Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers in the midst of their annual mini-camp, it’s hard not to hold one’s breath. While there is very little contact, there’s nothing worse than seeing a guy go down with an injury. The New York Jets are already feeling this as recently acquired safety Chuck Clark is believed to have suffered a serious knee injury. The former Raven was in his first season in New York after playing his first six in Baltimore. This is exactly the type of thing that scares the crap out of me. If that’s my major concern now, then by Thursday evening my concern will center on that dreaded point of the year we all know too well. It’s the period when players are no longer beholden to anyone but themselves. And that my friends can be scary. If you look back across the last 20 years or so you’ll see that many players across the league have found themselves in bad places. Sometimes these things have led to police involvement, injury or worse. So while the Steelers wrap up mini-camp this week let’s hope the team remains healthy and let’s also wish them well during their summer break. By “well” I mean, don’t do anything stupid.
RIP Stan
As many of you know, “The Godfather” of Pittsburgh sports passed away this week. Stan Savran, a Cleveland native who came to the Steel City in the 1970’s and was as popular on television and radio as anyone. We’ll discuss his impact on the Steelers and more on this week’s SCB Steelers Podcast.
Tweet of the Day… This is from a couple of days ago and I have some thoughts below.
Mass staff purge at all of the Athletic sites today.
Given that many #Steelers blogs simply regurgitate what they read behind pay walls, it's not just the guys losing their jobs that are being impacted here.— Ben Anderson (@BenAnderson58) June 12, 2023
The Blog Effect
When the internet burst upon us a few decades ago, few of us could have seen the impact it would have on local and national sports coverage. The Athletic was thought to be a site that would work. It was to be a combination of national and local beat writers across all sports. Pittsburgh sports has really good writers in the form Mark Kaboly and Josh Yohe among others. Unfortunately the plan didn’t come to fruition the way The Athletic wanted it to and some people blame sites just like the one you’re reading now. Allow me to be perfectly clear here; I started sharing my opinions on the Steelers and life in general 15 years ago. I felt my knowledge of both the Steelers and the game itself was strong enough to warrant airing my opinion. I also didn’t like how everyone put “sunshine up your rear end” all the time either. Like the other teams in the NFL, the Steelers are not and have not always been infallible. That little Word Press site blossomed into this and I’m forever stunned and grateful. At no time however have I ever considered myself a journalist or beat writer or insider. I’m a school teacher who happens to have a really passionate hobby. This hobby has given me tremendous opportunities to meet incredible people and yes, even some close to the Steelers, but what I do here should never impact what happens at sites like The Athletic. Those are real people who are now looking for work and I hope they find it soon.
Tyson Alualu
I’ve pondered the future of the veteran defensive lineman throughout the offseason simply because he never really stated whether his career was over or not. Not all players “officially retire” as many just ride off into the sunset without a public comment. Alualu said this week that he’d be open to returning to the Steelers should they pick up the phone. As of this writing I don’t think they do, but Training Camp brings on many, many issues so never say “never.”
Chase Young and Dalvin Cook
It never ceases to me amaze me how quickly Steelers’ fans start pining for players as soon as they become available. I’ll get this out of the way first… Dalvin Cook is not coming to Pittsburgh and I’m not even going into why. It’s just silly. Chase young however is a different story. It’s no secret that Mike Tomlin likes Young a lot. Mike Tomlin likes a lot of guys who he wasn’t able to draft so this isn’t a huge deal. There’s no question that Young has tons of talent but he’s also missed far more games than he’s played in due to injury. Washington isn’t going to give the former first round pick away for peanuts, but they also know they aren’t going to get what they want for him. If the Steelers are truly serious about him then offer a fifth or a sixth and ask for a seventh in return. Keep in mind that Young will be a free agent after the season and it isn’t very ‘Steeler-like’ to trade for a player and then just let him go. Considering the amount the Steelers already have invested on defense, I’d be surprised if they actually make a run at him.
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