Did you catch what Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said yesterday when asked about Beanie Bishop Jr.? While he gave his usual spiel in refusing to douse an undrafted rookie with praise, he also issued a threat. In so many words, he let Bishop know that if he isn’t up to snuff in practice, Thomas Graham Jr. is playing.
Or perhaps Jalen Elliott, or Anthony Averett, or even Damontae Kazee. The point is, Beanie Bishop Jr. is the starting slot defender of record, but he has to earn playing time. He simply missed too much valuable time at the end of the summer for them to justify any other approach.