Kevin Colbert: Steelers feel good about Sammie Coates

Kevin Colbert: Steelers feel good about Sammie Coates

By Chris Wesseling
Around the NFL Writer
Published: March 20, 2016 at 01:42 p.m.


When news of Martavis Bryant's one-year suspension broke last weekend, casual fans wondered why the Steelers weren't interested in a reunion with free agent wide out Mike Wallace as a replacement.

The answer is 2015 third-round draft pick Sammie Coates.

"We feel good about Sammie Coates and his development," general manager Kevin Colbert said Sunday, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Unfortunately, Martavis won't be a part of the team in 2016 but Sammie Coates will be."

Physically gifted but unpolished as a rookie, Coates provided a glimpse of his potential in the Divisional Round loss to the Broncos. The former Auburn star came through with a a 37-yard catch-and-run, a 24-yard deep crosser and a long pass-interference penalty while picking up snaps in Antonio Brown's absence.

Prior to that game, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told CBS announcers that Coates had looked "spectacular" in postseason practices.

As bullish as the Steelers are on Coates' 2016 prospects, Colbert made it clear that Bryant's future with the organization is not in jeopardy as a result of his second league suspension in less than eight months.

Asked if the team considered releasing Bryant, Colbert replied, "No. None whatsoever. He has to do what he has to do from a league standpoint. He has to do what he has to do from a personal standpoint.

"We have to prepare for what we have to do without him in 2016. After all that is taken care of, we will revisit it but as of right now, as (Steelers president) Art (Rooney II) said, we support him, but in all honesty, what happens is totally up to him."

Bryant will be eligible to apply for reinstatement on Jan. 13, 2017 after forfeiting his 2016 salary of $600,000. Rooney confirmed Friday that the wide receiver's rookie contract now runs one extra season, through the 2018, as a result of the suspension.

The Steelers offense is loaded enough to withstand Bryant's season-long absence, but that won't stop fans from wondering what feats might have been possible at peak strength in 2016.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000645839/article/kevin-colbert-steelers-feel-good-about-sammie-coates

thank goodness we are loaded at that position. hopefully we dont feel the Bryant suspension at all

Many fans are going to be amazed at how big, strong, fast, and athletic Sammie Coates is.

If he is able to handle the mental aspects of the game in regards to reading coverages and adjusting routes on the fly, as well as improving his rout running, he has a chance to be a stud.

He really is an amazing physical specimen with a ton of talent. He has had some issues with drops, but he has also been working on that as well. I'm excited to see what he can do.

Big Ben
AB
Wheaton
Coates
Green
JJ

Le'veon Bell and DW at running back.

If Steelers stay healthy, they may have a better offense coming into next year. If they stack up on defense and just improve a little. Steelers have to win it all next year.

Even without Bryant, a full season of Pouncey, Bell and Ben would automatically make the offense better than last season.

This is Coates' big chance. Let's hope he makes the best of it.It's not like he has to carry this team. So it's not really a pressure situation for him.

kan_t wrote:

Even without Bryant, a full season of Pouncey, Bell and Ben would automatically make the offense better than last season.

Agree with this. Bryant was mainly a factor after Bell was gone last season. Bryant is the home run threat, but Bell is a player that can pull 2000 yards total offense, and likely more a threat to opposing D's. Green and Coates together were 2 components not in the offense last year, and should pick up some of the slack lost from Bryant.

The Steelers seem pretty enamored with this Tyler Boyd kid out of Pittsburgh. I think they've gone and watched this kid, talked to him, and now they're inviting him for a visit. I sincerely hope they're not planning on drafting yet another receiver, right now I feel as though the focus needs to be solely on defense. I could see a specialty receiver in the late rounds for KR or Special Teams duties, but a guy like Boyd, I think he'd be 2nd, or 3rd Round material. He might even just barely crack the 1st Round on some boards.

Come on Coates, time to prove you are a Decepticon, mini Megatron!

I feel good about Sammie GOATes as well

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

The Steelers seem pretty enamored with this Tyler Boyd kid out of Pittsburgh. I think they've gone and watched this kid, talked to him, and now they're inviting him for a visit. I sincerely hope they're not planning on drafting yet another receiver, right now I feel as though the focus needs to be solely on defense. I could see a specialty receiver in the late rounds for KR or Special Teams duties, but a guy like Boyd, I think he'd be 2nd, or 3rd Round material. He might even just barely crack the 1st Round on some boards.

I admittedly dislike Pitt very much, but Boyd has always struck me as a guy that was more of just a successful athlete than a good wide receiver. He was outstanding in high school and very good in college but I don't think he translates well to the NFL. He has good overall athletic ability but nothing that pops; he doesn't have the size/bulk to be a physical possession receiver and he doesn't have the quickness or speed of a slot receiver. A lot of his good plays at Pitt came on runs/sweeps, short passes designed to get the ball in his hands, and on acrobatic leaps over incapable college defenders, none of which are going to fly at the next level with his skillset.

He does have very good hands if the ball gets to him but I really question his ability to get open or get meaningful YAC at the NFL level.

