CB William Gay Demoted – About Time

Well, to the delight of many fans, it appears that the team and Mike Tomlin has finally seen enough of William Gay as a starting corner. The Post Gazette reports that Gay has been told his role for Sunday vs the Ravens has been changed, in other words – he has been demoted:

Head coach Mike Tomlin has stirred — if not shaken — up a Steelers secondary carved recently as if it were a holiday dinner entree. Tomlin yesterday informed starting cornerback William Gay that his role would change for this week against Baltimore as he was demoted to nickel-package duty at cornerback while longtime starting left cornerback Deshea Townsend being elevated to the first team. Townsend will continue to cover the slot receiver in the nickel. “That was the decision Coach gave me. That’s the game plan, I guess,” Gay said after yesterday’s practice. “You got to always go with the head coach. He makes the best decisions to suit the situation. I just got to go in and do my best. The season isn’t over yet. And you’re always one play away [from an injury to a regular player]. You definitely want to stay ready.”

It was getting too old seeing week in and week out Gay get torched. He clearly has not been the player the Steelers were hoping to have when they lost Bryant McFadden in free agency this past offseason, and he has been not able to keep up the opposing wide outs on opposing teams. Let’s hope a benching or demotion means at the end of the day he’ll be a better player.