Burns turning into Steelers’ lockdown corner
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Last year, Artie Burns was just a skinny cover corner trying to survive as a 21-year-old rookie.
This year, he蘑菇视频 a muscled-up veteran who蘑菇视频 turned into the Steelers鈥� lockdown cornerback.
鈥淭op DB in the room,鈥� said Antonio Brown. 鈥淏oy a beast.鈥�
Brown, of course, spent the spring and summer schooling Burns, but Brown is quick to say, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 play into that. That蘑菇视频 all him.鈥�
In two games so far, Burns 鈥� the 鈥渙ther A.B.鈥� 鈥� has allowed six catches and a pass interference call on 13 passes to the receiver he covered.
Including the 17 yards penalized, Burns has allowed those receivers to gain only 46 yards, or 6.6 yards per completion. The 17-yard pass interference call was the longest play he蘑菇视频 allowed.
One of his highlights in Sunday蘑菇视频 win over the Minnesota Vikings occurred after Burns stayed home on a play in which Case Keenum faked to the running back, faked to the receiver coming around, and threw a screen that Burns stopped for a one-yard loss.
He蘑菇视频 not only covering, he蘑菇视频 tackling, and Burns credits Mike Tomlin with telling him after last season that he needs to get stronger.
鈥淭hat was my No. 1 goal for the offseason, to get stronger,鈥� said Burns. 鈥淭o be able to play in this league, you鈥檝e got to be strong.鈥�
The added muscle on the 6-0, 197-pounder is obvious. So is the confidence. And it doesn鈥檛 matter to Burns that he蘑菇视频 鈥渙ld news鈥� to reporters who鈥檝e focused lately on newcomer Joe Haden instead of last year蘑菇视频 first-round draft pick.
鈥淚f we get to the Super Bowl, man, that蘑菇视频 all that matters,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care what the media蘑菇视频 talking about. I want a ring and a trophy. That蘑菇视频 all I have to worry about. However my career goes, it goes.鈥�
It蘑菇视频 going in the direction of a scheme-versatile, lockdown corner.
鈥淚 see things better,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have more experience. Things are coming to me better than they did last year.鈥�
BEN鈥橲 BIG 鈥楴O-PLAY'
The longest gain by the Steelers on Sunday came on a 鈥渘o-play,鈥� when a Viking jumped offside and Maurkice Pouncey snapped immediately to Ben Roethlisberger, who threw deep to a diving Martavis Bryant for a 51-yard gain in the third quarter. It led to a field goal and a 20-9 lead.
鈥淭hey know when the ball蘑菇视频 snapped on a no-play to take off long,鈥� said Roethlisberger. 鈥淭he receivers know what they鈥檙e supposed to do.鈥�
So did Pouncey, although the snap was high.
鈥淚 told him 鈥業t was a horrible snap, Pounce,'鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淲e had a good laugh about it, but we knew it was a free play.鈥�
Roethlisberger said the same thing happened about a dozen times last season.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had quite a few of those, more than people probably know,鈥� he said.
Another under-the-radar play by Roethlisberger was his low block on Pro Bowl defensive end Everson Griffen that sprung Bryant for a seven-yard gain on an end around in the first quarter. Roethlisberger later dove at backside pursuer Harrison Smith in an attempted block that actually slowed Smith and allowed Le鈥橵eon Bell to get out of the backfield.
鈥淚鈥檒l do anything to help the team,鈥� said Roethlisberger, who throws coaching advice to the wind in the middle of a game.
鈥淯sually on the reverse, I am supposed to block and they鈥檒l say, 鈥楧on鈥檛 use your right shoulder.鈥� That蘑菇视频 usually what蘑菇视频 said, but you can鈥檛 think about that. In the heat of the battle you鈥檙e just trying to slow a guy down.鈥�
DOWN GO THE VOLS
David DeCastro was talking after the game Sunday about the high number of talented 鈥渇reaks鈥� on the Vikings defense when he overheard someone ask Ramon Foster about Tennessee蘑菇视频 last-second loss to Florida the previous day.
鈥淥h, too soon,鈥� DeCastro scolded. 鈥淭oo soon.鈥�
Of course, DeCastro and the rest of the offensive line had already given it to Foster. But even Pouncey, from Florida, felt kind of bad for Foster.
鈥淎 little bit,鈥� said Pouncey. 鈥淏ut they won last year, so it was payback.鈥�
For rookie QB Josh Dobbs, also from Tennessee, it was a case of deja vu.
