There is some building frustration among some fans, some media and even some Steelers over Ryan Shazier's injury situation.
It's only natural in such an emotional time, not only for those who know Shazier well or deal with him on a daily basis, but also for those who are fans of the young man.
The Steelers have been very guarded with the information they have released regarding Shazier's status because, well, there is a lot of uncertainty with what's going on. And they don't want to put out any information that might later turn out to be false and have it thrown in their face.
Fact of the matter is, when you're dealing with neurological injuries, we know more than we did, say, 20 years ago, but there's still a lot of unknown. The body works in mysterious ways, especially when we're talking about brain and spine injuries.
The Steelers are optimistic that Shazier will recover enough to walk again. There's even a chance he might play football again at some point.
But nobody wants to set a timeline on anything. It's simply not the time for any such pronouncements, especially less than a week after his injury while he lays in a hospital bed recovering from a surgery to stabilize his spinal column.
The media want more information. That's our job. We're the conduit to the fans.
But it's also understandable that the organization and, most notably, Mike Tomlin don't want other players being asked constant questions about Shazier's prognosis. That's how misinformation gets out there.
That's why some outlets, including this one, reported Shazier has a spinal cord concussion, while others reported he has a spinal cord contusion. We're all reporting what we were told second- or even third-hand from players.
There is, however, a big difference between the two. That's why I've taken to no longer identifying the exact injury, instead calling it a lower-back injury or lower-spinal cord injury.
It's not an exact diagnosis, but I'm also not a doctor. I haven't even played one on TV.
So the Steelers asked the media, respectfully, to not pester Shazier's teammates with constant questions about his injury. The team will continue to release updates as they become available.
Tomlin wants his players to focus on the task at hand which, this week, is trying to beat the Baltimore Ravens and clinch the AFC North championship.
In a season in which the team has dealt with a number of things that could be considered distractions, none have been bigger than what this team has gone through this week.
And that doesn't even take into account JuJu Smith-Schuster's one-game suspension.
STEELERS
• With Shazier out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, Tomlin and defensive coordinator Keith Butler are going to have to be more creative and perhaps a little less patient with a player when he's struggling. We saw signs of that last week when Coty Sensabaugh got yanked at halftime in favor of rookie Cameron Sutton at cornerback. When Shazier was out of action a couple of years ago, Vince Williams and Sean Spence split time at inside linebacker beside now-departed Lawrence Timmons. Spence played on obvious run downs and Williams when the Steelers went to the nickel. It wouldn't surprise me to see a similar rotation this week and moving forward with Spence and Arthur Moats, and in the future with Spence and Tyler Matakevich, once he returns from a shoulder injury. -- Lolley
• The Steelers remain hopeful that Joe Haden will be ready to play next week against New England but it remains a 50-50 proposition. In the meantime, look for the team to go with Sensabaugh back in the starting lineup this week. With so much upheaval at the linebacker position this week, the feeling is that the more veteran player -- and better player in run support -- is the one who should be starting against the run-heavy Ravens. But Sutton will be ready to go if Sensabaugh struggles again. -- Lolley
• I've covered a lot of locker rooms in my life, including many that were absolutely devastated, collectively and individually. I've never seen an athlete look the way Williams did sitting at his stall that night in Cincinnati. Everything about Williams is heart-and-soul to the core, and that's exactly where this hit him. But I also know enough about both Williams and Shazier that they'll both do more than anyone else -- Tomlin included -- toward keeping the greatest possible focus on football. That's who they are, both of them. -- Dejan Kovacevic
PENGUINS
• One silent undercurrent to this season has been that the Penguins' opponents, including the Islanders last night, are coming at them with their A-game. Night after night, home and road, divisional rival or Western Conference, doesn't matter. One high-ranking team official told me this week that all of the coaching staff's advance work on the next opponent virtually needs to multiply the opponent's performance or, put another way, assume the optimal tendencies from every individual. That factors into the Stanley Cup "hangover," too. -- DK
• Pretty easy to see that trade talks are intensifying between Jim Rutherford and the rest of the league. Both games this week at PPG Paints Arena have been heavily attended by scouts. Fortunately, NHL teams post a seating chart in every press box, so I can tell you who sent representatives to watch the Penguins take on the Rangers and Islanders, respectively. I try not to read too much into these lists, since teams could just be looking into tendencies for future matchups, but the Devils and Golden Knights had multiple scouts at Thursday's game, while the Blues and Sabres sent single reps to both games. Happy hunting. -- Matt Gajtka
• Penguins defensive prospect Andrey Pedan is a delight. He just has such a dry sense of humor; he had a lot of funny takes during our interview last week. One of the things he talked about was learning English when he came over from Russia. He really didn't speak much English at all when he came to the OHL, so he took a few English classes and learned most of the rest from shows like Breaking Bad and Prison Break. He told me he was disappointed to learn how few swears there are in English compared to Russian. The real trouble for him, he said, was learning slang. "The guys would go to me like 'Hey, what's up?'," he told me. "I didn't figure out 'What's up' for one month. I didn't know what's 'what's up.' I was ready for like, you know 'Hello, hi, good morning,' stuff like that. The slang I didn't pick up for two, three months." -- Taylor Haase
