Home Quick Hitters SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Small Step’ Edition

SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Small Step’ Edition

by Steeldad
steelcityblitz.com

Good Victory Monday to you Steelers fans.

There are no style points in the NFL. No one cares by how much you win or how dominant you look when you win. There are no pollsters to impress. Winning games improves your chances of winning your division which in turn means making the playoffs. Therefore the Steelers’ 20-10 win over New Orleans matters little when it comes to style and substance. Kenny Pickett is struggling, but didn’t turn the ball over. The defense was without Minkah Fitzpatrick but held the Saints to just ten points. The kicking game is a complete disaster but did enough to win the game. Again, no one cares about style points and you shouldn’t either. Sunday was a small step towards hopefully larger things. Enjoy the fact that we can celebrate a “victory Monday” on this day because they haven’t exactly been in abundance this season.

Pickett

Kenny Pickett is not playing as well as I think many of us expected. Being an older guy who had so much familiarity with the Steelers, it just seemed like he would step right in didn’t it? I think there is one thing happening that Mike Tomlin has to be very careful of and I fear it’s getting too late. I believe that Tomlin and Matt Canada have preached “ball security” and “taking care of the ball” so much that Pickett is afraid to make mistakes. He has become a ‘one-read’ guy who pulls the ball down and runs rather than go through his progressions. Also, look at his throws around the end zone. Everything is deep or high where it would take a superior effort to by his receivers to make the play. Otherwise, the ball is incomplete. Look back at Pickett in his final season at Pitt. You saw a fearless, aggressive passer who let it rip more often than not. I’m hopeful they let him start being more aggressive sooner rather than later.

Tweet of the Day… And they may be correct. But when you see the guy you want you go get him.

The Benefits

So who benefited from the return of T.J. Watt yesterday? Was it Alex Highsmith and his two sacks and forced fumble? Was it Cam Heyward who saw a few less double-teams? Was it Damontae Kazee and Levi Wallace who were able to get interceptions? How about we just make it simple? The entire defense benefited from the return of Watt. His impact is far more than just rushing the passer. His presence forces teams to design plays away from Watt and it forces them to run when they might pass and vice versa. In other words, his presence benefited everyone.

Around the North

The Steelers now have company in the cellar of the AFC North. The Cleveland Browns went to Miami as did the Steelers a few weeks ago and they left with the same result, a big, fat ‘L.’ Both teams are now 3-6 on the season but I’m told all this changes when Deshaun Watson returns. Can he play defense? The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals were both off on Sunday. Cincinnati will of course come to Pittsburgh next week.

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