Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Wednesday.
The Kickoff
Tomorrow, the NFL Combine will really get going as players actually get on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. To this point, it’s meetings and medical tests and the whole nine yards. As is the tradition the General Manager – Omar Khan – of the Pittsburgh Steelers spoke yesterday to the media. Kevin Colbert always did it and Omar Khan has continued the tradition. These interviews rarely amount to anything of substance as team officials never want to tip their hands about draft processes or free agency. I did my best to break down what Khan said yesterday but one of the things I’m a little disappointed about is Mike McCarthy. Apparently, Big Mike is choosing not to speak at the Combine. I know what you’re thinking, “Will he really say anything of substance anyway?” Probably not, but that isn’t the point. McCarthy is the leader of this team now. He’s the face of the franchise, he needs to represent that by getting out in front of the media. No one is suggesting he take questions for an hour, but at the very least, make some general comments and be done. Optics are vitally important the idea that the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers isn’t fielding questions is disappointing.
Stream This!
If you don’t know by now, the NFL is not about player safety or anything else that they often espouse to us. They are about money, first and foremost. The most recent evidence of this is the recent announcement that major streaming services will be adding regular season games to their growing list. Netflix for example could have as many as five regular season games. Amazon may want more to add to its Thursday Night list and I’m sure Peacock will have a say as well. Things have come a long way since NFL games were strictly on two or three broadcast networks and I’m not knocking progress. I just find it unfortunate that viewers will carry the burden financially of trying to watch their favorite teams on so many different platforms.
Totally Agree With This Take…
Uncertainty
Welcome to the 1980’s young Steelers fans! This is very similar to what many of us went through following Terry Bradshaw’s retirement. It was a parade of Quarterbacks as if they were all getting out of a clown car until Ben Roethlisberger finally solidified things. Omar Khan didn’t hide from it yesterday. He knows finding a long-term quarterback solution is the most important question facing his franchise, but he also knows it isn’t easy. There’s still no guarantee that Aaron Rodgers returns… They have zero clue what Will Howard offers… Mason Rudolph is what he is and the Quarterbacks in this draft aren’t exactly appealing. At some point, we all hope to win the lottery and at some point the Steelers have to find a QB.
Random Reads
While the NFL Competition Committee seems to have very little on its agenda for this year, the NCAA appears ready to finally do something about players wearing bicycle shorts. If the pants are right at the knee? I don’t really care, but guys should not be playing with pants that stop mid-thigh. That’s ridiculous… The one thing I feel most confident about with the Steelers is keeping Darnell Washington here. Khan sounded extremely positive on that front… With 12 picks in the Draft I expect the Steelers to trade up at least once if not twice. What round(s) they do this is anyone’s guess… The Gold Medal hockey game on Sunday was fantastic but people have felt the need to compare it to 1980. Let me stop things right there. It wasn’t even close…
Hot Reads is Presented by
