Good Monday to you Steelers fans.
I’m not sure I know the answer to this question. I mean, I think I do, but history does suggest something different. The question involves Diontae Johnson and admittedly, it has changed a bit. For quite some time the question was “when will the Steelers give Johnson a contract extension?” For some, the question has become “Will the Steelers give Johnson a contract extension?” The reason for the change comes down to two things. First, the Steelers have only given two wide receivers (Hines Ward and Antonio Brown) second contracts. If you think about it, there have been some pretty good receivers who were allowed to go elsewhere. Plaxico Burress, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders come to mind. Is Diontae Johnson on the same level as Ward and Brown? Or is he closer to Burress, Wallace or Sanders? The second issue comes down to Johnson himself. No one questions the talent and the hard work. But have the drops become too big of an issue? An issue that would prevent him from getting a new deal? The one thing working in Johnson’s favor is the fact he’s now the “veteran” presence in the wide receiver room. Pretty incredible when you think about that. For the record, I believe that is the reason he gets a new deal.
Tweet of the Day… Native Pittsburgher Pat McAfee on Wrestlemania this weekend.
FROM THE TOP ROPE #WrestleMania #WrestleMania38 pic.twitter.com/ZhGsQCIZed
— WrestleMania Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 4, 2022
Your Draft Cheat Sheet Coming Into Focus
Many of you are already astute members of the “Understanding how the Steelers Draft” Club. For you newbies out there, here are a couple of reminders especially as it pertains to the first round. First, understand the team hasn’t taken a player in the first round from outside the Power 5 schools since Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. Second, a draftee in the first had a Pro Day attended by both Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin. Third, the draftee almost always has dinner with KC and MT the night before his Pro Day. Fourth, the draftee typically ranks very high in the RAS or “Relative Athletic Score” category. Lastly, the draftee is almost always a guy at a ‘position of need.’ That – right there – is what makes this year so interesting. Do the Steelers view QB as a position of need the same way the fan base does? Since signing Mitchell Trubisky I do not believe so. Therefore, ILB, DL, OL, WR and S have to be considered higher on their list.
Farewell Zach
Former Steelers’ Offensive Tackle Zach Banner posted a “thank you” video to his social media this weekend. I think when we look back at Banner it will be a series of “what ifs?” The kid worked so hard to drop weight and get himself into a spot where he was the starting right tackle only to tear his ACL in the very first game. The knee has never been right since and the team did the right thing in moving on from him. The truth is that we’ll never know how good he could have been or not. Based on the small body of work I had concerns but Banner should be proud of himself and what he accomplished personally. I wish him well.
FOCO
The great people at FOCO have released their brand new Steelers Spring Collection and I’ve got it right here for you. We get a small percentage back on anything that you buy so please consider it! There are tons of great Steelers item on their site outside of the Spring collection too!
Our Online Store
Please visit our online store! We have been so fortunate to work with DC4L Custom Tees! They are wonderful to work with and are willing to work with you on just about any design you can come up with! Here’s our latest idea which is a tribute to our two great retired quarterbacks!
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