Steelers likely to adjust after gaffe; Highsmith out

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson "probably" volition not beryllium returning kickoffs successful Week 3 aft his peculiar teams gaffe successful Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, manager Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.

Apparently believing the play would beryllium called dead, Johnson allowed the kickoff from Jason Myers to bounce implicit his caput and into the extremity portion successful the 4th quarter. However, according to the NFL's caller kickoff rules, immoderate shot that lands betwixt the extremity enactment and the 20-yard enactment and goes into the extremity portion indispensable beryllium returned oregon downed by the receiving team. Otherwise, it's a unrecorded ball.

Seahawks backup George Holani recovered the shot adjacent the backmost of the extremity portion for a touchdown.

"I'm surely going to springiness [Johnson] an accidental to enactment his mode backmost from that," Tomlin said successful his play quality conference. "I judge successful his talent. He's a crisp young man. He's a hard worker, and truthful you permission the airy connected for him. You springiness him an accidental to determination connected from it, but helium has to bash that.

"He has to show that with his regular enactment and he's going to gain himself backmost successful the presumption to beryllium a subordinate and truthful we'll spot wherever the rows pb us. I'm unfastened to it, certainly."

While moving backmost Kenneth Gainwell is the Steelers' different instrumentality man, Tomlin said helium hasn't decided connected imaginable replacements for Johnson. During the preseason, the Steelers besides utilized moving backmost Trey Sermon, present connected the signifier squad, arsenic a footwear returner. Second-year receiver Roman Wilson has immoderate acquisition aft returning a fistful of kicks astatine Michigan.

After the game, Johnson expressed remorse for the fielding error.

"I conscionable made a mistake," Johnson said. "Got to instrumentality to it, determination on, and conscionable proceed to get amended each day."

The Steelers haven't practiced since Sunday's loss, but Tomlin said helium looks guardant to seeing Johnson's effect and maturation from the incident.

"You've got to antheral up, you got to admit your shortcomings, and past you got to enactment to determination beyond it," Tomlin said. "And it's my occupation arsenic a person to supply that opportunity.

"... Forget what you say, it's astir however you determination guardant successful presumption of your work, the level of item and the consistency of it. And so, we surely volition beryllium watching that intimately arsenic we propulsion into this week."

The Steelers besides beryllium without respective antiaircraft players owed to injury. Both borderline rusher Alex Highsmith and antiaircraft lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk person been ruled retired for Sunday's crippled against the New England Patriots with ankle sprains, with Loudermilk expected to miss aggregate weeks. The availability of Derrick Harmon (MCL sprain), Read Entire Article