Moncrief looking to rebound from 'sickening' Steelers debut

Donte Moncrief is hoping to recover from an ugly Pittsburgh Steelers debut that saw him drop the ball both literally and figuratively.

"It's sickening when you watch it and you know the plays you were supposed to make and you didn't make them," the veteran said Wednesday, according to Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "You see them and you're like, 'Gosh, I've got to make that.'"

Moncrief dropped four passes in the Steelers' season-opening loss to the New England Patriots. The 26-year-old signed a two-year, $9-million contract with Pittsburgh in free agency this summer and was hailed as a viable complement to newly anointed No. 1 wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster.

"I went home and went straight to sleep," Moncrief said of his Week 1 performance. "It hurt me so I had to put that away. It's a new week. It's time to go."

Ben Roethlisberger targeted Moncrief 10 times against the Patriots, but the receiver managed to reel in just three balls for seven yards as the Steelers found themselves on the wrong end of a 33-3 shellacking to begin the campaign.

Moncrief, who spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, said he received a supportive text message from his quarterback after the rough first outing.

"He believes in me and I believe in myself," he told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I had some drops I shouldn't have had and I know I can make those. I got to get better with that."

Moncrief will get his chance at redemption when the Steelers face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.