Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Wednesday.
The Kickoff
I could swear the Steelers just arrived at St. Vincent College in Latrobe. Yet, they are already gone. Such is the pace of life in professional football. I’m encouraged to hear the words of Mike McCarthy who said he would like to be in Latrobe longer next year. That’s good for the fans and these days, it’s good for the players too. Let’s be honest; Training Camp isn’t what it used to be. Players have more access to air conditioning and are on the field less than ever. Trust me, if I were in their shoes I’d rather be back in Pittsburgh sleeping in my own bed too. But St. Vincent College is far from the worst place to be.
Opportunities
With D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman, Jr unlikely to play Friday night, I see a great opportunity for Roman Wilson, Germie Bernard and others. While Wilson has had the better Camp, Bernard was much more present in week one. Wilson really needs to display in a game what he’s shown in practice.
Dunked
Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports that rookie Gennings Dunker currently finds himself as the second option behind starter Spencer Anderson. He lists Brock Hoffman ahead of the red-mulleted rookie and cites some real weaknesses in pass protection. I think Dunker will be fine eventually. The run blocking is fantastic so he knows what he has to work on.
Cam
I think Cam Heyward is at a similar juncture in his career as Ryan Clark once was. Clark was ‘Robin’ to Troy Polamalu’s ‘Batman’ and played that role perfectly. As his career got towards the end, it was clear he started to focus more on the media which was his future after playing. Heyward seems to be on the same track. The difference is that Cam has continued to play at a high level whereas Clark’s play started to fall off a bit.
The DBs
With Devon Witherspoon signing a huge extension last week, apparently Joey Porter, Jr is waiting on Christian Gonzalez to sign his deal. Honestly, JPJ isn’t worth more than those two so at this point, I’m not sure what the hold up is. The good news is that Asante Samuel, Jr is having a terrific Training Camp and is poised to fill in for JPJ as long as he needs to do so. At safety, DeShon Elliott has just recently started getting involved in full team activities. That means guys like Rayshawn Jenkins and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings will get more chances. I view those guys as more of the “free safety” type, but right now the defense needs to find the best possible guys, period.
Stadium Talk
With the agreement between the Steelers and the Stadium Authority set to expire in 2030, the discussions about the future of where the team will play are happening more often. There are two things to keep in mind here. First, there is zero room to build a new stadium on the North Shore. Second, the trend is to build largely indoor and multi-use stadiums but those cost BILLIONS of dollars. Unless the Steelers are going to foot the bill themselves – which is very doubtful – they’ll need to use public dollars and that won’t be easy.
Random Reads
ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen has passed away. I honestly cannot believe he likes what the network has become… Speaking of that, Pat McAfee will now be joining Monday Night Football coverage. At this point, is there anything on ESPN he isn’t on? Strange to me… Moved my son into college for his final semester and his final season of soccer. Where does time go… Make sure you check out our store over at dc4lcustomtees.com. Plenty of cool stuff with our logos and some rather unique Steelers-themed designs! Check it out… Alvin Kamara out a month in New Orleans with an MCL sprain… Speaking of the Saints, they had numerous skirmishes with the Cowboys yesterday during joint practices. Someone from Dallas made the mistake of going after a pro wrestler’s son. LoL…
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