zulater
08-16-2013, 05:15 AM
Can the Steelers wide receivers be more productive without Mike Wallace, one of the top deep threats in the NFL?
The players entrusted with taking over the position -- Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders -- think so. And so, too, does offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Last year, the receiving corps underachieved as much as, if not more than, any unit on the team, perhaps because so much was expected of them. Dropped passes, inexplicable fumbles and muffed chances in the end zone stood out more and had a bigger impact than the plays they happened to make.
And Brown, for one, is determined to change that.
"I think we can be an awfully lot better," said Brown, who has been elevated to the No. 1 receiver with the departure of Wallace. "That's the mentality of our group -- we're hungry and motivated."
Wallace, Brown and Sanders combined for 174 catches, 2,259 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2012. So how can two of them be better this season without Wallace?
"First and foremost, we got to protect the ball and make big plays," Brown said. "You get caught up trying to make that big play and you lose the ball. And the ball is the most important thing you got. That's what you got to learn to protect."
Haley, though, does not easily dismiss the loss of Wallace, who averaged 17.2 yards per catch in four seasons with the Steelers and had more touchdowns of 40 yards or longer with Ben Roethlisberger (14) than any active duo in the NFL.
But as a unit, Haley believes the wide receivers have a chance to be more productive because he thinks Sanders is better suited to playing on the outside than in the slot, the position he mostly played last year.
With Sanders on the outside, Jerricho Cotchery will be the slot receiver, and Haley thinks he is better suited for that position than Sanders.
"I like the way we're lining up in three-receiver sets," Haley said. "We're playing to both guys strengths by lining A.B. and Emmanuel outside and Jerricho inside because that inside receiver is such a huge part of the run game. And Jerricho has been tremendous.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/wallaces-departure-could-prove-beneficial-for-steelers-699515/#ixzz2c7rcXte4
The players entrusted with taking over the position -- Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders -- think so. And so, too, does offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Last year, the receiving corps underachieved as much as, if not more than, any unit on the team, perhaps because so much was expected of them. Dropped passes, inexplicable fumbles and muffed chances in the end zone stood out more and had a bigger impact than the plays they happened to make.
And Brown, for one, is determined to change that.
"I think we can be an awfully lot better," said Brown, who has been elevated to the No. 1 receiver with the departure of Wallace. "That's the mentality of our group -- we're hungry and motivated."
Wallace, Brown and Sanders combined for 174 catches, 2,259 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2012. So how can two of them be better this season without Wallace?
"First and foremost, we got to protect the ball and make big plays," Brown said. "You get caught up trying to make that big play and you lose the ball. And the ball is the most important thing you got. That's what you got to learn to protect."
Haley, though, does not easily dismiss the loss of Wallace, who averaged 17.2 yards per catch in four seasons with the Steelers and had more touchdowns of 40 yards or longer with Ben Roethlisberger (14) than any active duo in the NFL.
But as a unit, Haley believes the wide receivers have a chance to be more productive because he thinks Sanders is better suited to playing on the outside than in the slot, the position he mostly played last year.
With Sanders on the outside, Jerricho Cotchery will be the slot receiver, and Haley thinks he is better suited for that position than Sanders.
"I like the way we're lining up in three-receiver sets," Haley said. "We're playing to both guys strengths by lining A.B. and Emmanuel outside and Jerricho inside because that inside receiver is such a huge part of the run game. And Jerricho has been tremendous.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/wallaces-departure-could-prove-beneficial-for-steelers-699515/#ixzz2c7rcXte4