Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Tuesday.
The Kickoff
There isn’t much worse than when your day is winding down and you’re just minutes from a well deserved break only to be called into a meeting. This was the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. After playing three games in 11 days, the players knew they were going to get a few days off but after a disappointing loss to the Chiefs made it three straight defeats, Mike Tomlin called a meeting for Thursday. We do not know the exact words spoken but it was pretty obvious that it had a ‘come to Jesus’ feel to it. The team had largely beaten itself in the three losses with turnovers, penalties, selfish play and missed assignments. It was all made worse when members of the defense voiced their frustration in the locker room postgame. Thus, the meeting was called. These gatherings have always had myriad of results – meaning there’s no guarantee that this ‘Kumbaya’ will work or that it won’t. That’s going to be entirely up to the team and the staff. I can only hope the words “Unleash Hell” were not uttered.
The Podcast
Episode 402 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc is available!! There was obviously a ton to discuss ahead of our primetime showdown with the Bengals.
Early Concerns
During Mike Tomlin’s press conference yesterday he was quite pleased to announce that the team is getting healthier. Joey Porter, Jr is expected back as is Ben Skowronek. The name however that caught me off guard a bit was Jaylen Warren. Tomlin said that he would likely be limited during the week but was hopeful he’d be ready to go by Saturday. Considering that Warren has been the Steelers’ best running back the last several weeks, his absence on Saturday night would be a huge blow. Tomlin didn’t mention Justin Fields but was asked and he confirmed that Fields should be ready to go. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the field this weekend either as Arthur Smith looks to control the ball and the clock.
TEAM M.V.P.
At some point this week the Steelers will gather and select their team Most Valuable Player Award and Rookie of the Year Award among other accolades. Zach Frazier would seem an absolute lock for the Rookie award. I am of the opinion that Chris Boswell will be the team MVP. That’s not a slight to T.J. Watt or Cam Heyward, it’s just that Boswell has been the most consistent and often the best player the Steelers have had in 2024.
Random Reads
Did you see the video of Ben Roethlisberger run into his backyard wearing his shoulder pads, helmet and jersey? He was throwing the ball around with his kids and the excitement they had as ‘Dad’ came running into the yard was awesome… New Year’s Eve has to be one of my least favorite holidays. Wish I knew why but it does nothing for me… Tomlin left the door open for the possibility of resting some guys on Saturday. This will likely depend on the Ravens’ result and how the game is going against the Bengals… Did you know that Jimmy Carter was the first President to invite championship teams to the White House? The very first team was the Super Steelers.
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Hot Reads is presented by Frank Walker Law.
