Steelers' Wallace digging deep for more tricks

[stillers4me]

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, always looking for a distinct edge in sharpening his players, began teasing wide receiver Mike Wallace with the nickname "One Trick" in the summer.

As in "one-trick pony."

As in, all the guy does is sprint straight routes down the field, boom or bust.

Wallace grasped the humor at the time, but he also aimed to change it.

"I don't like it," was his comeback then. "Unleash me. That's all."

The unleashed Wallace -- given a greater role after the Santonio Holmes trade -- raised his reception total from 39 as a rookie to 60 this season, his yards from 756 to 1,257, his touchdowns from 6 to 10. And yes, he maintained that one trick, too, with 26 catches of 20-plus yards, most in the NFL.

"OK, now I can call him 'One-and-a-half-trick pony," Tomlin said with a broad smile Wednesday morning before the Steelers practiced on the campus of Texas Christian University. "He's still that rare player who can take the top off of the coverage, but he's shown he wants to be a great all-around player. He's going to have a chance to do that now."................

read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11034/1122673-66.stm

[SMR]

rofl