“Concerns? You have concerns? The team is 2-0! How could you have concerns?!?!?!”
Believe me, I’d like to be the New Orleans Saints this morning and be strutting down Bourbon Street with a trumpet playing behind me but this is the Pittsburgh Steelers. We always have concerns don’t we? In this case, there are some issues that need to be addressed despite being 2-0.
O-Line Issues. After running the ball well in the first half Sunday, Denver started bringing more bodies to stop the run and the Steelers struggled. Part of that was on play-calling. Part was on execution. But a big part is the lack of stability at right tackle. In no way am I saying the Broderick Jones doesn’t have some responsibility in this but I also believe that he has been set up to fail. Having a bad elbow hasn’t helped his cause either.
He was already a guy with limited experience coming out of Georgia and rather than just letting him focus on one position, the Steelers have tried to make him a right tackle AND a left tackle and it’s not doing him any favors. He’s frustrated too and I can’t say I blame him. Again, he isn’t without fault especially for the penalties but some guys just aren’t made to be changing positions this early in their careers and I believe he is one of them.
NOTE: I had a chance to talk with former Miami Dolphins’ All-Pro Tackle Richmond Webb. I asked him… Is it difficult for an offensive tackle to learn both sides at such a young age? This was his response. “It is if you’re the starter. If you’re a backup, you have to be able to play both sides. That’s the difference between being the starter and a backup. They could be working him on both sides to see which one he will be better suited for.
Richmond admitted he hadn’t seen much of Jones since he left Georgia and that he was speaking from his own experiences.
Coaching Adjustments? Mike Tomlin gave a proverbial tip of the cap to Broncos’ Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph Tuesday during his presser. Rightfully so considering the Broncos’ D held the Steelers to just 62 yards in the second half. This however leads me to a bigger question. Why didn’t Arthur Smith and company adjust to what Joseph was doing?
This doesn’t bode well in my opinion for future games. Joseph is an excellent defensive coach but he isn’t exactly working with the talent of the 1985 Chicago Bears out there. Why were the Steelers unable to adjust? Did they not trust Justin Fields? The further away from that win I get the more concerned over the second half performance I am.
Wide Receiver Options. I would love to believe that when Roman Wilson finally is healthy enough to play that the need for a number two wide out will be much less than it is now. Unfortunately I don’t have that level of faith yet. Through two games, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III have combined for five receptions and 28 total yards. In other words, George Pickens is literally Andre the Giant while everyone else in that room is Iron Mike Sharpe.
While I believe the play-calling has been purposeful in regards to limiting deep throws and mistakes, this problem is only going to get worse. Teams will continue to roll coverage on Pickens because no one else is getting open and no one else remotely scares them. This has been a front office failure since they traded Diontae Johnson and didn’t replace him.
You’ll notice I didn’t mention anything about Quarterback play. Why would I? Justin Fields has played mistake-free football through two weeks. He’s doing exactly what Mike Tomlin wants from him.
