Steelers MMQB: NFL Preseason Week 3 Wrap Up
By Kim Myers
What We Learned in Week 3 of the NFL Preseason:
- St. Louis Rams lose Sam Bradford to ACL injury
- Broncos kicker Matt Prater suspended 4 games for alcohol violation
- Green Bay Packers lose BJ Raji for the season
- Dan Marino accepts job with Miami Dolphins
- Brett Keisel anxious to get back on the field with Steelers
The St. Louis Rams are experiencing a familiar feeling, heading into a season knowing QB Sam Bradford will be on the sidelines instead of on the field. The fifth year quarterback has played just two full seasons since being drafted in 2010 and remains the biggest reminder of why there is a rookie wage scale in place now. The team expects to go with Shaun Hill to start, which probably means they’ll be calling all kinds of teams to offer anything and everything for their backups. Tough break for Bradford.
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The Denver Broncos will be without the services of their NFL record-holding kicker, Matt Prater, who will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The league was considering a year-long ban but Prater’s attorney successfully lobbied for a shorter ban. Prater had been part of the NFL’s alcohol program since being charged with a DUI in August of 2011, the violation that prompted the suspension was alcohol-related. Good job NFL. You get those drunken kickers off the field but leave the wife beaters where they are.
The Green Bay Packers lost a big part of their defense, literally. Nose tackle BJ Raji tore his right biceps and will miss the 2014 season now. The Packers had just moved him back to nose after he spent some time at defensive end with not great results. The team will look to Josh Boyd to fill the giant hole left by Raji.
Dan Marino is back with the Dolphins. After being canned by the CBS pregame show, Dan Marino had been in talks with the Miami Dolphins to join their front office staff for the past several months. He’s now officially employed again by the Dolphins as he was hired on as a special adviser. Seems like a made-up position, but good for him. Marino had taken a position with the team as the vice president of football operations in 2004 but only stayed for three weeks then.
"“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role. I have always considered myself a Dolphin for life and I look forward to supporting the organization anyway I can. Stephen Ross is a passionate guy who is committed to building a first-class, winning organization. I’m excited about the future of the team and where the organization is headed.” – Dan Marino"
Brett Keisel suited up last Thursday night for the Eagles game but didn’t see the field at all. He got a front row view of the Steelers defense getting carved up by Nick Foles and then again by Mark Sanchez. Keisel is anxious to get to work and contribute to the team after the stress of wondering if he’d ever suit up in the Black & Gold again.
"“It was very tough. I lost a lot of hair this offseason, not on my beard luckily, but on top. It was just the unknown. You start to figure out what you are doing with the next phase of your life. The good thing is it forced me to look into that and when that day comes I am going to be better prepared for it because of what I have been through with this.” – Brett Keisel"
The Steelers resume practice this week in preparation for their final preseason game at home against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night. The team has until Tuesday at 4pm ET to cut the roster from 90 to 75.