SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Moving Forward’ Edition

Good Thursday to you Steelers fans.

I’ve heard or seen the comment “It doesn’t really feel like Ravens’ Week” several times over the last few days and to be honest, I agree. While the rivalry is definitely not what it used to be, it’s still one of the more important weeks on the calendar. It’s hard to really gauge the feeling in the locker room but I know that many fans have yet to let go from the debacle that was Sunday’s loss in Houston. For the players, it’s hard to let go simply because the media continues to ask about the past rather than look forward to the future. I don’t blame them – that’s where the stories are – so I totally get why they are still asking players about the Texans’ loss. That said, it’s time to move on. There’s nothing that can be done about last week. What can be learned from it has been learned. With so many injury concerns, the Steelers themselves don’t have time to pout. They have to prepare for a 3-1 Ravens’ team that played really well in beating Cleveland last Sunday on the road. Speaking of “the road,” this game carries extra significance because the Ravens have already won once at the Browns and once at the Bengals. A 3-0 start in the AFC North with all three remaining games at home would be a massive advantage for Baltimore. I’m guessing Mike Tomlin isn’t as concerned about that as he is his own team but the fact remains… This is a huge game on many levels. The first level of which is moving forward which we all need to do.

The Podcast

Episode 338 of the SCB Steelers Podcast is airing LIVE tonight at 10pmET. It goes without saying that we have a ton of things to discuss. There are many other Steelers podcasts out there but we are confident ours is one of the best. We are honest, opinionated and informed. Most importantly, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. I highly encourage you to give it a listen or watch.

Injury Report

I think you can go ahead and count Pat Freiermuth and Dan Moore out for this week. DeMarvin Leal, James Daniels and Kenny Pickett are toss-ups. Pickett claims he is going to play after wearing a big, bulky knee brace in Wednesday’s practice. As Tomlin always says, participation will be their guide but I seriously wonder if Mitchell Trubisky shouldn’t start.

Rumors

This is not TMZ. I understand there are rumors floating around about the personal lives of certain Pittsburgh Steelers’ players current and former but unless those players or the organization comment on them then they are nothing but rumors at this point.

Padded Practice

So as many of you know, Mike Tomlin was less than impressed with his team’s lack of physicality on Sunday. He therefore made Wednesday’s practice a fully padded one. Some have commented that this doesn’t make sense. When you look at the list of of guys who didn’t participate did it even matter? Actually it does. Tomlin may have been calling out the entire team but his message was much more aimed at the younger players than the old. Personally I don’t think having such a practice is suddenly going to make your team a physical behemoth, but it is what it is.

Expectations

I said this to the SCB crew Sunday night while we lamented the loss but I’ll repeat it here. I fully expect the Steelers to play hard Sunday. That doesn’t necessarily mean “well” but they’re embarrassed by what happened and I think they’ll be out to prove themselves better. This doesn’t mean I’m predicting a victory but I expect a closer game than many believe. Also, don’t be surprised if there’s a lot of purple in the stands either.