Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Monday.
The Kickoff
In a perfect world, Will Howard gets his chance to be the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers at some point this season and then goes on to become the franchise QB for the next 15 years. This, as you know, is not a perfect world. What I can say however is that there is one part of Will Howard’s game that I already like quite a bit and that’s mental toughness. Former Ohio State QB and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit revealed this past weekend that Howard received death threats following the Buckeyes’ one-point loss to Oregon during the regular season. It wasn’t that long ago that Herbstreit referred to this element of OSU fans as a ‘lunatic fringe’ and he isn’t wrong. In fairness to the Buckeyes’ faithful, every fan base has this same ‘fringe.’ Some are just more vocal than others. I have no idea what Will Howard will become but if he can go on to lead his team to a National Title knowing that there are people within his own fan base willing to threaten him like that then he should be able to handle just about anything that Steeler Nation “has to offer.”
The Latest Podcast
Episode 423 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc is available. We discussed the Steelers’ interest in Jonnu Smith, OTAs, future stadium issues and much more! And… I was also honored to announce that we are now one of Feedspot’s top Steelers Podcasts!
So Far, So Good
OTAs always make me nervous. Players often go down with season-ending injuries or develop ones that go on to nag them throughout the year. As OTAs ramp back up tomorrow, I’m happy to report that the injury bug is still on vacation. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Let’s Be Clear Here
If…. the Steelers somehow acquire Jonnu Smith in a trade (he claims to be happy in MIA and doesn’t want to leave), then he becomes ‘TE1’ replacing Pat Freiermuth. That won’t sit well with many fans as ‘Muth is currently the 8th highest paid tight end in the league right now. Smith is in the midst of trying to get a new deal – one that would likely be the final “big contract” of his career – so I just can’t see the Steelers paying two tight ends this much money. It all makes this flirtation that much more curious.
Random Reads
Lions’ center Frank Ragnow announced that he is going to retire. At just 29 years old, that’s a big blow to a team with Super Bowl aspirations… There are always plenty of opportunities for me to address politics in this space but I choose not to for myriad reasons. Yes, Rocky Bleier, Mason Rudolph and Miles Killabrew all spoke at President Trump’s rally in Pittsburgh this past Friday. No, I’m not going to comment… Eagles’ RB Saquan Barkley is on the cover for this year’s Madden video game. Cue up the ‘Madden curse’ theories… I keep seeing NFL talking heads go on and on about how “laughable” it is that so many teams passed on Shedeur Sanders. No, it’s not laughable at all. Even the Browns, who drafted him, passed on him four other times… Did I read this correctly? The Colorado Rockies are 9-50? And you thought the Pirates were bad, yikes… I think sports are becoming a bit too much like society in general these days. It doesn’t matter if it’s college baseball, the WNBA or lacrosse, it sure feels like coaches are yelling at each other and players are offending each other at alarming rates.
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