GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When B.J. Finney went down to all fours in last week's preseason opener at Philadelphia, it wasn't just members of the Finney family who were holding their breath waiting for the 26-year-old guard to get up.
There were more than a few members of the Steelers front office anxiously anticipating that he would get up, as well.
As things turned out, Finney was OK, having suffered a thigh contusion. But with Ramon Foster already out until at least the start of the regular season with a sprained knee, the Steelers could ill afford to lose Finney, as well, for any length of time.
And that likely extends beyond this year.
Foster and Finney are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. And while Finney told me the Steelers have not yet contacted his agent regarding a contract extension, that could certainly happen between now and the start of the regular season.
In fact, there are some who feel the Steelers would be a better team with Finney as their starter at left guard over the 32-year-old Foster.
Finney isn't worried about any of that right now.
"I'm not really focused on that part. Whatever happens, happens," Finney told me. "We'll let the dust settle. Everybody wants to play. Everybody wants to start. I'm not detracting from that. But when you're not the guy, you've got to focus on your role and get yourself better to help the team. If you end up being the guy, then you end up being the guy. You can't have that sole focus because it detracts from the team's goals. That's my mentality. I get better every day to help the team get better. Whatever happens down the road, happens down the road."
Surely, however, Finney had to see what happened with Chris Hubbard in the offseason. Hubbard, like Finney, joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent and spent time on the practice squad before working his way onto the 53-man roster.
Hubbard wound up starting 10 games for the Steelers in 2017 due to injuries and a suspension to right tackle Marcus Gilbert. He received a five-year, $37.5 million contract in free agency from the Browns.
Finney isn't focused on anything like that, even though he's happy for his former teammate.
"I think it's a whole different animal when you're talking about tackles," Finney told me. "I'm really happy for Hub and what he got. He deserves every penny of it. He's a heck of a guy. We miss him and he's a heck of a guy to have around the locker room. I'm really happy he got that contract."
But guards also got paid in the past offseason. Dallas gave Zack Martin a deal that averages $14 million per season to keep him, while Jacksonville paid Andrew Norwell $13.3 million per season in free agency.
Finney won't get that kind of money, but he could certainly cash in, especially if he plays more. He's made seven starts in the past two seasons and the Steelers have had some of their most productive games running the ball, gaining 240 yards against the Bills and 149 against the Chiefs in 2016, and 194 against the Chiefs again last season.
But even though some in the organization feel he's ready to be a starter, it's questionable the coaching staff would replace a team leader such as Foster unless it was clear that Finney is the better player.
Finney seems OK with that.
"It is an opportunity, but it's just like any job. I'm holding it down until Ramon gets back," Finney said. "But it's an opportunity for me to solidify my job and show everyone I'm here to play ball."
MORE STEELERS
• Rookie Christian Scotland-Williamson is a former English rugby star who saw his first preseason action last week against the Eagles and caught one pass for five yards before being tackled by linebacker LeRoy Reynolds in what appeared to be a perfect rugby shoulder tackle. "Yeah, it was," Scotland-Williamson told me. "I thought it would hurt more, but we have so much gear on, it didn't at all." Scotland-Williamson is with the Steelers as part of a league international program and will be with the team all season, though he won't count against their roster or the practice squad. I did learn, however, that the Steelers, not the league, are responsible for the tight end's salary. -- Lolley
• People were freaking out in recent days about the number of veteran players not taking part in practice as the Steelers closed out training camp at Saint Vincent College. But it rained so much there in recent days that much of the grass on the regular fields had burned out and died in large splotches, making it uneven and unsafe to practice on. The team could still practice on the turf field there, but the coaching staff -- and players -- like to practice on grass as much as possible. But if the grass is in bad shape, it's in bad shape. And there was really nothing the team's field crew could do to keep it from happening. There was a lot of rain in Latrobe. -- Lolley
