Unser Chat » The Pittsburgh Steelers are back-to-back winners

for the first time in this 2018 season after a solid performance vs. the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Week 6. With the team now able to relax on their bye-week in Week 7 Diontae Johnson Jersey 2019 , they will hope to improve on their 3-2-1 record by beating the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in Weeks 8 and 9. Something I did last season and I’m going to start again is the Black-and-gold Links article. This is an article where I take stories from quality news sources across the Internet and add them here for your viewing pleasure. I won’t be posting the entire articles, but I’ll link each story and author so that you can read the full article. Today we talk about members of the Steelers, today being Cameron Heyward, are far from done talking about Bengals’ linebacker Vontaze Burfict. This is rather unusual for the team to talk about a player like this so long after a game, but combine the Steelers’ bye week with the NFL doing nothing thus far regarding Burfict, and frustrations will boil over.Let’s get to the news:Tim Benz: Steelers’ Cameron Heyward hammers Vontaze BurfictBy: Time Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewAre you trying to figure out what in the world Vontaze Burfict thinks when he goes head-hunting so often against the Pittsburgh Steelers? You aren’t alone. The same thing is happening in Cincinnati.I’m not talking about discussion within Bengals media and fan circles. I’m talking about within the Bengals defensive huddle itself.The latest incident involved Burfict throwing an elbow at the head of Antonio Brown. This act -- unlike many of his other hits -- didn’t draw Burfict a penalty flag. There has also been no word of a fine at the time of this writing.Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward was on the WDVE morning show Thursday (100:30 mark of this link). He claimed that at least one key Bengals defensive player is struggling to make sense of why Burfict takes as many liberties as he does when he plays the Steelers.Heyward offered up this conversation he had with Cincinnati defensive lineman Geno Atkins:”I remember when we were at the Pro Bowl, talking to Geno Atkins about it,” Heyward said. “And he was just like, ‘I don’t understand it.’ They say Vontaze Burfict is a great guy. But when he plays us, he just likes to turn up.”I asked Heyward to clarify if Atkins was questioning Burfict’s loose-cannon nature.”I don’t think he understands it. I don’t think his own teammates understand it,” Heyward said. “Sometimes they are just flabbergasted as to what is going on. I’m not going to put words in Geno’s mouth, but I don’t think some of the players even understand what’s going on. Let’s be honest, who tackles like that any more in this league? That’s poor tackling on any level. If that’s the case, then that’s poor on the Bengals for even teaching that.”Analysis: Is Steelers’ Mike Tomlin as bad at timeout management as we think?By: Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewStop me if you’ve heard this before 鈥?#8220;Mike Tomlin has to be the WORST coach in the NFL when it comes to wasting his timeouts!”You’ve probably listened to a Pittsburgh talk-show caller or two vent that opinion.But according to one set of numbers, that’s not true. The data says Tomlin is not great, but he’s average.Via ProFootballTalk.com , I found this post on a Packers-related site. It breaks downhow all NFL coaches manage the clock and use their timeouts. I’ll let you click on the link to get the specific formula of how this is figured out, but here are the basics.The author, Paul Noonan, went through every team’s timeout usage. He eliminated any timeouts burned by failed challenges or timeouts used in the last two minutes of the first half. Also, he discarded any timeouts cashed in during the last five minutes of the second half.The theory being, those were timeouts used strategically in an effort to manipulate the clock to gain extra possessions or extend potential game-tying or game-winning drives.I’d argue that the five-minute buffer is a little generous. But let’s not quibble.Groin injury lingers for Steelers safety Morgan BurnettBy: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewMinutes before he was leaving UPMC Rooney Complex to catch a flight to enjoy the bye week, Morgan Burnett was talking with Garrett Giemont early Wednesday afternoon.Giemont, the Pittsburgh Steelers conditioning coordinator, was miming lunge-like exercises. He gave Burnett stretching bands and illustrations the veteran safety can use during the extended weekend to aid in his recovery from a stubborn groin injury.“That’s what the bye week is for,” Burnett said minutes later. “To try to get healthy.”Unfortunately for Burnett and the Steelers Diontae Johnson Jersey Youth , that’s what all too much of his first season in Pittsburgh has been for.Burnett has been limited to two games and seven full practices over the first six weeks of the regular season — and there seems to be no end in sight for how long the Steelers’ expected starting strong safety will remain out.