I was joking on a recent episode of the Steel City Underground Podcast that Sammie Coates reminds me of someone out of the Walking Dead. For those who haven’t been keeping track of the Steelers wide receiver on social media, he’s either having a lot of medical procedures performed in the offseason to gear up and get healthy for camp, or he’s a really good troll. (Someone who posts things to poke fun at those who read it.)

To recap, here are the procedures which Sammie has had thus far, that we know of. I think everyone was already aware of the issue with his lacerated and/or broken fingers throughout the season. The injury happened in the first half of a breakout game against the Jets in Week 5, where Coates caught six passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

In that same game, he also missed five catches, and was scorned, even in the stadium, for doing so.

That’s when the news about his hand injury surfaced, but it barely bubbled over the top of said surface, because little information had been released. The Steelers were already bleeding wide receiver depth, having lost Martavis Bryant to suspension and Markus Wheaton would also be placed on IR. Eli Rogers was also in a walking boot at the time, so Cobi Hamilton had to be called up from the practice squad to make up for all of the losses. (Darrius Heyward-Bey would also wind up injured during the season!)

During that timeframe, Coates could hardly recover, because he was needed due to a lack of depth on the roster. Even though he wasn’t catching passes consistently (due to his hand injury) he still contributed as a decoy against the Indianapolis Colts, in a game where Coates was targeted three times (no catches) to help draw attention away from Antonio Brown: it worked, as AB scored three touchdowns in the game.

Unfortunately, that same game plan didn’t work against the Patriots. The Steelers season ended, and many fans were angry about how it ended.

Naturally, players aren’t all that thrilled to fall short of their goals either. To rebound, Sammie mentioned what his priority would be, when asked what his offseason plans are:

Get healthy https://t.co/4wIyVWohbQ

— Sammie Coates (@sammiecoates11) February 13, 2017

As expected, Sammie had his fingers fixed first thing.

Just got out of surgery went great! #thankYouGod

— Sammie Coates (@sammiecoates11) January 31, 2017

But the surgeries didn’t stop there! Apparently, Coates also had his wisdom teeth removed!

Just got my wisdom teeth cut out!!

— Sammie Coates (@sammiecoates11) February 10, 2017

That might also help the star receiver cut some weight…

https://twitter.com/sammiecoates11/status/831528741293658112

Okay, that’s a joke: obviously his wisdom teeth being pulled are part of the unexpected “diet” Coates is referring to!

However, it appears fingers and wisdom teeth weren’t the only concerns for the soon-to-be third-year wideout. In what can only be referred to as the famous infomercial cliche “but wait, there’s more!” Coates had underwent groin surger too!

Having surgery on your pelvis suck!

— Sammie Coates (@sammiecoates11) February 14, 2017

If you’re keeping score at home, the injuries we know about are listed as fingers, groin and teeth. That’s three procedures since the Steelers last game on January 22nd.

Yet, Coates might not be finished! Steelers kicker Chris Boswell posted a photo to his own Instagram account to tell fans to follow Sammie’s new account (apparently the old one was hacked).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQdcpejASsA

The “scoop” was in the comments section, where Sammie not only talks about his groin tear, but the potential for an upcoming knee surgery as well.

Still keeping score? That’s add in a hamstring injury at the end of the season, along with the above knee problem to Sammie’s fingers, groin and teeth, and now we have the complete picture I opened this article with:

Now this is DEADication. Catch my exclusive #TWDedition card in @ToppsTWD today: https://t.co/sUsHki15UE  #TWDReturns pic.twitter.com/011Bs0WApj

— Sammie Coates (@sammiecoates11) February 4, 2017

Does that look like a player who’s season was sabotaged by injuries?

I think so.

Consider what a healthy Coates did earlier in the season. He had five straight games with a reception of at least 40 yards, which was only the second such streak in Steelers history. Coates also led all wide receivers in the NFL with a 22.2 yards per catch average through the first five weeks of the season.

The Jets game was his coming out part, where a 72-yard touchdown catch marked his first career touchdown, and was followed up with another later on. That part was cut short due to his hand injury, and canceled altogether by being unable to recover adequately from other ailments.

Therefore, yes, I believe Sammie’s season was derailed due to injuries. I never felt it was fair to disparage an athlete for something that is out of their control. For the fans that don’t feel the same way, I ask if you’ve ever given a pass to other players, such as Ben Roethlisberger or Le’Veon Bell, for a subpar performance following subpar health.

If you have, then I ask you give a pass to Sammie Coates; because this offseason, he’s looking to catch many of them in 2017, by taking care of any off-field problems early, as to get back on the field the same for this upcoming season.