鈥淪ame exact thing happened when we played Texas A&M last year,鈥� Dobbs said. 鈥淲e were down seven. They had the ball, third-and-6, and dude breaks it 65 yards for a touchdown. Malik Foreman chases him down, strips at the 1, out the back of the end zone, we recover, go on the field, score a touchdown, go to overtime, double overtime, lost in double overtime. Same exact feeling. Same exact feeling.鈥�
Dobbs made that feeling clear immediately after the Vols鈥� rally started with a strip-fumble at the goal line, only to tie the game and lose on a bomb as time expired. He tweeted, 鈥淚鈥檓 sick,鈥� immediately after the play.
鈥淵eah, I was sick,鈥� Dobbs said. 鈥淚 know all the guys on the team so I know how much that play meant. Bled with everyone who was down there fighting for the dub (W) down there.鈥�
SPECIAL TEAMS PRO BOWLER?
For the second consecutive game, reserve linebacker Tyler Matakevich made a key special-teams play for the Steelers.
Matakevich blocked a punt for a touchdown in the opener, and Sunday broke up the Vikings鈥� pass off a fake punt to end the first series of the second half. The Steelers took over at the Minnesota 36 and eventually kicked a field goal for a 17-3 lead.
鈥淲e were just saying to be alert for the fake,鈥� Matakevich said. 鈥淣ear midfield, fourth-and-4, you鈥檝e got to know first of all they鈥檒l try a hard count to get you to jump.鈥�
Amid teammates鈥� calls to be alert for a potential fake, Matakevich also noticed he was across from a new man, tight end Blake Bell, instead of the linebacker who normally lined up at the left tackle spot on the Minnesota punt team.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 usually a linebacker, (Kentrell) Brothers, a guy I know,鈥� Matakevich said. 鈥淪o I noticed it was a different guy, and then he didn鈥檛 even try to block. He just sort of ran a route. As soon as he didn鈥檛 block me, and with people yelling 鈥榃atch the fake! Watch the fake!鈥� you鈥檙e like 鈥榃hat蘑菇视频 about to happen?'鈥�
Matakevich followed Bell into the flat and broke up the pass to give the Steelers the ball.
QUICK HITTERS
Stephon Tuitt said he made big strides last week with his injured biceps muscle and hopes to play this week. 鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 the plan,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just going to keep doing exactly what I did last week and hope it continues to get better.鈥� 鈥� Rookie CB Brian Allen replaced Mike Hilton as the punt gunner in the second half Sunday and downed Jordan Berry蘑菇视频 punt inside the Minnesota 1-yard line. 鈥淭hey told me to go in for Mike because he had played so many reps on defense and on kick coverage,鈥� Allen said. 鈥� It was the first time Allen touched the football in his NFL career. That success was rivaled by another rookie, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who scored on his first pro touch when Roethlisberger shoveled to him a three-yard touchdown pass. But Smith-Schuster蘑菇视频 most impressive play Sunday was his crushing interior block of Smith, the Vikings鈥� box safety, during a Steelers running play. 鈥淚t was something we鈥檝e been working on all week,鈥� said Smith-Schuster. 鈥淚t just so happened he came in that gap. That蘑菇视频 my gap and I just did my job.鈥�
TOMLIN ON INJURIES
At his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin talked about these injuries: RT Marcus Gilbert (hamstring) and TE Jesse James (ankle) could miss early practices; Vance McDonald (back spasms) should be back, as should Tuitt (biceps), who 鈥渉as potential to play,鈥� Tomlin said, and the same for T.J. Watt (groin). Reserve safety J.J. Wilcox is 鈥渇inishing up his last elements of the concussion protocol.鈥�
TOMLIN ON HARRISON
Tomlin was asked why he didn鈥檛 play James Harrison at all when Watt left in the second quarter wih an injury.
鈥淲e wanted to leave the hot hands in there,鈥� he said. 鈥�(Anthony) Chickillo being that hot hand. We appreciate James. We know what James is capable of. James will ready himself. There will be a time in the season where we鈥檒l call on his services and he鈥檒l deliver and deliver in a big way, much like he did in the latter part of 2016. In the meantime, we鈥檙e going to continue to roll people and play and play guys that we see fit and not do a real good job of maybe describing our mindset or outlining their intentions because part of it is gamesmanship and part of it will define itself as we move forward.鈥