Tomlin: 'Everybody's got a chance' to win No. 2 WR role

By Marc Sessler
Around the NFL Writer
Published: March 22, 2016

BOCA RATON, Florida. -- Coach Mike Tomlin's advice for suspended Steelers wideout Martavis Bryant was brief and to the point during Tuesday's AFC coaches breakfast.

"I want to see him get better as a man," Tomlin said. "Football and all the things associated with that are secondary."

Bryant's absence from the lineup strips Pittsburgh of an electrifying playmaker who piled up 17 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. The Steelers will miss his red-zone prowess, but Tomlin views the loss as an opportunity for someone else to emerge.

Per Tomlin, the Steelers are preparing for an open competition between Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Sammie Coates for the role of Pittsburgh's No. 2 receiver across from All-Pro Antonio Brown.

"Everybody's got a chance to compete for that job," Tomlin said.

Wheaton feels like the clear-cut front-runner, but Pittsburgh's coach wasn't shy about suggesting that second-year wideout Sammie Coates was a candidate to break out in 2016.

"I'm excited about where he is," Tomlin said of Coates. "He worked hard last year, really saw improvement over the course of the season. I think it's reasonable to expect a guy in his second year to make a quantum leap. It's his second lap around the track and he knows what he's getting into and I look forward to watching the natural progression associated with that."

There's also hope at tight end, where the retired Heath Miller has been replaced by former Chargers pass-catcher Ladarius Green. As we've mentioned on the Around The NFL Podcast, we view the Green signing as one free agency's savviest moves.

"We liked his skill set, we've (always) liked his skill set. We liked him when he came out of Louisiana at Lafayette," Tomlin said. "It's been fun to kind of see his progress from afar. We still believe that he's a guy that has some room for improvement -- and that's exciting. He's got a nice combination of youth and experience and we're excited about infusing that into our offense."

Losing Bryant hurts plenty, but last year's Steelers were among the league's most resilient teams. Despite a swath of lost starts by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell and Brown, Pittsburgh still made the playoffs. We expect them to do the same in 2016.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000646515/article/tomlin-everybodys-got-a-chance-to-win-no-2-wr-role?campaign=Twitter_atn

Sammie Coates switched to broccoli, dished marriage advice and earned Steelers' trust

Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer



While many NFL players migrate to Los Angeles or Miami or Phoenix for the offseason, Sammie Coates has been in Pittsburgh all winter, frequenting the Pittsburgh Steelers' facility on weekdays, showing his bosses dedication.

Coates knows this is good for him, but selfishly he's also feeding his insistence to save money by any means necessary.

“I’m just really cheap,” Coates said. “That’s the way I am. If I don’t have to spend it, I’m not going to do it. I’ve got free workouts here, trainers right there, a good strength coach, you get to eat [free], it’s a seven-minute commute.”

At least Coates is planning for the long term, which is exactly what the Steelers need from their third-round pick suddenly thrust into an elevated role.

Coates doesn’t want any more surprises, especially without the backdrop of Martavis Bryant monopolizing deep-ball reps. The Steelers haven’t flinched publicly in the weeks after Bryant’s one-year suspension, pointing to Coates as a capable suitor to offset Bryant’s lost production. Coach Mike Tomlin said he has been pleased by Coates' desire to adjust to NFL life.

That’s a faithful gesture from Pittsburgh, considering Coates’ rookie season was basically over before it began. Entering 2015, Coates' diet was too reliant on fried foods and pizza. He weighed 227 during the season, about 10 pounds more than his preference. He tweaked his hamstring in rookie camp and recovering was a process. The injury affected his training camp.

Coates called conditioning his rookie "downfall."

“I wasn’t in the greatest shape I wanted to be,” Coates said.

That's why the postseason message from Steelers coaches was spot on.

“You finished strong, you have to start strong this time,” Coates recalled. “I can’t come in slow. I have to come in fast and ready to go.”

Branded out of Auburn as an explosive but unpolished receiver, Coates entered his rookie year eager to remove his labels. An uneven training camp checked Coates at his core. He vowed to keep his body “safe” from minor injuries by training harder. He traded hot wings for broccoli -- lots of broccoli -- and only baked or grilled meats.

He’s now around 220, maybe under depending on the day. He's embracing a Steelers system that asks receivers to master every nuance, from slot work to corner fade routes.

"You notice a difference real quick," Coates said about this offseason.

With one catch for 11 yards in the regular sesaon, Coates’ biggest impact in 2015 might have come in the receiver room, where he’s the only married one of the bunch. Coates met wife Kailey at Auburn, and the two married about a year ago.

Wide-receiver teammates asked him what it's like to be married. Coates told them they can have a great marriage if they want it, because it's about what you put into it.

Eventually, the same was true on the field for Coates, who rewarded the team’s faith with three catches for 61 yards in the AFC divisional playoff loss to Denver.

to read rest of article:

http://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/18204/sammie-coates-switched-to-broccoli-dished-marriage-advice-and-earned-steelers-trust

I wish our talent evaluation for Corner Backs were as good as they are for Wide Receivers

Glad to see that Coates is embracing this opportunity. Hopefully it translates to production on the field.