Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Wednesday!
The Kickoff
Politics has no place in sports. I don’t care if it’s a President, a governor, a senator or the damn dog catcher… When I turn on a football game the last thing I want to see is a politician campaigning at an event I’m watching to escape this very thing. We are inundated with television advertising, barrages of text messages and more yard signs than you can bat an eye at so when I turn on my Pittsburgh Steelers I want to see FOOTBALL! Apparently, Donald Trump is attending this Sunday’s game in Acrisure Stadium. Yesterday, Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz rallied inside the stadium at the Great Hall. While it is certainly the right for these men to go where they choose, I can’t help but wonder if they would be anywhere near these iconic Steelers’ landmarks if they weren’t in the middle of a campaign. Sporting events and sporting venues should not be used to garner votes. Candidates need to do that on their own merits. Politics has infected our everyday lives and sports used to be our reprieve from the toxic, political bullshit we endure daily. Shame on the Steelers and the NFL. There is literally no place that is safe from the chaos anymore.
Tomlin Pushes the Door Wide Open
Mike Tomlin said yesterday that Russell Wilson is “in consideration this week” which means he will get first team reps alongside Justin Fields. Who gets the actual nod at QB may not be known until number two or number three is in the huddle for the first offensive series. I’ll have more on this pending decision later today.
Injuries
Tomlin also stated that both Nick Herbig and Zach Frazier were both OUT for this week. Herbig’s absence hurts slightly less with Alex Highsmith potentially coming back. Frazier’s absence is the bigger blow. Ryan McCollum will get just his second career start against a pretty darn good NY Jets defense. Cordarrelle Patterson and Damontae Kazee also have a chance to participate this week.
Steelers History
This week, Gordon takes us back to 1992 when most of you were probably wearing Zubas or neon colors… It was Bill Cowher’s first season as head coach and the Jets came calling in week two.
Khan Artistry?
Since becoming the General Manager, fans have had nothing but praise for Omar Khan. I’m not sure however, that anyone can be happy about his failure to address the number two wide receiver position going all the way back to the Spring when Diontae Johnson was traded. While not getting Davonte Adams hurts, the deal the Jets struck wasn’t likely to be something the Steelers would do both in terms of trade collateral and contract. But seeing what the Bills paid for Amari Cooper? That might be a different story. Buffalo gave up a three and a seven while Cleveland also sends a sixth to the Bills. Seems like that was something very doable for the Steelers. If the Browns didn’t want to trade within the division, that makes sense. Either way, Khan is out of what I would call “decent options” right now.
Random Reads
Isn’t it “amazing” how suddenly Davonte Adams is healthy enough to play this week for the Jets after a couple of weeks of being out with injury for the Raiders? Can you see my eyes roll?… I’d like to propose a new rule. If a QB doesn’t think it should be ‘roughing’ when it’s called for a hit on him then he should tell the official immediately and the call should be reversed. In my dreams right?… I’m glad the Steelers are bringing back the block numerals and gray face masks for Sunday’s game. I’d be happier however if they just went back to the block numerals permanently. MUCH happier… DeShon Elliott isn’t perfect, no player is, but he’s been really, really good this year especially as a tackler… Roman Wilson had five snaps on Sunday. Not sure I’d call that much of a debut.
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