Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Tuesday.
The Kickoff
A quarterback making $60 million per season? EDGE rushers making over $35 million per season? And kickers making $7 million per season? It may all seem difficult to comprehend but there’s one thing to fall back on that has no answer. This is what the market dictates whether we like it or not. Chris Boswell, the 35 year old kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers is the most recent beneficiary of this. He agreed to a four-year $28 million extension yesterday cementing himself as one of the top kickers in football. It also puts him in pretty rarified air as perhaps the best kicker to ever wear the Black and Gold. What it also is however is the first of several dominoes to fall. I think you’ll now see deals on the horizon for both Joey Porter, Jr and Nick Herbig as the team looks to lock up both guys. I don’t expect either to be overly difficult but there will also be some speed bumps especially in Herbig’s case. This… is what the offseason is about now and we are officially underway.
Schedule
Did you ever think that releasing a schedule would require and demand the level of attention that the NFL does? Besides the fact that most of the games are already leaked, there will still be a primetime show dedicated to the release. Fans eat this stuff up because they like to ponder what games they may go to. It’s a big deal and I’m totally here for it! In fact, I followed through with my usual rite of passage by predicting the schedule.
It Bears Repeating
If you saw the drills that Drew Allar was working on this past weekend please understand that is the BEGINNING of the process. The deliberate, methodical approach to his footwork is the foundation. With the athleticism already there, the end result should be a much more polished set of skills. This doesn’t guarantee a damn thing however. Allar will still have to put everything together and be successful on the field but that’s a long ways off at this time.
RB Shakedown
Seventh Round pick and local favorite Eli Heidenreich was listed by the Steelers as a RB/WR. During his first couple of days of mini-camp he largely worked with the running backs. This doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t see time in the slot or out wide, but for now, the backfield is where he is working. Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle are locked in at RB1 and RB2. Travis Homer was brought in as a ‘change of pace’ guy which leaves last year’s third round selection Kaleb Johnson and Heidenreich. Because what Mike McCarthy does is still so foreign to us, we don’t yet know how he’ll divide the labor in terms of who gets helmets and who doesn’t. There is no question in my mind that Johnson has the most to lose or gain right now. After a shaky rookie season, can he answer the call?
Random Reads
It’s looking more and more – as of this writing – that the Steelers will avoid any of the primetime slots on opening weekend which is fine by me… I do not care where Aaron Rodgers is but I’m resigned to the fact that he’s coming back… I was never a soccer guy until my son started playing it and he’s entering his senior year of college this fall as a goalkeeper. I’ve never understood why players are allowed to beat the shit out of each other, especially the goalie, on free kicks. If you caught the end of the Arsenal-West Ham game, then you know what I mean and if it changes how the game is played from a “safety” standpoint I’m all for it… Rumor has it the Patriots will open at Seattle on opening night. I don’t think Mike Vrabel is on the sidelines.
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