Visit by Shazier helps pick up Steelers’ spirits
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier won’t play again this season, but the Pro Bowl selection remains very much a part of the team even after injuring his spine in a game against Cincinnati last month.
Shazier attended practice Wednesday for the first time since undergoing spine stabilization surgery Dec. 6.
He posted a photo on Instagram from the team’s indoor training facility as Pittsburgh prepared to host Jacksonville in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Shazier is pictured in a wheelchair wearing sweatpants and a Steelers jacket, a visit that gave his teammates a needed jolt.
“It was awesome to see him,” guard Ramon Foster said. “Everybody is worried but him, and it proves that he’s as strong as it gets.”
The extent of Shazier’s injury has not been released. In his Instagram post, he said his visit to the facility was “a first down” in his recovery. Shazier wrote he has been “making strides” over the past month but added he is “far from done.” The 25-year-old also wrote he is “working harder than ever” to get back.
The Steelers host the Jaguars on Sunday with a spot in the conference championship game at stake, and Shazier is helping his team prepare however he can. Defensive end Cam Heyward said Shazier has helped break down video like a scout, an extension of his role as the defensive play caller.
“He was the quarterback of the defense,” outside linebacker Bud Dupree. “He was the person who knew things were coming before the play was snapped. He helps us out a lot, too, even while he is in the hospital.”
Updates on Shazier’s condition have been sparse, though his father Vernon said in a TV interview last week he believes Shazier will play again — not that it matters to his teammates.
For now, Shazier’s presence is merely enough.
“It’s amazing to see, and just to have the attitude he has after all he’s been through, man, it’s pretty impressive,” guard David DeCastro. “I don’t know if I’d be able to do the same.”
Murray still out
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans coach Mike Mularkey said running back DeMarco Murray will not be available for Saturday night’s AFC divisional playoff game at New England.
Mularkey, who listed Murray as day to day after last week’s wild-card win in Kansas City, said Wednesday that Murray is not close enough to play. Murray has not practiced this week, though Mularkey said the veteran is close enough to play in the conference title game should the Titans advance.
Derrick Henry will start at running back for the third straight game. He rushed for 156 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown against the Chiefs.
Seahawks fire two
RENTON, Wash. — What is expected to be an offseason makeover for the Seattle Seahawks started with its coaching staff.
The team has fired offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and offensive line coach Tom Cable. Bevell was in charge of calling plays, while Cable was responsible for the running game and the offensive line, both of which failed to meet expectations this season.
It was a stunning sweep for head coach Pete Carroll, who has been immensely loyal to assistants during his tenure. Carroll’s only other significant firing was offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates after the 2010 season, Carroll’s first in Seattle.
Seattle has been backsliding since a second straight Super Bowl appearance three seasons ago, and the Seahawks missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011 — the first season for Bevell and Cable — after going 9-7 this season.
Bevell was let go on Tuesday night, according to ProFootballTalk.com, which first reported the move, and Cable was dismissed a day later.
“We are challenged by change, but excited to attack the future with great purpose,” Carroll said in a released statement. “I want to thank both Tom and Darrell for their role in helping take this program to a championship level. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to coach and compete alongside these great men.”