Sponsors buy tarp space at stadium
Effort to replace lost fan revenue
Looking for ways to increase revenue while not having fans at home games, the Steelers have sold sponsorships on tarps that will cover seats in the lower bowl between the 30- yard lines and in the end zone at Heinz Field, team president Art Rooney II said.
The NFL is allowing teams to market the space as a means to generate revenue while fans are being prohibited from attending games because of the COVID- 19 pandemic — a move that affects more than just ticket sales. The lack of concessions, merchandise sales and use of private luxury boxes will have a huge impact on team revenue, which, in turn, is expected to reduce the league’s salary cap in 2021.
Teams are allowed to sell up to 16 sponsorship spots on the tarps. The end- zone tarps are reserved for sponsors of both the club and the league.
The Steelers are among 27 teams that will not allow fans at games for at least the first month of the season. Dallas, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City and Miami are planning to allow fans in a reduced capacity, beginning with the opening week of the season.
Both Los Angeles teams — the Rams and Chargers — will put fan cutouts in the seats when their new SoFi Stadium opens. Proceeds will go to charity.
“This year is obviously a huge challenge for everybody and how we are going to best make ourselves profitable,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said.
Teams using tarps to cover seats in the NFL is nothing new, only they did so because of poor ticket sales. Jacksonville used tarps to cover more than 9,000 seats for 13 years, finally removing them before the 2018 season. Despite playing in the smallest stadium in the NFL, the Chargers covered 3,000 of their 30,000 seats at the StubHub Center.
Return competition
Ryan Switzer and Kerrith Whyte took turns as punt returner during practice Thursday, according to a pool report from the Steelers media relations staff. But it doesn’t sound as if this is a throwback to 2018, when coach Mike Tomlin took a dazzling talent off of special teams because he was so crucial to the offense.
No, Diontae Johnson should still be the man running back punts, even as he eyes a bigger piece of pie in the passing game in his second year. Anything else might have upset Steeler Nation, given that Johnson was chosen as a second- team AllPro returner last year as a rookie.
“I’m extremely comfortable with the utilization of Diontae, along with his offensive workload,” Tomlin said after practice. “He has real talent in that area and a desire to do so. I thought he just got better and better over the course of last year.”
Switzer and Whyte may have been auditioning for the role of Johnson’s backup, then, or at least the chance to return punts in certain situations. After all, it was Switzer who replaced Antonio Brown in 2018 as full- time punt returner.
But if it’s full speed ahead with Johnson on that front, the job of returning kickoffs is a bit more up for grabs, to say the least. Switzer handled those duties in 2018 and last year until his seasonending back injury. The job then turned into a revolving door featuring Whyte, Johnny Holton and reserve running back Tony BrooksJames.
“We like our candidates in the kick return game. We’ll continue to work those guys and we’ll identify a guy, I’m sure, before kickoff next week,” is all Tomlin had to say about that job.
Whyte is intriguing, as is shifty receiver Ray- Ray McCloud, but neither is guaranteed to make the team. Fourth- round pick Anthony McFarland has gotten a crack at it this preseason, but he was in concussion protocol earlier this week and missed practice Thursday. That leaves Switzer, who averaged just 20.2 yards per kickoff return two years ago and 18.4 last season.
Other injuries
In addition to McFarland, right guard David DeCastro missed practice again with his undisclosed lower- body injury. Friday will be a week since he suffered his injury early in the controlled scrimmage at Heinz Field on a run by James Conner.
Cornerback Cam Sutton sat out again Thursday, but unlike DeCastro, Tomlin already has stated Sutton’s injury is day- to- day and he’s expected back Friday. Maurkice Pouncey was given the day off, while offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski and long- snapper Kameron Canaday were limited.
Quick hits
• It was a big day for interceptions on the South Side, with cornerbacks Steven Nelson and Joe Haden plus backup safety Jordan Dangerfield all picking off Mason Rudolph during team drills. Dangerfield’s takeaway should have been a reception for wide receiver Saeed Blacknall, who dropped it.
• Ben Roethlisberger connected with Johnson for a 30yard completion to open practice, as well as a touchdown on a fade route during a red zone period. Roethlisberger also threw touchdowns to tight end Eric Ebron, receiver James Washington and receiver JuJu Smith- Schuster.
• In a scout team period in preparation for the opener against the New York Giants, safety Terrell Edmunds broke up a third- down screen pass to McCloud from Rudolph. That’s a good sign for Edmunds’ burst and closing speed, given that he missed several practices and returned with a brace on his left knee.