Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Wednesday.
The Kickoff
We are underway! The Pittsburgh Steelers are all moved in. Their TVs are plugged in and their iPads and tablets are fired up and ready to go. Today, the fans arrive and I think they’re in for some new wrinkles. The Mike McCarthy Era brings with it a new starting time for practice among other things. No longer are the players subjected to the heat of the day with Mike Tomlin’s late afternoon practices. Instead, the Steelers will start practice before the clock hits noon. Fans should also welcome this as things might not be quite as hot as they’ve been previously. All I can say is that I’m glad the Steelers are back.
PUP
The Steelers announced that Joey Porter, Jr is starting Camp on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List. Both Jalen Ramsey (knee) and Donte Kent (foot) are also on the PUP list as well. Of the three, it goes without saying that Kent faces the most daunting challenge here. He entered Camp already on the roster bubble and this does nothing to help his cause. As a veteran, Ramsey should be fine. The injury occurred during OTAs and did not require surgery. JPJ is on the list not because he is hurt but so he doesn’t get hurt. Rather than allow him to do some individual drills the Steelers are keeping him away from any and all physical activity. I am hopeful that a contract agreement is coming sooner rather than later.
The Corner Market
Denzel Ward, cornerback for the Cleveland Browns, is now the highest-paid guy at his position for now. Two years for $62 million will almost certainly affect Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez and therefore, will affect JPJ.
The Tackling Thing
I shared some thoughts yesterday regarding the Steelers’ new decision to “not tackle” during Training Camp. As I stated in the article, other teams also subscribe to this but I’m not sure this is the team to be doing this with.
Actions Over Words
There’s nothing the players or coaches can do right now to convince us of anything with their words. To be fair however that’s all they can do right now – talk. D.K. Metcalf had lots of praise for Roman Wilson. He also felt like he was much more connected with Aaron Rodgers than he was at any time last year too. Those are examples of what guys are saying right now. Today starts the process of putting those words into actions.
The Last Rodeo
Rodgers confirmed yesterday that this will in fact be his final season. While he’s deserving of the type of “goodbye” that Ben Roethlisberger received he’s not going to get in Pittsburgh. Had he stayed in Green Bay it would have been a no-brainer. Rodgers also confirmed he’s rooming with Metcalf at Camp. The two have become quite close over the last 12 months plus. Rodgers also detailed the bonding trip out West too. “Before, we were friends. But now I just feel like that word has a different meaning to it.”
Thank You Frank
I am really grateful that Frank Walker has agreed once again to sponsor this column. His benevolence towards our site is something I can’t really say enough about.
Random Reads
Have you seen the Buffalo Bills’ new “Nickel City” gray uniforms? I’m so grateful our Steelers don’t do this crap… Speaking of uniforms and crap, the amount of college teams now wearing corporate logos now is disgusting. We may as well just have them wear NASCAR-type uniforms… I’m a big fan of The Dan Patrick Show simply because he is one of the better interviewers but he failed in my opinion yesterday with Michael Strahan in regards to his interview with Chris Johnson. No way he should have dismissed Strahan not asking about CTE… Kyle Shanahan spoke for the first time since his car accident. He explained that he was the one at fault which is something he didn’t have to do. Good on him for that… I love Will Ferrell. The man has given me so many laughs over the years, but his latest Netflix show is not good. I’ll leave it at that… Baker Mayfield coming to the Steelers in 2027 has merit. If he becomes a free agent at the end of the season then he will no doubt be a possibility.
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