Steelers make flurry of roster moves
Pittsburgh fans hope the lackluster loss to Tennessee Sunday and devastating injuries to Steelers players don’t set the tone for the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is sacked by Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (99) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013. The Titans won 16-9. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey (53), center, is helped from the field after being injured Sunday.
Larry Foote
PITTSBURGH – Coming off their first loss in a regular season home opener since 2002, the Steelers don’t have a lot of time to lick their numerous wounds.
A team already thin at a number of positions saw its depth depleted even greater in Sunday’s lackluster 16-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field as center Maurkice Pouncey, inside linebacker Larry Foote and running back LaRod Stephens-Howling were lost for the season.
All three were placed on injured reserve Monday, Pouncey and Stephens-Howling with torn ACLs and Foote with a ruptured biceps.
With a Monday night game next week against AFC North rival Cincinnati looming, the Steelers didn’t waste any time moving to replace their injured players, re-signing running back Jonathan Dwyer, who had been released following the team’s final preseason game, and adding offensive lineman Fernando Velasco and placekicker Shayne Graham.
With obvious new replacements for the other injured players, the Steelers will apparently look internally at inside linebacker.
Rookie Vince Williams is listed as Foote’s backup, but was among the Steelers’ right inactive players Sunday. Kion Wilson, a three-year veteran who has spent time with Carolina and San Diego, was active and replaced Foote after he was injured in the fourth quarter.
“It’s very unfortunate,” said Wilson. “Larry’s a great guy. He’s a role model. He’s a leader, somebody I respect on and off the field.
“Guys are going to look at (the replacements). They know what the other guys bring to the table, what their abilities are. Guys will be looking at me. Will I be able to do what I’m supposed to do?”
Wilson won’t be alone.
Dwyer was the Steelers’ leading rusher in 2012 with 623 yards, but was released Aug. 31 as the team trimmed its roster to the NFL limit of 53. He became expendable when the Steelers made a trade in the preseason with Philadelphia for Felix Jones.
Jones, however, did not see much playing time in Sunday’s loss, despite the fact that starter Isaac Redman fumbled twice and Stephens-Howling, who had replaced him after the second fumble, was injured late in the third quarter.
“The game circumstances dictated that we do some things, no-huddle and so forth,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin of why Jones didn’t play more. “He’s been here for a short period of time. That, maybe, had an effect on our utilization of him, particularly down the stretch.”
Dwyer had set up some tryouts with several teams, but jumped at the opportunity to return to Pittsburgh.
“Glad to be back home #steelernation,” Dwyer tweeted Monday.
Pouncey suffered a knee injury just eight plays into the game when guard David DeCastro dove into his right leg while attempting to hit Tennessee defensive lineman Sammie Lee Hill. He was replaced by Kelvin Beachum, but the Steelers might choose to instead turn the position over to Velasco, who started 16 games – 13 at center, three at guard – for Tennessee in 2012 but lost his roster spot to Rob Turner and was released as part of the team’s final cut.
The Steelers, however, are more concerned about how they’ll move forward without Pouncey, a team captain and three-time Pro Bowl player.
“It’s going to be tough,” said Redman. “He’s the heart of our offensive line.”
Graham’s signing was the biggest surprise.
Placekicker Shaun Suisham suffered a hamstring injury in warmups but played through the injury, though he only had to take the field for the opening kickoff and an extra point late in the game.
Graham, a 12-year veteran, was with Cleveland in training camp this year, but was released as part of the team’s final cuts, even though the Browns didn’t have another kicker on the roster. They eventually signed Billy Cundiff as a replacement.
Graham has appeared in 155 games, spending most of his career with Cincinnati from 2003 to 2009. He’s also played for Houston, Miami, Baltimore, New England, the Giants, Carolina and Buffalo. Despite being so well-travelled, Graham is the seventh most accurate kicker in NFL history having made 85.4 percent of his career field goals.
Odds and end zones
All four AFC North teams lost their regular season openers for the first time since 2002. The Steelers actually lost three of their first four games that season but rebounded to go 10-5-1. … The Steelers’ 195 total yards Sunday were their fewest since gaining just 127 in a 19-11 win over the Titans Sept. 19, 2010 at Tennessee.