Looking ahead to the session …
• What: Steelers practice
• When: 1:15-3:15 p.m.
• Where: Rooney Sports Complex
• Media availabilities: 9:30-10 a.m., 3:15-3:45 p.m.
3:56: Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was back with the team today, looking no worse for the wear following his incident at a north shore bar New Year's Eve.
So much for the latest Steelers' "distraction."
3:45: So much for Mike Tomlin taking it easy on his guys in the bye week. The Steelers practiced in pads today, something they typically haven't done, especially recently, as Tomlin has tried to take it easy on his players down the stretch.
A lot of Wednesdays of late have been "hat days," a practice where the team has a glorified walk through in shells and hats instead of pads and helmets. Not today. Not with a bye week.
10:30: JuJu Smith-Schuster was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Cleveland Sunday.
Smith-Schuster just as easily could have won the AFC's offensive award, as well.
10:15: I saw B.J. Finney in the locker room this morning. And while I didn't get a chance to talk to the injured offensive lineman, the fact he was able to duck in and out of the locker room despite leaving Sunday's game against the Browns with a quad injury was a good sign.
If he can avoid the media, as he did today, he should be ready to serve his usual backup role with the Steelers open the playoffs in another week and a half.
THE SETUP
Reminder: We can’t report what we see in NFL practices, per league guidelines. So we’ll always just use this space for any allowable updates, as well as a quick repository for news after the practice and media availability.
It's Wednesday, so the Steelers will be back on the field for the first time since beating Cleveland. It's a bye week, so the team does not have to release an injury report. I'll put any immediate news of note here on this live file, then I’ll have full coverage later.