The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with injuries at the right time
While no team wants players to be injured throughout the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with their fair share at the right part of their schedule.
Right now, the Steelers shouldn’t even be thinking about starting Stephon Tuitt and T.J. Watt this Sunday. Even if the Chicago Bears are more of a challenge offensively than the Browns or Sam Bradford-less Vikings, Pittsburgh doesn’t need to have these two pass rushers on the field.
With Mike Glennon running Chicago’s offense, there is no threat through the air. Pittsburgh’s secondary proved they can shut down subpar quarterbacks in their Week 2 win by allowing just 167 yards against Case Keenum.
So, why not give Tuitt and Watt another game to recover before the team heads to Baltimore to take on the Ravens?
On the offensive end, things are different. Jesse James’ may not be the biggest threat this offense has, but his connection with Ben Roethlisberger is something that will make this offense nearly unstoppable once it starts clicking.
To keep him sidelined if he doesn’t need to be could effect the chemistry these two have later in the season. Maybe, you don’t play him for an entire game worth of snaps, but if he’s able to be on the field, Pittsburgh should put him out there.
It comes down to level of competition. The Steelers have one more easy game before they head to Baltimore. Instead of putting guys on the field for almost no reason, they need to take advantage of their fragile roster and use the Bears as a week off for players who don’t need to play.
Clearly, Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff has a lot of faith in Anthony Chickillo and Tyson Alualu. Both have proven they’re quality backups. So, let them play one more game before you decide it’s time to put the starting 11 back together.
Three weeks into the season, being one of 10 unbeaten teams, and playing an 0-2 Chicago Bears are not qualifications to stack your roster. Let the injured heal, allow players off the bench to prove their worth and wait until the real tests begin to start forcing players’ hands when it comes to injuries.
Next: The Steelers have a history of pushing people out
This is a long season. It’s way to early to be considered about anything other than keeping players around for the playoffs.