蘑菇视频

Sep 2, 2019 By Jim Wexell for The 6 min read

PITTSBURGH — The last time the Steelers started a player at free safety who was only two seasons removed from college, Anthony Smith guaranteed a win over Tom Brady.

Smith, we all remember, was wrong — by more than just a little.

“I won’t guarantee no wins,” Kameron Kelly said with a shake of the head. “But I’ll guarantee you’ll get 150 percent out of me. Yes, sir.”

Kelly can’t even guarantee he’s going to start at free safety Sunday night in the 2019 season opener at New England. But he did start there Monday at practice in place of injured Sean Davis.

Kelly confirmed that, and also that he intercepted a pass in the middle of the field Monday and returned it for a touchdown.

The play was everything the Steelers wanted — and got — this summer out of Kelly, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder who played cornerback at San Diego State in 2017.

Kelly didn’t play as a rookie last season. He was cut by the Dallas Cowboys, but the Steelers spotted him in the defunct AAF league. They signed Kelly and he finished training camp only one interception behind camp leader Cameron Sutton.

The Steelers were impressed enough to put Kelly on their 53-man roster, and they also spent the first day of their first week of the regular season getting him and Mike Hilton ready to play free safety against Tom Brady in case Davis doesn’t recover from his ankle injury.

Even though Davis wasn’t available yesterday, Hilton said, “He’ll be full-go for sure. Everybody’ll be out there ready to go.”

But Kelly’s certainly ready. He’s playing not only with confidence, but with strength and speed.

“I know I’m ready,” Kelly said. “I’ve been ready. My whole life I’ve been working for this.”

What makes this season different from last season?

“This is just the right fit for me,” he said. “Sometimes you get in situations, things just don’t work out, coaches — not playing favorites — but coaches who have guys they trust a little bit more, guys who’ve already been there. I feel like last year with the Cowboys I got stuck in a situation like that where no matter how many plays I made I was just stuck in the mud. Couldn’t go nowhere.

“Here, Coach Tomlin gave me an equal opportunity. Everybody was on the same playing field out here. That allows you to come in with a lot more confidence. You don’t have to spend the first three weeks of OTAs trying to build your confidence up. You already come in with confidence knowing that you can play and knowing you’ll get the same opportunities, so you can just focus on making plays.”

Haden signs, no one on deck

The Steelers went to training camp hoping to renegotiate contracts for Joe Haden, Javon Hargrave and Sean Davis, in that order. But as the Haden talks dragged on, the Steelers opted to make him their only priority.

Monday they announced they signed Haden to a two-year extension (three years total, $27 million) through the 2021 season, but it’s also too late for talks with Hargrave, the fourth-year nose tackle who enjoyed an outstanding camp and preseason.

“Yeah, we done passed that,” Hargrave said. “But I’m good.”

Hargrave, Davis and Bud Dupree are the starters entering the final years of their contracts and can become unrestricted free agents next March. The Steelers, of course, don’t negotiate contracts once the season begins.

X’s & O’s

n The Steelers announced their four captains at the end of Monday’s practice. Special teams captain Rosie Nix received the loudest applause. The other captains are Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey on offense and Cameron Heyward on defense.

n Three jersey numbers were changed. Kelly will wear 29, DT Henry Mondeaux will wear 99, and ILB Robert Spillane will wear 41. Only one player in team history wore No. 41 to the Pro Bowl: Spillane’s grandfather, Johnny Lattner.

n Ryan Switzer confirmed that he’s competing with rookie Diontae Johnson for the punt and kickoff return jobs. Switzer will likely start over the rookie after finishing 13th in the NFL last year with an 8.4 average returning punts and 15th with a 20.2 average returning kickoffs.

“I’m more comfortable in the system than I was last year,” Switzer said. “And I’m more comfortable with the guys blocking up front, and that means a lot. You’ve got to know who likes to do what and more so they’ve got to know my running style. So I feel they have a better sense of what I’m going to do back there. When I was at (University of North) Carolina, they knew, those guys knew me like a book, and I feel like they’re starting to get that here.”

n Fantasy alert: Donte Moncrief and JuJu Smith-Schuster are the starting X and Z wide receivers, with James Washington stuck behind Smith-Schuster. Last year Washington only played the Z when Smith-Schuster moved inside to the slot (Y). But this year Washington has learned all five WR positions, so even though he’s not considered a starter he’s expecting much more playing time.

“It’s a lot different,” Washington said. “Last year I only played Z. Now I’m able to go and do different things. If somebody needs a break, I’m basically the guy they call in.”

Washington confirmed that he went way up to make another circus catch at Monday’s practice.

Pulling down high passes has become Washington’s specialty, but the second-year receiver only jumped an ordinary 34 陆 inches at his NFL Combine.

“At the combine it wasn’t good,” he said. “But at pro day it was like 39 陆, 40. At the combine, man, I was tired. I’m not going to lie. There were times we stayed up at the train station till 12:30 meeting with coaches, and I didn’t go to bed till like 2. We have to be up at 6. I really didn’t feel like myself. But, can’t make excuses, you know?”

n The Steelers named WR Johnny Holton to fill the final spot on their practice squad. He joins Mondeaux, Spillane, S Marcus Allen, RB Trey Edmunds, OL Derwin Gray and Patrick Morris, TEs Kevin Rader and Christian Scotland-Williamson, WR Tevin Jones, and CB Trevon Mathis.