Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Tuesday.
The Kickoff
Am I crazy about the Pittsburgh Steelers playing three games in ten days? No, no I am not. Do I think the NFL ‘powers that be’ purposely screwed the Steelers? No, no I do not and here’s why. There are three other teams, The Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs also have to face the gauntlet of three games in 10 days. Do you think fans in those cities are as pissed off as we are? I would certainly think so and I would also wager to guess they took believe the NFL is out to get them. As fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers, we must recognize something. As one of the NFL’s premier franchises and just as importantly, massive television draws, the Steelers are going to be locked into these situations more often than other teams. The only way this changes is if the teams suddenly starts to have losing season after season and I’m pretty confident none of us want that. So no, my friends, it’s not a conspiracy to screw over the Black and Gold. It just feels that way.
Tomlin Monday?
With the next game on a Saturday rather than Sunday, Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference was moved to Monday rather than Tuesday. On the injury front, T.J. Watt’s ankle could have been much worse. It’s considered a lower ankle injury rather than the dreaded high ankle sprain. My guess is that he will give it a go in Baltimore. DeShon Elliott and George Pickens are strictly day-to-day but Tomlin seems hopeful of their participation. As for the officiating on Sunday, Tomlin was his usual, professional self. But… There’s no doubt he was not happy with what took place in a couple of situations. His demeanor told a lot.
The Running Game
56 yards on 17 carries is not going to win you many football games and indeed, that was the case with the Steelers in Philly. That cannot happen again in Baltimore or the result will be the same. The young offensive line didn’t just get bullied by the Eagles but they were often their own worst enemy. The tape never lies and there are numerous instances of blockers going the wrong way or missing defenders entirely. At some point (it’s week 16 now) we can no longer hear about the youth and inexperience of the O-Line. It’s time to put up or shut up in the trenches. The talent is there so the excuses are over in my book. Time to get Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren into situations where they can thrive.
Random Reads
Brian Flores seems to be doing pretty well as the Defensive Coordinator in Minnesota. Just sayin’… Diontae Johnson being excused from Team Activities is hilarious. If the Ravens weren’t playing the Steelers this week he would have been cut. Apparently they are concerned he’s coming back to PIT. I don’t think so… I had some pretty clear thoughts yesterday on ‘Replay Assist‘… I don’t believe we are going to see anything shocking this week from ‘Hard Knocks.’ Neither team wants to give the other bulletin board material or anything remotely resembling it… Chris Boswell needs seven more field goals to break the all-time record for FGs in a season. Excellent for him but I’m not sure what that says about the offense.
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