With a series of moves yesterday, the Steelers ramped up preparations for Sunday afternoon’s Wild Card Round playoff game at Buffalo.
Coach Mike Tomlin moved practice from the team’s complex on the South Side to Accrisure Stadium. This week’s stormy weather made the surface unplayable at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex so Tomlin wanted to get his players on a playing field similar to what they will be on when they play on Sunday. Accrisure Stadium has heated turf.
Safety Damontae Kazee was added to the 53-man roster and safety Trenton Thompson was placed on injured reserve. Kazee is returning from a three-game NFL suspension.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was a full practice participant. Linebacker Elandon Roberts was limited and running back Najee Harris and guard Isaac Seumalo were out, as usual.
Defensive captain Cam Heyward isn’t buying that the Steelers are 10-point underdogs on Sunday. He says it’s “nonsense.”
Quarterback Mason Rudolph says the Steelers have been focusing on the Bills attacking defense that tries to steal the ball away.
Ask TJ Watt and he would probably give back all of his individual awards for the chance to play this weekend, but his injured knee won’t let him. For what it’s worth, Watt was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week yesterday for his performance against the Ravens, when he had two sacks and eight tackles overall, three of them for losses. It was Watt’s first Player of the Week honor this season and the seventh of his career, tying him with Troy Polamalu for the most all-time on the Steelers.
The Steelers may also be ready to move on from punter Pressley Harvin III. He has been a continual frustration for them and got off punts of only 34, 26, and 29 on Saturday against Baltimore, plus another that was low and short and resulted in a net of only 33 yards after the return. Yesterday, the team signed Brad Wing to the practice squad. Wing punted for the Steelers when Harvin was injured for two games in October.
NFL
Head coach Pete Carroll has been let go by the Seattle Seahawks. The team says it was a “mutual decision” and Carroll will remain with the organization as an advisor but Carroll says he wants to keep coaching, so he may be a candidate to go elsewhere.
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and four of his assistants.
The Giants’ defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, quit after the team fired his two top assistants.
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