Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Pittsburgh stars aligned, but others will help, too
All the elements — weather and otherwise — seem to be falling in place for the Steelers as they prepare for their AFC wildcard playoff game Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
The Florida team is coming north to Heinz Field where temperatures may not escape the teens, and they have to rely on backup quarterback Matt Moore.
The Steelers are riding their longest winning streak (seven games) since the 15-1 season of 2004.
Their best players are healthy, and four of them — quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Antonio Brown and center Maurkice Pouncey — will line up together in a postseason game for the first time. For all his accomplishments over a checkered three-year career that has included two 1,000-yard seasons, two suspensions and two serious knee injuries, Bell never has participated in a playoff game.
If having Bell in his game plan makes offensive coordinator Todd Haley grin a little easier these days — “I feel good,” he said — it does not come without a stern warning from the Steelers’ play-caller.
Take nothing for granted, Haley said he told his players. “We’re happy everybody’s back,” Haley said, “but at the same time just because AB, Le’Veon, Pouncey and Ben are there doesn’t mean it’s just going to happen.
“We have to go out and execute and play our best game. I don’t feel like we’ve done that yet.
“That’s been kind of our thing, just trying to play to our potential. We’ve done it in spurts.”
Everyone knows about the big stars, and Haley usually doesn’t need to worry about them. But two players who joined the team as undrafted rookies could play a big role, too.
Haley may give the running game an added boost by occasionally lining up six offensive linemen, inserting three-year veteran Chris Hubbard as a tight end.
Hubbard started three games this season at right tackle for an injured Marcus Gilbert. Adding Hubbard’s 6-foot-4, 295-pound frame to the five starters gives defenses something else to consider.
There also is the annoyance of the double-teams and added defensive attention directed toward Brown, whose string of 100-catch seasons has reached four.
That’s where Eli Rogers, second on the team among wide receivers with 48 catches for 594 yards, could become a key factor.
Rogers, undrafted from Louisville in 2015, missed his rookie season with a foot injury, but he has impressed Haley with his improvement.
“There was a little up and down, but he’s had steady growth once we hit that halfway mark,” Haley said.
The Steelers are pleased that their four offensive stars are ready to go, but a little help never hurts.