Next man up: Before he even began talking about Sunday's 31-13 win over the Jets, Chris Hubbard broke into a smile. And you can definitely understand why.
Hubbard stepped in at right tackle with Marcus Gilbert out, and went unnoticed all game. And that was a good thing. Hubbard did his part to keep a menacing Jets' defensive line at bay, keep them off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and played a penalty-free game.
"You don't want to be noticed," said Hubbard. "I wanted to keep No. 7 clean and just fill in the hole, make sure everything went well."
It was the first career start for Hubbard, who has seen action in 12 games during his three seasons.
"It was a great feeling," said Hubbard. "It was a fun time, a great experience, and I will never forget it. It was amazing to be out here with that group of guys that I have looked up to. To play with those guys was an amazing feeling.
"You have to be ready when your number is called. When it's time, the next man up has to rise up for a big occasion."
Hubbard, who said he was looking forward to watching game film, said Roethlisberger shared a few words of encouragement, but basically it was all about him upholding the standard.
"At the beginning of the game he said 'Let's go, let's see what you can do,'" said Hubbard. "That is what is expected. When your number is called you are expected to step up. It was great to be out there with a great quarterback and offensive line."
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No blame game:** Sammie Coates had his hand bandaged on Monday, but said the injury that required stitches had no impact on his play Sunday, which included two touchdowns but also several dropped passes. Coates said the most important thing for him was just staying positive throughout the game.
"You just have to keep playing the game," said Coates, who doesn't anticipate missing any time on the field. "You can't let it get to you. The team is counting on you. You have to be able to come through and bounce back from your mistakes. Everybody has had an up and down game."
Do it, Tuitt: When Cameron Heyward went out with a hamstring injury against the Jets, Stephon Tuitt took the reins as the leader on the defensive line.
"Tuitt stepped up in that role and communicated more, told us the things we should know and the tendencies they did," said Javon Hargrave. "We stepped up in a major way. Everybody boosted up their play and stepped into that role."
Playing it safe: Safety Robert Golden missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury, but is hoping to be back in the lineup against the Miami Dolphins this week.
"I planned on playing a little bit last week but Coach (Mike) Tomlin said it wasn't time yet," said Golden. "We'll see how things go this week. With hamstrings they are tricky. The more time you have off, the better they get. Me being the competitor that I am I definitely want to get back out there. We will see how the week goes and I look forward to being out there this week.
"It feels a lot better. Each day it's getting better. We'll see how the week goes and hopefully I will be out there this weekend. The week helped me, and we'll see how the week goes."
