Steelers News: How Stephon Tuitt will finally play up to his potential in 2019

With all of the Steelers’ 2019 offseason workouts in the rear view mirror, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan base has to suffer through the dog days of summer until the boys of fall return to the gridon. In the meantime, don’t think the news surrounding the black-and-gold is over. As the team scatters for the summer, we continue to provide you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over until training camp!

Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at how Stephon Tuitt will not just play up to his new contract, but finally reach the potential the organization has seen in him since being drafted out of Notre Dame.

Let’s get to the news:

• Stephon Tuitt realizes how people are calling him injury-prone, and how he isn’t living up to the new contract he signed before the 2018 season. The hope is in 2019 he rectifies this situation.

Carter’s Classroom: Will Tuitt finally do it?

By: Chris Carter, DKPittsburghSports

The Steelers players with the largest salary cap numbers are Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. Roethlisberger is the two-time Super Bowl champion franchise quarterback who drives the offense and Heyward is the captain of the defense with 20 sacks in the past two seasons.

Tuitt, however, hasn’t made his big splash yet. His 5.5 sacks last season were the second most of his career behind the 6.5 he totaled in 2015. At 26 years old and costing the Steelers more than $13.6 million in cap space the next three seasons, Tuitt is one of their bigger talents and has to deliver in a major way:

To read the full article, click HERE

• The NFL is fast, and most college players notice this right away. But someone forgot to tell Isaiah Buggs about that transition.

NFL too fast for a rookie? Not for sixth-rounder Buggs

By: Hunter Homistek, DKPittsburghSports

“I feel like once I actually buckle in, buckle down a little bit, I’ll play a lot faster,” Layne told me during OTAs. “But I mean, it’s still just a learning process.”

Yeah, Mr. Layne, for some it is. For others, apparently, the NFL is just another day at the office. I’ve been bouncing around the Rooney Complex, talking to every rookie I can find, and even some vets, about this topic. It’s fascinating to me, and the similarities in their responses paint a clear picture and help validate the claims.

So when I strolled up to Isaiah Buggs — the Steelers’ second of three sixth-round picks in the 2019 Draft — following Day 2 of minicamp on Wednesday, I expected more of the same. He ran a 5.15-second 40 (25th out of 30 defensive lineman), an 8.01-second three-cone drill (third worst) and a 4.83 shuttle (21st out of 24). No offense, but if somebody in this class was going to struggle with the speed, it was going to be Buggs, right?

Wrong.

To read the full article, click HERE

• Trey Griffey is primed and ready to make a name for himself in his second training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Spawn from baseball Hall of Famer, Trey Griffey prepared for 2nd Steelers camp

By: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

About a week-and-a-half prior to Father’s Day, Trey Griffey was asked if his dad had given him any fatherly advice about competing during his second season as part of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization.

“He just told me, ‘Go in there and do what you do,’ ” Griffey, a wide receiver, recalled after an organized team activities session last week. “ ‘Everybody is going in there looking for a job. Even though you were there last year, you are still competing for a job.’ ”

Good advice — from a Hall of Fame source.

To read the full article, click HERE

• Can’t wait for training camp? Here are some things you should be on the lookout for while at Saint Vincent College.

Labriola on 5 things to watch at training camp

By: Bob Labriola, Steelers.com

IS THIS ACTUALLY THE YEAR THE TAKEAWAYS COME

It’s no secret that the Steelers cannot contend for a championship if their defense does not do better than the eight interceptions and 15 total takeaways the unit posted in 2018. In the first place, the eight interceptions tied a franchise low that was set during an 11-game season in 1940, and the only teams with fewer than 15 takeaways last season were the 6-10 Detroit Lions with 14, and the 4-12 San Francisco 49ers with seven.

It should no longer be necessary to tout the importance of taking the ball away in today’s pass-happy NFL, and the Steelers have been emphasizing that aspect both in their scouting of rookies and free agents as well as incorporating drills into their practices to hone the skills needed to make it happen.

To read the full article, click HERE

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