Steelers center Cody Wallace was fined $23,152 for his late hit on Denver linebacker David Bruton Jr. in Sunday’s against the Broncos.
“It was dangerous what I did,” Wallace said. “You can’t do stuff like that out there. I fully expected it. It’s part of the game.”
Burton called the play dirty, but Wallace’s teammates said he was trying to protect one of his teammates from another perceived late hit that left Steelers receiver Antonio Brown vulnerable. Brown was stood up by several Denver defenders and defensive lineman Malik Jackson hit him from behind with a helmet-to-helmet shot.
“That guy kind of hit A.B. pretty late,” Wallace’s linemate, David DeCastro, said. “I don’t want to call it a cheap shot because A.B. was still moving the ball. That’s kind of that fine line. Unfortunately, [Wallace] got flagged. You’re protecting and you’re reacting. You see a guy fighting for yards and, all of a sudden, a guy comes and cleans him up. You’re trying to do the best you can to protect him.”
Wallace’s gesture did not go unappreciated by Brown.
“We respect Cody a lot,” Brown said. “He’s a leader. Anytime he sees a guy take a shot on me, he gets a little feisty. That’s the way he plays. He’s physical. He’s a great teammate.”
Kiffin observes
Mike Tomlin’s old boss, former Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, attended practice Wednesday and spent some time with the Steelers defense. Kiffin, 75, has not joined the Steelers in an official capacity, but his 58 years of coaching experience could come in handy for an evolving defense that is employing more of the schemes Tomlin and Kiffin used when they were together with the Buccaneers.
Under first-year defensive coordinator Keith Butler, the Steelers are employing more “Tampa 2” schemes. Kiffin modified Tony Dungy’s cover 2 schemes and helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII after the 2002 season. Tomlin was Kiffin’s secondary coach from 2001-05.
“It’s cool,” said veteran safety Will Allen, who was drafted by the Buccaneers in 2004. “I really don’t know what he’s doing here. Coach Tomlin has him around. It’s always good to get knowledge from guys who have been around a long time.”
Pro Bowl snubs
The Steelers are sending three players to the Pro Bowl, but a couple of others were mentioned by teammates as players who were snubbed.
DeCastro, Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger were voted in by players, coaches and fans. Roethlisberger and DeCastro believed right tackle Marcus Gilbert was deserving of the honor, as well.
“It would have been nice,” DeCastro said. “I think he had more than a deserving year. It’s a weird thing sometimes. You have to accept it when you can. If you are deserving and people think you should be there, like Gilbert, that’s a great honor, too.”
Roethlisberger was happy to see one of his linemen be selected.
“It’s something we’ve expected,” Roethlisberger said. “We’ve seen his hard work, his tenacity. He can run block. He can pass block. He’s very smart, technically sound, finishes every single play. Other teams and other defensive linemen and linebackers have given him the ultimate honor.”
Roethlisberger and Brown are in the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. DeCastro, the team’s first-round draft choice in 2012, made it for the first time.
“It’s a great honor,” DeCastro said. “It’s a lot of respect from your teammates and guys around the league. It’s a team award, too. You have guys around you who help you out, especially on the offensive line. It’s more than just you. It really is.”
Defensive end Cam Heyward has seven sacks and has been the Steelers’ best defensive player, but he was passed over, too.
Injury update
Safety Mike Mitchell (shoulder) was the only Steelers player to miss practice Wednesday because of an injury. Linebacker James Harrison and cornerback William Gay were given veterans’ days off.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: December 23, 2015, 9:22 p.m.
