標題: Jim Caldwell spent a year away from the NFL, and while he was gone the [打印本頁] 作者: elaine95 時間: 2019-10-22 16:05 標題: Jim Caldwell spent a year away from the NFL, and while he was gone the
Antonio Brown’s locker sat empty on Friday save for the stack of cardboard boxes pushed off to the side David Montgomery Jersey , items the Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver hasn’t gotten around to unpacking just yet. The All-Pro is too busy trying to get his injured left calf ready in time for Pittsburgh’s division playoff game to worry about wading into his ever-expanding universe of swag.
The AFC North champions are optimistic Brown’s familiar No. 84 will run out of the tunnel at Heinz Field on Jan. 14. Brown hasn’t played a snap since injuring the leg while trying to haul in a touchdown pass in the second quarter against New England on Dec. 17. If for some reason his leg doesn’t heal in time, the Steelers (13-3) are confident they can thrive without him.
”We don’t know what’s going to happen with 84,” veteran receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said. ”Things sound good but we don’t know. I’m confident because we put the work in. You saw it in the Patriots game. We didn’t panic when AB got hurt. Guys rolled in, played ball. The last few weeks we’ve been doing that.”
Pittsburgh persevered thanks in part to the precocious development of rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, the resilience of Martavis Bryant and offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s refusal to pigeon hole the many weapons at his disposal. Haley insists that every wide receiver and tight end learn how to run every route from every conceivable spot along the line of scrimmage. Even running back Le’Veon Bell (whose 85 receptions ranked 10th in the league) is required to pick it up.
”We’ve got to keep it unpredictable,” tight end Jesse James said. ”We can’t let defense know where AB is going to line up every time. That goes for everybody. We’re always looking to see different matchups.”
Ones the Steelers exploited even with Brown out.
Smith-Schuster averaged 110 yards receiving over the final three games. Bryant’s tumultuous return from a yearlong suspension, a return that included an early-season trade demand, ended with a flourish. He caught 13 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown over the last three weeks. Even reserves Heyward-Bey and Justin Hunter found the end zone as Pittsburgh bounced back from a difficult loss to the Patriots to clinch a first-round playoff bye.
Don’t get Brown’s teammates wrong. Pittsburgh is infinitely better with the only unanimous selection on the NFL’s 2017 All-Pro team in the lineup. Yet the drop-off isn’t quite as steep as it would have been a year ago http://www.bearsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-riley-ridley-jersey , when Bryant was out of the league, Smith-Schuster was still in college and injuries forced the Steelers to use a largely anonymous group to fill in the gaps.
It speaks to the depth Pittsburgh has cultivated over the last 12 months that Cobi Hamilton, who caught the team’s lone touchdown pass in an AFC title game loss to New England, didn’t survive the final round of cuts in August.
”Out of all the years I’ve been here, I’m confident knowing we have more hands, we have more in our deck of cards,” said Heyward-Bey, now in his fourth season with the Steelers. ”We’ve got more things going on.”
Smith-Schuster has been a revelation as both a route runner and an enthusiastic blocker in the running game. And Brown’s absence has given Bryant the playing time he was looking for when he went to the team in September and asked to be traded. Things have quieted down since Jonah Williams Jersey , and his production level ticked up as the season went along. Bryant had at least four receptions in five of Pittsburgh’s last six games. He only had one game with more than four receptions over the first 10 weeks.
Bryant stressed the receivers didn’t ”add more pressure to ourselves” when Brown went down but added ”everybody wants to have AB’s back and be great for him.” Perhaps no one has more at stake than the 26-year-old Bryant, who showed flashes of greatness in in 2014-15 before multiple violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy put his career in jeopardy. The road back has been rocky but nothing Bryant says he can’t handle.
”This is nothing compared to what I’ve been through,” Bryant said. ”This is a walk in the park for me. Just happy to be back. This year almost over. We got three more games left, looking forward to those and see what happens.”
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Jim Caldwell spent a year away from the NFL, and while he was gone the Browns found a franchise quarterback.Maybe he’ll get to coach Baker Mayfield.Caldwell, who led Indianapolis to the Super Bowl and made Detroit respectable, became the second candidate to interview with Browns general manager John Dorsey, who is in the early stages of finding the franchise’s ninth coach since 1999.Caldwell met Wednesday with Dorsey and other members of the team’s search committee in Berea Elgton Jenkins Jersey , Ohio. The Browns are only confirming interviews after they are completed.The 63-year-old Caldwell’s experience makes him a worthy candidate. He coached the Colts from 2009-11, winning the AFC title in his first season but losing to New Orleans in the Super Bowl. He went 36-28 in four seasons with the Lions before he was fired after going 9-7 in 2017.Dorsey is not limiting his search, and Caldwell seems to check many of the boxes the Browns are looking for in a coach following their bounce-back season. Cleveland narrowly missed the playoffs once season after going 0-16 under Hue Jackson.On Tuesday, Dorsey met with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. He went 5-3 as Cleveland’s interim coach after replacing Jackson on Oct. 29. Dorsey also plans to interview Freddie Kitchens, who was promoted from running backs coach to offensive coordinator and brought out the best in Mayfield.It’s expected the Browns will meet at some point with former Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy as he has connections with Dorsey and others in Cleveland’s front office following years together with the Packers.Cleveland has also reportedly received permission to interview New Orleans assistant head coach/tight ends coach Dan Campbell, New England linebackers coach Brian Flores, Minnesota offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski and Indianapolis coordinators Nick Sirianni and Matt Eberflus.Caldwell previously interviewed for Green Bay’s opening, one of eight around the league.Earlier this week http://www.packerscheapshoponlin ... -sternberger-jersey , Dorsey outlined what he’s looking for in a coach.“You want a man of character,” he said. “A guy who can instill leadership into these young men. A guy who is a collaborative thinker. A guy who is a continuous learner. A guy who is consistent on a day-in and day-out basis and who those players can look up to and go, ‘You know what? I will follow that guy anywhere.’ That is the goal for the organization is to get to what is best for this organization — find a man of character who can lead young men.”Caldwell’s vast experience in college and the pros, along with a winning record in the NFL, boost his candidacy. He went 64-54, including 2-4 in the postseason, during seven seasons with Indianapolis (2009-11) and Detroit (2014-17).Caldwell was dismissed by the Lions despite two playoff appearances, and he spent the past year working as a consultant for the rebooting XFL.Dorsey wants a coach he can align with Mayfield Dexter Williams Jersey , who set the rookie record for TD passes this season. Caldwell’s background includes several seasons with future Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning, who took the Colts to a Super Bowl win in 2007. Caldwell also worked as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under coach John Harbaugh when quarterback Joe Flacco led the Ravens to a championship in 2012.Caldwell is among the minority candidates recommended to the league by the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes diversity and equality among NFL teams. The league’s Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate.作者: martina28043 時間: 2023-1-2 08:54
