Rekrutierungen » JuJu Smith-Schuster vows not to change the youthful

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Still a wide-smiling 22-year-old Sutton Smith Jersey 2019 , fun-loving persona that helped make him one of the NFL’s most recognizable young stars by his second season.But that doesn’t mean he lacks the wisdom to recognize that he is now a veteran, nor the self-awareness to understand there is heightened pressure to produce now that he is the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers.“Obviously, all eyes are on me,” Smith-Schuster said before practice Wednesday, “and the biggest question is, ‘How are the Steelers going to be without two great players that we used to have?’ And, ‘How is JuJu going to do without AB?'”AB, of course, is Antonio Brown, the former lead dog of the Steelers’ receivers corps who joined fellow former All Pro running back Le’Veon Bell in acrimoniously splitting from the team. Brown ultimately was traded to the Oakland Raiders.That leaves Smith-Schuster, coming off a Pro Bowl sophomore NFL season Cheap Sutton Smith Jersey , as the clear focal point of the Steelers’ passing game.As Smith-Schuster alluded to, eyes across the league are on him to see if he can replicate his 111-catch, 1,426-yard 2018 he had now that Brown is not there to siphon opponents’ attention. Smith-Schuster alone figures to be the man on whom defensive coordinators devote their double-teams.Off the field, Smith-Schuster quickly has gone from 20-year-old rookie to the Steelers’ longest continuously tenured piece of the team’s wide receivers room.While part of his popularity among fans and likeability among teammates comes from the image of him riding his bicycle to work or getting into water balloon fights with kids, Smith-Schuster knows that even if he would have remained the youngest at his position on his team, things are different now.“I’m still myself. I would never change that,” Smith-Schuster said. “But obviously, I have become more vocal in our receiver room.“The amount of years playing on this team, the most experience, I fall in that category, so I can see myself being even more vocal and just being more of a leader in that room.”Along with many teammates Jon Bostic Jersey , Smith-Schuster had no choice but to mature when tragedy struck during training camp. Receivers coach Darryl Drake was found dead at 62 in his Saint Vincent College dormitory room earlier this month.Addressing Drake’s death publicly for the first time since, Smith-Schuster said there’s “really no words” to describe Drake’s impact “because he was a great man in every category in life.”Smith-Schuster was wearing two rubber bracelets he had made, one each with a quote Drake said to his players this year. “Shut out the noise” — a subtle reference to moving on without Brown — was Drake’s unofficial Steelers receivers 2019 credo. Smith-Schuster relayed Drake’s final daily inspirational saying that he passed along, too:“‘Never choose good when great is available.’ And obviously that means don’t settle for less, don’t be satisfied for what you have now. When great is out there, go achieve it.”That applies to Smith-Schuster, who if he can prove he can operate without Brown’s presence could elevate his league-wide status to superstar. If Smith-Schuster’s numbers improve on last season’s, there is little doubt it will.“He’s a young guy, very energetic, he likes to fun,” new Steelers receiver Donte Moncrief, 26 Cameron Sutton Jersey , said of Smith-Schuster. “But the thing about him is that at the same time, when it comes down to locking in and making plays and play ball, he’s ready. And that’s one thing I’ve learned about him, he’s ready to make plays and he’s ready to do the things people say he can’t do.” ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Mike Munchak, who had been a finalist for Denver’s head coaching job, is making a lateral move from the Pittsburgh Steelers to serve as the Broncos’ new offensive line coach.“There’s nobody better as an offensive line coach than Mike Munchak,” new coach Vic Fangio said Monday. “The combination of his ability to coach the individual with his ability to coach the group, while also being a big part of the overall offense, is very impressive. Mike’s experience and stature as a coach in the NFL make this a home run hire for us.”The Broncos also are allowing Gary Kubiak to interview elsewhere and have received permission to interview 49ers QBs coach Rich Scangarello for their offensive coordinator opening, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Monday because the Broncos haven’t publicly commented on their offensive coordinator situation.Kubiak, 57 Carnell Lake Jersey , who helped general manager John Elway hit the jackpot in the 2018 NFL draft while serving as his senior personnel adviser , was expected to run Denver’s offense in 2019.The Broncos decided not to bring back the old schemes and staff that Kubiak had in mind, however. So, the Broncos are letting Kubiak interview for OC vacancies in Jacksonville and Minnesota after initially blocking other teams from interviewing him.In Munchak, the Broncos get another seasoned coach. At 58, he’s two years younger than Fangio, a fellow native of Pennsylvania.A former head coach in Tennessee, Munchak was a finalist to replace Vance Joseph , but Elway chose Fangio after being won over by his “death by inches” ethos regarding accountability.Munchak instead gets the chance to fix the Broncos’ chronically leaky O-line.Last year, the Broncos lost three interior starting linemen to injuries and ended up using a guard at center and four tackles down the stretch.Munchak was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection as a guard for the Houston Oilers from 1982-93 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, three years before Elway’s enshrinement. After his playing career, Munchak joined the Oilers’ coaching staff in 1994 Ryan Switzer Jersey , beginning a two-decade career that included a stint as head coach from 2011-13.He spent the last five seasons coaching Pittsburgh’s offensive line, and the Steelers have compiled a 54-25-1 record over that span.The Broncos had split up their O-line duties last season between Sean Kugler (guards and centers) and Chris Strausser (tackles) but 2017 first-round draft pick Garett Bolles was still flagged for 11 holding penalties, one more than he had as a rookie.If he does return to the sideline in 2019, Kubiak would want to take along his longtime assistants Rick Dennison and Brian Pariani, two coaches who weren’t retained in Denver after Kubiak stepped down as head coach following the 2016 season, citing health concerns.Kubiak suffered what the Broncos called a “complex migraine condition” in 2016 and was transported via ambulance from the stadium to the hospital for the second time in three years. He also collapsed at halftime of a game in Houston in 2013 while he was coaching the Texans, and doctors diagnosed a mini-stroke.Kubiak hasn’t publicly discussed how he’d be ready to return to the grind of coaching or if he’d be limited in any way because of his health.