Good Friday to you Steelers fans.
In the “old” days, week three of the NFL Preseason schedule was often deemed the “dress rehearsal” game for most teams. I received this moniker because NFL head coaches preferred to use this game to play their starters the most or longest in preparation for the regular season. Week four was then nothing more than one final casting call for many players fighting for their football lives. With the NFL moving to a 17-game schedule, they have reduced the preseason to just three games (the Steelers and Cowboys play four as a result of the Hall of Fame Game) therefore this becomes the dress rehearsal for the 2021 regular season. We already know Ben Roethlisberger will start. How much he plays we do not know but I don’t expect it to be more than a couple of series. I’ve already laid out my opinion on him playing Saturday night and as far as the other starters it will be tough to say. I would expect the Steelers offensive line to play some significant minutes. The perceived starting five have only started working together since the beginning of this week so I’m hoping they get more time than most think they need. Defensively I look forward to seeing Joe Schobert on the field. He has reportedly picked things up well and is expected to be the signal-caller on defense moving forward. Obviously the number one goal against the Lions is to remain healthy. I doubt we see Chase Claypool who injured his ankle this week and I’m confident anyone else with lingering issues will be a case-by-case basis. Just plan on next week not seeing many, if any, of the regulars.
Tweet of the Day… This is good stuff from our historian Gordon. Can you imagine thinking THAT was a lot of money back then for football?
#OTD in #SteelersHistory 1977 the Pittsburgh Press put the spotlight on #Steelers players who had retired and Jack Lambert holding out for more money adding a letter from a fan who supported Lambert.
He signed two weeks later for reportedly $1.8 million. pic.twitter.com/Tdoow0dzLc
— Gordon Dedman (@SteelUK) August 20, 2021
Joint Practices
I’m a big fan of boxing. It’s not what it once was largely because of the popularity of MMA but I still prefer the “sweet science” any day. If you miss seeing some good punches then maybe you should just attend a joint practice at an NFL Training Camp. I guarantee you that if you go to a practice where two teams are vying against each other there will be a fight. It’s as expected as snow in the Rocky Mountains or rain in the Amazon and it’s becoming largely ridiculous. You’d think this would be often just guys fighting for roster spots trying to demonstrate their toughness but that isn’t the case. Antonio Brown was involved yesterday. Aaron Donald was involved yesterday. Therefore that theory is out that window. Teams obviously believe they get something out of these joint practices but the fights aren’t good. They’re bad for the league and for the teams involved.
My Five Cents
I honestly believe the Steelers do not know what their answer will be yet for the nickel corner spot. As you know, this is no longer just a ‘specialty package’ position. With so many standard three and four wide receiver sets your nickel corner is on the field a lot. It appeared that Antoine Brooks and Arthur Maulet were in line to be the answer but this week Cam Sutton was used inside for the first time. He excels there as a cover man but is not as reliable as a tackler or blitzer. This issue reminds me of the old saying about quarterbacks. When you have two QBs you don’t have any. I get the feeling the Steelers still don’t have a guy they can rely on exclusively and to me that’s a problem.
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Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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