Mike Tomlin: 'Last chance for players to earn roster spot'

Mike Tomlin has said that the Pittsburgh Steelers players have a final chance to earn a place on the team's 53-man roster for the 2013 NFL season this evening.

The sides will have two days after their final pre-season games finish to make the final cuts to their squads for the coming campaign.

The head coach told the Steelers' website: "They should look for consistent effort from emerging players on special teams because a lot of these roster-spot battles are going to be determined in that phase.

"When we start this journey back in March or April, we all have an understanding that this is not a participation oriented thing. We're 90 going to 53. We repeat that often, and now we're at the end of the line and the reality of it is upon us.

"I never look at it from a numbers standpoint. I just look at who are the deserving players, and then look at the numbers from a secondary standpoint. I think if you do it that way, you'll never turn away an NFL football player and you won't be a slave to numbers."

The Steelers play the New York Jets tonight.