Good Wednesday to you Steelers’ Fans.
With the release of the Steelers’ first depth chart yesterday it is time for me to give my usual words of warning. Under Mike Tomlin, Depth charts don’t mean a whole lot. They mean even less during Training Camp. Does he do this just to give people like me something to rant about? I certainly doubt it. Tomlin uses the chart in several ways. First, as a motivator. Take Devin Bush for example. Everyone in the football world expects him to take over the inside linebacking spot next to Vince Williams. He’s currently listed as a number two LB though behind Mark Barron. Same could be said for Mason Rudolph. We all expect that he’s going to be the number two quarterback yet he finds himself at number three despite having a better camp so far. Tomlin also doesn’t want to give too much away to opponents either. With only 53 spots available, Tomlin knows he’s going to have some young talent that he may cut or risk putting on the practice squad. If he places them too high on the chart then other teams take notice. This isn’t overly difficult to understand but it’s just part of the gamesmanship that goes on between coaches. Yesterday I laid out my thoughts on Five Things of Note for this ‘Depth Chart Dance.”
The Podcast Tonight
Tonight on the Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh we will be joined by Fan Hall of Fame Inductee Rick Holman. Rick is a lifelong Steelers’ fan who has never missed a game at Heinz Field and once sold all of his belongings just for season tickets. We’ll add in the latest from Training Camp as well.
Tweet of the Day… This is pretty darn awesome.
When @missi_matthews and I heard that Lucas was at camp performing Random Acts of Kindness in his brother’s memory, giving out Terrible Towels to kids, we wanted to return the favor and let him meet @_BigBen7, @TeamJuJu & @JamesConner_. This little boy has a huge heart. pic.twitter.com/ClgsSWHGiL
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 6, 2019
The Future of the Running Back
As Steelers’ Fans we definitely know the trials and tribulations that having a young superstar running back. The Cowboys and Chargers are now dealing with this very same issue with Ezekiel Elliott and Melvin Gordon respectively. With the potential for a major work stoppage high in 2021, one of the big issues will be the first round ‘fifth year option.’ To go along with that will be the Franchise Tag. Combined, a guy like Elliott could be tied to his team for seven years and this is why running backs want to get paid sooner rather than later. Throw in the fact that it has been widely proven that finding good running backs has become pretty easy compared to other important positions and we start to understand their thinking. The position itself isn’t going anywhere but perhaps the position will be re-defined going forward.
Where’s Roethlisberger?
In a certain way, it was kind of sad. As a fan tweeted to me yesterday after Antonio Brown’s kids were asking their father “Wheres Roethlisberger?” on the season premier of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks.’ It was sad because the fact appears to be that Brown hasn’t even had a discussion with his kids about the fact he doesn’t play with the Steelers any longer. Other than that? I couldn’t help but laugh at the whole scene. I suppose the word “karma” is necessary here.
Our WPIAL Conference Previews Have Begun!
Ian launched the first of his many WPIAL conference previews today. If your school isn’t in this conference, don’t worry. He and Brentaro have you covered!
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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