Steelers Vs. Texans: Who Will Steelers Activate At OT In Place Of Injured Jonathan Scott?
by Michael Bean on Sep 29, 2011 6:09 PM EDT
in Steelers Injury News
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If the Pittsburgh Steelers are to win their third consecutive game of the season -- as well as the third straight matchup against the Houston Texans -- they'll have to do so with improved play along the offensive line, a solid performance from the secondary, and more consistent ball protection from Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the Steelers' offensive unit.
In the Week 3 win over Indianapolis, the Steelers suffered multiple injuries to offensive linemen, the first real rash of physical setbacks the team has experienced since losing Willie Colon for the season in Week 1. Jonathan Scott, who struggled for much of the night containing Dwight Freeney from his left tackle position, is out with a severely sprained ankle. Rookie Marcus Gilbert is expected to start in his place at LT even though he too is recovering from an injury sustained last Sunday. Gilbert injured his shoulder in the win and was replaced in favor of Trai Essex at right tackle. When Scott went down though in the fourth quarter, Gilbert was forced to return to the lineup and was slid over to the left side.To round out the tough night injury-wise, Doug Legursky also went down with a shoulder injury. According to Dale Lolley in my interview with him this morning, Legursky is likely to dress but not play except in the event of an injury.
All told, Mike Tomlin faces quite the dilemma. How many offensive linemen should the Steelers dress this coming Sunday against the Texans? Last week they dressed seven and it nearly put them in a huge predicament. Gilbert had no choice really but to return, as the Steelers were out of reserves to use instead. With Legursky and Gilbert still not fully recovered from their respective shoulder injuries, should the Steelers really roll the dice and go to battle with juts seven OL again?
Probably not. Seems a bit too risky. Scott Brown reported this morning that Bruce Arians said he expects Jamon Meredith to dress this Sunday. Meredith, who's bounced around between five teams since entering the league in 2009, was picked up by the Steelers in the aftermath of Colon's injury. He would theoretically be the first guy off the bench if either Essex or Gilbert got hurt or struggled mightily.
Another option is practice squad member Trevis Turner, who according to Mark Kaboly "went through "live" hitting after practice. Unusual, unless they plan to activate him."
We'll see about that, but I would love to see Turner earn a helmet. He was my sleeper pick to make the practice squad or roster amongst the crop of undrafted free agent rookies. Frankly, the Steelers would probably be better off going with him over Meredith were they to find themselves with no other alternatives. If the two are more or less equal with how they look in practice, might as well go with the younger guy who the team clearly is intrigued by from a potential and physical ability standpoint.
Hopefully this is a moot point come Sunday when the Steelers place the Texans. However, given the uncertain status of multiple guys at an already thin position, it's a conversation worth talking about as we wait to see if Tomlin does in fact dress eight OL or opts to roll the dice with just seven.
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The big question is who gets cut/waived
or is someone looking at IR?
"Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity." Jack Layton (R.I.P.)
"My city's still breathing (but barely it's true) through buildings gone missing like teeth. The sidewalks are watching me think about you, all sparkled with broken glass. I'm back with scars to show. Back with the streets I know. They never take me anywhere but here. " John K Samson (Left and Leaving)
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Sep 29, 2011 6:25 PM EDT reply actions
nah
Just deactivate C. Brown or C. Allen this week. Don’t need all of them. Or sit a WR or W. Saunders
Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)
by Michael Bean on Sep 29, 2011 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions
errr
nevermind, that wouldn’t do it. gotta take someone off the 53 to add from PS. Hmm. Good question.
Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)
by Michael Bean on Sep 29, 2011 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
hey roxy
Good to see ya. Yeah, you’re probably right. Can’t think of anybody who could realistically be let go right now for this one circumstance.
Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)
by Michael Bean on Sep 29, 2011 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions
With only 7 inactive players inactive on gameday this year, instead of the 8 it has been in the past, I’m curious which position usually gets the “extra” hat so far (I’ll try to remember to check on that tonight/tomorrow). But 7 OL has been standard in the past for how many we dress on gameday, and I don’t think they’ll react to a fluke week by reworking things just to activate an additional body for insurance.
That being said though, I think we DID have 8 OL active against Indy:
Starters: J. Scott, Kemoeatu, Pouncey, Legursky, Gilbert
Primary backups: Essex, Foster
Then there’s Chris Scott – he’s on our 53 and was not listed among the inactives.
