Steelers' Wallace Brings Himself Up To Speed
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- Steelers receiver Mike Wallace doesn't believe a summer-long holdout has affected his ability to understand and execute the content of new offensive coordinator Todd Haley's playbook.
As they prepare to open the 2012 season with a 2011 playoff rematch in Denver Sunday night after 8:00, Wallace says Haley will still take advantage of what the Ole Miss product does best: going long.
"We're still going to have a couple deep passes, but we're going to mix it up. We can't do that all the time," Wallace told 93.7 The Fan's Joe Starkey after practice on the South Side Wednesday. "It's about me backing the defense up and giving them a little different look."
His quarterback called Haley's schemes a "Rosetta stone" once during the off-season, but Wallace, even after missing all of camp and the preseason, doesn't think he'll have any issues staying on the same page as Ben Roethlisberger.
"So far, so good," said Wallace. "I've been preparing pretty good, so hopefully it translates over to the field."
Wallace also talked about how he's preparing himself for the first real serious contact he'll have endured all year, what it means to be matched up against accomplished defensive back Champ Bailey, and what he makes of the second-half decrease in his stats last year (72 total receptions; 1,193 total yards, eight total TD in 2011):
Podcast
Stay tuned to SportsRadio 93.7 The Fan all weekend for comprehensive pregame coverage.
Joe Starkey can be heard on "Seibel, Starkey & Miller," weekdays 2:00-6:00, on The Fan.
