Good Friday to you Steelers’ Fans.
After a week of unexpected tragedy and sadness the Pittsburgh Steelers still have to play a football game tomorrow night. Perhaps that is exactly what this team needs. Often times getting back to what you know best is the best way to deal with grief and adversity. The outlook versus the Kansas City Chiefs is no different than it would be in a ‘normal’ situation. Guys need to show they know what they’re doing. They need to show they can think on the move and they need to show they’ve improved from the week before. Rarely are teams made in week two but a player can certainly find himself not making it if his play doesn’t add up. I expect an emotional Heinz Field to start Saturday night before the normalcy of football returns. Remember, this isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about evaluation.
The Latest Podcast is Here!
Episode 145 of the Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh recorded last night. We obviously discussed the loss of Darryl Drake but we also looked ahead to the Chiefs and much more. Check it out and please give us a review on iTunes!
Tweet of the Day… This tight end situation remains fluid and I think this epitomizes that. Newly signed Mr. Crum has little to zero chance of making the team by the way.
2. Tomlin yesterday: “We like some of these young (offensive) tackles.” He’s also compared Bush preseason debut to Shazier’s. But TE depth? “We look forward to those guys meeting the standards of expectation.” Translation-They haven’t yet. And then they signed another TE (Crum).
— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) August 16, 2019
The Rudy Show
Mason Rudolph will get the start Saturday night and I think people are reading a bit too much into it. My understanding is that this was part of the plan heading into the preseason. Josh Dobbs would start week one and Rudy (as we like to call him) would start week two. In other words, this doesn’t have anything to do with who played better last week. I will however throw this nugget out for you… If Rudolph plays well don’t be surprised if the Steelers shop Josh Dobbs around the league. If Devlin Hodges plays well that would probably speed things up too.
Who I’m Watching Against the Chiefs
Chuks Okorafor. He did not play well last week and for a guy competing for a starting right tackle job that isn’t good. He has to keep guys from getting inside of him and he has to use that athleticism he possesses to his advantage.
Mark Barron. Somewhat lost in the discussions of Devin Bush, Justin Layne and the QBs was the veteran Barron who was pretty average. I need to see him do a better job of tackling than I saw last week. I don’t think he’ll play much but he needs to show up a little better than I saw against the Bucs.
Justin Layne. The rookie had a tough go in his first professional action last Friday. Now it’s time to see how resilient this kid is. To be fair, he’s still transitioning from being a guy who exclusively played bump and run to a guy that needs to play off as well. Those things will take care of themselves but he still has to tackle well and that’s something he didn’t do well last week.
Have a great weekend Steeler Nation!
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