Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Friday.
The Kickoff
The Preseason is over – thankfully – and now we turn our attention to the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike McCarthy has already spoiled the lead in this story by announcing that all four quarterbacks have earned roster spots. More on that below… As for the rest of the roster, I’m not sure how many spots were won or lost in last night’s 28-27 loss in Buffalo but at least the game was fairly entertaining.
Poor Choice
Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman, Jr did not play last night. They didn’t dress for the game and in fact, they didn’t even make the trip to Buffalo. I have no issue with these guys not dressing or not playing but not traveling with the team is a bad look. Some of these guys are captains. They are the supposed leaders of the team yet they were given a pass on attending a game a few hours drive north. Bad look for Mike McCarthy.
Speaking of Metcalf…
The Steelers’ wideout is under scrutiny for an Instagram post that makes fun of a grocery store worker’s physical appearance. I don’t expect professional athletes to be perfect but it’s not hard to not be an asshole.
The QBs
Once again, Will Howard (9/16 69 yards 2TD/INT) took the first half and Drew Allar (9/18 88 yards) took the second. Howard was under constant duress as he was sacked three times. His interception seemed to be another poorly run route or wrong route entirely. My take is that neither guy is ready or even close to being an NFL starter right now. My biggest concern with Howard is that his throws seem to take forever to get to their destination. It would be nice to see both of them with the first team but now that only happens if Rodgers and Mason Rudolph go down.
Tackle Troubles
Max Iheanachor gets a bit of a pass here because he missed a lot of time before getting his first action last night. He struggled early on but I thought he put together a couple of nice drives later on. Broderick Jones continues to be a mess. He looks good and then he completely whiffs on a block. Dylan Cook is also lacking consistency especially in pass protection. Right now, this has to be the most concerning position on the field for McCarthy.
Swiffer Wetjen
We’ve been calling rookie return man Kaden Wetjen “Swiffer” since we drafted him. Because he goes back and forth like a Swiffer Wet Jet floor cleaner it just made sense. I’ve been less than impressed with him as a returner but he finally broke one last night for a 47-yard TD. I think he was already on the team but that solidified it.
Porter, Jr
JPJ was also part of the group that didn’t go to Buffalo. Seeing as he’s on PUP that makes a bit of sense. As for the roster, the Steelers will need to remove him from PUP in order to roster him. Otherwise, he would be unavailable for the first four weeks. Most of us believe that the “back injury” that has him on PUP is a cover for his ‘hold-in’ so I don’t think health is an issue. What McCarthy has to decide is whether JPJ is up to speed enough with the new defense and whether he wants to participate given his contractual issue.
The Tough Cuts
Lew Nichols has done more than enough to make this roster in my opinion but he’s likely going to lose that third running back spot to Travis Homer. The reason is Special Teams plain and simple. Nichols has been much more impressive as a runner but McCarthy values the veteran Homer more. Fan and local favorite Eli Heidenreich got into the end zone last night but he’s headed for the Practice Squad. Max Hurleman had another really good preseason but he too is likely headed to the Practice Squad. I’ll be honest; I trust him more than I do Roman Wilson right now. My guess is that they also go for versatility on the line by keeping Brock Hoffman who can play guard and center. He will got a spot over Ryan McCallum. I really like Devan Boykin but he’s caught up in the numbers and is headed to the PS as well.
Random Reads
Highmark Stadium is a beautiful stadium but like so many of these new buildings, it lacks character. The fans seemed so much closer to the action in the older stadium. Maybe it’s just because it was a preseason game… The broadcast of the game was horrible. Not only did we miss the Steelers’ first touchdown but we also missed lots of other action as well. The NFL needs to re-think how they how they broadcast preseason games… Credit the scouts for finding Gabe Rubio. Injuries plagued his Notre Dame career, but he’s been a beast against the run and is making this roster… Awful situation for Josh Jacobs who is facing domestic violence charges. He won’t be playing for awhile… We have meaningful football this weekend as college football kicks off its season!
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