Good Monday to you Steelers’ Fans!
The Steelers went to Nashville last night and defeated the Tennessee Titans 18-6 to move to 3-0 on the preseason. They will have a seriously quick turnaround as they play in Carolina on Thursday evening just two days ahead of the massive roster cut-down that will take the team from 90 players down to 53. Here are my thoughts on the Steelers’ performance last night.
Linebacker Decisions
Tuzar Skipper is doing everything he can to make Mike Tomlin’s life miserable. The young man recorded four tackles along with a sack to keep proving that he belongs on this roster… Robert Spillane, who led the Titans in tackles during the preseason last year before being cut, recorded five tackles, a sack and another tackle for loss as well. His chances are slim but he sure is pressing the matter… Devin Bush is really fast. In case you didn’t know that… Sutton Smith saw his first action as a Steeler and recorded a tackle.
The QB Situation is Concrete in My Mind
Ben Roethlisberger didn’t look great last night but he looked pretty good. There were definitely a few throws that got away from him but by and large he was solid and most importantly he came away unscathed… Mason Rudolph locked up the backup job last night. He threw his first interception of the preseason but if you saw it, this was all on James Washington who clearly did not run the correct route… Josh Dobbs showed his great ability to avoid the rush on a few occasions but was just 4 for 9 79 yards and a pick. I still believe if the Steelers can get a draft pick for him they should trade Dobbs who has hit his ceiling in my opinion… Look for Devlin Hodges to get most, if not all of the snaps on Thursday.
Tweet of the Day… I couldn’t agree more here with Richard Sherman. Booing Andrew Luck because he made a life decision is wrong.
This is a very rough game. Most people who have not played at this level will never understand what we put our bodies through season after season. We don’t need the sympathy because this is what we signed up for but to “boo” a man that battled for that city is disgraceful.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) August 25, 2019
The Offensive Line Depth is Clearing Up
The starting O-Line looked solid last night in their relatively short debut. Injuries to both Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro did not keep them from playing last night… Fred Johnson continues to impress at guard but he still has work to do as far as finishing blocks and following through when he pulls… Chuks Okorafor looked better than he did the first two weeks but that right tackle spot is clearly Matt Feiler‘s.
Tuitt for Two
Stephon Tuitt recorded a safety last night to open the scoring and it came on a sack of Marcus Mariota. He paired that with another sack for a very nice evening. I’ve been told that Tuitt played most of 2018 less than 100% and that affected his overall ability leading to a sub-par season. Now at 100%, Tuitt looks like the monster the Steelers know he can be. This is an encouraging sign.
Specialists are Set
Go ahead and pencil in Jordan Berry, Chris Boswell and Kam Canaday for the three major specialist jobs. Matthew Wright really hasn’t done anything to lose the competition for place kicker but he had to have Boswell fail and he didn’t. While Berry is never going to blow anyone away with his punting, don’t forget he’s also the holder for Boswell. That’s more important than you might think… I also think Ryan Switzer will open the season as both the punt and kick returner.
On the Injury Front
Bud Dupree left with a thumb injury. No word on the severity of it at the time of this writing… Sean Davis left with a leg injury but he told the Trib’s Joe Rutter he would not be missing the Patriots’ game. We’ll have to see how that goes as this week goes on but I feel confident he won’t play in Carolina.
Quick Turnaround
The Steelers literally will have just three days before heading to Carolina to take on the Panthers. I expect very few starters to play in this game save for maybe a few along the offensive and defensive lines. All NFL teams must be down to their 53-man rosters by 4pm on August 31st.
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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