Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Friday.
The Kickoff
In some ways, the Steelers had largely avoided the injury bug through the first week plus of Training Camp. We all knew however that they were bound to happen and they did. First Round pick Max Iheanachor left practice Thursday with what I’m told is likely a “stinger.” If you’ve ever had one, you know how painful they can be but in many cases after a few plays off the feeling comes back and you’re good to go. There are situations however where they lead to much bigger problems than can ultimately lead to surgery and missed games. Let’s hope for the former in the case of the Steelers’ future tackle. Brandin Echols also left practice with an injury yesterday which in the short term is a bit more concerning. He’s currently playing in place of Jalen Ramsey who is on the PUP list. This likely gives Daneiko Slaughter an opportunity at what Patrick Graham calls the ‘star’ position. Thank goodness it’s early on in the process.
Brand New Pod
Episode 484 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc is available! We went in depth on the first depth chart, discussed Aaron Rodgers appearance on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ and much, much more! If you could, take a moment to like and subscribe over at YouTube!
Biases
As a person who teaches Sociology, I’m always intrigued by human behavior. One such area is in evaluating quarterbacks. No one argues that Rodgers is QB1 but for Will Howard and Drew Allar, I wonder how much bias takes place when people try to evaluate them. Many Steelers’ fans are also big fans of Ohio State and Penn State – the two schools these guys played most recently for in college. It’s funny to me how fans can have such different takes despite seeing the exact same thing. As an example, if both guys complete passes of a similar variety, fans will have two completely different opinions on which one was “better.” While I agree that it takes time and maturity, you have to reach a point where you can set aside who you “like” and who you don’t. It’s not easy but if you to be an honest evaluator it’s a must.
Zach Attack
I’m going to make a prediction. Steelers’ center Zach Frazier will be a Pro Bowl player this season. Because there are some really good centers in the AFC, I won’t go as far to say as he’ll be All-Pro, but he’s going to have a really good year. So far in Camp, Frazier has been the most consistent lineman and at times he’s been downright dominant thus far in Camp. What’s also encouraging is that Mason McCormick has also been really good too.
Quiet
For being a wide receiver and one of the team’s biggest additions in the offseason, Michael Pittman, Jr has been incredibly quiet so far in Camp. Personally I think that’s a good thing. It typically means he’s doing all of the things expected of him so therefore his performance comes across as “ho-hum” and I’m good with that.
Random Reads
Seeing Yahya Black over the center and ahead of Keeanu Benton right now is a good thing. He’s not Casey Hampton but he’s a big man that needs to eat up blockers and I think he can do that… While Eli Heidenreich is an amazing story for numerous reasons but his chances of making the roster are slim right now. There are just too many people ahead of him. Things can change of course but right now it isn’t looking good… Has anyone else noticed all the really bad jingles in commercials recently? That new Chick-Fil-A add is brutal… I’m not piling on Kenny Pickett. He is what he is but his days may be numbered in the NFL… Much better performances from rookie QBs like Carson Beck and Haynes King last night… Mike Tomlin did a nice job in his first gig on NBC’s NFL coverage. He’s only going to get better with more experience… Have a great weekend everyone!
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