Collinsworth was saying repeatedly that we were out of guys, but I think that was more a figure of speech than anything to reflect the injuries sustained to 60% of the starting line, coupled with knowing the minds of Kugler and the other coaches absolutely not wanting C. Scott’s first NFL snap to be against Dwight Freeney of all people.
Are you on Facebook? Have you connected with BTSC's page yet? You should.
The extra work for Turner could just be trying to accelerate his development in case J. Scott’s injury really is serious or gets aggravated enough down the line to put him on IR.
Are you on Facebook? Have you connected with BTSC's page yet? You should.
by barnerburner on Sep 29, 2011 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe
cut Batch or Dixon for 1 game and activate Turner. Then after the game re-sign them.
James Harrison~ "We are not trying to hit nobody hard. We don't want to get fined" *blank stare* /end sarcasm.
by H-burgSTEELfanatic on Sep 29, 2011 7:47 PM EDT reply actions
wouldn't take a pay cut on his $5mm
and we were too tight on cap space, could not realistically afford the $5mm or felt it was too much to pay
If Steelers hang close or even win.....
It would be shocking to me, your line is so freaking beat up, I mean a bad starting line is beat up almost across the board. Unless Pouncey puts on a Superman jersey I don’t see how Roethlisberger survives.
best tackling team in the NFL, most physical and just dominates people. When we walk out of the tunnel and out of that locker room, we expect to shut people out and play great defense - Ravens DC Chuck Pagano
Pouncey doesn’t have to be superman for this game, their NT sucks. Gilbert is the one that needs to be superman.
James Harrison~ "We are not trying to hit nobody hard. We don't want to get fined" *blank stare* /end sarcasm.
by H-burgSTEELfanatic on Sep 30, 2011 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Me
Heading to Texas:)
Only kidding but these are horrible scenarios
Stoppers are stuck for the season but I was really wOndering bout Malecki
Why not him?
I would make legursky the center
Pouncey and CK the g’s
And Gilbert and Essex the t’s
Hopen Ben doesn’t get killed
by ALDOG on Sep 29, 2011 9:33 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Legursky is almost certainly out
for Sunday. He had a dislocated shoulder.
"If you're not getting better, I don't care what business you're in, you're a dead man. I try to look critically at the mistakes that I make and try to learn from them, like our team does." - Mike Tomlin
by Rebecca Rollett on Sep 30, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions
it's up to Arians ...
and Ben …
Adjust your play calling so that Ben’s not dropping 7 steps and expecting 4-5 seconds for play to develop. They have the WR/TE to run quick hitting routes all day long, all over the field.
Texans fan here
Best way for you guys to win is to line up Mike Wallace against Kareem Jackson, trust me you wont regret it
Wallace could line up against me and it still wouldn't matter if Mario Williams was in Ben's face 2 seconds after the snap
But I think the line will perform better than expected on Sunday. Just a feeling.
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever
-Napoleon Bonaparte
The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.
-Thomas Szasz
Cornell University Class of 2014
by LV Steelers Fan on Sep 29, 2011 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Cursed
It might not matter who the Steelers will activate because he will probably get hurt anyways with the way the season has started. It was stunning to see how thin the OL became on Sunday night. Hopefully Gilbert won’t be affected much by his injured shoulder and will play the whole game. Even though the Steelers only recently have begun to draft OL in the early rounds of the draft, the players they do have are versatile at least which is one positive compared to all the negatives we’ve seen so far.
It’s a really good question posed and personally I would dress eight just because the other guys are not 100%.
Proud fan of Pittsburgh's professional sports teams and the Pirates too.
by Black&GoldTrain on Sep 29, 2011 11:01 PM EDT reply actions
You can say that again!
"If you're not getting better, I don't care what business you're in, you're a dead man. I try to look critically at the mistakes that I make and try to learn from them, like our team does." - Mike Tomlin
by Rebecca Rollett on Sep 30, 2011 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Goodbye #7
Hope it is just #7 Super Bowl we lose & not Big Ben. Should have signed the Hotel.
What ever happened to all the level-headed thinking for which this place is noted?
"In football, there are football players and there are footballs. A lot of times in football, a football player will be running with a football, and a lot of times, he carries the football into the end zone. Now, when a football player running with a football takes that football into the end zone, boom! It's a touchdown." - Anthony DeFeo
by chewiesteeler on Sep 30, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Point is Sign Hotel!
