STEELERS 101

 Yesterday, we talked about how rookie running back Chris Rainey is turning heads during the opening days of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. For some, this is understandable, due to his shiftiness and speed.

After some thought and a long discussion with some fans, one has to wonder it his potential vertical speed actually assisted the decision to extend wide receiver Antonio Brown. While this is no slap at Mike Wallace, but the reality is that, he is an unpolished route runner with excellent speed on the football field.

In fact, he even stated something to that extent earlier in the offseason where he discussed his game being totally predicated on speed. With that in mind, is it far off to think that the diminutive, 5-8, 180 pound, Rainey could not be successful taking the top off the defense with his explosive skill set? During his career at Florida, he did split time between multiple positions and looks the part of a natural receiver with the ability to stretch the field. More importantly, he, like Brown (and unlike Wallace), is under contract.

Now, we at Steelers101 can only speculate that this is a potential reality for the offense, it did seem a bit odd that Rainey did not participate in the Backs on Backers portion of today’s first practice in pads. With Brown now under contract for the long haul, the Steelers appear to be prepared for the eventual loss of Wallace, and it is not a stretch to see how Rainey could help lessen the blow of his loss.

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Tags: Antonio Brown, Chris Rainey, Football, Mike Wallace, NFL, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers

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