That wasn't altogether unexpected for any of those players.
But James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, Heath Miller and Mike Adams were all sitting out.
I don't expect Harrison or Polamalu to play again this week. There's no reason with a bye waiting. The Steelers want those two healthy for the long haul.
Miller should practice - at least in some form Friday - and play Sunday. The needle cures a lot of ills, especially torn rib cartilage.
As for Adams, his missing practice might be the most serious.
The Steelers' top backup tackle, it's unlikely the Steelers dress the rookie unless he practices Friday. He's sitting out with a sore back.
With Gilbert also suffering from a strained groin, that could leave the team short at tackle.
The guess here is that if push comes to shove, they will move Ramon Foster to right tackle and put Doug Legursky at guard if something happens to Gilbert Sunday at Oakland.
Rookie Kelvin Beachum didn't show anything in the preseason to warrant getting any playing time.
@ Interesting to note that the line on this game has dropped to 4 points after the Steelers opened as 6-point favorites.
But there is some basis. The replacement officials have called home teams for 44.9 percent of the penalties. Compare that to a 51-49 split for the regular officials.
Possibly because of that, home teams are 23-9 straight up and 19-12-1 ATS through two weeks this season.
On average over the previous three seasons, the home teams were 19-13 straight up and 16-15-1 ATS.
Coincidence? Maybe. It's something we'll keep an eye on this week.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder