B6SPORTS

Page B6 THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT Sunday, September 22, 2019 @ 4:25 p.m. WRKW 99.1 FM WBVE 107.5 FM WLLI 990 AM KDKA Levi’s Stadium – Santa Clara, Calif. WNTJ 1490 AM WTAJ Eyes on the present, future Trade shows Steelers not giving up on ’19, while addressing traditional need

Some will see placed on injured Minkah. We knew it was somewhat the price that the reserve on Tues- of a pipe dream because of his global Pittsburgh Steel- day. positioning in the draft.” ers paid to res- Even with As for Sunday’s game against the cue … I mean, Mason Rudolph’s San Francisco 49ers, where Fitzpat- acquire, Minkah adequate second rick will have had three practices to Fitzpatrick from half performance fit into the Steelers’ overall scheme the Miami Dol- in a 28-26 loss to and also for the Week 3 game plan, phins as too steep. the Seattle Sea- the mission is to keep the second-year After all, first- SHAWN CURTIS hawks, optimistic Alabama product as relaxed in his round picks don’t [email protected] forecasts may have new surroundings as possible. grow on trees and been hard to find “He’s going to help us,” defensive the Steelers are left without a whole when trying to handicap the Steelers’ coordinator Keith Butler said. “Is he lot to do during the first round of the remaining 14 games. going to help us Sunday? We’ll see if 2020 NFL draft. Plus sending away a first-round he can or not. Obviously, we’re going As news filtered out on Monday pick – along with a fifth-rounder next to make sure that he’s comfortable in that Pittsburgh had won a develop- year and their sixth-round selection what we plan and he’s not going to ing derby to snag the defensive back in 2021 – during the season is very have to do a lot of thinking and stuff from the Dolphins, two camps were unlike the franchise, which has been like that.” already developing: Those who were historically known to be a bit miserly In the NFL’s current form, where genuinely excited to see the Steelers with its draft capital. hybrid players thrive on both sides of upgrade a secondary that could des- Bringing Fitzpatrick to the Steel the ball, Fitzpatrick has played safe- perately use Fitzpatrick’s skill set, and City this week told the world a few ty, cornerback and even linebacker those who wanted to guard that first- things: for the Dolphins, hinging on the look round pick with their lives in antic- • Without a first-round pick in they’d present on a given snap. That ipation that the bottom falls out on 2020, the Steelers won’t be tanking flexibility isn’t lost on Butler, even as the Steelers in 2019. in 2019. Fitzpatrick may find himself fastened After all, Pittsburgh is 0-2 and • A new aggression is emerging to a safety position as he learns Pitts- without quarterback Ben Roethlis- from the front office when trying to burgh’s defensive playbook. berger, who suffered an elbow injury build a young defensive core, that “He’s going to be valuable to us in and will miss the remainder of the already includes linebackers T.J. Watt a lot of different ways, and our safe- season after undergoing surgery this and Devin Bush. After all, the Steel- ties have had to move around a little week; and safety Sean Davis, who was ers jumped 10 spots in April’s NFL bit and play some different positions draft to take Bush at No. 10 overall. for us,” Butler said. “He’ll do the same • Instead of taking a risk on a for us. But right now, we just want The series defensive back in a future draft, the to make it simple for him and keep Steelers went for a proven player that it simple for him and let him pin his All-time (including playoffs): they had coveted during the draft ears back and play some football.” 49ers lead 11-10 process in 2018 when the Dolphins That’s not to say that Fitzpatrick took Fitzpatrick 11th overall. is going to be cemented to that safe- Betting line/total: San Fran- The Steelers instead selected Vir- ty spot. cisco -6.5/43.5 points ginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds at “At some point, it’s going to be an the No. 28 spot. asset to us,” Tomlin said of Fitzpat- All-time at San Francisco: That didn’t mean that Pittsburgh rick’s versatility. Series tied at 5 had given up on the dream of reunit- “But obviously in the short term, ing with Fitzpatrick, they just might we’re not going to move him around Current streak: Steelers, one have been surprised that they were a great deal. This first time out we’re win able to do so in Fitzpatrick’s second going to anchor him down and allow season. him to focus on one position and put Last Steelers win in San “We really studied Minkah really him in the very best position to be Francisco: Nov. 7, 1999 – Steel- closely in the process leading up to a positive contributor to our efforts ers 27-6 the draft,” Steelers coach Mike Tom- this weekend that way. Really excit- lin said. “It was no secret that we ed about the acquisition.” Last 49ers win in San Fran- were in the market for a high-end cisco: Dec. 19, 2011 – 49ers safety. In fact, we ended up draft- Shawn Curtis is the sports editor of 20-3 ing Edmunds later in the round. We The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him did our due diligence. We looked at on Twitter @shawncurtis430.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Miami Dolphins free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is shown during a Sept. 15 game against the New England Patriots in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Keep your eyes on these 49ers ... Richard Sherman – CB Matt Breida – RB DeForest Buckner – DL Sherman is likely the one to draw JuJu After being held in check by the Buccaneers The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Buckner has shown Smith-Schuster in most one-on-one situations. in Week 1, Breida popped off for 121 yards on 12 an ability to get to the quarterback, tallying a The braggadocious cornerback out of Stan- carries against the Bengals last week. dozen sacks in 2018 and picking up a sack in ford has been a steadying presence in a 49ers While splitting the bulk of the 49ers’ carries Week 2 against Cincinnati. secondary that seems to be improving by the with Raheem Mostert, Breida has shown to be If Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph sees week. the team’s primary option on the ground. a lot of Buckner’s No. 99 jersey on Sunday, Sherman still has the ability to change pass- His blend of speed and power could lead to count on it being a long day for the Pittsburgh ing plans of the opposition, meaning that any a frustrating afternoon for the Steelers’ run offense. big numbers from a Steelers wideout may come defense, which will also have to contend with an Buckner will get his licks on the quarterback, as Sherman blankets Smith-Schuster. efficient passing attack. limiting them will be key.

THE KEY MATCHUPS George Kittle vs. Devin Bush Another tight end with the ability to change the game lines up against the Steelers with Kittle boasting a team-best 11 catches and 108 yards through two games. Bush, who was pressed into more duty than expected when Vince Williams was felled by a hamstring injury, will play a pivotal role in trying to neutralize the dynamic big man out of Iowa, who caught 88 passes for 1,377 yards in 2018. Bush was selected by the Steelers to handle these types of assig- nents, meaning that consistent wins in one-on-one situations would greatly benefit the visitors.

Roster Roster Name ...... Pos Ht. Wt. 51 Elliott, Jay ...... LB 6’3” 240 Name ...... Pos Ht. Wt. 53 Nzeocha, Mark ...... OLB 6’3” 235 Mason Rudolph vs. jitters 2 Rudolph, Mason ...... QB 6’5” 235 53 Pouncey, Maurkice . . . . . C 6’4” 304 3 Beathard, C.J...... QB 6’2” 215 54 Warner, Fred ...... MLB 6’3” 230 4 Berry, Jordan ...... P 6’5” 195 54 Gilbert, Ulysees ...... LB 6’0” 230 4 Mullens, Nick ...... QB 6’1” 210 55 Ford, Dee ...... DE 6’2” 252 With a mostly productive half of football under his profession- 6 Hodges, Devlin ...... QB 6’1” 210 55 Bush, Devin ...... LB 5’11” 234 6 Wishnowsky, Mitch . . . . . P 6’2” 220 56 Alexander, Kwon . . . . . MLB 6’1” 227 al belt, Rudolph enters Sunday’s game as the starter, meaning 9 Boswell, Chris ...... K 6’2” 185 56 Chickillo, Anthony . . . . . LB 6’3” 255 9 Gould, Robbie ...... K 6’0” 190 57 Greenlaw, Dre ...... LB 6’0” 230 10 Switzer, Ryan ...... WR 5’8” 185 57 Canaday, Kameron . . . . .LS 6’4” 245 10 Garoppolo, Jimmy . . . . . QB 6’2” 225 58 Richburg, Weston . . . . . C 6’4” 295 that he’s had a week to process life in a different role. Will he be 11 Moncrief, Donte ...... WR 6’2” 216 66 DeCastro, David ...... OG 6’5” 316 11 Goodwin, Marquise . . . . . WR 5’9” 185 59 Condo, Jon ...... LS 6’3” 240 13 Washington, James . . . . .WR 5’11” 213 67 Finney, B.J...... OG 6’4” 318 13 James, Richie ...... WR 5’9” 185 60 Brunskill, Daniel ...... OT 6’5” 300 nervous? Will he be too excited? Was the Rudolph who led three 18 Johnson, Diontae ...... WR 5’10” 183 71 Feiler, Matt ...... OT 6’6” 330 17 Hurd, Jalen ...... WR 6’4” 230 62 Young, Sam ...... OT 6’8” 302 scoring drives against the Seahawks the guy that the 49ers will see 19 Smith-Schuster, JuJu . . . . WR 6’1” 215 72 Banner, Zach ...... OT 6’8” 360 18 Pettis, Dante ...... WR 6’1” 195 63 Garland, Ben ...... OG 6’5” 304 20 Sutton, Cameron ...... CB 5’11” 188 73 Foster, Ramon ...... OG 6’5” 328 19 Samuel, Deebo ...... WR 6’0” 215 67 Skule, Justin ...... OT 6’6” 315 on Sunday? It’s Rudolph’s first start in the NFL as he fills in for Ben 22 Nelson, Steven ...... CB 5’11” 194 74 Johnson, Fred ...... OG 6’7” 326 20 Ward, Jimmie ...... CB 5’11” 195 68 Person, Mike ...... OG 6’4” 305 Roethlisberger, who saw his first career start come under similar 23 Haden, Joe ...... CB 5’11” 195 76 Okorafor, Chukwuma . . . . OT 6’6” 320 22 Breida, Matt ...... RB 5’11” 195 69 McGlinchey, Mike ...... OT 6’8” 310 24 Snell, Benny ...... RB 5’10” 224 78 Villanueva, Alejandro ...... OT 6’9” 320 23 Witherspoon, Ahkello . . . .CB 6’3” 195 74 Staley, Joe ...... OT 6’5” 300 circumstances back in 2004. Arguments will rage as to whether 25 Burns, Artie ...... CB 6’0” 197 79 Hargrave, Javon ...... NT 6’2” 305 24 Williams, K’Waun ...... DB 5’9” 185 75 Tomlinson, Laken ...... OG 6’3” 315 it’ll be Rudolph’s offense or if he’ll just be a caretaker until Roeth- 26 Barron, Mark ...... ILB 6’2” 230 80 Holton, Johnny ...... WR 6’3” 190 25 Sherman, Richard . . . . . CB 6’3” 205 77 Taylor, Jullian ...... DT 6’5” 305 28 Hilton, Mike ...... CB 5’9” 184 81 Gentry, Zach ...... TE 6’8” 265 26 Coleman, Tevin ...... RB 6’1” 210 82 Dwelley, Ross ...... TE 6’5” 235 lisberger’s return, but as Rudolph goes so will the Steelers ... For 29 Kelly, Kam ...... DB 6’2” 205 85 Grimble, Xavier ...... TE 6’4” 261 27 Verrett, Jason ...... DB 5’10” 188 83 Toilolo, Levine ...... TE 6’8” 268 30 Conner, James ...... RB 6’1” 233 89 McDonald, Vance ...... TE 6’4” 267 29 Tartt, Jaquiski ...... SS 6’1” 215 84 Bourne, Kendrick ...... WR 6’1” 190 better or for worse. 