stillers4me
08-13-2015, 05:32 PM
Jesse James dropped two easy passes in Sunday night’s preseason opener in Canton, Ohio, each with their own set of negative consequences.
The first came in the second quarter on a fourth-down play at the Minnesota 2, costing the Steelers a sure touchdown. The second drop, which was ruled a fumble, came in the third quarter and was recovered by Vikings linebacker Brian Peters.
On top of that, in practice Tuesday at Saint Vincent College, James dropped another easy pass from quarterback Landry Jones in an 11-on-11 drill.
It’s not the way a rookie tight end wants to start his NFL career, especially when he was a fifth-round draft choice by his hometown team.
“It was the first game, and I was pretty mad at myself,” said James, who played at Penn State and South Allegheny High School. “But you’ve got to get back to work and focus. You know you’ve got to make the next play, and, even at that, I didn’t make the next one. But I’ll be back and make the next one.”
How James bounces back from his preseason debut is among the things coach Mike Tomlin said he wants to see from his young players when the Steelers play their second preseason game Friday night at Jacksonville. However, what happened to James against the Vikings — the drops, his lapse in concentration — is perfectly understandable.
Two days before the game, James’ best friend from high school died suddenly.............
“Young guys freeze up sometimes,” Tomlin said. “I mentioned to some of them, I would’ve liked to have shown them cutups of Lawrence Timmons from the Hall of Fame Game in 2007. It was pretty ugly. It provides a little window, a ray of light if you will, for those who are mentally weak enough to need it. You’ve got to start somewhere. Some starts are better than others. Regardless of how you start, it isn’t going to define you.”
Read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/08/13/Death-of-friend-rattled-Steelers-TE-Jesse-James-before-Hall-of-Fame-Game/stories/201508130075
The first came in the second quarter on a fourth-down play at the Minnesota 2, costing the Steelers a sure touchdown. The second drop, which was ruled a fumble, came in the third quarter and was recovered by Vikings linebacker Brian Peters.
On top of that, in practice Tuesday at Saint Vincent College, James dropped another easy pass from quarterback Landry Jones in an 11-on-11 drill.
It’s not the way a rookie tight end wants to start his NFL career, especially when he was a fifth-round draft choice by his hometown team.
“It was the first game, and I was pretty mad at myself,” said James, who played at Penn State and South Allegheny High School. “But you’ve got to get back to work and focus. You know you’ve got to make the next play, and, even at that, I didn’t make the next one. But I’ll be back and make the next one.”
How James bounces back from his preseason debut is among the things coach Mike Tomlin said he wants to see from his young players when the Steelers play their second preseason game Friday night at Jacksonville. However, what happened to James against the Vikings — the drops, his lapse in concentration — is perfectly understandable.
Two days before the game, James’ best friend from high school died suddenly.............
“Young guys freeze up sometimes,” Tomlin said. “I mentioned to some of them, I would’ve liked to have shown them cutups of Lawrence Timmons from the Hall of Fame Game in 2007. It was pretty ugly. It provides a little window, a ray of light if you will, for those who are mentally weak enough to need it. You’ve got to start somewhere. Some starts are better than others. Regardless of how you start, it isn’t going to define you.”
Read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/08/13/Death-of-friend-rattled-Steelers-TE-Jesse-James-before-Hall-of-Fame-Game/stories/201508130075