Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted tight end Pat Freiermuth in the second round of the NFL Draft they already had a pretty solid answer to the question of “Can you block?” You don’t make the selection if you’re Kevin Colbert unless you are already have the answer. But… there’s difference between blocking at the college level and blocking at the NFL level. It was no surprise yesterday that with every great Freiermuth catch Mike Tomlin followed it with “But can you block?” No one can keep you humble (especially with rookies) quite like Coach Tomlin can. As for the question, we will start to get answers today when the pads come on. I guarantee that Freiermuth will be thrust into the fires quickly. If you compare his overall blocking ability to that of Eric Ebron then the bar isn’t that high. Ebron is not a good blocker and that’s putting it mildly. But Freiermuth must be able to consistently handle defensive ends and linebackers at the point of attack. If he can’t then that really limits what the Steelers can do with the run game. While blocking is job #1 as a Steelers tight end he also has to be able to get open. We know he can catch the ball but if he can’t get separation then Ben Roethlisberger won’t throw him the ball. I know many view this as a battle for the number one job between Freiermuth and Ebron but I think it’s more about what they can do on the field together first. Their respective performances will dictate from there but I think we know who has the advantage in blocking.
Tweet of the Day… Enough said Joe.
Pads 2day ?
— Joe Haden (@joehaden23) July 28, 2021
Camp Rumblings
I’ve heard Trai Turner hasn’t exactly looked great so far in Camp but I’m not pushing the panic button. Turner is a veteran and my guess is that when the pads come on today his play will elevate. Keep in mind too that he’s also a little behind in learning the offense as well… There always seems to be a guy in the secondary who comes out of nowhere to be a Camp darling and I think this year it could be free agent rookie Mark Gilbert from Duke. Nic Farabaugh sung his praises a bit yesterday with his hustle on special teams and I was really impressed with his film as we prepped for the Draft this spring. He’s a lock for the practice squad in my opinion… Ben Roethlisberger was not at practice yesterday. Tomlin said he was excused for personal reasons and will be at practice today… I’ll be stunned if Jaylen Samuels makes the roster. He’s really dropped off since dealing with some injuries and there’s a number of backs now that I think are just as valuable… The man-bun was bad enough on Aaron Rodgers but the sunglasses were worse.
Thanks Frank
As all of you know that are regular readers of this column, it has been presented to you by Frank Walker. Frank is a Pittsburgh attorney and is incredibly generous. I am proud and excited to announce that Frank is sponsoring Quick Hitters for the fourth straight year. I can’t always do this on my own and with help from people like Frank it keeps my passion alive.
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