Good Friday to you Steelers fans.
I assume it’s just a sign of our current culture – this need to immediately place celestial expectations on players – before they even get their head fitted for a helmet. Look, I get the excitement. The Steelers had a really good draft, on paper. Games however are not won on paper. Playoff wins aren’t won on paper. Super Bowl titles aren’t won on paper. All of these things are accomplished on the field. While our expectations for these players (and all players for that matter) are very high, we must also recognize some hard truths. We don’t know how good Broderick Jones will be or Darnell Washington or Nick Herbig. So therefore I have no idea why fans take to social media to proclaim “future hall of famer” or “the Steelers should be in the Super Bowl within another year or two.” Where in the hell do these comments come from? What have you seen that makes you say this? None of us have seen these rookies take a single snap as professionals. Matt Canada is still the offensive coordinator. The team still lacks depth at certain positions and we haven’t even started the rookie mini-camp yet! There’s a massive difference between being positive about the direction of your team and being hyperbolic. Be confident and be positive be for crying out loud give this team a chance before we start proclaiming them champions.
The Podcast
Episode 317 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc of South Florida is now available for your listening and/or viewing enjoyment. We did a full recap of the Steelers’ Draft haul from last weekend and also discussed some of what I mentioned above in terms of expectations. Thanks to everyone who participated in the live show!!
Tweet of the Day… Technical difficulties suck. We’ve all been there. It sucks even worse when you’re trying to join the Podcast as Ben was last night and literally nothing was working. Leave it to Ian to have some fun at his expense.
@BenAnderson58 trying to join the @SCB_Podcast tonight pic.twitter.com/vjfEuaEdxb
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) May 5, 2023
Tight End Shuffle
With Darnell Washington on board, the big question many have had is how does this impact Zach Gentry? I don’t know that it’s as easy as just saying one thing or another. There have to be some dominoes that fall a certain way in order for us to truly know how things shake out. There’s no question that Pat Freiermuth is your starter. I personally also feel there’s doubt that Washington becomes the number two. That leaves Gentry, who recently signed a one-year deal to remain with the Steelers. Mike Tomlin has kept three tight ends before but we must also consider the status of Conner Heyward. It’s possible that Tomlin lists him as a tight end yet he’ll never actually line up there. He’ll play much more of an H-Back role where he lines up all over the formation. Heyward could also be listed as a fullback. Regardless of what the roster looks like in early September, Tomlin always has a tight end or two on the Practice Squad so how this unfolds will be curious as Training Camp gets rolling this summer.
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