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Steelers’ Grisham faces reality of unemployment
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
Denver Broncos cornerback Alphonso Smith (22) breaks up a pass intended for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Tyler Grisham (19) during the second half of a preseason NFL football game Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Asociated Press
PITTSBURGH
There were nights when the anxiety over his chances of making the Pittsburgh Steelers would consume wide receiver Tyler Grisham.
Two years into an NFL career spent entirely on the bubble, he’s used to the churning in his stomach when the end of training camp nears. Rather than run from the prospect of being cut, he’s learned to embrace it.
“You come face to face with it and say, ‘What’s the need? What is fear going to accomplish for me?”’ Grisham said. “I’ve allowed fear and anxiety to take its course a little too much in the past and so now this year I feel like ... I’ve done a better job of shielding it a little bit and going out and playing.”
Even so, Grisham knows his chances of still being on the team when the roster is trimmed to 53 this weekend are long, which makes the final preseason game on Thursday against Carolina his last best shot to turn the heads of the right people.
The starters will likely be in baseball caps by the start of the second quarter. Then the real drama begins as players like Grisham try to avoid the waiver wire.
It’s only their livelihood. No pressure.
“If I continue to block well in the game, do better on special teams than I have in the past and if I do, I think I have a shot,” Grisham said. “But I’m trying not to think about the shot. The anxiety will come up and I’ll start head counting.”
Doing the math is never a good idea, even for a player who believes he’s had the best camp of his career. Grisham has frequently drawn praise from coach Mike Tomlin, who shouted “I see you 19” more than once during the team’s open practices at Saint Vincent College earlier in the month.
Still, it wasn’t enough to keep Pittsburgh from going out and signing free agent Jerricho Cotchery, meaning the top five receiver spots are locked up. A sixth spot — if it even exists — will likely come down to Grisham and Arnaz Battle and Battle is considered a special teams ace.
Can he make the team? He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t think he could. Will he? That’s another story.
“It is tough,” Grisham said. “It’s a daily struggle, a daily test.”
Running back Jonathan Dwyer has another phrase for what it’s like to feel like your job is constantly on the line.
“Every day is an interview, not just the game,” Dwyer said. “Even today in practice, you’ve got to make an impression on these coaches that they can trust you so they can depend on you when the game is on the line.”
The last month has been a strange one for former All Big Ten selection John Clay, the running back who went undrafted after leaving the Badgers a year early. The last time he was healthy, but not playing, was during his freshman year with the Badgers.
Back then, however, he knew the team had a vested interest in his development after signing him to a scholarship. There are no such promises in the NFL.
“I’m just climbing up the ladder, proving myself to everybody,” Clay said. “The coaches have to know they can count on me.”