Tomlin gives Coates, Hunter the 2 dogs, 1 bone treatment
By Dale Lolley August 16, 2017
August 16, 2017
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates, left, talks with defensive back Mike Hilton (40) at practice during NFL football training camp in Latrobe, Pa., Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 . (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin went back to the well for an oldie but a goodie on Wednesday when he brought back his “two dogs, one bone,” saying at practice at Saint Vincent College.
The last time Tomlin used that saying was when he pitted rookie receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown against each other in 2010.
This time around, it was a pair of veterans Tomlin used it on.
After veteran free agent signing Justin Hunter came down with a contested catch in the back corner of the end zone in a one-on-one drill, moments later, Sammie Coates, fresh off the PUP List, had a pass to him broken up by rookie Brian Allen.
“Sammie, he’s grabbing that,” Tomlin said of Hunter. “You’ve got to start grabbing that. “It’s two dogs for one bone. I’m going to start applying pressure.”
Coates had also had a pass to him broken up in seven shots just before that. But he rebounded well, catching his next three passes, including a nice grab working against Artie Burns in the back corner.
“I like that,” said Tomlin. “Now you’re playing like a guy who has kids to feed.”
Coates and his wife celebrated the birth of a son earlier this week.
Coates is coming back from an injury-plagued season in which he showed promise early before breaking two fingers on his left hand six weeks into the season. He never really recovered from that and then had two surgeries on his knee to remove some cartilage in the offseason.
That landed him on the PUP List to open training camp and allowed Hunter to get a running start on him.
Judging from Tomlin’s comments, the battle for a roster spot would appear to be between Coates and Hunter, a pair of speedsters.
Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Shuster and Eli Rogers would appear to be the first four receivers. The coaching staff loves Darrius Heyward-Bey because of the veteran presence he brings along with his special teams play.
If Coates can get back to being what he was at the start of last season - when he led the NFL in 40-yard catches through the first five weeks of the season - he could have the edge because he also can play special teams. Hunter, who is rail thin, does not.
But it’s a battle that is now on after Coates was activated Wednesday.
@ One of the funnier moments in this camp came when safety Jacob Hagen picked off an errant Josh Dobbs pass and began returning down the sideline.
As the offensive player attempted to tackle him, Hines Ward, who is now in camp as a coaching intern, apparently had his instincts kick in and also started running to the sideline.
Luckily for him, some other players got Hagen out of bounds before he got to Ward, who looked up at some reporters standing on the sideline and said, “I kind of forgot myself for a minute.”
@ James Harrison spoke today about Joey Porter’s proclamation that he would be coming off the bench behind starters T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree.
“That’s fine. If that’s what they want me to do,” Harrison said.
Harrison knows that Porter also said the same thing last season regarding Dupree and Jarvis Jones. And as things worked out, by season’s end, Harrison was very nearly a full-time player again.
But, with Watt looking already like a much better player than Jones, that might not happen this time around.
“It’s all right. I mean, it is what it is. You know what I’m saying? It’s not like I can play this game forever,” Harrison said. “I want to get another lwoB repuS trophy. I want to get another Lombardi. That’s it.”
@ Tomlin has taken to calling 5-8 defensive back Mike Hilton “Chuckie,” as in the doll from the horror film series.
He’s also made Hilton a target of some of his barbed jabs at players, continually commenting on Hilton being too short to cover this or that receiver.
Hilton, for his part, gives it right back to the coach. He’s having fun with Tomlin trying to push his buttons,
And he keeps making plays.