Ask A.J. Green who has been the most difficult cornerback against whom he’s lined up and he won’t hesitate to answer: Joe Haden.
But that doesn’t mean the Steelers plan to shadow the Bengals’ most talented wide receiver with Haden when Cincinnati visits Heinz Field Sunday.
Quite the opposite, actually.
When the Steelers signed Haden after the veteran was released by the Browns two weeks before the start of the regular season, Keith Butler decided his defense would no longer use one cornerback to shadow a particular receiver. The plans before that, however, involved matching second-year cornerback Artie Burns with opponents' top threats. Once the Steelers acquired Haden to replace Ross Cockrell in the starting lineup, that plan went out the window.
“That was something we talked about, if it came down to it, it was something we could lean on,” Burns told me Thursday at Rooney Sports Complex. “But when you're balanced on both sides of the field, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Butler was a bit more coy than Burns about the team’s plans for Green. The Steelers had shadowed Green early in his career with Ike Taylor.
“I’m not going to tell you how we’re going to play them. I’m not trying to be smart. I just don’t want to let them know what we’re doing,” Butler said. “I’m confident with either one of those guys, to be honest with you. He’s a big, long, tall guy. You see him make catches with three guys on him. He’s going to be a challenge for us.”
Green, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, is a handful for any cornerback. But in Cincinnati’s first two games, he had just 10 catches for 141 yards and no touchdowns, something that helped lead to the firing of offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. The Bengals failed to score a touchdown in those first two games.
Bill Lazor replaced Zampese and has made getting the ball to Green a priority. Green has 22 receptions for 363 yards and three touchdowns in Cincinnati’s past three games, leading to two victories and an overtime loss.
“I don’t know if anybody can shut him down,” Butler said. “He’s a big guy that they get the ball a lot to. He’s one of their weapons. And they’ve got a lot more weapons, too.”
But none more important that Green.
Signing Haden, a former Pro Bowl corner who is still just 28, was considered a no-brainer decision by the Steelers after the Browns surprisingly released him. And he had success shadowing Green while with Cleveland. In 2013, a Pro Bowl year for Haden, he limited Green to nine catches for 58 yards and no touchdowns in two meetings, earning the Pro Bowl receiver’s respect.
In fact, when asked in an interview with The Players’ Tribune about who has been the toughest corner he’s faced since joining the NFL in 2011, Green was expansive in explaining why it was Haden.
“I remember the first time I lined up across from him in college, I looked down and his fingers were almost touching his ankles,” Green wrote. “He’s dangerous because he’s only 5-11, but he’s got a surprisingly long reach.”
It’s a reach Haden isn’t afraid to use to his advantage by being physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage.
“Joe knows that if he can just disrupt your first two steps off the line, he’s got you,” Green continued. “He’s probably the best there is at knocking you off your route just a little bit — just enough where the ball is a half-second early or a half-second late. This is the kind of stuff that doesn’t always make the highlights, but that you appreciate as a player.”
In 11 career games against the Steelers, Green has 71 receptions for 975 yards and six touchdowns, a season’s worth of work for most receivers. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, even though they haven’t always limited Green’s impact, they have beaten the Bengals in eight of those 11 games.
Burns won’t back down from the chance to face Green. In fact, it’s something he had prepared for the past two offseasons when he followed Antonio Brown all over the field during practices. But Green could be the best receiver the Steelers will face this season.
“We’ll see on Sunday,” Burns said.
ODDS AND END ZONES
• After sitting out practice Wednesday, both Maurkice Pouncey (chest) and Ramon Foster (back) were full participants in practice Thursday.
• Marcus Gilbert (hamstring), Stephon Tuitt (back) and Vince Williams (hip) all missed their second consecutive day of practice.
• Tyler Matakevich, who would replace Williams in the starting lineup at inside linebacker, made it through his second consecutive day of practice despite a shoulder injury.
• After practicing on a limited basis Wednesday, Cincinnati cornerback Adam Jones did not participate Thursday. Jones has a back injury. Receiver Tyler Boyd, a Pitt product and Clairton native, and H-back Ryan Hewitt also missed their second consecutive day of practice for the Bengals with knee injuries.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY