Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Tuesday.
The Kickoff
There are better players than DeShon Elliott and there are guys making way more money than he is. He would be the first to tell you he isn’t a perfect football player but I’d argue that losing him for the season is a massive loss for this defense. The Steelers’ Defense was already trending on the downside when Elliott was on the field but now? I have very little faith in this secondary and even less in the coaches abilities to get them coached up. Go back to Green Bay’s two-point attempt when Elliott had already exited the game. Watch the confusion and utter panic by the defensive backs and wouldn’t you know it? It was an easy two points for the Packers. I’m hopeful that the Steelers can figure something out but I’m also realistic. Losing Elliott’s play, effort and most importantly, his smarts, is going to be a death knell for this unit overall.
The Flats
In his post game comments Sunday night, Mike Tomlin was asked by SteelersNow.com’s Alan Saunders about the defense giving up so much over the middle of the field to the Bengals then giving up tons of yards in the flats on Sunday night. Tomlin’s comment was “I’m not worried about those flat throws.” Seriously? Tomlin’s entire unit once had shirts made that said something related to “Get to the Flat” because it was preached to them so often. Let’s be honest here… Part of the issue is this team cannot tackle in the open field worth a damn right now and that’s why Green Bay was having so much success there.
A New Weapon?
The Steelers are expected to sign veteran wide receiver Marques Valdes-Scantling today. The 31-year old has some history with Aaron Rodgers dating back to their time together in Green Bay. He’s played with five different teams during his eight year career and has twice won the Super Bowl with the Chiefs. He played in five games this season for San Francisco before being released. He caught four passes for 40 yards for the Niners. The fact that the Steelers need a reliable second receiver is about as obvious as the fact the city has bridges. Whether MVS can provide what they need is doubtful but it’s clear they are trying. Now… About some help on defense huh?
Hard to Believe
It’s one thing to see the Indianapolis Colts on top of the AFC but its another to see Daniel Jones leading the charge. I certainly never believed he would be coming into Acrisure Stadium as the favorite against any Steelers’ team. Kudos to them for getting themselves turned around this year. I suspect we are in for another tough weekend on the North Shore.
Random Reads
Officiating issues in major sports have always been kept largely ‘in-house’ as playing them out in public is probably not a good thing. After what I witnessed this weekend in several games across the league I’m starting to wonder. Maybe more public scrutiny would be better… And then there’s the total subjectivity of the “field assist” from New York. What a mess that’s creating… I’m starting to wonder if Darius Slay didn’t come to Pittsburgh for one final payday. He’s got a Super Bowl ring and doesn’t need to prove anything. His play has been average to poor and that’s probably being nice… Teryl Austin is signed through 2027 which likely means he isn’t going anywhere this year. Art Rooney II doesn’t believe in paying guys who aren’t working there regardless of how bad things get. He did finally part ways with Matt Canada mid-season but I don’t see it happening with Austin… Although it should.
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