Why do we do these things to ourselves? Why do we need a player so badly that we are willing to make up stories that he’s actually coming? I’m quite certain – as we have arrived at round three of Brandon Aiyuk Watch – that there are a few fans who are already willing to name their next child after him. Or Omar Khan if he pulls this off…
What I can tell you is this; as of this writing the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns have “acceptable” deals in place with the 49ers. Aiyuk however, has made it clear he wants to go to either Washington or Pittsburgh. What I can also tell you is that I’m not writing about this again. At least no more than I already have in this post. Here are the two previous articles I’ve written but I’m not going any further for my own sanity and perhaps yours as well.
Camp News
As the Steelers get closer to their preseason opener against the Houston Texans on Friday, the team seems to be at that “we need to hit other people” stage. Back in the old days of “double session” practices, this period often took longer to get to simply because players knew it would be awhile before they got to see other helmets. Today, it comes much quicker but the Steelers have had several brouhahas which is the first signal that says, “can we please hit someone else?”
Credit the offense and in particular, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren who have literally taken no shit from the defense. They have made ‘backs on backers’ their own personal playground as they’ve given the defenders everything they’ve wanted and more. For as little as these guys hit these days, Mike Tomlin knows the opportunities must be seized upon and his two backs are delivering.
I’m starting to wonder if the Steelers won’t keep an extra running back. Cordarrelle Patterson is still working his back from a leg injury. Both Harris and Warren take a lot of punishment too. La’Mical Perine has had a really nice Camp so it wouldn’t shock me if they kept an extra running back to start the season.
Keep an eye on the inside linebacker position. Cole Holcomb is nowhere close to being ready to play and that leaves the Steelers hurting a bit. Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts are locked in but behind them are rookie Payton Wilson and Mark Robinson. Don’t be surprised if the Steelers add someone here before week one of the regular season.
Texans’ Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said that his starters will play on Friday night. That’s great news for the Steelers. Even though the offenses and defenses are both very vanilla in the preseason, I like the idea of our guys going up against the “ones” right away. That’s something that didn’t happen much in recent preseasons.
One thing I love is that the Steelers under Arthur Smith are using a lot of tempo on offense. It’s not ‘hurry up’ or ‘no huddle’ but it’s just something where they get to the line of scrimmage quickly and go from there. I hope this continues into the season.
The Steelers sure seem to be using fullback Jack Colletto a lot especially in short yardage or goal line situations. For him to make the roster he will need to be a huge asset on Special Teams so I’m not ruling him out yet as one of the 53.
If DeMarvin Leal can carry his really strong play in Camp into the preseason and beyond then that is a huge asset for the defensive line. You know where things are with Cam Heyward and the depth along the front is questionable. Leal playing well will help tremendously.
Thanks for bearing with us through the site changes. We are pretty much done save for a few little things!
