen Samuels was used in the passing game more, with many of his catches seven catches for 64 yards being short passes and yards after catch.


“You look at a run and pass, a lot of people are runners when you hand the ball to the running back, we look at our short screens, some of our short passes as run game alternative,” said Roethlisberger. “I think those numbers get a little skewed sometimes when you look at kind of what technically is a run and what technically is a pass. We need to have efficient plays regardless of what they are.”


Safety Sean Davis was back at practice on Thursday as a full participant after missing the previous day with a knee injury. Davis will be a key component this week covering Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who got the best of the safety in a meeting at Heinz Field last year.


“I have grown from that,” said Davis. “I have become a better player. I feel like as a unit we are growing. This is a going to be a good game to test us. We are going to get a real challenge again. I am looking forward to the matchup.”


Anthony Chickillo, who was limited with an ankle injury on Wednesday, was a full participant. Marcus Gilbert, who has missed the past seven games with a knee injury, did not practice for the second straight day.


The full practice report is below.


Pittsburgh Steelers Participation/Injury Report, Week 15


Thursday, December 13
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Ribs) - Full
S Sean Davis (Knee) - Full
RB James Conner (Ankle) - DNP
LB Anthony Chickillo (Ankle) - Full
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - Full
OT Marcus Gilbert (Knee) - DNP


Wednesday, December 12
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Ribs) - DNP
S Sean Davis (Knee) - DNP
RB James Conner (Ankle) - DNP
LB Anthony Chickillo (Ankle) - Limited
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - DNP
OT Marcus Gilbert (Knee) - DNP



New England Participation/Injury Report, Week 15


Thursday, December 13
TE Dwayne Allen (Knee) - Full
CB Stephon Gilmore (Ankle) - Full


Wednesday, December 12
TE Dwayne Allen (Knee) - Full
CB Stephon Gilmore (Ankle) - Full

https://www.steelers.com/news/week-15-injury-report-patriots

[fordfixer]

Steelers 5 *’s 3

[winwithd]

Assuming turnovers are even..... Steelers 41 - * 's 31

[RuthlessBurgher]

Josh Gordon has become “reliable” for Patriots

Posted by Darin Gantt on December 14, 2018, 8:05 AM EST

Plenty of words have been used to describe Josh Gordon over the years, using some variation of “talented” or “explosive” or “enigmatic.”

He’s added to the lexicon since joining the Patriots this year.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski expanded the vocabularly this week, describing Gordon as “reliable” — which probably makes people in Cleveland spit their coffee all over their screen this morning.

“He’s brought a lot,” Gronkowski said, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. “The way he just plays. The way he catches the ball, gets that burst, gets us the first downs when we need it. Just another player on our team that’s reliable whenever we need him. Just great to have him. Great to have him as part of the team.”

The transformation of Gordon has been remarkable, and he’s talked about the differences in things as subtle as his conditioning. Along the way, he’s also brought the expected vertical element to the Patriots passing game, leading the team in receiving yards despite not joining the team until late September. He’s also leading all receivers in yards per catch (18.0) since Week Four.

“I would say in the first week when he got out there playing the game,” Gronkowski said. “Just the way he’s been working every single week, week in week out, just trying to get better, you see it on the practice field and then you see it in the game. It’s a great guy to have out there and just a phenomenal athlete, too.”

That part we knew. The idea of Gordon as an accountable player is a new one, and adds to the Patriots’ reputation for reclamation projects.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/14/josh-gordon-has-become-reliable-for-patriots/

[RuthlessBurgher]

James Conner practices Friday, listed as questionable

Posted by Josh Alper on December 14, 2018, 2:53 PM EST

Running back James Conner missed last Sunday’s loss to the Raiders with an ankle injury and it looked like he was shaping up to be inactive again this weekend when he sat out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday.

The prospects for Conner’s return are a bit brighter on Friday. He was on the practice field to close out the week of work ahead of Sunday’s game against the Patriots.

Conner was a limited participant and he’s been listed as questionable for the game. Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley are the other backs for Pittsburgh and the team could certainly use all hands on deck as they try to beat the Patriots this weekend.

