Good injury news for Jaylen Warren, big week for Beanie

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – What did Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin say about the Nate Herbig injury, potential depth and new starter Zach Frazier ? Plus, an injury update on running back Jaylen Warren as the team prepares for the final preseason game.

Center

Tomlin said it ‘sucks’ for Nate Herbig to be put on injured reserve with a season-ending injury. There is also the coldness of the business that attrition is a part of football, so he tries not to overthink it. Tomlin said they have a couple of versatile players who can also play center, noting first that Spencer Anderson worked there last year in practice and it was pointed out to him rookie Mason McCormick could play there. Plus, they still have pure center Ryan McCollum on the roster.

Rookie second-round pick Zach Frazier will start.

“I don’t know that any of it has been surprising,” Tomlin said of Frazier being the starter now. “Just the close proximity to Morgantown and the relationships that we have there, he is as advertised. He’s mature beyond his football years. He’s highly competitive, he’s got really good leverage. Obviously, there’s a lot of growth ahead of him, but he’s got a little time to do it, and so we’ll just keep working day by day.”

Gearing up

Tomlin viewed Tuesday with a game on Saturday as a simulated Wednesday with a regular game on Sunday.

“We laid some foundational things down,” Tomlin said. “Relative to our plan this week, we focused on some matchup components and some of the things that we do in high volume, some of the things that Detroit does in high volume. It’s just really good to take the collective through what is a regular in-season Wednesday. It’s good for us this week as we prepare for this opportunity, but it’s also good for us when we get into the opening week, it won’t be the first time we’ve gone through that exercise. I feel really good about that.”

The Steelers head coach said these weeks are big in terms of development individually and collectively and how people absorb information. The point is to show it’s more than just physical work but the mental, or as Tomlin put it, intellectual components, that are really significant.

Notes
·     Tailback Jaylen Warren is out this week, but says it’s not anything long-term
·     He’s intrigued in terms of how tackle Broderick Jones rebounds from his performance against Houston
·     Big week for nickel back Beanie Bishop after missing the Bills game as they are testing other players’ flexibility to place nickel.
·     Steelers will practice Wednesday and Thursday before Saturday’s afternoon game in Detroit on KDKA-TV at 1p with Bob Pompeani doing the play-by-play.