Sammie Coates’ fingers least of concerns for wide receiver
When reports surfaced of Sammie Coates dropping passes in the various offseason workout programs recently conducted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, I couldn’t help but chuckle. I wasn’t laughing because of a running joke among some fans that Coates can’t catch the football. No, I was smirking because it was only a story because it was Sammie Coates, the Steelers 2015 third round draft pick who was to step into the spotlight for the suspended Martavis Bryant last season.
And for awhile, Sammie held his own. That was until he bashed his hand in Week 5 against the New York Jets, injuring his fingers in the process. That injury was magnified as the downfall of what was a highly promising start to Coates’ season, which ironically came to a conclusion with his best game in the same one he would sustain the injury, with a six catch, 139-yard and two touchdown performance.
Through those first five games of the season, Sammie had caught six passes which each went for 40 or more yards. His 20.7 yards per reception would be an NFL-best had he met the minimum number of catches to qualify for the list.
That’s better than deep ball specialists DeSean Jackson, Chris Hogan, Kenny Stills, and Julio Jones.
However, it wasn’t dropped passes which attributed to his lower numbers. Targetted 49 times during the 2016 season, Coates only accounted for five dropped passes which could be considered “catchable”. That’s less than Michael Crabtree (9), Brandon Marshall (8), Demaryius Thomas (7), Mike Evans (7), and Odell Beckham Jr. (6).
Fellow Steeler, RB Le’Veon Bell, had five drops last season. TE Jesse James saw four passes slip through his fingers as well. Yet, no fuss has been made about their drops. We understand the gravity of some of Sammie’s miscues, including a pair of passes he maybe should’ve hauled in in the end zone.
But to make a story of Sammie’s drops during “football in shorts”? I’m not sure what to make of it. For starters, the receiver is on record stating that while he did not have surgery to repair his fingers, the mental aspect of his injury is now behind him. There’s also a school of thought that Coates now-bent fingers could aide in his catching the football. Consider Coates is being thrown passes by up to four different quarterbacks during offseason drills. Two of those quarterbacks are rookies; fourth round pick Joshua Dobbs and undrafted college free agent Bart Houston of Wisconsin. Both are learning the nuances of pro football and neither are in Ben Roethlisberger‘s league (but then again, who is?)
No one is crowning Landry Jones as a perfect backup quarterback either, which should paint the picture of the type of passes being thrown Sammie’s way. If he’s dropping easy passes, so be it. But I’m sure others are dropping passes too. Do we know for certain that in closed practices with filming prohibited, that Martavis Bryant isn’t having issues as well? After all, it was Ben Roethlisberger who challenged the Bryant to step up his game in 2015 after a battle with drops.
I’d argue that yes, the five dropped passes in Sammie’s biggest game of his career has become an indictment on his overall play. It wasn’t discovered until later that he had injured his hand before halftime of that game, and it factored into his ability to squeeze the football. The Steelers weren’t exactly forthcoming with the news either, as they were patching a wounded wide receiver corps which lost Markus Wheaton and Bryant, in addition to Coates, plus a short spell where they were without Darrius Heyward-Bey. They needed other teams to respect that Sammie was on the field, using him as a decoy to keep defenses honest (such as in the Indianapolis game). His presence alone opened up the field for Antonio Brown‘s three receiving touchdowns, and a breakout game from then free agent acquisition Ladarius Green.
When you figure that 16 of Sammie’s 21 moved the chains for first downs, there should be little concern over his role with the Steelers. If anything, it’s the other additions to the wide receiver room who will push to take Sammie’s spot; this has little to do with his fingers, at least at this time.
The Steelers have welcomed back reinstated WR Martavis Bryant, who figures to reclaim his starting role with the offense. Like last year, Coates will have to stave off the veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey, the journeyman Cobi Hamilton, and younger receivers such as Eli Rogers and Demarcus Ayers. However, two more additions to the depth chart pose a threat as well: free agent acquisition Justin Hunter and second-round draft pick JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The long list of talent at the position is more cause for concern for Coates at this time. Not his fingers, and certainly not a few dropped passes. While dropping routine catches could put him in the doghouse, knowing the playbook and executing his route running, while also adding versatility as a kick returner, are paramount to Sammie Coates making the roster and earning playing time this upcoming season.
In his own words: the hand injury is behind him, and cannot be used as a crutch for his shortcomings going forward. Therefore we too should stop making a big deal about a dropped pass here or there. No one is perfect, but Sammie is still trying to achieve greatness in the NFL. The window of opportunity is small, but it’s not unattainable. In that regard, we as critics should give him the benefit of the doubt before celebrating his downfalls over his flashes of success.