Wide receiver Ryan Switzer is also listed as questionable with an ankle injury. He made his first appearance on the injury report of the week on Friday as a limited participant. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger does not have an injury designation after injuring his ribs in last Sunday’s game. He returned to practice on Thursday.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/14/james-conner-practices-friday-listed-as-questionable/

[RuthlessBurgher]

Friday, Dec 14, 2018 02:38 PM

Week 15 Injury Report (Patriots)

Teresa Varley

Steelers.com


The Steelers head into Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field with a few question marks.


James Conner, who missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle sprain, was limited in practice on Friday and is listed as questionable.


Conner missed last week’s game against the Raiders, and without him in there the running back duties fell into the hands of Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley. Both will be ready to go this week if Conner can’t and Ridley is looking forward to facing his former team.


“I am fired up about it,” said Ridley. “I am a competitor. I am going to compete. To have this opportunity to be out there on the field going against my old team. It’s a challenge anybody would want if you have played in this business and competed your whole life.


“This game has been circled on the schedule for a long time. It has.”


With Conner missing the Raiders game it appeared the ground game struggled with just 40 yards rushing. But it’s about the bigger picture, and when it comes to having faith in the running game offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner isn’t concerned because of how they utilize packages.


“The run game is efficient based on what?” said offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. “How many times you actually hand it to him, or how many times that guy got yards in the game, got first downs? You know, we used No. 89 (Vance McDonald) as a running back last week, and he caught a screen for like 30 (yards). Is that a screen or a run? I mean, that’s kind of how you have to look at it. I look at it as how do we utilize the five players we have in an attempt to get first downs to make touchdowns. You can call it rush, you can call it pass, but we have an actual run play, a draw play, that’s blocked the same way as a screen play. One time we flipped it, one time we didn’t.


“I don’t really look at it that way. I look at it as how do we move the chains, how do we put points on the board. Where we failed last week was we didn’t put enough points on the board.”


Receiver Ryan Switzer was added to the injury report on Friday, limited with an ankle injury. He is also questionable for Sunday’s game.


Ben Roethlisberger, who missed practice on Wednesday still recovering from a hit he took late in the first half against the Raiders that resulted in rib contusions, was a full participant in practice the last two days and is ready to go against the Patriots.


Roethlisberger has indicated from the get-go that he would be ready to play this week and knowing the importance of the game in the playoff hunt his desire to be out there comes as no surprise.


“It’s always a big game,” said Roethlisberger. “They’re the best for a reason and everyone wants to go after them. The Patriots are one of the best teams for a reason. We are not the only team that has issues with them. They’re that good. The past is the past, we can only focus on this week. We realize what’s at stake. Not panic. It’s not going to get any easier.”


Safety Sean Davis practiced on Thursday and Friday after missing Wednesday with a knee injury. Davis will be a key component this week covering Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who got the best of the safety in a meeting at Heinz Field last year.


“I have grown from that,” said Davis. “I have become a better player. I feel like as a unit we are growing. This is a going to be a good game to test us. We are going to get a real challenge again. I am looking forward to the matchup.”


Anthony Chickillo, who was limited with an ankle injury on Wednesday, was a full participant on Thursday and Friday.


Marcus Gilbert, who has missed the past seven games with a knee injury, did not practice again on Friday and has been ruled out for Sunday’s game.


The full practice report is below.


Pittsburgh Steelers Participation/Injury Report, Week 15


Game Status
WR Ryan Switzer (Ankle) - Questionable
RB James Conner (Ankle) - Questionable
OT Marcus Gilbert (Knee) - Out


Friday, December 14
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Ribs) - Full
WR Ryan Switzer (Ankle) - Limited
S Sean Davis (Knee) - Full
RB James Conner (Ankle) - Limited
LB Anthony Chickillo (Ankle) - Full
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - Full
OT Marcus Gilbert (Knee) - DNP


Thursday, December 13
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Ribs) - Full
S Sean Davis (Knee) - Full
RB James Conner (Ankle) - DNP
LB Anthony Chickillo (Ankle) - Full
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - Full
OT Marcus Gilbert (Knee) - DNP


