PITTSBURGH -- Mike Tomlin is not a big picture guy. The Pittsburgh Steelers coach, as he likes to say, prefers not to paint with a broad brush.Only when the season is over will Tomlin widen out the lens. Still, even with a month to go Tomlin acknowledged the responsibilities placed on cornerback Ross Cockrell have been borderline unfair. Signed off the waiver wire in the summer of 2015, Cockrell has rapidly evolved into Pittsburghs equivalent of a shutdown corner, a spot he earned through a combination of merit and attrition.And one in which Cockrell has largely thrived. The latest proof came last Sunday, when Cockrell and rookie first-round pick Artie Burns helped keep New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in check for large portions of a 24-14 win that kept Pittsburgh (7-5) tied for first in the AFC North.Not bad for a player deemed expendable by the Buffalo Bills -- whom the Steelers visit this weekend -- who also spent a large portion of 2015 playing only in sub packages. Now hes the guy Tomlin turns to first when facing a top-flight wide receiver.Because of his partner being the young guy that he is in Artie Burns, weve challenged him in ways that maybe arent necessarily fair to him or a guy in his position, Tomlin said. Oftentimes, we treat him as a much more seasoned player than he actually is in terms of the things we ask him to do.Thats fine by Cockrell, who has lined up across from Beckham, A.J. Green and Dez Bryant among others while helping anchor a secondary that is starting to come together after a slow start. Ranked 30th against the pass a month ago, the Steelers have steadily improved to 19th during a three-game winning streak. New Yorks Eli Manning managed just 195 yards through the air, with 52 of them coming on a meaningless last-minute drive when the outcome was already decided.Cockrell hardly claims to be a miracle worker, quickly passing credit to a rejuvenated pass rush that has generated 13 sacks over the last three weeks -- or the same total the Steelers managed through the first nine games combined.We are getting pressure on the quarterback and that helps a whole bunch on the back end, Cockrell said. So long as those guys continue to perform well, I think well be a good defense.The Steelers prefer to mix up their matchups and Burns is rapidly maturing into the aggressive force they envisioned when they took him with the 25th overall pick in the draft. Cockrell entered the league as a fourth-round selection in 2014, but lost his job at the end of his second training camp with the Bills. The Steelers didnt waste any time picking him up.One mans misfortune, or one organizations luxury, is another ones opportunity, Tomlin said. We were thankful he was available to us. Hes been a consistent performer for us. And one thats been consistently on the rise.The Bills in a way offer a breather of sorts, at least when it comes to throwing all over the field. Buffalo is dead last in passing and quarterback Tyrod Taylor is struggling to find any sort of rhythm. While running back LeSean McCoy is so dynamic Buffalo often doesnt need Taylor to put it up to move the ball, a little bit of Taylor and wide receiver Sammie Watkins could go a long way for the Bills. It will be up to Cockrell and company to try and keep Watkins under wraps and Pittsburghs late-season surge afloat.I think were all just growing thorough the process, and thankfully, I think were growing in the right ways, Tomlin said. And I think thats helping us put better tape out there and putting us in position to win the games.Game notes Tomlin said theres a chance injured kicker Chris Boswell (abdomen) could return this weekend but the team will hold on to Randy Bullock just in case. ... RB DeAngelo Williams (knee) and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) could return to practice this week.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. 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PITTSBURGH -- Matt Murrays breakout performance in last years Stanley Cup playoffs earned the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender a hefty raise.Murray, 22, and the team agreed to a three-year extension that will pay Murray $3.75 million per season, beginning next season.Murray helped the Penguins to the franchises fourth championship last spring after taking over for injured Marc-Andre Fleury?and then holding on to the job once Fleury returned from a concussion. Murray went 15-6 with a 2.08 goals against average and a .923 save percentage in the postseason.He would have been a restricted free agent at the end of this season. The new deal will keep him in the fold through 2020.Anybody in their right mind would want to be here, Murray said Thursday. Its awesome and Im really thrilled.The team approached Murray about a month ago and wasted little time ironing out the details. General manager Jim Rutherford called it a good deal for both sides. Murray will receive a significant bump from the $600,000 hell make this year but also doesnt leave the club cash-strapped should things not pan out.Its why you do the bridge contracts, Rutherford said. Sometimes youre right and sometimes youre not. We have a young goalie thats had a very good career, hes won a Stanley Cup, played extremely well and we feel has a bright future ahead and a long future ahead.Murray has yet to play this season while recoovering from a broken hand suffered while playing for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey.dddddddddddd While theres no timetable for his return, he practiced for a second consecutive day on Thursday. He called the fact he woke up without any lingering pain from Wednesday a good sign.Im just trying to push myself in practice and see how it feels, Murray said.The extension will likely push the Penguins to make a decision at some point on who exactly is their franchise goaltender, especially with and NHL expansion draft for the Las Vegas franchise coming. Teams can only protect one goalie.Fleury, 31, is the winningest goalie in franchise history and is in the second year of a four-year extension he signed in 2014 that has an average annual value of $5.75 million. Rutherford, however, is in no hurry to reach a crossroads.Lets let this play itself out first, Rutherford said. Lets not just presume that Marc is automatically out. Hes been the franchise goalie here. Hes a terrific person. Hes a terrific player. That assumption [that hell be moved], were getting ahead ourself.Fleury will start Thursday night when Pittsburgh hosts San Jose in a rematch of the 2016 Stanley Cup finals. Fleury is 2-1-1 with a 2.94 goals against average so far this season. ' ' '