Coates has been a cut above as second receiver
PITTSBURGH – In many respects, seven has been a lucky number for Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates.
It’s the number worn by his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.
It’s the number of points awarded for a touchdown and extra point, of which Coates scored the first two of his career in the Steelers’ 31-13 win over the New York Jets Sunday.
And it’s the number of stitches it took to close a cut between his index and middle finger, an injury suffered in the first half against the Jets.
OK, perhaps the last part wasn’t quite so lucky, but despite the cut on his finger, Coates had the best day of his young career against New York, catching six passes for a career-high 139 yards and his first two NFL touchdowns.
It’s the kind of effort the Steelers are going to need to continue to get as opponents devise ways to keep star receiver Antonio Brown from doing too much damage.
Coates has 12 receptions in the past two games, one fewer than Brown and two less than running back Le’Veon Bell.
Roethlisberger has spread the wealth in the past two games, not looking just at Brown or Bell or a combination of the two to move the ball.
It’s added up to 74 points in those two games, an offensive output the Steelers (4-1) hope to continue when they play Sunday at Miami (1-4).
“We’ve got a great team. If everybody does their job, we’re going to do well,” said Coates, who was wearing a soft cast on his injured left hand that kept him out of practice Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t be able to do that if we didn’t have a great offensive line, one of the best quarterbacks in the league and that beast on the other side of field in AB. When you’ve got guys like that around you, it makes it easy for me to do my job.”
It makes it easier but Coates still has to do his part.
Against the Jets, that was a hit-or-miss proposition. Though he caught six passes, he dropped three others and had two more that, though they would have been tough catches, were catchable.
Roethlisberger has grabbed the second-year receiver in the past to let him know what’s expected of him. In this case, however, after his second drop, Coates made a beeline for the quarterback.
“What was encouraging this week is that he almost sought me out to come back to him, to believe in him,” Roethlisberger said. “I told him, ‘You don’t have to tell me that. I believe in you and I’m going to come back to you.’ It’s good to see that growth.”
That confidence is a nice addition for a receiver who is already among the fastest in the league.
The 6-1, 212-pound Coates isn’t the same size as the player he’s replacing, 6-4 Martavis Bryant, but he might be as fast.
On his first catch against the Jets, a 72-yard bomb from Roethlisberger, Coates was running 21.78 miles per hour, the fastest by any player in the NFL on a touchdown play last week, according to NFL.com.
He has that burning speed to fall back on. But the rest of Coates’ game is coming along, so long as he holds onto the football. Six of Coates’ 19 receptions have gone for 40 or more yards this season and he has at least one reception of 40 or more yards in each of the first five games, one short of Mike Wallace’s team record set in 2011.
Coastes and Brown are the only duo in the NFL with more than 400 receiving yards and are the first Steelers’ duo to accomplish that in the first five games since John Stallworth and Louis Lipps in 1984.
“There isn’t much you can do,” said Coates when asked if he expects to start seeing more double coverage.
“We have a lot of talent on this team. If you try to favor the defense toward one, somebody else is going to make a play. That’s one thing I like about our team.”
Odds and end zones
Joining Coates on the sideline Wednesday were right tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle), defensive end Cameron Heyward (hamstring), linebacker Ryan Shazier (knee), safety Shamarko Thoams (groin), center Cody Wallace (knee), receiver Markus Wheaton (shoulder) and running back DeAngelo Williams (coach’s decision). … Cornerback Justin Gilbert, safety Robert Golden, fullback Roosevelt Nix and wide receiver Eli Rogers were full participants. All have been out of action for at least one week. … The Steelers signed running back Karlos Williams, the brother of linebacker Vince Williams, to their practice squad. Karlos Williams, who rushed for more than 500 yards last season as a rookie for Buffalo, was suspended for four games for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy and released by the Bills.