Bush will be unwrapped in a big way ☕ taken at Rooney Complex (Steelers)

Devin Bush. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

While Antonio Brown was going about the business of getting himself suspended before the Raiders' opener Monday night against the Broncos, the Steelers were quietly going about theirs preparing to face the Patriots Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.

A big part of those preparations has centered around getting the player the Steelers acquired with the help of the picks acquired in the Brown trade ready for his first NFL game.

And by all accounts, the Steelers feel inside linebacker Devin Bush is up to that challenge.

"He’s been ready. He’s a football player, and a good one at that. I definitely think he’s ready," fellow inside linebacker Mark Barron told me of the rookie. "He’s a smart football player. That’s really what it takes. Physically, he’s got everything you need. It’s about being up to speed mentally, and I think he’s ready for that."

There's little doubt the Steelers will miss Brown's production on the football field. But the two draft picks they acquired from the Raiders -- in the third and fifth rounds -- gave them the ammunition needed to move up from the 20th spot in the first round this year to the 10th and acquire the speedy inside linebacker from Michigan.

To hear Mike Tomlin earlier in the week, you'd think the Steelers are going to be cautious with how much they use Bush in this game.

"We’ve got some young guys that have a chance to play significant roles for us, but we also understand it is their first time in the stadium, so we have to manage some of that," Tomlin said. "Some of the Devin Bushes of the world, and guys like that who have a chance to be big components of what we do. But you also have to balance that with the fact that it’s their first time stepping into the stadium. So, there’s a lot of things to consider."

That's all well and good. But by all accounts, Bush is more than ready to take on a very active role against the Patriots.

Just ask him.

"Let’s do it," he told me. "That’s what I’m here for."

Forget any trepidation Tomlin might have shown earlier in the week. Devin Bush is going to play, and play a lot against the Patriots.

The Steelers don't want to tip their hand to what they might do. But that's also because they're not exactly sure how the Patriots will attack them offensively, either.

While the Steelers have three new regulars on defense in Bush, Barron and cornerback Steven Nelson -- and a fourth if safety Kameron Kelly is included, since it looks like he'll start in place of injured Sean Davis -- the Patriots have some big changes on offense, as well.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski retired at the end of last season, while center David Andrews was lost for the season to blood clots in his lungs. The Patriots also will have a new left tackle after Trent Brown left in free agency. He'll be replaced by Isaiah Wynn, a first-round pick a year ago who missed his entire rookie season because of injury.

"There's a lot of unknowns going into this game," defensive coordinator Keith Butler admitted. "We don't know what kind of personnel we're going to get, whether we're going to get four wides, three wides or regular personnel. We'll have to find out when we get there and adjust accordingly. We have in our minds what we think they're going to do, but we're not 100 percent sure."

One thing that is known is that the Patriots had the third-most rushing attempts in the NFL last season. And they also relied a lot on running back James White in the passing game. White caught 87 passes for 751 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

That would seem to make Bush, who ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in the spring, a perfect fit for this game. He showed in the preseason he's more than capable of being a run stopper. And his speed should match up well against White.

"He’s all purpose. He’s one of those backs who will catch you off guard with the routes he can run," Bush said of White. "His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield creates matchups.

"He’ll be a good guy to go against."

Since his arrival, the Steelers have force fed Bush the responsibility of being the guy who calls the plays on defense. They did that because the speedy linebacker is expected to be on the field in all of their defensive packages.

And while a road game against the defending Super Bowl champions might be a tough place to expect a rookie to make all of the play calls, it actually works out a little better than if the game been at Heinz Field.

"The communication is probably always easier for defenses on the road," Butler said. "They're going to be a little louder when our offense is out there, as opposed to when their offense is out there. Our communication should be pretty good. We have to make sure we get calls in and out as fast as we can to make sure our guys have a chance to play and not think."

That would be good for the rookie, who figures to be tested early and often in this one, especially against a quarterback as savvy as Tom Brady.

"They will try. You’ve got to be on point and know that’s coming," Barron said when asked if the Patriots will go at Bush. "You’ve got to have awareness about how teams want to attack you, especially if it’s a veteran guy. He might want to try you. He’s going to take your temperature pretty quick.

"If you make a couple of plays and you do it consistently, eventually people will figure out the risk isn’t worth it. It’s definitely something you’ve got to do, prove yourself in this league."

And there's no better time for that than the present.

The Steelers felt they were getting the best linebacker in this draft when they moved up to select Bush. They felt they were getting a player capable of being an every-down linebacker and a replacement for injured star Ryan Shazier.

They might as well start finding out if that's the case right away.

"I think he can," Butler said. "He's going to be all right. He's still a rookie. He respects the game. As long as he respects the game, he's going to be all right. I think he will."

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