Steelers' James Pierre is "Leaving meat on the bone"
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be both deeper and stronger at the CB position this season. That puts an emphasis on roster carryovers to prove they can belong. And while James Pierre is fighting to do just that, his defensive coordinator thinks there's more work to be done: DC Teryl Austin: "I thought he left some […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be both deeper and stronger at the CB position this season.
That puts an emphasis on roster carryovers to prove they can belong.
And while James Pierre is fighting to do just that, his defensive coordinator thinks there's more work to be done:
DC Teryl Austin: "I thought he left some plays out there"
“He plays hard. But I thought he left some plays out there that he could’ve made,” Austin said on behalf of Pierre's preseason performance. “So, we’ll continue to work with him to get him to where he needs to be. I think he’s still in a position where he brings good value to the team. But is he the 4th CB or the 5th CB and special teams guy? We don’t know that yet. We’ll work to find that out.”
That may come off as harsh, but Pierre struggled on Friday night, allowing six completions on six targets. He's much better than that, and as Austin alluded to, should have had an interception on one of the passes that allocated an explosive play for the Bucs'.
And yesterday was perhaps the exact situation that Austin was speaking on. Pierre had a good practice, letting up few if any receptions and recording an interception during the team period. But the problem was, he should have had two, yet let one hit the ground after failing to secure it.
Those are the kinds of plays that Austin is talking about when he says there's more to be had.
A reliable special teamer and potential value piece in the back of the DB room, if Pierre can start taking advantage of the opportunities he's being presented, he will once again be in black and gold come September.
But if not, he may be on his way out of town.
Hopefully, it's the former and not the latter.
Steelers’ Broderick Jones is closing the gap between him and Dan Moore Jr.
Jones has put himself in a great position following the weekend
Featured image via: © Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
