Ryan Switzer has the look of the lethal return man the Steelers have been lookin

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As we approached the 2018 campaign Black Javon Hargrave Jersey , many wondered if the Steelers would ever find a solution for having to send star receiver Antonio Brown out on the field when the other team is punting. Actually, that’s probably a lie. Let’s face it, after years of searching for someone suitable to replace Brown—even Mr. Return Man, Jacoby Jones, was so bad in 2015, it was almost like he was getting revenge on Mike Tomlin for that sideline incident in Baltimore two years earlier—any current attempts at a solution seemed futile. Even Brown, himself, seemed to be getting less spectacular at returning punts and hadn’t taken one back to the house since 2015, which just so happened to be the last time he tried to make love to the goalposts. Not only had the Steelers’ punt return average steadily declined over the previous four seasons, it had sunk to an abysmal low of 6.9 yards per return in 2017 when Eli Rogers did the bulk of the heavy lifting. As far a kickoff returns, after watching Danny Smith’s unit average 21.6 yards per return since 2014 (or 3.4 yards less than you’d get by just downing the kick in the end zone), I had totally written that phase of the game off—I was just glad we weren’t still living back in the late 00’s, when Tomlin would often trot out big running backs, like Najeh Davenport. (Remember that? Why didn’t he just send Max Starks out to return kicks?) When news broke late last month that Pittsburgh had acquired return specialist Ryan Switzer in a trade with the Cowboys, I didn’t really pay much attention. Sure, I saw the impressive highlight package from Switzer’s rookie season in Dallas last year Black Artie Burns Jersey , as well as his college days with North Carolina. However (and please forgive me if you’re the president of his fan club), I also saw the highlight package of tight end Vance McDonald last summer, right after Pittsburgh acquired him from the 49ers—and here we are a year later, and that one play where he went 70-plus on the Carolina Panthers is still the best—and only—highlight of Vance McDonald’s injury-riddled career.Anyway, the last person I gave a darn about as the Week-1 contest against the Browns approached was Switzer and his attributes as a return specialist. But then the game began, and Switzer started returning everything, kicks, punts, both of them. He looked decisive, as if he knew where he wanted to go the second he corralled the football. And the speed? I believe the phrase: “Shot out of a cannon” is apropos when describing what I saw on Sunday. Instead of leaving the room during a kickoff or punt, I stood there and cheered, screaming things like, “Come on, Switzer, take it to the house, baby!” It felt so foreign to me. Switzer averaged 23 yards per kickoff return Black Joe Haden Jersey , which isn’t necessarily an impressive average. However, he did look like a threat to do something with each kick besides return it to the 21.6-yard line—certainly a step in the right direction. But since the NFL is hellbent on making sure fewer and fewer people make kickoffs exciting these days (I still can’t believe JuJu Smith-Schuster scored on one last year), punt returns are where Switzer will likely be of great value. Switzer averaged 11.2 yards on five punt returns against Cleveland on Sunday and set up Pittsburgh’s third touchdown by returning one 20 yards to the Browns’ 39. I realize it’s only one game, but when you couple that game with Switzer’s rookie season in-which he showed great promise as a return specialist, it might be safe to assume the Steelers have found something. And it looks like Antonio Brown may have finally found a reason to stay off the field when the other team is punting.Steelers News: Young players waiting for their chances to shine The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with disappointment for the second week in a row after the Kansas City Chiefs came into Heinz Field and dismantled the home team. Heading into Week 3, the team must slowly turn its attention away from the embarrassing loss and solely focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their Week-3, prime-time matchup. Something I did last season and I’m going to start again is the Black-and-Gold Links article.[img]http://www.sndpic.com//nike_nfl_jerseys/nike_pittsburgh_steelers/nike_steelers_5051.jpg[/img]
This is an article where I take stories from quality news sources across the Internet, and add them here for your viewing pleasure. I won’t be posting the entire articles, but I’ll link each story and author so that you can read the full article. Today we focus on some of the younger Steelers who haven’t got a chance to shine yet. Players like Jaylen Samuels, Chukwuma Okorafor and Marcus Allen who are biding their time waiting for an opportunity to prove their worth.Let’s get to the news:Rookie Jaylen Samuels stays patient, waits for his chance in Steelers offenseBy: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewUpdated 11 minutes agoJaylen Samuels is living the dream after making the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster as a rookie. The running back has been part of the 46-player active gameday squad for each of the season’s first two games, too.But getting on the field? Not quite yet.That’s not going to bring Samuels down.