Injury Report: Jones Looks To Be Steelers Quarterback Against Browns
By Christina Rivers
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter their third consecutive home game against the Cleveland Browns with a long list of banged up players. The most notable are to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and DeAngelo Williams as the offense desperately needs every available player in Week 10. Sunday will be the third game of the season against an AFC North opponent and the Steelers lost to both the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals at home already, making winning that much more important. "If we are going to be the team we desire to be, we have to win in the AFC North to get to the playoffs," receiver Antonio Brown said. "Cleveland always brings their best when they play us and they give us a good game. We have to be fired up and bring our 'A' game."
The Steelers prepared all week to play without Roethlisberger, giving Landry Jones the majority of the snaps with the first-team offense. That didn't keep Roethlisberger out of the mix; but on Thursday, Roethlisberger was reportedly out of his protective walking boot ahead of schedule, but still practiced in a limited role. Jones has had limited success running the offense in lieu of Roethlisberger, but Mike Vick's performances were disappointing as well. A large part of that was due to a lack of familiarity among teammates as they adjusted to injuries and the different cadences and flow each quarterback presented. As the mid-point of the season has passed, the team has had enough time to adjust. The question now is, can they? Offensive coordinator Todd Haley said of Jones, "He has more experience now. If he is the guy, then he has to go out and continue to grow and get better."
After a record-breaking performance from receiver Antonio Brown and running back DeAngelo Williams' arguably best game with Pittsburgh against the Oakland Raiders last week, the team needs playmakers. Williams has a mid-foot injury, but was able to practice in full all week. As Brown will be a likely double-team candidate, receivers Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant will be called on to be more reliable than they were last week in securing catches. Fellow receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey dealt with a sore hamstring all week. "We are 0-2 against the AFC North. We need to go out there and get a win," Heyward-Bey said following practice this week. "And with the bye [next week] we need to go out strong for the home stretch. Division games hold more weight than other games, so we have to go out there and win. We need to buckle down and get these wins."
Other notable injuries on offense are to tackle Marcus Gilbert, fullback Will Johnson, running back Isaiah Pead (who just joined the team) and tight end Matt Spaeth. All, except Spaeth, are listed as probable for the game. Last week, rookie Jesse James had a good game in Spaeth's place making two catches; one of which was his first career NFL touchdown. Byron Stingily and Chris Hubbard could substitute for Gilbert if necessary and the Steelers have Roosevelt Nix and Jordan Todman at fullback and running back respectively.
On defense, the Steelers will be without veteran outside linebacker James Harrison, fellow linebacker Terence Garvin and safety Shamarko Thomas. Without Harrison, Jarvis Jones will see more time and with a nagging knee injury, Ryan Shazier may see limited snaps with the Steelers favoring Sean Spence, Bud Dupree, Arthur Moats, Vince Williams and even Anthony Chickillo as they substitute for different packages with the healthiest players available. Will Allen and Mike Mitchell are the likely starters at safety, with Robert Golden being utilized as well. This week may see the Steelers use Doran Grant at either the cornerback or safety position as a backup option after being added recently to the active roster.
Steelers Injury Recap
Out
Terence Garvin (LB, knee)
James Harrison (LB, knee)
Matt Spaeth (TE, knee)
Shamarko Thomas (S, knee)
Questionable
Ben Roethlisberger (QB, foot)
Probable
Marcus Gilbert (OT, toe)
Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR, hamstring)
Will Johnson (FB, back)
Steve McLendon (DT, elbow)
Heath Miller (TE, not injury related)
Isaiah Pead (RB, knee)
Ryan Shazier (LB, knee)
DeAngelo Williams (RB, foot)
Christina Rivers has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers and National Football League professionally as a journalist and photographer for over a decade. Rivers studied Exercise Physiology and Sports Psychology at Brigham Young University as a student-athlete. Christina is a freelance writer covering all things NFL as well as a published author. Her work can be found on
Examiner.com.
