Mike Tomlin is gone.
But Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is very much here for Sunday's renewal in Pittsburgh (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) of what the magazine Sports Illustrated called nearly 20 years to the week, "The Nastiest Rivalry in the NFL."
A week after a tight back wiped out all but one day of practice and three days after he thanked Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., for putting one of his ribs back into place, Burrow didn't appear on Wednesday's injury report.
Before practice, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor wasn't sure what he'd get from Burrow because "he's sore."
"All the above,' said Burrow after practice when asked if soreness came from hits or back pain.
Burrow is healthy enough to put his 3-1 record in Pittsburgh on the line, and worked in the misty rain to prove it.
"You get one or two of those a year. You never know when it's going to pop up on Sunday. So to get one like that, it's valuable for us," Burrow said.
But even though Tomlin won't be there Burrow knows his two best defensive players still are are edge T.J. Watt, at age 31, and tackle Cam Heyward, at age 37, and they are still high-stepping.
Already this season, Watt has one of his how-did-he-do-that pick-sixes, this one a 35-yarder to go with his 3.5 sacks, and Heyward has four tipped passes to give him 68 in his career, the most among active defensive linemen.
Since Heyward came into the league in 2011, only old friend Carlos Dunlap (74) and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt (70) have more, says Elias Sports Bureau. The younger brother Watt isn't too far behind with 58. They each have four tipped passes against Burrow.
You don't have to tell Burrow that.
"They're the same personnel for the most part, a couple new guys here and there, but same front, so we know what kind of front they have. You have to be aware of them at all times," Burrow said "They're good at batting balls down. They're good in their rush lanes. If you give them too many one-on-ones, they're going to win. You've got to be aware of them and not let them win the game."
Tomlin may be gone, but Burrow knows how tipped balls can tip a tight game. It's not a matter of cutting down on tipped passes because they'll happen. It's making sure they don't turn into killers.
"There's not much you can do at quarterback about those. You're looking through those guys, trying to see what's down the field," Burrow said. "The quarterback position is trying to ignore the people in front of you as much as you can, and feel the space around them and manipulate the pocket. They'll get one or two. They always do.
"You know Cam is really good at it. TJ is really good at it. You tell all those guys are coached up well for it, and I think Cam already has (four) this season, so they're always aware for it. They'll get one or two. You just try not to let them be big plays."
Colbie No Longer Young
With No. 3 receiver Andrei Iosivas headed to injured reserve with torn thumb ligaments, rookie wide receiver Colbie Young and first-year wide receiver Dohnte Meyers are looking to get a baptism in Pittsburgh. Burrow loves both guys and happily threw extra to them after training camp practices, and it sounds like they've got his trust.
"Know what you're doing. Work hard. Make plays. Don't let the defender catch the ball if I throw it up in a 50/50 situation. We talk about that a lot, too, so there's a lot of different ways to do it," Burrow said of the trust factor.
Young knows it's time to step up, but he doesn't think experience is a problem against the always chippy Steelers.
"I've been preparing for this my whole career," Young said after practice. "We've been putting plays in. I feel like (Burrow) trusts me and I feel like I trust him."
Burrow knows they lose Iosivas' 52 NFL games and that there are 15 behind him in the receiver room with Ke'Shawn Williams (11), Young (two) and Meyers (two).
Doesn't matter.
"We have a lot of different personnel packages, so there will be constant communication in the huddle about what position a guy is, what route does he have, what's his responsibility on this play," Burrow said. "We'll talk through a lot of different situations in practice that will come up more so than with Yosh because we have a lot of reps banked with each other. But those guys are smart, capable, and have some unique skill sets at that position. There's a lot of different things we can do with those guys."
Like head coach Zac Taylor, Burrow envisions replacing Iosivas by a committee of receivers and tight ends, and maybe two of them were inactive in Houston last week in tight end Tanner Hudson and wide receiver Ke'Shawn Williams.
"There's a lot of opportunity to be seized, and I think this is the deepest we've been in that room for a while. And I think we've been deep in years past, too, but we have so many guys that we feel good about putting out there," Burrow said. "Dohnte, Colbie, Ke'Shawn. I feel good about all those guys going in there and performing. Then the tight end room will handle some of that as well with Tanner, Erick (All Jr.), Mike (Gesicki), Jack (Endries). We've got a lot of different guys we can put in a lot of different spots."
Slants and Screens
Young has one catch for seven yards, and he made it last Sunday.
"It's definitely good to get the first one to get it going," said Young, who didn't keep the ball. "I'm expecting to make more bigger plays coming this season. No, (not keeping) the catch ball. But when the touchdown comes, I'll definitely keep that one." …
Young was exactly four years old when that Caleb Miller-Hines Ward S.I. cover came out. Doesn't matter. All the vets and the rookies who have never played in this rivalry know all about it.
"It's a divisional game. Every game in this division is going to be a tough one," said Young, who had to laugh when asked if it matched the bouts with Union-Endicott when he played for Binghamton High in New York State's Southern Tier.
"Not quite the same. We won all the time," Young said …
And then there are those who have been on the other side of the rivalry, such as safety Kyle Dugger. Granted, he's had only a game in it, but what a game. It was last year in Pittsburgh in the third game after he got traded from the Patriots to the Steelers.
"The game had a lot of emotional highs. It was an exciting game. I definitely got a sense of what was going on," Dugger said.
Dugger, of course, broke open last year's game over there when he pick-sixed quarterback Joe Flacco from 73 yards away when Flacco had the Bengals nearing the Steelers 30 trying to cut into the 13-10 lead in the last minute of the third quarter.
"I had fun that game," Dugger said. "I'd love to do it again." …
Burrow's big high school rivalry up the road in Athens?
"Nelsonville-York, for sure, he said. "We would have 10,000 people come to that game sometimes."
Then he added.
"Go Bulldogs!" …
Wednesday was a day the Bengals came to the defense of left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. After offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher shut down any talk of switching Brown with right tackle Amarius Mims while insisting both sides need good players and that they expect Brown to get back to his high level of the previous two years, Burrow said O-line play has to be studied and not assumed.
"I think Orlando was pretty good (in Houston). There were a couple of sacks that weren't in his control at the end of the day," Burrow said. "There are a lot of different things that go into pass protection that's not just on the offensive line.
"That's what you don't see in the media. There's very intricate details of pass protection. A guy expecting help here, a guy expecting help from a different spot. A lot of different things go into it that we would never explain to you guys." …
