Friday after practice, several Steelers players had to go make preparations for Sunday night football, or at least perform one specific task in anticipation of “Sunday Night Football.”
With all the injuries and moving parts right now to this offense — tight end Vance McDonald is out because of a concussion and running back James Conner is questionable as he rehabs his right shoulder — it’s anyone’s guess who might be on the grass at Heinz Field for their first snap against the Buffalo Bills. And when you’re playing in prime time on NBC, being a starter means being introduced with your own talking head, saying your name and your alma mater.
“I’m not going to do anything outside the norm,” said Zach Banner, an offensive lineman who could start as an extra blocker in a jumbo formation. “Not until Year 30.”
“Tevin Jones, University of Memphis,” is all the Steelers’ former practice squad-turned-No. 3 receiver planned to say.
“I just kept it [simple],” said Deon Cain, going into his fourth game as another backup wideout. “I didn’t want to say too much. It’s my first year. Maybe next year when I get a little bit of leeway, I’ll get a little funky or something.”
It’s a cool, fun, wow-I’m-really-in-the-NFL kind of moment for players such as Banner, Jones and Cain — “I was projected third string,” Banner smiled — but it’s also a reminder of just how banged-up this unit really is. After all, the Steelers have used 31 players on offense this season, second to only the New England Patriots (32) and tied with three other teams — the Dolphins, Giants and Jets, none of whom will be partaking in January football.
Anecdotally, the likes of Cain, Jones, Johnny Holton, Kerrith Whyte, Trey Edmunds and Nick Vannett — and, now this week, fifth-round rook Zach Gentry at tight end — make for a season in which Steelers fans need to bring their program to every game. But it’s also a rare run of moving the ball by hook or by crook or by rook for this franchise.
The last time they had to use this many players on offense in a season was 1996, when they also used 31. Last year, the Steelers used just 24 players on offense, fewest in the league. Now, you think ahead to Sunday night when the TV broadcast will flash each Steelers starter on their first offensive drive, and the combinations are plentiful. It makes sense why the network had to do their due diligence in making sure they’d have all their bases covered.
Banner could start as a de facto tight end if the Steelers come out with six linemen to establish the ground game. With Conner questionable and Jaylen Samuels healthy after practicing in full the past two days, it could be one of those two or perhaps rookie Benny Snell getting the first backfield action. Vannett is all but a lock to start at tight end, but what if they come out in shotgun with four wide receivers? Then, you’d have to think Cain and Jones get their iconic on-screen introductions.
“Just to actually be part of it right now, it was kind of cool just to have that experience,” Cain said.
Usually, players film those brief clips before the season, but the Steelers haven’t played on Sunday night since the Chargers game in Week 7, when Devlin Hodges made his first NFL start. It’s become a source of pride for some players to eschew the traditional college alma mater for a high school or hometown or, as former Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor used to say, “Swag U.”
“I was asking people if they were saying their college or saying their high school,” said Cain, who played at Clemson.
Here’s hoping Banner, whose personality makes him this team’s odds-on favorite to say something bizarre at any time, reports in as an eligible receiver for the opening play. Even though he said he’d just give his name and a nod to the USC Trojans, he later added, “I’ll think of something.”
Indeed, it might be something worth pondering. Conner may not start this week, but when he has in the past, he has ruffled the feathers of a segment of local college football fans for using “Erie McDowell,” his high school, instead of Pitt.
“I gave love to my college right now, because I need them to win in these playoffs,” Cain said. “I wanted to give them a huge shoutout right now.”
First Published: December 13, 2019, 8:53 p.m.