31 Layne, Justin ...... CB 6’2” 192 90 Watt, T.J...... OLB 6’4” 252 30 Wilson, Jeff ...... RB 6’0” 213 85 Kittle, George ...... TE 6’4” 250 34 Edmunds, Terrell ...... SS 6’1” 217 91 Tuitt, Stephon ...... DE 6’6” 303 31 Mostert, Raheem ...... RB 5’10” 205 91 Armstead, Arik ...... DE 6’7” 290 37 Dangerfield, Jordan . . . . DB 5’11” 199 92 Adeniyi, Ola ...... LB 6’1” 248 32 Reed, D.J...... FS 5’9” 199 93 Jones, D.J...... DT 6’0” 305 38 Samuels, Jaylen ...... RB 6’0” 225 93 McCullers-Sanders, Dan . . .DT 6’7” 352 33 Moore, Tarvarius ...... FS 6’2” 200 94 Thomas, Solomon . . . . . DE 6’3” 280 THE PREDICTION 39 Fitzpatrick, Minkah . . . . . FS 6’1” 207 94 Alualu, Tyson ...... DE 6’3” 304 38 Exum, Antone ...... SS 6’0” 215 96 Day, Sheldon ...... DT 6’1” 285 44 Matakevich, Tyler . . . . . ILB 6’1” 235 96 Buggs, Isaiah ...... DT 6’3” 295 41 Moseley, Emmanuel . . . . .DB 5’11” 190 97 Bosa, Nick ...... DE 6’4” 266 45 Nix-Jones, Roosevelt . . . .FB 5’11” 248 97 Heyward, Cameron . . . . .DE 6’5” 295 44 Juszczyk, Kyle ...... FB 6’1” 235 98 Blair, Ronald ...... DE 6’4” 270 49ers 28, Steelers 24 48 Dupree, Bud ...... OLB 6’4” 269 98 Williams, Vince ...... ILB 6’1” 233 51 Al-Shaair, Azeez ...... LB 6’2” 228 99 Buckner, DeForest . . . . . DT 6’7” 295 Pittsburgh’s history on the West Coast is not a sparkling collec- tion of games, just a 19-39 all-time mark since the franchise’s first 2019 Schedule 2019 Schedule trip west in 1941 – a 17-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Under Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh is 1-5 when skipping westward to face a team on Sept. 8...... at New England...... L 33-3 Sept. 8...... at Tampa Bay...... W 31-17 the left coast, including a perplexing 24-21 loss to the Raiders in Sept. 15...... Seattle...... L 28-26 Sept. 15...... at Cincinnati...... W 41-17 Sept. 22...... at San Francisco...... 4:25 p.m. Sept. 22...... Pittsburgh...... 4:25 p.m. 2018. Sept. 30...... Cincinnati...... 8:15 p.m. Oct. 7...... Cleveland...... 8:15 p.m. At 2-0, the 49ers could make an early statement with a win over Oct. 6...... Baltimore...... 1 p.m. Oct. 13...... at L.A. Rams...... 4:05 p.m. Oct. 13...... at L.A. Chargers...... 8:20 p.m. Oct. 20...... at Washington...... 1 p.m. the Steelers and the 3-0 start that comes with it. At 0-2, the Steel- Oct. 28...... Miami...... 8:15 p.m. Oct. 27...... Carolina...... 4:05 p.m. Nov. 3...... Indianapolis...... 1 p.m. Oct. 31...... at Arizona...... 8:20 p.m. ers just need a win and the traction that comes with it. Nov. 10...... L.A. Rams...... 4:25 p.m. Nov. 11...... Seattle...... 8:15 p.m. This prediction banks on the resurgent 49ers doing just enough Nov. 14...... at Cleveland...... 8:20 p.m. Nov. 17...... Arizona...... 4:05 p.m. Nov. 24...... at Cincinnati...... 1 p.m. Nov. 24...... Green Bay...... 4:25 p.m. to ward off a Pittsburgh squad that may need a week to truly find Dec. 1...... Cleveland...... 4:25 p.m. Dec. 1...... at Baltimore...... 1 p.m. itself under Mason Rudolph. It won’t be easy, however it happens. Dec. 8...... at Arizona...... 4:25 p.m. Dec. 8...... at New Orleans...... 1 p.m. Dec. 15...... Buffalo...... 1 p.m. Dec. 15...... Atlanta...... 4:25 p.m. Dec. 22...... at N.Y. Jets...... 1 p.m. Dec. 21 ––or 22...... L.A. Rams...... TBD - Shawn Curtis Dec. 29...... at Baltimore...... 1 p.m. Dec. 29...... at Seattle...... 4:25 p.m.