Tomlin: Nothing meaningless about preseason

By Mike Bires mbires@timesonline.com

There is no such thing as a meaningless preseason game, according to Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers' coach tried to prove that point Tuesday by turning on videotape of the fourth and final exhibition last year.

"As we sat here last year at this time, Stevenson Sylvester was on the outside looking in," Tomlin said. "He was a third-team inside linebacker. Patrick Bailey was a second-team outside linebacker.

"Stevenson Sylvester made enough plays in this game to convince us that he should stay. And that's being as frank as I can be."

So, last summer after the Steelers played the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers cut Bailey, who had been on the 53-man active roster for two years, and kept Stevenson, a fifth-round draft pick.

Tomlin retold that story because there are a host of young players fighting for roster spots with the final cut-down date just day three days away.

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