“I am just taking it a day at a time, coming to work every day improving every day on what I’ve got to do and focused on what I got to do,” he said. “And when my number gets called just be ready to go.”Samuels said he’s been a part of the gameplan during the games against Cleveland and Kansas City – and he even was on the field for a snap in the loss to the Chiefs. Officially, though Youth Ben Roethlisberger Jersey , it didn’t count because the play was nullified because of a penalty.The No. 3 running back on the depth chart, Samuels was a tight end at North Carolina State and also has a background as a wide receiver. A fifth-round pick in April, he’s an intriguing chess piece for first-year offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner to play with.Antonio Brown hasn’t lost respect in the Steelers locker roomBy: Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAntonio Brown doesn’t appear to have lost any friends in the Steelers locker room after skipping work Monday, one day after he was involved in a couple of sideline confrontations with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and receivers coach Darryl Drake.Team captain Maurkice Pouncey did not have a problem with Brown getting into an argument with Fichtner during the game.“One hundred percent,” Pouncey said. “Tom Brady does it. I’ve seen him do it plenty of times. No one ever says anything. The ultimate competitor Tom Brady does it. Peyton Manning used to do it all the time. The guy wants to win a football game. He wants to go out there and make plays. I love A.B. to death. I’ll never say anything bad about him. He’s a great player. He’s the ultimate competitor. He cares about this team, and he cares about winning. That’s what you want on a football team.”As for Brown not showing up to work Monday, Pouncey said Brown communicated with the proper people about having to deal with a personal matter.Steelers punter Jordan Berry well aware of his early-season strugglesBy: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewJordan Berry has heard from his coaches. Not that he needed to get their opinion to assess his own punting this season.“We (as punters and kickers) know we kick the ball (poorly),” the Pittsburgh Steelers punter said Wednesday. “But you know, (coaches) are going to come up and be up front with us as well.”So while Berry didn’t hear what coach Mike Tomlin had to say during his weekly news conference Tuesday ( “It’s got to be better,” Tomlin said of the punting), Berry had already been given the message by the special-teams braintrust of Tomlin and special-teams coach Danny Smith.“‘Hey, you haven’t hit the ball well. We need you to improve. If you don’t improve it, you know, you have to start looking over your shoulder’ kind of thing Youth JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey ,” Berry said.“The coaches here are fantastic and they are very upfront with everybody. They are not going to hide anything. You hear stories from other teams; head games with people鈥?There’s nothing that (Steelers coaches) are hiding from me.”Berry acknowledged he mis-hit several balls during Sunday’s loss to Kansas City. He was trying to kick directionally to avoid Tykeek Hill and the Chiefs’ stellar return game – but not as directional as some of his punts went.“I was really trying to make sure I was getting it toward the sideline with that punt return team; I just didn’t hit a couple of them clean,” Berry said. “So then when you are taking that sharp angle and then you don’t hit it clean, it just exaggerates how bad the ball is.“I am just not hitting the ball well. That’s about it.”Antonio Brown rejoins Steelers 2 days after being a no-showBy: Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewAntonio Brown returned to work Wednesday, rejoining his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates after not showing up Monday for scheduled film review and team meetings.Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he spoke to Brown “a little bit,” but he said the All-Pro wide receiver did not address teammates about his absence.Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Tuesday that Brown did not report Monday because of a “personal matter.” Coach Mike Tomlin, who typically reveals when players have excused absences, did not do that at his Tuesday press conference. Tuesday is a day off for Steelers players.Rosenhaus said Brown did not mean it when he tweeted “trade me let’s find out,” in reference to a former team employee’s social media comments that Brown owes his success to playing with Roethlisberger.Roethlisberger also said he doesn’t believe Brown was being serious about his “trade me” message.“If I spoke to him and personally he reiterated those things to me or if I felt they were personally coming from him and not just a reaction to someone else, maybe I’d have a little more worry,” Roethlisberger said. “But as of now I don’t feel that way.”Roethlisberger said frustration over not being a bigger part of the offense is the genesis of Brown’s behavior. He confronted offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner on the sidelines in the second half of the Steelers’ 42-37 loss Sunday to Kansas City. He also walked off the field by himself while teammates were celebrating Roethlisberger’s touchdown run that cut the deficit to five points with 1:59 left in the game.

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