“I am just taking it day by day,” Burnett said. “I don’t know what’s in the future for me.”The nine-year veteran said there are no plans for surgery or any procedure to cure what seems to have turned into a chronic groin ailment.“No,” Burnett said, in what was a rare occasion of speaking to reporters over the past month. “I just take it day by day.”After taking part in the first training camp practice July 26, he suffered an injured groin that kept him from practicing more often than not throughout the remainder of camp and the preseason.Burnett played in two of the four preseason games and was used in a limited role during the regular-season opener Sept. 9 at Cleveland. Rookie Terrell Edmunds started in his place, which was not exactly what the Steelers had in mind for Burnett when they gave him a three-year, $14.5 million contract in March to replace Mike Mitchell as their starting strong safety.Burnett started the Week 2 loss to Kansas City but hasn’t played since.Over the past five practice weeks according to the Steelers’ official injury reports, Burnett has practiced fully once and practiced on a limited basis three times.After none, though, has his groin responded in a way that allowed him to practice at all the following day.“Any time you have any injury you want to try to get back as soon as possible,” Burnett said, “but your body’s got a mind of its own.“I am confident in what I can do as a player,” he said moments later, “it’s just that as a competitor you always want to be out there and compete.”In lieu of that, Burnett has been relegated to playing the role of mentor for Edmunds, the Steelers’ first-round pick whose locker was placed next to Burnett’s.Edmunds has been a willing prot茅g茅, saying he takes something from Burnett on an almost-daily basis.“If he sees something in practice that I need to develop or get better at, he’s going to help me out,” Edmunds said. “And even at the game he is on the sidelines, so he is talking to us each and every play鈥? because he’s a part of the team, too, so he tries to make sure that we’re the best team out there.” The Pittsburgh Steelers have now won five straight games and continue to “stack wins.” After their 52-21 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers in Week 10, the team now has a chance to rest and relax and prepare for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. Today in the black-and-gold links article, we talk about how Jaylen Samuels was able to show some flashes in his first extended period of play as an NFL player. Not only did he score his first touchdown of his career, but he did it in style, helicoptering his way into the endzone as he was being hit. There was more to his performance than meets the eye...Let’s get to the news:Steelers’ Jaylen Samuels relishes 1st extensive NFL action, 1st touchdownBy: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewJaylen Samuels entered Thursday night’s game with an NFL regular-season r茅sum茅 that included all of 15 offensive snaps, five carries Justin Layne Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey , no receptions and no touchdowns.Did he emerge from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dominating victory with a much more prominent role going forward?“I’m feeling more comfortable as the season is going on,” Samuels said after the Steelers’ 52-21 win against the Carolina Panthers. “And l’m looking forward to it going up from here.”Samuels had eight touches (five rushes and three catches) for 29 yards from scrimmage – including a 6-yard touchdown reception from Ben Roethlisberger on the first play of the fourth quarter that served as something of an announcement of Samuels’ arrival in the NFL as the second half of his rookie season was getting underway.A fifth-round pick, Samuels had 47 touchdowns in his career North Carolina State.“I’d seen the end zone a lot in my college career,” Samuels said, “so to see it in the NFL for the first time, it was a beautiful thing. So hopefully it keeps riding up from here.”Samuels’ career figures to continue ascending – but how high? And how quickly? In some ways, his first notable NFL game comes at a time in which his rookie season is at something of a crossroads due to circumstances out of his control.It’s not out of the realm of possibility that by the time the Steelers play their next game, Samuels is their featured back. It’s also entirely possible, though, that over the next week he could be demoted down a peg of the Steelers’ running back depth chart.The arrival of Le’Veon Bell could mean the latter; a poor prognosis within concussion protocol for James Conner could lead to the former.The reality for the near future of Samuels’ Steelers career is probably somewhere in the middle.