PIRATES
• The Pirates will likely have to shed salary if they are to sign left-handed starting pitcher Jaime Garcia. According to La Prensa, a newspaper based in Mexico City, the Pirates are the favorite to sign Garcia, a left-handed starting pitcher who is projected by MLB Network's Jon Heyman to receive a two-year, $18 million contract this offseason. The Pirates won't pay that. Not when Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington both expressed confidence in their current rotation. Garcia, 31, had a 4.41 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 27 starts for the Braves, Twins and Yankees in 2017. The club is more likely to bring in a bottom-of-the-rotation starter at a lower asking price, although a trade could change that. -- Lance Lysowski
• Andrew McCutchen, the face of the franchise whose $14.5 million team option for 2018 was picked up by the club, is not attending PiratesFest on Saturday at PNC Park. Neither is Gerrit Cole. Read into that what you will, but the Giants have reportedly kept in touch with the Pirates about McCutchen's availability and a number of teams have shown interest in Cole, who is under contract through 2019. Sure, Josh Bell, Francisco Cervelli, Adam Frazier, Felipe Rivero, Trevor Williams, Jameson Taillon and Sean Rodriguez will attend the event. But the team is sending fringe players such as Christopher Bostick and Jack Leathersich instead of its two most prominent players. -- Lysowski
• The market for McCutchen will intensify as soon as the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton approves a trade to the Giants, Dodgers or Cardinals. If Stanton doesn't end up in San Francisco, the Giants have the ammunition to land McCutchen and could offer a major league player such as Joe Panik, who is reportedly part of their offer for Stanton. -- Lysowski
PITT
• Pat Narduzzi's new seven-year contract that runs through 2024 was done for stability. He's Pitt's fourth head coach since 2010. The ramifications that come along with instability at the top of a program – especially in Power 5 conferences – often lead to long-term mediocrity. Pitt didn't want to get into a bidding war after next season with the possibility of losing him if the Panthers progressed and competed for an ACC title. Heather Lyke and her administration clearly believe Narduzzi is capable of taking the program to new heights -- based on his resumé over three years and the young core of talent returning next season. From a length perspective, they likely orchestrated a buyout plan for years four, five and six that wouldn't cost them as much as you think. -- Chris Mueller
• How does the contract impact Kevin Stallings? Well, he clearly isn't experiencing early success in his first two years like Narduzzi's consecutive 8-5 seasons. If Lyke truly wants to build long-term stability among both of her top two programs, this probably indicates Stallings could be on his way out. As I've said all along, I think it will depend on how much his team progresses. Just like Narduzzi beating No. 2 Miami to end the season. -- Mueller
PENN STATE
• Defensive coordinator Brent Pry is rumored to be a head coaching candidate for the vacancy at Louisiana-Lafayette. Whether or not he’s on campus this weekend for Penn State's big official visit weekend – and what he’s telling verbal pledges if he is – should go a long way in determining both his future and theirs. Players need to know who they’re committing to by the Dec. 20 signing period, and should Pry leave and become the second coordinator to depart since the season ended, the Lions could be in a serious scramble to find a replacement in less than two weeks. With what the defense will lose after this season, this could be the best chance for Pry to look around. -- Audrey Snyder
• There’s no benefit for quarterback Tommy Stevens to transfer at this moment. It’s unclear what he’ll do with Trace McSorley locked in as the starter, but if Stevens leaves now he’d have to sit out a year should he go elsewhere in the FBS. If he stays until the end of the spring semester – and graduates like he told me last month he’s in line to do – he can then be a graduate transfer and play anywhere right away. So, I wouldn’t look for any Stevens clarity until at least after the spring game. -- Snyder
• Will there be another concert in Beaver Stadium? Penn State hasn’t announced another, and sources told me Penn State was initially in line for a three-year contract with the entertainment company that put on the Blake Shelton show last year. A final attendance figure was never given after plenty of empty seats remained, presumably making the athletic department less than thrilled. Penn State has to use the stadium more than just a handful of times per year, but with nothing announced and no attendance reported, one has to wonder if maybe they try something besides a concert. -- Snyder
DUQUESNE
• Duquesne appears close to be getting two scholarship players – forwards Chas Brown and Marko Krivacevic – back to full health. Brown made his season debut in the City Game after suffering a foot injury in the preseason, and has seen his minutes increase in the two games after. Krivacevic was in uniform for the Dukes' game against Stetson Wednesday and participated in warmups. Keith Dambrot said Krivacevic hasn't been fully cleared, but is "close." -- Mueller
RIVERHOUNDS
• The cutting of Corey Hertzog, the team's leading scorer the past two seasons, wasn't as much of a surprise as the keeping of Romeo Parkes. But neither should have been too surprising. As for the latter, Bob Lilley, the new coach, valued possession above all with his championship Rochester teams, and no one brings that on the Hounds like Parkes. Dave Brandt spent most of the summer chiding Parkes for not moving the ball with a single touch, per his system, but that took away Parkes' greatest strength. Lilley will move him to forward and let him run and dribble to his heart's content. -- DK
• Hertzog wouldn't have fit with a Lilley system, which requires versatility and a team focus. Hertzog is a team player, so don't misunderstand. But his constant complaining and waving his arms at teammates when he wasn't being fed for a chance just wouldn't have worked. Moreover, he consistently found position to get open for chances -- a skill unto itself, to his credit -- but didn't do nearly enough with them for a one-dimensional striker. -- DK