Hubbard to replace suspended Steelers RT Gilbert

Nov 23, 2017 - 12:57 AM PITTSBURGH -- Just when they thought their fortunes were turning on offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers have another distraction to deal with on that side of the ball. Starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert was suspended for four games for using performance-enhancing substances.

Gilbert will be able to return to the lineup for the final two games of the regular season. In the meantime, Chris Hubbard, who started five times for Gilbert earlier in the season when Gilbert was out with a hamstring injury, will fill in as the starter at right tackle.

The Steelers were 3-2 when Gilbert missed games earlier in the season, 4-2 if you count the Chiefs game when Gilbert left early in the first quarter. In fact, the Steelers rushed for a season-high 194 yards in the Chiefs game with Hubbard taking most of the snaps at right tackle.

"Chris Hubbard playing is nothing new for us," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "He's played a lot this year. He's done an awesome job of upholding the standard, so from that standpoint, I'm excited for him and excited to watch him meet the standard of expectation."

Gilbert is regarded as one of the top right tackles in the NFL. He is especially known for his run-blocking abilities. But the Steelers have rushed for more yards with Hubbard at right tackle this season.

Hubbard's teammates will tell you he's only a backup in Pittsburgh because of the number of quality starters in front of him. They say he could be a starting right tackle on other teams in the league.

"He's amazing," said right guard David DeCastro, who will work alongside Hubbard. "He's like a swiss army knife. He's settled in really nicely at right tackle. He's had a lot of good reps. He's become quite a player. He's been in the league five years. He's not a young guy. He's got a lot of experience."

Hubbard will be making his sixth start of the season. He has played so well that other teams might offer him a bigger contract after the season is over. Hubbard said he's not focused on his next contract, only what it's going to take to help the Steelers reach their goal of winning the Super Bowl.

"It's a great opportunity to help this team out and continue to do what we need to do on this streak," Hubbard said. "It's going to be fun."

The Steelers play the Packers Sunday night, the first of four games they will have to play without Gilbert. They will also have to play Cincinnati, Baltimore and New England without their starting right tackle.

"It's tough," DeCastro said. "I feel bad for him. It's a tough spot to be in. When you see a guy like Hub playing well and see us having fun winning. There is nothing worse than being (out) like that. I've been there. I feel bad for him. Hopefully, he'll get right and be back in four weeks, and we'll move on with life."

SERIES HISTORY: 34th regular-season meeting. Packers lead series, 18-15. The Steelers have won the past four in the series, including a 37-36 victory in 2009, the previous time the Packers visited Heinz Field. The Steelers and Packers have split the 14 meetings in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers have won the past four in the Steel City. The most recent victory for the Packers in Pittsburgh came in 1970. These two teams have met once in the postseason. The Packers beat the Steelers, 31-25, in Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.

--The Steelers have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but head coach Mike Tomlin wondered aloud this week how dominant the Steelers might be if not for all their missed tackles. The Steelers continue to miss a number of tackles every week and they have led to big plays for the opposition the past two games, against the Colts and the Titans.

In each game, a long pass to a receiver ended with a touchdown after Steelers defensive backs failed to tackle after the catch. There have also been a number of missed tackles in the running game, including several against the Titans.

"We're not going to be a dominant group until we minimize big plays and we tackle better," Tomlin said. "We gave up a big play the first play of the second half. We gave up a couple big plays in Indy.

"You are going to give up big plays from time to time, but we also missed some tackles on those big plays, to be quite honest with you. We have to get those plays on the ground. We get those plays on the ground, we got an opportunity to hold those groups to field goals and that's oftentimes the difference of not only being dominant and playing dominant football, but winning games.

"We're missing tackles on big plays and allowing people to score. We have to give our red-zone defense a chance to operate by making some of those tackles."

Under the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, teams are allowed to have padded practice only a few times during the regular season and most coaches use those padded practices early in the season rather than late when the players need more rest.

Still, players said the lack of in-practice tackling is not an excuse for the missed tackles in games.

"That shouldn't matter," linebacker Ryan Shazier said. "The tackling bag you can hit it with or without your pads. Wrapping someone up is whether you choose to wrap them up or hit them with your shoulder."

NOTES: CB Cameron Sutton was activated to the 53-man roster after spending the first 10 weeks of the season on injured reserve. Sutton dealt with a hamstring injury during training camp and was placed on IR before the start of the regular season. The Steelers did not have to release a player to add Sutton to the roster because of T Marcus Gilbert's four-game PED suspension. ... WR JuJu Smith-Schuster did not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. ... TE Vance McDonald, who missed the Tennessee game with an ankle injury, did not practice Wednesday. ... CB Joe Haden, who has a fractured fibula, did not practice. ... S Mike Mitchell, who missed the Tennessee game with ankle and Achilles injuries, was a full participant in practice.