Former Auburn WR Sammie Coates hopes to shake off injuries against Miami in the playoffs
By Adam Spencer
Published:
After catching 19 passes for 421 yards and two scores in the Pittsburgh Steelers first five games, former Auburn WR Sammie Coates has been a non-factor for the rest of the season while dealing with broken fingers and a hamstring injury.
However, as the Steelers prepare to take on the Miami Dolphins in Sunday afternoon’s AFC wildcard playoff game, Coates, who is expected to suit up, told AL.com he’s learning every week how to adjust to his injuries in order to make the biggest impact he can:
“It’s just one of those things I take day-by-day,” Coates said, “and the healing is going to take a while because I’m still playing. So it’s about going out there and just playing the best the way I can.”
Though he won’t fully recover until he takes some time off this offseason, Coates said he knows the experience he had this season will help him grow:
“It’s just a good thing for me,” Coates said, looking on the bright side on Friday. “I’m a young player learning to deal with injuries. I’m going to grow from this. I’m going to get better and better each day. Each week, I’m going to grow. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Last year, Coates had a breakout game against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, catching two passes for 61 yards in the Steelers’ loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions.
The Steelers host the Dolphins at 1:05 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday afternoon. The game can be seen on CBS.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
