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PITTSBURGH — JuJu Smith-Schuster returned to coaching camp after his worst statistical NFL season. The third-year veteran performed 12 video games final yr and caught 42 passes for 552 yards and three touchdowns.
It was a drop-off from his earlier seasons the place he almost broke 1,000 yards his rookie yr and caught for 1,426 yards in 2018.
Newly employed huge receivers coach Ike Hilliard has spent the digital offseason working together with his receiving group, together with Smith-Schuster.
The previous NFL veteran and Washington receivers coach is aware of the ups and downs of knowledgeable profession, which leaves him with little concern for Smith-Schuster’s bounce again.
“I used to be lucky sufficient to play 12 years and I had eight surgical procedures,” Hilliard advised media final week. “JuJu and I’ve talked, JuJu understands. On the finish of the day, it’s our job as gamers and coaches to carry out and he understands that. He’s going to be nice this yr, he’s going to do every thing in his energy to remain wholesome, primary. Outdoors of availability being your finest means, the remainder of the stuff will deal with itself. Everyone knows JuJu is a playmaker. Everyone knows that he’s going to be a man we get the ball to jumpstart our offense in a giant means. And he’s wanting ahead to being JuJu.”
Like the remainder of the group, Hilliard is ready to see what the following section of the offseason brings for his group. Gamers have not labored with coaches since final season, and are getting ready to take the sector for the second section of the NFL’s ramp-up interval.
“I have been doing loads of speaking and I feel they’re uninterested in me speaking and able to get on the grass now,” Hilliard stated. “We’re wanting ahead to doing that so we are able to begin working collectively and form of constructing a plan of assault, per se. It truly is simply detailing the offense.”
As for being a rock to lean on for Smith-Schuster, the brand new coach accepts that management with a younger group of receivers begins with himself.
“It is my job to assist these younger males the way in which put together that they’re supposed to organize, to show them tips on how to be execs,” stated Hilliard. “That is no disrespect to anybody who has been right here earlier than me, however that is what I have been requested to do. And, I intend to do this. I will lead by instance, lead them by way of the way in which I train, how I put together, how I put together them, what we do each day from a elementary standpoint and the way we see the large image on a snap-by-snap foundation. These leaders normally emerge all through competitors, all through their work. Sooner or later, that can deal with itself exterior of me.”
However general, he is not nervous about an off season that contained accidents and backup quarterbacks. His group is younger, however Hilliard sees huge years for every of his core gamers in 2020.
“So far as every of these guys are involved in a yr, JuJu [Smith-Schuster], hopefully, he’ll bounce again this yr from his accidents from final yr, and he appears to be like nice,” he stated. “He is labored extremely laborious, so we’re wanting ahead to having JuJu for a wholesome 16-plus. Diontae [Johnson] must proceed to develop, put element in his work and mature, issues of that nature. I can go down the record from these two guys to Ryan Switzer and Chase Claypool, all the blokes within the room. I feel everybody will likely be happy if I can get probably the most out of those gamers and everybody concerned together with you guys, together with everybody within the constructing can see steady development.”
Noah Strackbein is a Writer with AllSteelers. Observe Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
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