Tis’ but a flesh wound.
If there’s any player who might be the real-life version of the knight from that Monty Python sketch, it might be Pittsburgh Steelers LB Elandon Roberts. No matter what injury he suffers, no matter how bad it looks, Roberts somehow stays in the fight. When he injured his groin in Week 13, barely able to walk off the field, he returned four days later to play 46 snaps against the New England Patriots.
And when Roberts nearly had his arm detached from his body while trying to make a tackle in Saturday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, officially labeled with a pectoral injury, it seemed like his season was over. So much so that during his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin ruled him out for Sunday’s must-win matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
The only person who didn’t believe that message? Elandon Roberts.
Speaking to reporters today, Roberts is apparently giving himself a chance to play, even if Tomlin isn’t. Per the PPG’s Brian Batko, Roberts told reporters “don’t count me out.”
And here’s video of his response, via The Trib’s Chris Adamski.
Whether that meant for this weekend or Week 18, it’s not clear. Roberts was one of four Steelers who failed to practice Wednesday. But if there’s a guy who will defy the odds, it’s him. Technically, he’s not been ruled out on the team’s official report. Those designations won’t come until Friday afternoon when the team drops its last injury report of the week.
Making five tackles in the roughly 20 minutes he played against the Bengals, Roberts has officially cracked triple-digits on the season. It marks consecutive seasons he’s reached 100-plus tackles, notching 107 a year ago in Miami. Already without Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander for the season, the team pushed Roberts into a larger role, and he responded with stellar play. Physical against the run, a tone setter as a tackler, a leader and communicator, and solid in underneath coverage, he had settled into an every-down role.
After going down against Cincinnati, Myles Jack jumped from off the couch and into the lineup, assuming Roberts’ snaps and playing well the rest of the way. Wearing the green dot as central communicator, he finished the game with six tackles and one sack, playing opposite Mykal Walker. If Roberts can’t go, Jack will earn the start while Blake Martinez figures to be active and potentially play in base packages.
At the least, Roberts’ injury doesn’t sound as serious as it initially looked. Even if he can’t play in Week 17, it sounds like next weekend against the Baltimore Ravens is a possibility. Hopefully Pittsburgh can get the win and ensure that game will mean something for Roberts to try and come back to.