Wednesday, December 12
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Ribs) - DNP
S Sean Davis (Knee) - DNP
RB James Conner (Ankle) - DNP
LB Anthony Chickillo (Ankle) - Limited
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - DNP
OT Marcus Gilbert (Knee) - DNP


New England Participation/Injury Report, Week 15


Game Status
None Listed


Friday, December 14
TE Dwayne Allen (Knee) - Full
CB Stephon Gilmore (Ankle) - Full


Thursday, December 13
TE Dwayne Allen (Knee) - Full
CB Stephon Gilmore (Ankle) - Full


Wednesday, December 12
TE Dwayne Allen (Knee) - Full
CB Stephon Gilmore (Ankle) - Full


https://www.steelers.com/news/week-15-injury-report-patriots

[RuthlessBurgher]

Belichick: Past domination of Steelers won’t matter on Sunday

Posted by Mike Florio on December 14, 2018, 3:27 PM EST

Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t always answer press conference questions in a word or a grunt. But it’s entertaining when he does.

Regarding his record against the Steelers and against coach Mike Tomlin, Belichick was asked on Friday whether that tells us anything that could happen when the teams get together this week.

“Nope,” Belichick said. “Zero.”

Belichick has won 11 of 14 games against the Steelers and seven of nine against Tomlin. Last year, the fundamental differences between New England’s and Pittsburgh’s approach to situational football became abundantly clear when the Steelers had more than three minutes during replay review of a potential game-winning touchdown to devise a sequence of plays if the score was overturned (it was), but the Steelers’ offense became confused and seemed woefully unprepared following the first play after the reversal ended.

Of course, situational football became a problem for the Patriots against the Dolphins, both at the end of the half when Tom Brady took a sack near the Miami goal line with no time outs and at the end of the game when Rob Gronkowski did his best (worst) Kramer impersonation, bumbling to the ground as he tried in vain to keep Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake from scoring.

So how does Belichick get his team to forget about that one and focus on the next one?

“Yeah, it’s every week,” Belichick said. “That’s the way it is every week, turn the page and move on to the next team.”

That’s better than saying “nobody died,” which was Belichick’s go-to when appearing on WEEI earlier this week. Regardless, the loss may have left enough of a nasty taste in New England’s mouth to make them even more motivated to extend the dominance that Belichick has demonstrated during his 19 years as the team’s coach.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/14/belichick-past-domination-of-steelers-wont-matter-on-sunday/

[RuthlessBurgher]

By Michael David Smith
Dec 15, 2018, 2:46 PM EST
Report: James Conner unlikely to play vs. Patriots

With the Steelers facing their biggest game of the season on Sunday, they’re expecting to be without their top ball carrier.

Steelers running back James Conner is unlikely to play on Sunday against the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Conner has been nursing an ankle injury, but after he returned to practice on Friday and was listed as questionable, there was some optimism that he could go against New England. That apparently will not be the case.

Stevan Ridley, the Steelers running back who said he wanted revenge against the Patriots after they “trashed” him following his knee injury, will likely get plenty of opportunities with Conner hurt.

[RuthlessBurgher]

By Mike Florio
Dec 16, 2018, 9:50 AM EST
Patriots take a very large page from the college playbook

For years, college football teams have been using large poster boards with various photos and images to communicate with the players on the field. Last weekend, the Patriots dipped a toe in that specific pool.

As explained by Phil Perry of NBCSportsBoston.com, the Patriots last week at Miami held up a three-by-three-foot board with the number 84 in red and an image of the Road Runner. The message came prior to a New England punt, and it apparently was a message to receiver/running back Cordarrelle Patterson to stay on the field and serve as a gunner.

But it raises a real question about whether the Patriots (and, inevitably if the Patriots do it, other teams) will be begin utilizing large boards with simple images that send complex signals.

Given that the offense and defense both use direct communication systems from the sideline to the player with the green-dotted helmet (quarterback on offense and, typically, middle linebacker on defense), the boards become most relevant on special-teams plays. And for Patterson, who takes plenty of reps of offense, it makes sense to give him a clear, visible message before he runs to the sideline, only to learn that he needs to run back to the field.

