Good Wednesday you Steelers fans.
No one is perfect. Believe me, I speak from a massive amount of experience… In the world of Public Relations, it is extremely important to be accurate. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ PR Department has won awards for their work but even they have moments where “oops” is appropriate. On Monday, the Steelers released their depth chart and as most of you are aware, the huge talking point was Mason Rudolph listed at the backup and Kenny Pickett placed in the third-string position. There was ALL KINDS of commentary on this seemingly ridiculous move but as we found out today, it turned out to be nothing more than a mistake. Pickett will begin the season as the backup and Rudolph as the third QB. That in and of itself will likely create talking points in the days and weeks to come but for now, all seems right in the Steelers’ fandom. This was a simple and honest mistake made by the PR Department. I will however ask why it took 24 hours to admit the mistake. Social media was literally going nuclear over the QB depth chart and the Steelers had to know this. Why they chose to wait I do not know but I’ll trust that Burt Lauten and his team know far better than I do.
Franco
It is only fitting that the third Steelers’ player to have his number retired is Franco Harris. The four-time Super Bowl Champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his legendary ‘Immaculate Reception’ this year. Team President Art Rooney II admitted that he asked for a game as close to the actual anniversary as possible and with the Raiders on the schedule, it all fell into place. At halftime of that game on Christmas Eve, Harris’ number 32 will forever be retired. Many numbers, like 12 and 58 for example, are never given out despite not being officially retired. Harris’ 32 has been among that group since he left the team in 1983. I would expect Terry Bradshaw to be next with Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Mel Blount to follow.
Tweet of the Day… Proud to say I was at this game, this final one in Three Rivers Stadium.
Congratulations to my friend, mentor and one of the best of all time to wear black and yellow, @francoharrishof, on having your number retired by the @steelers. You are the definition of greatness. pic.twitter.com/Y2VPv3QcNf
— Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) September 6, 2022
So Now We Know
With Mitchell Trubisky being named a captain earlier this week, his being named the starting quarterback for week one should have come as no surprise. Of course it really shouldn’t have been a surprise in the first place. While Kenny Pickett was most impressive during the preseason, this has always been Trubisky’s job to lose since he signed back in March. He will provide a steady hand for an extremely young offense and bigger than that, his athleticism must be on display behind this less than stellar offensive line.
94
You know as well as I do that when Tyson Alualu went down in early in the season with a broken ankle it spelled doom for the Steelers’ defense. While they still led the league in sacks, the ability to stop the run was diminished to a point where it was non-existent. Despite the signing of Larry Ogunjobi, I still think Alualu is the ultimate lynch pin for this unit’s ability to stop the run. Because of his experience and overall ability and his time next to Cam Heyward, Alualu provides the defense with everything they need. Whether he plays over the center in a traditional 3-4 or as a defensive tackle in sub packages, I really believe his presence is going to go a long ways towards this unit stopping the run in 2022.
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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