Fitzpatrick returns to practice, 'We'll see' about Sunday

Minkah Fitzpatrick underwent an appendectomy five days ago.

Yet, somehow, he actually has a chance to suit up when the Steelers host the Bengals on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium. And, those chances only went up when he returned as a full participant in Thursday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

"We're going to find out Sunday," Fitzpatrick said Thursday. "It's just something I've gotta take day to day. Something I definitely don't want to rush back from. We'll see how I feel Sunday."

Fitzpatrick said his symptoms started Thursday night, feeling like he had a full stomach. After feeling fine through Friday's practice and Saturday's walkthrough, Fitzpatrick notified the trainers that he was dealing with the same feelings and some constipation.

"I just thought it was bubble guts, gas or whatever," Fitzpatrick laughed.

After laxatives didn't cure the feeling, Fitzpatrick was scanned and wound up on the operating table 20 minutes later.

Undergoing an appendectomy should normally sideline any NFL player for at least a game or two. Ben Roethlisberger infamously had his appendix removed just prior to the start of the 2006 season, and he missed the season opener. Sunday's opposing quarterback Joe Burrow also underwent an appendectomy in July, but his situation was significantly worse since his appendix ruptured.

Regarding a surgery on any internal organs, there might be concern over how everything heals.

"The doctor told me I can't really do too much damage (internally). That's going to heal pretty quickly on its own," Fitzpatrick said. "The worry is when they cut open, they cut through muscle to get (there). So you just want to make sure that's healed properly before you get out there and go full speed."

Fitzpatrick is as dedicated as anybody on the Steelers team. He spent Wednesday's practice doing different types of cardio around the football fields, then fully participated in practice on Thursday. What might be most shocking is his lobbying to play in Sunday's win over the Saints -- just one day after the surgery.

The Steelers obviously shut that down without question. However, that didn't stop Fitzpatrick from showing up to the stadium and being with his team.

"I wanted to go out there and support my teammates," he said.

It's remarkable that a human being might be able to have their appendix removed and play an NFL game just eight days later. I still can't wrap my head around it.

MORE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE

• As far as the Steelers' preparation, they have currently have no expectation for whether or not Fitzpatrick will be able to play Sunday. 

"If he’s available, that would be great. If he’s not, we’ll move on without him," Teryl Austin said during his Thursday availability at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "Right now, until we get closer to the game, I don’t have much of an expectation. We’re just working with the guys we have right now. We’ll see where he’s at at the end of the week. He’s got plenty of reps under his belt, so I don’t worry about it if he’s not cleared or whatever until game time."

• Whether or not Fitzpatrick is able to go, Damontae Kazee has made a huge impact on this defense in just one game played. As it was last Sunday, Kazee would be the one to fill in for Minkah if he isn't available.

The interception is one thing, and his ability to make plays in the secondary is also a welcomed trait. But, his teammates do nothing but rave about the energy he provides.

"Kazee's a great player," Fitzpatrick said. "I love practicing with him. I haven't gotten to play with him yet, but I'm excited to see what it looks like with all three of us out there making plays. He never has a bad day. He's full of energy. Full of excitement. He brings passion to the game. I like playing with Kazee a lot."

Funnily enough, Austin said something near identical about Kazee.

"I’ll tell you what, he’s almost like a guy that I would describe as he’s never seen a bad day. He lives life like that," Austin said. "He’s always got really good energy, really upbeat, in a good mood, positive. I think that’s a great attribute to have, and that’s what he is. That’s kind of his personality."

• As far as the rest of the injuries are concerned, Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) did not practice for the second straight day. Jesse Davis (knee) popped up on Thursday's injury report and did not participate either. Nor did Cam Heyward or T.J. Watt, but they were given vet rest days.

Najee Harris (knee) fully practiced for the second straight day, and Marcus Allen (illness), Devin Bush (knee), Kevin Dotson (hip), Trent Scott (back), and Larry Ogunjobi (knee) all returned to practice Thursday. Dotson and Ogunjobi were limited while the rest fully participated.

• Anybody who had Joe Mixon on their fantasy football team (or played against him) a couple weeks ago know how much he can impact the game, both on the ground and as a receiving option out of the backfield. 

With Ja'Marr Chase sidelined due to a hip injury, the Bengals will be looking for a different way to hurt a Steelers defense that created five turnovers in Week 1. Mixon could very well be central to Cincinnati's plan, and the Steelers are preparing for him to be.

"I think for us, we go into every game with the idea that we have to stop the run first," Austin said. "I know a lot of people are like, ‘What are you talking about, it’s a passing league,’ but that’s how we go into the game. We feel no different this week. We felt no different in Week 1. We thought we had to do a really good job on Joe Mixon to have a chance to win the game, to be in the game at the end, and at that point, win in the weighty moments, as Mike [Tomlin] likes to call them. 

"So, nothing’s going to change. Our goal is that we’ve got to stop Joe Mixon, because if Joe Mixon runs on us, that doesn't leave as much of a chance. Because then you're talking about that they have both avenues available between run and pass. So, we’ve got to make sure that we take care of the run game. That's really been our focus all year, to be better in that area. And nothing will change there."

• There's been some talk about how Najee Harris was in a different form this past Sunday than he had been all season, Kenny Pickett included. However, people such as Tomlin said they didn't see a noticeable difference -- that it's what they expect out of him.

I wanted to get the offensive coordinator's perception here, so I asked Matt Canada directly during his Thursday availability if Harris looked any different to him.

"I think we saw him being more consistent hitting the downhill," Canada said. "I think we’d all seen that here and there and, I know we talked about it last week, him getting healthy and getting reps with the line and seeing things. But I thought Naj was playing in a physical, downhill style, which is who he is. I thought he was himself. So, nothing different. I thought Naj was just being himself."

• As suspected, George Pickens' rushing touchdown against the Saints wasn't necessarily executed by design...

However, Canada isn't going to complain if the result of the play is a touchdown.

"I’m just glad that he scored," Canada said with a smile. "It wasn’t quite by design, but he found a way to get it in. We’ll continue to tell him great job, and if he scores, he scores. It’s a bottom-line business."

• A big topic early in the season was Mitch Trubisky not having the freedom to audible on every single play. Of course, with Pickett being a rookie, it might be safe to assume his freedom is more limited when it comes to any audible. Canada addressed this directly:

"Audibles and checks, we obviously have had checks in our offense forever. There’re times he goes up there and he has to check, run-to-run, pass-to-pass, based on look, based on technique, based on coverage. There’re protection things he has to do," Canada said. "He is a rookie, but it’s the NFL. Certainly, we’re going to try to streamline everything we can for all of our players to get them to play fast and simplify things the best way we can until we can continue to grow and be more diverse, more creative. But that’s not just Kenny. Again, we talked about being on the same page. There’re certain things he has to do, obviously, as he evolves and sees things, but Kenny sees the field very, very well. We just have to kind of continue to grow and get the right thing at the right time."