Good Tuesday to you Steelers fans.
We all have a point where we just seem to blow our top. Some do it with the violence of a nuclear explosion while others have a much more tempered approach. Mike Tomlin has never been known as the ‘steam coming out of his ears’ type. I’ve talked to several people who have been in the locker room at halftime of some of the worst first half performances in Steelers’ history yet Tomlin kept his cool. Yesterday, he fell somewhere between the nuclear explosion and the calm approach and this was directed 100% at the offensive line. If things stand pat, this O-Line will again be the biggest weakness for this team for the third straight season and it feels like Tomlin has had enough. He singled out Kendrick Green who was asked by reporters yesterday if he had done enough to earn the left guard spot. His reply? “No, not at all.” At least he’s honest… Kevin Dotson took reps with the first team in practice yesterday but until he can prove to stay healthy, I’m not doing cartwheels. I am convinced beyond a doubt that they will bring someone in via trade or settle for a castoff who was a cap casualty somewhere else. They have to don’t they? If Ben Roethlisberger had been playing QB behind this line Saturday night we would have all witnessed a murder. It was that bad and there isn’t one guy on that line who can look in the mirror and say, “I did pretty good.” Because none of them did. Green was the unfortunate example of Tomlin’s lesson but he wasn’t the only guilty party. All of the skill position talent in the world can’t make up for a shoddy offensive line and no one knows that like Mike Tomlin does.
Tweet of the Day… One Day at a time.
'Today was about the evaluation of our tape and then coming out here and doing what was appropriate relative to what we saw on tape. We made some corrections…and then we came out here and had a good workday.' – Coach Mike Tomlin
?: https://t.co/mlKMQXdT24 pic.twitter.com/LOt087Yqwr
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 22, 2022
Swing and a Miss
Scouting and player evaluation is not an exact science. Different scouts look for different things and they see different things. It is abundantly clear that the Steelers took a huge swing at Kendrick Green and whiffed mightily. Would it surprise you to know the guy who banged the table for Green was Adrian Klemm? He’s the offensive line coach who left with a few games remaining last season to take the same position at Oregon. Klemm promised to bring more aggressiveness to the Steelers’ offensive line. Green was supposed to be the anchor to that new approach. Kevin Colbert and company agreed with Klemm and why I have no idea. You know the story… Four career college starts at center at Illinois. Undersized, shorter arms, but aggressive and feisty. The lack of size and arm length is so out of the norm for what the Steelers look for that I remain perplexed to this day. No one likes to admit they were totally wrong on a draft pick, especially a third rounder, but Green hasn’t worked out and I don’t see it getting any better.
And on That Note…
Doing what I do here at SCB, social media is often a necessary evil. While most people understand what I’m about to say some do not. When I or we are critical of a player’s performance, that does not mean you “don’t like him!” Often times people call you a “hater” because you’re critical. I can also be critical of my own kids at home but that doesn’t mean I hate them. People need to relax a bit.
Celebrating 50 years of “Immaculate”
We’ve got a brand new shirt/hoodie in our online store with DC4L Custom Tees celebrating the 50th anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception!” Get yours right here.
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! AND…. Check out their selection of reusable bags too! 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!
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