You know as well as I do that I could name at least a dozen things that should garner our immediate attention in any give game but I’m going to focus on three things.
1. How will Maurkice Pouncey look in first game action in a year?
With all the attention focused on the rookies, Ben Roethlisberger’s contract and retiring of Mean Joe Green’s number, we’ve kind of forgotten about Pouncey. Let’s remember the all-pro center went down early in the season opener with an ACL tear and missed the whole season. I want to see how well he moves and how quick he looks off the ball. He will more than likely see only a small period of time on the field but we should still get a good idea of how he is doing.
2. Can the Steelers eliminate the training camp sloppiness?
While most of the practices so far in training camp have been pretty crisp, that hasn’t stopped the team from a number of false starts and dropped balls. Mistakes are expected at this early stage but that doesn’t mean Mike Tomlin has to like them. I’m looking for attention to detail by every player not just the starters.
3. How much of a running game can we expect to see?
This is a rhetorical question because I expect to see a ton of rushing I’m the preseason. This team ranked 27th in rushing last season and with Mike Munchak coaching the line, there will be tons of emphasis on running the ball. It won’t matter if it’s the first team or the third team offense, I expect to see a whole lot of significance placed on running the ball.
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteelDad and the website @SCBlitz. Check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/steelcityblitz and on Fancred.com. You can hear him weekly during the season on Trib-Live Radio.
