Sammie Coates’ mission is simple, but not particularly unique: Stay healthy.
“It’s every player’s goal to be healthy every time the season starts,” Coates said Tuesday following the Steelers’ first practice of the offseason.
For Coates, though, that axiom takes on heightened importance this offseason. The third-year receiver from Auburn began last year in impressive fashion, only to be derailed by a spate of injuries. Through five games, he caught 19 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns. But in his final nine games, Coates was noticeably quiet; he caught just two passes for 14 yards.
Coates said his broken fingers and groin injury, which wasn’t revealed until after the year when he had surgery, do not excuse his late-season struggles.