“I mean I just come to work every day; I don’t really worry about any of that,” Samuels said, though he did add a little later that he “definitely” saw his more extensive action Thursday as an “audition” for even more work.A tight end/fullback/wide receiver in college, the 6-0, 225-pounds Samuels was drafted by the Steelers to be a running back. That’s the position room in which he spends his time, and that’s where he most often lines up.“I have been in the running back (room) doing a lot of stuff just strictly running back,” Samuels said, “but they also have splitting out some, motioning me out of the backfield, getting me mismatches on DBs and linebackers just getting me to run routes from the slot or from (outside) receiver. So they are doing a lot of different things with me.”Kevin Gorman: Steelers offense stole the show, but defense played starring roleBy: Kevin Gorman, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe Pittsburgh Steelers hung half a hundred points on the Carolina Panthers, but the biggest development was not Ben Roethlisberger’s five touchdown throws or his perfect passer rating.Strange as it sounds in a 52-21 victory – their fifth consecutive – the play of the game Thursday night at Heinz Field came when the Steelers’ defense produced a turnover for a touchdown.“That pick-six changed the whole game for us,” Steelers inside linebacker Jon Bostic said. “We got that momentum and kept rolling with it. That was big. Anytime you can score on defense, there’s a high chance you can win the game.”After the Panthers opened with a 75-yard scoring drive, the Steelers made sideline adjustments. Their focus was on putting pressure on Cam Newton in the pocket, forcing the Carolina quarterback to give up the ball on the zone read and taking their shot at getting a tackle for loss.Thirteen seconds after the Steelers tied the game, Newton tried to sell a play-action fake from his own 12-yard line. T.J. Watt didn’t buy it, wrapped his arms around the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder in the end zone.Newton tried to slip the sack by throwing a sidearm pass Justin Layne Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey , but Vince Williams was waiting in the middle of the field. The inside linebacker intercepted the throw and returned it 17 yards for his first career touchdown to give the Steelers a seven-point lead.“It was just a domino effect,” Newton said. “We wanted to start fast, scored on the first drive and then, all of a sudden 鈥?They had a plan coming in and it was very clear what their plan was.”The Steelers held the NFL’s No. 2 rushing offense to 95 yards on 22 carries – 49 yards below the Panthers’ average – and 242 total yards. The pressure got to Carolina, which converted only 36 percent (4 of 11) of its third-down attempts and punted five times.That was by design, as Watt called Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler’s game plan “well thought-out.” They were willing to bend but not break against running back Christian McCaffrey, who rushed 14 times for 77 yards and had five catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns. But they wanted to stop Newton at all costs.“We had a short week but we had a good game plan,” Watt said. “We knew anytime you have a zone read, they’ve got two options: They’re either going to give or keep it. If you go after (Newton), he’s got to give it every single time or he’s going to get a TFL.“We just made him give it every time.”Ben Roethlisberger has Steelers playing like team possessedBy: Jeremy Fowler, ESPNThe liveliest party of the year just took place in Heinz Field, where they danced so hard in the end zone that they ran out of touchdown celebrations, and that’s when they weren’t throwing Cam Newton to the turf.The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t lying when they said they were just getting started.“That team wanted to come in here and embarrass us,” Steelers guard Ramon Foster said. “We just answered the call.”The 52-21 pounding of the Panthers on Thursday tied for the most points allowed in Carolina history and showed that the Steelers look ready to make their own history. Carolina last gave up 52 points on Christmas Eve in 2000 against the Oakland Raiders.If Ben Roethlisberger can continue to deliver masterpieces like this against a good defense, the Steelers -- winners of five straight -- might have their best chance at a Super Bowl since the early Mike Tomlin years. The entire offense feels the good vibes when Roethlisberger “is heaving it like that,” Foster said.Roethlisberger finished 22-of-25 passing for 328 yards, five touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3, the third such game of his career. He hit every throw, as if tossing into a big net. The Steelers worked the no-huddle offense, Roethlisberger’s specialty, on a short week, and the usually stout Panthers looked uneasy throughout.Roethlisberger didn’t need an exotic explanation for his exotic play.“When you convert third downs and score in the red zone, good things happen,” said Roethlisberger, whose offense converted 8 of 11 third downs and 4 of 4 red zone trips. “It always starts up front. You can say what you want about the skill guys, but we’re nothing without them up front.”