In just a matter of hours, the Pittsburgh Steelers will take the field at Paul Brown Stadium in the team’s biggest game of the season.
The Bengals will look to avenge the 33-20 loss they suffered at the hands of the Steelers on December 13th. The Steelers will be without backup running back DeAngelo Williams, quite possibly the under-the-radar acquisition of the off-season, which begs the question, what members of the Pittsburgh Pirates could fill in for Williams?
During spring training this past season, Mike Tomlin was asked which Pirates he would take, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Steelers’ head coach had high regard for Pirates reliever Jared Hughes, most notably known for seemingly impossible escapes from pitching jams and his sprints from the bullpen.
Tomlin also joked, “I’ll take Cutch too. I’ll bet you he can settle under a punt.” That doesn’t seem to be the position Andrew McCutchen had in mind if he were to ever play football, though. The avid Steelers’ fan took to Twitter for a celebratory tweet once it was certain the team had made the playoffs following a Jets loss to the Bills and a Steelers win over the hapless Browns on January 3rd.
They may need you to play some RB:) HNY brother! https://t.co/pa0e6ydXUt
— James Katina (@jameskatina) January 3, 2016
Ha they got it! HPY https://t.co/j9FOUJT2Tq
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) January 3, 2016
But is McCutchen the only one that could play running back? If anyone is looking for an audition video, look no further than what Josh Harrison did to the Mets back in 2014.
Kind of reminiscent of Willie Parker, who would happen to be the running back the Steelers had the last time they won the Super Bowl in 2008. Although, hopefully, Josh Harrison would do better than Willie Parker did in that game, who had 19 carries for just 53 yards.
What other Pirates could transfer their physical abilities to the game of football?
Gerrit Cole, 6’4” and 230 lbs., has the makings of a quarterback, and the Steelers certainly could have used him earlier this season when Ben Roethlisberger was forced to miss four games due to multiple injuries, which happens to be the same number of games Roethlisberger missed in 2005 and 2010, both years that resulted in the Steelers going to the Super Bowl. Cole would almost certainly have the composure and awareness to stand in the pocket to go with an arm that could rifle passes to Antonio Brown or Starling Marte.
Speaking of, Marte brought home a Gold Glove award for his efforts in left field this past season. He tracked down fly balls and dove for line drives better than anyone in the business. He would probably be able to hold his own opposite Antonio Brown as a wideout or stand toe-to-toe with any receiver the Bengals may throw at him as a ball-hawking cornerback.
Speaking of opposite, out in right field lies another athlete that could lace them up for the Steelers. Standing just an inch shorter than Steelers’ wide receiver Martavis Bryant, Gregory Polanco has the pure speed, height, and athletic ability NFL coaches covet from wide receivers. In fact, if Gregory Polanco were to wear Martavis Bryant’s jersey, there probably would not be many fans to notice a single difference in their playing styles, awkward clumsiness, random drops, and all. Although, to be fair, when Bryant and Polanco are at the height of their respective games, both seem calm, cool, and collected.
No one is as calm and collected as Jared Hughes on a baseball diamond, which is why he may be a good candidate for a defensive position. Given Hughe’s tenacity, Mike Tomlin may consider placing him in as a middle linebacker to drop back in coverage or a safety to sprint in as if he were working out of a bases loaded jam to take an interception back to the house for the Steelers.
Whether the Steelers’ season ends tonight or a month from now hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California, at least a few Steelers would be more than welcome to spend their summer at PNC Park, playing that is.
If Gerrit Cole can be the savior the Steelers backup quarterback dilemma, it is only fair to say that Ben Roethlisberger could be the solution to the Pirates back end of the rotation woes. In 2014, Logan Thomas set a velocity record at the NFL combine of 60mph. Now, if R.A. Dickey can throw that fast and still have a job all these years, why can’t Big Ben? The elite level of quarterbacks average between 60 and 65mph throwing a football, and I don’t know how many would question whether Ben Roethlisberger is elite or not given what he has done his entire career, especially over the last few years. Of course, a football and a baseball are dramatically different, but if Ray Searage can fix Edinson Volquez and J.A. Happ, it’s entirely possible Ben Roethlisberger could provide meaningful innings for the Pirates.
With the departure of Keon Broxton in the trade for Jason Rogers and the uncertainty looming around John Jaso’s role at first base, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant could both provide meaningful innings as well. Brown’s shiftiness, speed, and catching ability make him a perfect candidate to play a Josh Harrison type utility role anywhere on the field, except he might need to be a defensive replacement given his swings during batting practice during a visit to PNC Park in 2014.
Or perhaps he was just getting some coaching for his eventual move to being a two-sport player.
Martavis Bryant would definitely challenge Billy Hamilton in the race for most steals, and once again, he compares most appropriately with Gregory Polanco. Polanco may be able to disguise himself as Martavis Bryant on the football field, but it would be hard for Bryant to be inconspicuous out in right field. Fans from the bow tie bar might start yelling about how much McCutchen grew over the off-season or about how he broke his promise not to grow dreadlocks again.
Bryant would face a tall challenge trying to tame the Clemente wall, a learning curve that Polanco still has yet to truly master. However, with the right coaching and patience, Bryant may just be able to be an excellent fourth outfield option.
Turning to the infield, Lawrence Timmons has the physique of a prototypical power hitting first baseman. If only he is as good at stopping line drives and ground balls from getting past him as he is at stopping shifty running backs, Timmons may be the first base solution the Pirates have long desired.
The Steelers had a similar long-term need. It wasn’t until Le’Veon Bell was drafted out of Michigan State that Pittsburgh had a run game again, which just happened to coincide with the same time the Pirates got their running game going a few parking lots over. When healthy, there is no running back in the NFL better than Le’Veon Bell. His patience, awareness, speed, power, and agility make him one of the most difficult offensive weapons in the game to stop, but if he were to have a change of heart once he recovers and goes to play for the Pirates instead, it would be his defense that would be praised. Between the Jung Ho Kang injury and departure of Neil Walker to New York, the Pirates have some serious questions regarding covering positions in the infield. Le’Veon Bell would easily be able to field balls heading up the middle or dive to his left to snag line drives. His patience, yet also his ability to quickly see a play develop, could give Josh Harrison a run for his money as the starting second baseman.
Where’s James Harrison, you ask?
Someone was needed for reenactments on Lloyd McLendon bobblehead night. As Mike Tomlin would say, ‘obviously’ you can find him heading into the dugout after stealing first base.
Let’s all hope the Steelers don’t have to begin contemplating their summer plans too soon and that Neil Huntington fills the remaining holes before the team heads to Bradenton late next month so the Steelers don’t have to share their star players to keep Pirate fans happy.
Here we go.
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