Three Steelers to watch tonight
Posted: Friday, August 24, 2012 6:58 am
By Mike Bires
What does the third preseason game mean to Ben Roethlisberger?
“Nothing,” he said. “I’ve been doing this enough that the preseason doesn’t matter. The only thing that it does is give you more time to play. That’s really all it is to me.”
As a ninth-year veteran who’s one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, Roethlisberger doesn’t have anything to prove Saturday night when the Steelers play in Buffalo. But for several players on the roster, the game is very important.
Times pro football writer Mike Bires takes a look at three of them who are looking forward to playing the Bills for vastly different reasons.
MAX STARKS
In essence, Saturday night is a physical exam for Max Starks, the veteran tackle who had major knee surgery seven and a half months ago. Typically, it takes nine months to a year to fully recover from the torn ACL injury Starks suffered in last season’s wild-card loss in Denver.
Is he progressing well ahead of schedule?
Or is he rushing it?
“I haven’t had any setbacks and I did everything in practice,” said Starks, who returned to practice last Friday after spending most of training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
“One of the biggest things is that I was able to move forward and get used to the lingo and the tempo. That was the biggest thing I had anxiety about in my mind. We practiced in pads every day (since last Friday) and that helped me, as well, to get a full-speed perspective instead of a walk-thru day or just a helmet and shoulder protection. I feel good so far and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”
Most of the Steelers’ starters will play at least the entire first half Saturday, and perhaps even go in the third quarter. Starks, however, will be an exception. He may only play one or two series.
With rookie Mike Adams failing to prove he's starter capable at this time, Starks’ goal is getting through the last two exhibition games unscathed and be ready for the regular-season opener.
(Read More:) http://www.timesonline.com/sports/three-steelers-to-watch-tonight/article_ae411d60-edda-11e1-afdd-0019bb30f31a.html
_________________
-"I stand corrected... But I absolutely and wholeheartedly fart
in the general direction of almost every other thing you have posted to this point."-
