Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Saturday!
The Kickoff
That was rough. It’s one thing to lose in the preseason but to get shut out? That makes things worse. The focus last night was clearly on the quarterbacks but neither Will Howard nor Drew Allar could muster any points in the 17-0 loss to the New York Jets. They were far from the only guys to have rough nights for the Steelers as the Offensive Line struggled and receivers couldn’t catch the ball worth a darn. There were certainly some issues on defense too but they were not as significant as what occurred on offense. Let’s get to specifics.
Perspective
I believe it is crucial to remember that this is the preseason. That means very vanilla game plans and no preparation for the opponent. Coaches are experimenting with personnel and more interested in getting looks at certain guys than they are in winning. Moving on…
The O-Line
I’m starting here because it’s easily the group that concerns me the most. Last night we saw Dylan Cook play on both the right and the left sides. Both Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker were held out due to injury while Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu saw limited action. Broderick Jones got a lot of time last night and struggled in pass protection as did fellow tackle Jack Driscoll. There are two things that concern me the most, lack of cohesiveness and lack of aggression.
Mike McCarthy and James Campen need to settle on who those first five guys are. While some of the instability is due to injury, the lack of consistency is troubling especially in pass protection. The running attack did improve from week one. They added about 30 more yards to their total and increased the yards per carry average but 3.8ypc is still concerning. Drastic improvement is necessary with this unit.
The QBs
Will Howard finished the first half 10/15 for 74 yards and two interceptions. In real time, the turnovers looked to be more about poor throws and placement versus anything else. Further film review will be coming today. He also took a bad sack when he continued to move backwards rather than stepping up into the pocket. He did have positive moments where he got through his progressions and delivered accurate throws but this was definitely a step back for him.
Drew Allar took the second half and finished 11/23 for 110 yards. He didn’t turn the ball over but struggled at times as first and second options weren’t available. His athleticism allowed him to make a few positive escapes and avoid sacks but he had concerns too. Some of the older habits he’s worked hard to eliminate crept back in. Patting the ball and letting his footwork get sloppy were examples.
Both guys also suffered from their receivers struggling with butterfingers. I counted at least five throws that hit guys in the hands yet ended up incomplete. The bottom line is this; Mason Rudolph is QB2.
Getting Chances
A week after he carried just twice, Kaleb Johnson was pushed 10 times for 39 yards and also caught two passes for 15 yards. I still think Lew Nichols has displayed more than Johnson has to this point… Max Hurleman got a few chances at returning kicks and punts and he did an adequate job. His averages in both areas were better than Kaden Wetjen who has not yet displayed what got him drafted in the return game. Wetjen also fumbled but the Steelers were fortunate to get the ball back… Carson Bruener got more time at linebacker and played well collecting a sack and tackle for loss… Elandon Roberts played a lot of the game and looked like his old self leading the team in tackles… Rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings continues to do good things against the run and pass. At worst he’s a Practice Squad guy.
Next Week
With 90 players needing to be cut down to 53 (plus 16 Practice Squad guys), there are already a number of guys who know their fate. Therefore, next week in Buffalo becomes an audition for them. Can they do enough to be noticed by other teams? Some will be so fortunate while others will move on to the next phases of life. I’ll have my 53-man roster projection coming out later next week.
Cleaned Up
A week after having 11 accepted penalties for 130 yards the Steelers were sanctioned just four times for 30 yards. That’s a drastic improvement that needs to continue into the regular season.
Random Reads
Really good night for Cam Johnston. He punted six times averaging over 50 yards per punt and dropped a beauty inside the 10 as well… Don’t forget the Steelers will be able to keep 17 on their Practice Squad with Julius Welschof being an International player… Jamin Davis wasn’t quite as productive as he was last week but he’s giving everything he’s got in battling for an EDGE spot… Laith Marjan hasn’t done anything to make me think he’d be the first kicker called were something to happen to Chris Boswell… Obviously it wasn’t a full house last night but I felt bad for the crowd. They literally had nothing to get excited about… A report surfaced just before kickoff last night that the Steelers have already decided to keep Will Howard. I’m going to reserve judgment on this one… There are growing concerns that Roman Wilson’s solid Camp are not transferring to the games… Most of the first team defense played on the opening drive and Geno Smith couldn’t have been sharper. Again, I’m not losing too much sleep over this as guys like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward didn’t suit up. It was good to see DeShon Elliott back. He got his nose dirty almost immediately. His leadership and tackling are huge for this secondary. Up next: Thursday in Buffalo at 7pmET.
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