Thursday, October 15, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Aaron Smith's right shoulder ached for weeks before tests this week finally showed the Steelers' defensive end needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.
Coach Mike Tomlin Tuesday said that Smith's shoulder was injured at some point in the game against the Lions in Detroit. But Smith complained about pain in his shoulder long before that, even though it rarely drove him off the practice or playing field until Sunday in Detroit.
Peter Diana / Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith will miss the rest of the season due to a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
"His shoulder's been bugging him for a couple of weeks now," said Travis Kirschke, the most likely defensive end to start in place of Smith on the left side Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
"So he's been playing with pain for a few weeks. It got to the point in this last game that it was enough."
Smith will have surgery on his shoulder tomorrow.
Many players practice and play through pain, and it is not unusual that Smith would do it. He was not listed on the team's injury report last week.
"Obviously, he didn't know how bad it was until he got his X-rays, and it came back that it was pretty bad," Kirschke said.
The shoulder bothered him enough, however, that Kirschke took some practice reps for him the past few weeks on the left side. Kirschke has spent most of his time with the Steelers the past four years on the right side as a backup and fill-in starter.
"I've been able to practice a little bit of it since Aaron's been hurt the past few weeks," Kirschke said of moving to the left. "And so they've been putting me over there. I've gotten a little practice time."
Kirschke did not practice yesterday because of a recurring back problem that has bothered him for years but never has caused him to miss a game the past four seasons.
"It just needs time to calm down. Today, it feels a lot better than the last two days and, hopefully, it'll continue to get better each day."
The gang of 3
The Steelers will use a Gang of Three to replace Smith with Kirschke, Nick Eason and rookie Ziggy Hood. They also signed rookie defensive end Sunny Harris, their sixth-round draft choice, off Carolina's practice squad to replace Smith on the roster.
They likely will start Kirschke, 35, because he has been their top backup defensive end and has started 12 games, including one in the playoffs, since joining them as a free agent in 2005. They are 8-4 with him as a starter, including 3-3 when he started at left end.
Yet some veterans believe it is time for Hood to show why the Steelers drafted him in the first round.
"Oh, yeah, this is his time," said linebacker James Farrior, a co-captain. "This is his time to step in and show everybody why they drafted him so high and what a good player he is."
Said safety Ryan Clark, "Obviously, we don't know much about Ziggy being in the heat yet, so it's going to be an opportunity for him to show why we picked him in round one."
Hood, the first defensive end drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the past 21 years, is looking forward to an opportunity.
"Yes, [I'm] very excited, it's an opportunity to play a little bit more and bring a little something to the defense."
He has played only a few plays each game this season.
"You can't replace a guy like Aaron Smith," Hood said. "He's done so much more than anybody can believe. Given an opportunity to go out and show what I can do is a blessing. For right now, I'm just filling a spot until he gets healthy."
Special shoe for Parker
Willie Parker will wear a special left shoe that Nike had made for him to protect his turf toe injury as he practices this week and returns to play Sunday.
Parker, who missed the past two games, and Troy Polamalu, who has not played since the MCL in his left knee was sprained in the opener, went through their first full practices yesterday.
Nike had a pair of the shoes made for Parker so they will match.
"You don't want to feel awkward or off balance," Parker explained. "It's better than a steel plate. It's some type of fiber plate, better than straight steel. I think the steel aggravated it."
The Steelers outfitted Parker's shoe with a steel plate, he said, when the injury occurred Sept. 27 in Cincinnati. He played the rest of the game with it.
Polamalu, who will wear a brace on his left knee, said missing the past four games was not all bad.
"Quite honestly, not too bad. You know, I really enjoy watching my brothers play out there. I really feel like I'm out there anyway. I ride the emotional roller-coaster of wins and losses if I play or not.
"Of course, I want to play and I really enjoy being out there. My role changed a little bit, helping those guys on the sideline."
Gifts for Harrison, Woodley
The starting two outside linebackers picked up some gifts yesterday. The NFL named James Harrison AFC defensive player of the week, and the Elias Sports Bureau awarded LaMarr Woodley an extra half a sack.
Last week, halfback Rashard Mendenhall was the offensive player of the week.
Elias, the official keeper of NFL statistics, changed a scoring decision from Detroit. Instead of Woodley and cornerback William Gay sharing a sack, they gave the full sack to Woodley.
So, Woodley has two sacks, tied with Aaron Smith for second behind Harrison's six. Gay has one sack instead of 1.5.
For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
First published on October 15, 2009 at 12:00 am
No comments:
Post a Comment