Big Ben is paid >$100M with little OL protection. Kemo is nearing the end, Foster is average & Gilbert is a rookie. Manage your expectations, this is why the Ravens blew us out. If not Hotel, please sign someone that can block.
We won the SB with Flozell?
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Follow me on Twitter
by John Stephens on Sep 30, 2011 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Dress 8 OL
and everybody get to church!
"Chew on it. Chew on it and swallow it whole. Chew on it men, we’ll be fine" -Mike Tomlin
"If I could start my life all over again, I would be a professional football player, and you damn well better believe I would be a Pittsburgh Steeler." -Jack Lambert, 1990 HoF Introduction
by madanthonywayne on Sep 30, 2011 7:00 AM EDT reply actions
A bit off topic
Has the Coverage map for the game come out yet?
Nevermind,
I found where they have the coverage maps…….
I will continue to believe that Gilbert is the best fit, despite his lack of experience
Your left tackle is your best lineman in most cases, though Pouncey needs to be in the middle. He makes everyone around him better.
But after him, Gilbert is the best OL we have. And he’s got the athleticism to play the position, something Scott and Essex are both lacking. THose two are natural right guards, not left.
An out of town perspective
How often are the tackles left without help? As a Bills fan, I was stunned when Jonathan Scott emerged as a starter (although via injury) for the Steelers last year. On Sunday he looked as I remembered, yet he was often left 1 on 1 with Freeney. Is that usual? It struck me as kind of odd. Keep in mind I don’t watch tons of Steelers games.
I’m also noticing a concern (which as an outsider I agree with) that Big Ben gets hurt. He is a guy who holds onto the ball anyway to make a play and the tackles (whoever they were) seemed to be getting abused.
The biggest point of this is: How long has the O-line been like this? I know the rep used to be power running, but that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. Is that because of Big Ben’s success, or b/c of the line play?
Good luck. As a Bills fan, I’ve always felt a certain connection to the Steelers and Browns, fellow Rust Belt teams. Plus, I really hate Ray Lewis and the Ravens, and, more often than not, you guys are the ones standing between them and a long playoff run.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you sireric for bringing the furious punching cat back into my life. - poz
by bluecollarbuffalo on Sep 30, 2011 3:14 PM EDT reply actions
The o-line
has been like this since every second o-line has decided to get injured for the last two years. Well it seems that way.
The o-line has been most charitable named a work in progress since last years training camp when our veteran tackles began to fall. Someone else can give you the stats but it has been bad for awhile. In someways it was worse in the SB because we were missing Pouncey which really limited the playbook.
J.Scott was as good as we could get. Next year, or later this year, I expect to see Gilbert at LT.
"Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity." Jack Layton (R.I.P.)
"My city's still breathing (but barely it's true) through buildings gone missing like teeth. The sidewalks are watching me think about you, all sparkled with broken glass. I'm back with scars to show. Back with the streets I know. They never take me anywhere but here. " John K Samson (Left and Leaving)
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Oct 1, 2011 12:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh my, Meredith? He’s another Bills cast off. The Bills had been seeking Steelers castoffs. I hope, for you sake, its not starting to be the other way around. I feel for you. For 3(?) years in a row, the Bills led the league in players on IR. It wasn’t pretty.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you sireric for bringing the furious punching cat back into my life. - poz
by bluecollarbuffalo on Oct 1, 2011 8:06 AM EDT up reply actions
When the wife starts screaming to get the guy some help
you know your blocking sucks.
Problem..
i was right!! We spent too much on LBs and not enough for O-line men..Stinchcomb and Nicks were available..Smith, Farrior, and Hines make way too much $$$ right now..I see them gone next year..Probably Deebo too..This will free up a lot of $$$ to sign a RG Immediately and maybe CD..draft D-lineman, O-line men..top priority to fix O-line before BB has a major injury
A man is innocent untill proven guilty...Even if it's Ben Roethlisberger!
'I rather have a German division in front of me than a French division behind me'..General George Patton
" I don't care if he has two horns and a tail, as long as he is anti-communist"..General Douglas MacArthur..
"The way to end our dependence on foreign oil is to keep our tires properly inflated"....B. Hussein Obama
"Government is not the solution to our problems, it is the cause of them" Ronald Wilson Reagan..40th President of the United States
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