• How far has technology come? The Steelers no longer send cameramen up in lifts to film practice. They have cameras mounted to poles that can be directed from the ground. And that also means they have monitors in stands under those that can be watched immediately. So when Ben Roethlisberger suffered a concussion in practice Tuesday, Kevin Colbert was able to immediately duck in there and run through the replay of what happened. -- Lolley
PIRATES
• The Pirates' pitching staff entered Thursday with a 3.44 ERA dating back to July 7, the fifth-lowest mark in the majors in that span. The key to the rotation's recent success, according to Ray Searage? Between starts, each pitcher is using his bullpen sessions to practice specific pitch sequences to use against three of the top hitters he'll face the next time out. Sure, Searage has used that plan for starters in the past, but the health of Joe Musgrove and the precise mechanics of the other two starters — Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams — has freed up everyone involved to work on pitch execution, rather than delivery or arm slot. That's not easy with young starters. "It all comes down to experience," Searage said. -- Lance Lysowski
• Colin Moran's started only seven games this month because of David Freese's rejuvenation and the number of lefty starters the Pirates have faced, yet Moran's batted .308 in August. He's leaned on his brother, Brian, a reliever in the Rockies' farm system, and his uncle, former big league outfielder B.J. Surhoff, when grappling with the frustrations of learning how to perform off the bench. The rookie is batting .438 as a pinch-hitter. -- Lysowski
• The Pirates' starting pitchers came to a consensus after meeting as a group upon arriving in San Francisco last week: they wanted Clint Hurdle, or anybody, really, to ask if they needed the additional day of rest. They weren't necessarily mad about the decision, and there was real confidence in Clay Holmes. Instead, the group simply wanted there to be open dialogue about how rest is handled. -- Lysowski
• Also, this isn't the first time the Pirates have found ways to give starters rest. It's been done numerous times, this season included. This is just the first time it happened amid a playoff chase. Don't be shocked if it happens again, either. -- Lysowski
• There's not panic in the clubhouse. There doesn't seem to be overwhelming frustration, either. But there is a level of urgency I haven't seen at any point this season, not even when they were 12 1/2 back on July 8. -- Lysowski
PENGUINS
Soon there will be pucks again. And all will be right with the cosmos. As it is, the closest we'll come to Insider-caliber material, with all NHL executives, coaches, players, even agents taking their customary annual time off, is that Jim Rutherford and son had first-row seats at PNC Park last night for Pirates-Cubs. Looked like they had a fine time, too. -- Dejan Kovacevic
PITT
• Pat Narduzzi offered a piece of information early in the week — Kenny Pickett has yet to throw an interception in camp — and the reactions have been all over the place. Pickett himself confirmed the news, saying: “No. I haven’t thrown one yet, and I don’t plan on it. … I pride myself on protecting the ball, and this camp, that’s what I’ve done so far.” That claim has been met with skepticism from the other side of the ball, however. Safety Dennis Briggs said with a grin: “He said that? I’ve got to look at the tape, man.” If the claim is true, it means Pickett’s last pick went to corner Dane Jackson for the winning touchdown in the spring game. “That’s pretty much in the past now. We’re looking to get one on him out here the next few days,” Jackson said. “We don’t really pay attention to the quarterback that’s under center, necessarily, but I think we’ll do a good job competing and getting one soon.” — Matt Grubba
• For all the talk about the speed of freshman receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis, I took a cue from Wednesday’s Live Qs at 5 to try and find out who the fastest player on the team is. Posed with that question about the defensive backs, Briggs thought for a while about his answer: “(Damarri) Mathis is definitely up there, J.P. (Jason Pinnock) for sure. … It’s definitely not me. It might be one of the freshmen, I think Marquis Williams might be up there.” Secondary coach Archie Collins also chimed in on his group compared to the consensus pick for receiver speed: “I think (Phillipie) Motley and Mathis are pretty good, speed-wise. Shocky’s got a lot of quickness, too, so that helps him out, too. We have a lot of fun watching him work.” — Grubba
