Steelers' players were back to work on Monday after a mandatory four-day break for the bye week and among those practicing was tackle Levi Brown, who the Steelers acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals last Wednesday.
Brown took full advantage of the bye weekend to get introduced to the Steelers offense, immersing himself in the playbook from the get-go.
"I got the playbook on Thursday. They sort of beat my head in those first two days with it when I was here up in the meeting room for hours going over this stuff," said Brown. "I went back to Arizona for a few days because we had the bye week and I had it with me there, so I had a chance to look at it. We're going over Jets material now and I'm just learning that."
The one advantage Brown said he has is the Steelers offense is similar to the one he played in at Arizona, but there is still a lot to learn.
"There is a lot of different terminology for the same plays, so that's something I have to switch in my head," said Brown. "There are things that are different because every team is different, but for the most part it's pretty similar."
Brown said he isn't sure at this point if he will get the starting nod at left tackle over Mike Adams this week against the New York Jets, with his ability to pick things up potentially a decision-maker.
"I have some terminology and some things to learn as far as the playbook is concerned," said Brown, who split time at left tackle in practice. "Once I've learned those things and they feel like I'm up to speed, I'm sure they'll make a decision one way or another. Either way, I'm here to help out."
Brown, in his seventh season, brings experience to a young Steelers' offensive line and while he is learning, he plans on doing some teaching as well.
"I'm going to go out there and teach them what I've learned over the years – good things, bad things, what to expect," said Brown. "Things don't always go your way but you just fight through it. You're good enough to play if you're here. Just fight through those things, learn the technique and just roll with it."
Guard Ramon Foster, who has been bothered by a pectoral muscle injury, said he did individual work in practice on Monday and will see how things progress during the week before he knows his status for Sunday's game against the Jets.
"We'll see how it is on Wednesday when we put on the pads," said Foster. "It's tolerable. It's one of those things you just deal with. It will be coach's final decision on everything. It's day-to-day and we can see how it is on Sunday."
