Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Monday.
The Kickoff
We have no reason not to believe Aaron Rodgers when he says that this is his last season of professional football. He’ll be 43 years old and while the brain and the arm are still as solid as ever, the feet and legs just don’t move as they once did. With that in mind, it was therefore poetic that Rodgers and some of his closest friends on the team set out for a Western adventure. As players often do before heading to Camp, these guys chose to set aside Malibu and the beach choosing instead for the sights and sounds of Wyoming. Here’s hoping the bonding went well and yes, that appears to be a cigarette in the hands of both Rodgers and D.K. Metcalf. It’s like the 1970’s all over again!
The Latest Podcast
Episode 481 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc. is available! This was a ‘Viewer Question’ episode in which we turned it over to the folks in the chat! It was another great episode, check it out!
Training Camp Questions
Now that my Training Camp Previews are finished, I’ve turned my attention to some of the significant questions facing the Steelers in 2026. I’m starting with the Outside Linebackers. With three highly paid guys and two spots (most of the time) how does this shake out?
Instant Replay
For those of you that have read my content over the years then you already know this; I hate Instant Replay Review. The idea of its implementation was to correct the incorrect calls made by onfield issues. In theory, it made sense. Get the calls right. The problem is that far too often, it did the exact opposite or wasn’t used in the most common sense of ways. As the World Cup comes down to the end, its’ version of Instant Replay – Video Assistant Referee – has sadly become one of the main focal points of the tournament. In this past weekend’s England-Norway Quarterfinal game, the ball clearly hit a cable that supported the overhead camera.
VAR said that because the technology in the ball didn’t detect any contact, the play was allowed to stand. England would score on the possession which was a deciding factor in their 2-1 win. Despite the fact that the ball clearly hits the cable, the VAR trusted the technology rather than common sense. While nothing is ever “perfect” I continue to believe that until Replay is used properly and correctly it shouldn’t be used at all.
Interesting
Mike DeFabo of The Athletic did his annual Steelers’ Survey last week and something caught my attention. Nearly 2,000 people responded and one of the questions was “Who is the most popular former Steeler?” The overwhelming top vote-getter was Troy Polamalu. That’s not surprising unless you’re of a certain age. Most fans would have said Mean Joe Greene but the majority of those fans – like myself – are older. It isn’t that we don’t love and adore Polamalu, it’s just that he was a different generation.
Random Reads
It always cracks me up when politicians pass away. All of the sudden, after all of the ugliness, vitriol and social media bullying, their colleagues from both sides sing their praises. Further proof that politics is our biggest reality show… RIP Sam Neill. While Jurassic Park made him a huge star, I’ll always remember him from “The Hunt for Red October.” He played Sean Connery’s second-in-command… Morning news programs are terrible. 15 minutes of actual “news” followed by two hours of ‘hot deals’ and showbiz news… Had a fantastic lake perch dinner Saturday night. Easily one of my favorite summertime meals… Speaking of food I made some cheeseburger sliders last night and they came out amazing… Did you see the video of the bison flipping the man eight feet in the air? 1,500lbs of raw muscle wins most of the time kids.
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