Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
Will Mike Tomlin change his ways? That’s a rhetorical question because the answer is “I highly doubt it.” Since his first season in 2007, Tomlin has always favored a running back committee of one and after the rookie season of Najee Harris, that’s going to continue. The Steelers have, to this point, made no effort to upgrade the backup running back position. They didn’t draft one, they didn’t sign any in free agency and they don’t appear to be in any hurry to address it. While they did sign a couple of undrafted free agent rookies, that’s not exactly what I would call “bringing in viable backups.” Benny Snell is a nice running back and that’s me “being nice.” He’s not dynamic, lacks speed and doesn’t do much in the passing game. More importantly is that he isn’t the change of pace guy that would fit perfectly in this lineup. While Anthony McFarland is still here, he’s done nothing to make any of us think he can be that guy. This is his final shot so if it’s going to happen the time is now. All of this brings me to the bigger point which is that Najee Harris is likely to see another huge year in terms of touches. Which means he’s that much closer to see his wheels run right off of him. After all, Tomlin isn’t going to change.
The Podcast
We recorded episode 270 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc this past Monday night. Topics included the schedule for 2022… The quarterback battle… The latest on the General Manager search… and much more as usual.
Tweet of the Day… One of the great magazine covers of all time.
Stop playin pic.twitter.com/ytqTCOpnDd
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) May 18, 2022
OTA Docket
Phase Two of the Steelers OTAs comes to an end on Friday. Phase Three brings more voluntary workouts followed at the end by the mandatory mini-camp for all players which is held June 14th through the June 16th. That three-day period is when we should get our first look at all three quarterbacks but at the same time I’ll remind you… It doesn’t mean much until we get into Training Camp.
Strength of Schedule
The Steelers come in tied for 12th in terms of the most difficult schedule in 2022. Their opponents have a combined winning percentage of just over .500. Keep in mind that the Steelers have often done better against tougher schedules. The LA Rams have the toughest followed by the Bengals. The entire NFC East has the weakest schedule in the league.
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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