Beyond special teams, the boards would have limited application. In some situations, like running or defending against a two-minute offense, it could be a nice supplement. And if the Patriots are going to cross that bridge, others will surely follow. Especially since those boards could become potential revenue generators based on the images and logos selected by the teams.

I’m kidding about that last part. I think.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Sunday, Dec 16, 2018 02:55 PM
Steelers inactives for Week 15 vs. Patriots

Teresa Varley
STEELERS.COM

The Steelers head into today’s game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field without running back James Conner.
Conner, who missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle sprain, was limited in practice on Friday. He was listed as questionable on Friday and downgraded to doubtful on Saturday.
He is inactive today.

Conner missed last week’s game against the Raiders, and without him in there the running back duties fell into the hands of Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley. Both are ready to go this week and Ridley is looking forward to facing his former team.
“I am fired up about it,” said Ridley. “I am a competitor. I am going to compete. To have this opportunity to be out there on the field going against my old team. It’s a challenge anybody would want if you have played in this business and competed your whole life.

“This game has been circled on the schedule for a long time. It has.”

Eli Rogers was activated on Saturday to the 53-man roster. Ryan Switzer injured his ankle in practice on Friday, and Rogers’ activation gives the team a safety net at receiver and as a returner.

“Eli is a shifty dude, a very quick, very smart dude playing inside,” said JuJu Smith-Schuster. “He also does punt returns, so he’s going to help out a lot.”
Rogers had been on the physically unable to perform list all season but returned to practice on Nov. 28.

“I’m excited to get him back,” said Antonio Brown. “He’s a great asset for the team.”
Both Rogers and Switzer are active today.
Chris Boswell will be the Steelers kicker today. Boswell missed two field goals against the Raiders last week, and the Steelers brought several kickers in this week for tryouts. In the end, Boswell won out.

“That was a unique experience, but sometimes tough circumstances put you in unique situations,” said Coach Mike Tomlin. “I thought it was necessary. I also thought it was helpful from this standpoint: the position that Chris Boswell was in, he needed to earn his way into the stadium this weekend. We had an opportunity to bring in some credible kickers. We worked those guys out.

“Boz did his normal work during the week, and then we put ourselves in the very best position we could be in as we walked into the stadium today, which is having the ball going through the uprights. We were open to that being Boz, and we were open to that not being Boz. I think from that perspective it was fair given the situation we were in. He delivered to a level of expectation, and so now we walk into the stadium doing more than hoping the ball goes through the uprights.”

The rest of the Steelers inactives this week are: Mason Rudolph, Marcus Allen, Brian Allen, Zach Banner, Ola Adeniyi and L.T. Walton.

Steelers Inactives
No. 2 QB Mason Rudolph
No. 27 S Marcus Allen
No. 29 CB Brian Allen
No. 30 RB James Conner
No. 72 OT Zach Banner
No. 92 LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi
No. 96 DE L.T. Walton

Patriots Inactives
No. 22 DB Obi Melifonwu
No. 29 DB Duke Dawson
No. 47 TE Jacob Hollister
No. 58 DE Keionta Davis
No. 66 C James Ferentz
No. 71 DT Danny Shelton
No. 95 DE Derek Rivers

[NorthCoast]

If it comes down to a FG to win the game do you really trust Boswell to do it?

[fordfixer]

I do now.......

[Starlifter]

They way the Steelers are playing it’s gonna be a bloodbath. The pats know how to stomp an inferior opponent. They don’t play down to the competition. Brady and gronk are going to destroy the defense. We won’t be able to run, AB will be doubled all day. Juju will have some production but it won’t be near enough. Bens ribs may prevent him from finishing the game.

42-7 pats.

And I’m praying to the football gods I have to eat crow on Monday.

had to quote myself while I'm preparing the crow. why wait until monday?

but if I were honest, I thought Boz would miss again and I thought the D would allow a game winning touchdown. so happy to be wrong. Cautiously optimistic against NO - but one game (no matter how well played) does a defense make. I don't think 17 points will cut it against Brees either. But, today was great - and I'm stoked the Steelers pulled it off!

[Steelwolf]

What a great win and much needed but most would be joking if we all didn't think Brady would drive down and tie with 2 minutes left. Can we beat the saints? Tune in lol