Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Wednesday.
The Kickoff
Tuesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent a sixth round pick to the New England Patriots. In return, the Steelers received Safety Kyle Dugger and a seventh round selection. The Pats are also picking up a great deal of Dugger’s contract. What is abundantly clear here is that the Steelers have realized over the past two weeks that their play in the secondary was awful. Personally, I don’t blame that entirely on the players but there are absolutely some instances where guys were either out of position, made a poor effort or were just plain bad. Is Kyle Dugger an upgrade of Chuck Clark and/or Juan Thornhill? I believe he is but I also know that having DeShon Elliott out there is what really makes a difference and he’s sidelined now for quite some time. Now in his sixth season, Dugger brings a wealth of experience having played in 81 games with 69 career starts. He also has nine career interceptions and two scores. Whether or not his presence will make a huge difference is something I doubt. I’m hopeful, yet I’m also fully aware the Patriots essentially gave him away from a song and that should tell us something.
Inside Blitz
I was probably a bit more animated this week on the latest edition of the SCB Steelers Inside Blitz and I suppose I was warranted. I dove into the issues with the team on defense, the trade for Duggar and the end of “home-field advantage.” The SCB Steelers PODCAST will air LIVE tonight at 10pmET!
Steelers History
Being the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Terrible Towel, I was hopeful for a more optimistic season but it suddenly isn’t feeling that way. Regardless, Gordon takes us back to the moment when the Towel was born!
Good!
Former Steelers’ Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” this week and called out the Steelers fans from Sunday night. As you know, the crowd was almost 40-50% Green Bay fans which meant a massive group of season ticket holders sold their tickets to them, likely on the exchange. It’s been rumored that many of the “older” fans don’t like the primetime games anymore so they sell their seats. I’m glad he called them out. It was utterly embarrassing and should never happen in Pittsburgh.
Random Reads
My gut feeling is that Dugger will see some action Sunday but likely on early downs while he learns the defense. If he proves a quick study? Then all lanes are open… If you didn’t catch Michael Jordan’s comments on the NBA’s “Load Management” you should… Doing what I do for a living (no, this doesn’t pay me enough to quit my real job), I often get some insights into the world of college football recruiting. If you think it’s crazy these days, then let me tell you, that ain’t the half of it!… Haven’t watched a single second of the World Series. There was a time when I wouldn’t have missed a single second. My how things change… I wouldn’t be surprised if Omar Khan pulls off something we don’t see coming in the next few days. I’m not saying everyone will like it, but I think it’s something most won’t expect.
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