Good Thursday Morning Steelers’ Fans!
It’s been a busy few days for the Steelers and I’ll get to that in a minute but first… Tonight is the team’s final preseason game in Carolina. As most of you know, the finale usually does not involve starters but does involve a large numbers of players who are fighting for a spot either on this roaster or on the Practice Squad. In other words, guys are looking for a moment to shine and as we’ve seen in the past, even a great final game doesn’t mean a darn thing in terms of making the team.
Keep an eye on the safety position today. I’m told there is a very good chance an upgrade is coming.
There are fewer things I hate writing more than “if he can stay healthy.” Unfortunately that’s where I find myself with newly acquired Joe Haden. We know he has talent and we know his more than capable of being a good cover man in the NFL. What we don’t know is if he has been able to shed his injury issues that have cause him to miss 14 games over the last two seasons. That’s why I have major concerns over his signing.
Last night we held a special edition of the Steel City Blitz Podcast Presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh. Ian joined me to preview the WPIAL for 2017 and he did a fantastic job of it!! If you love Pennsylvania High School Football this is a must-listen for you.
Tweet of the Day… One Gator to another…
Welcome home @joehaden23 pic.twitter.com/Q4bbvdQCqi
— Marcus Gilbert (@MarcusGilbert88) August 30, 2017
One Steelers’ related item that Ian mentioned last night bears merit. Vance McDonald has had some cases of the ‘drops’ but he has also never played with a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger either and that’s an important point in my mind.
I think it’s very important to point out also that for many players across the NFL who are going to play tonight that this is the end of their football journey. There’s a huge group that will never receive another call and will have to get on with their life’s work. A lot of you can relate to this and even if you can’t keep it in mind because knowing all the blood, sweat and tears these men have shed is pretty amazing and to see it end is not easy.
I remain unimpressed by Le’Veon Bell’s latest demands in his newest song. $17 million? Are we sure Bell isn’t back on weed?
The situation with Mike Mitchell is curious. He claims he’ll play in week one which is still roughly ten days away but I just don’t see how. He has done very little for the entire preseason and I wonder just how healthy he really is.
Enjoy the game tonight Steeler Nation!
