Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
Last week and on Monday of this week, I defended former Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster. While I didn’t always agree with some of the social media activity, I appreciated his toughness and effort while in Pittsburgh. But after what I saw yesterday, I have to take that back a bit. I still think JuJu is a quality football player and an overall good person, but there was no need for the tweet that you’ll find below.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody ❤️ pic.twitter.com/skXuZVgrYR
— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) February 14, 2023
If you aren’t sure, the player pictured here is James Bradberry who was flagged for holding late in Super Bowl LVII. The holding call pretty much sealed victory for the Chiefs. Bradberry had a terrific season and played his ass off in the Super Bowl. He also held himself accountable when after the game he admitted he held Smith-Schuster on the play. Do I see the humor involved here? I do but I find it in poor taste as well. JuJu is getting a lot of clap-back from Bradberry’s teammates and I don’t blame them. JuJu has his moments both on and off the field but he also does questionable stuff like this which I can’t defend.
The Podcast
We’ll be back in our regular Thursday, 10:05pmET time slot this week. The SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc of South Florida will provide you with the latest on the Steelers, our thoughts on the Super Bowl and will hand out our annual Blitzie Awards.
Tweet of the Day… Don’t do drugs kids.
Best fit for Derek Carr? Steelers. Can't go into next season with Kenny Pickett. Carr is accurate & Steelers have two good RB's & good playmakers at WR/TE. Most importantly? He'll thrive in a Mike Tomlin environment.
— Jason Smith (@howaboutafresca) February 15, 2023
Center of Attention
For all the talk about both of the offensive lines from Sunday night (and with good reason), I’d like to focus on the centers specifically. Jason Kelce and Creed Humphrey were outstanding. Not only did they perform their primary jobs of snapping the ball well but they blocked their asses off both in the run and pass games and did a damn fine job of communicating up and down their respective lines. I mention this because I’m not entirely certain the Steelers won’t draft a center this Spring. Free agent signing Mason Cole performed better than I thought he would but that doesn’t mean the position can’t be upgraded. I guess what I’m saying is this; don’t be surprised if one of those first three picks goes for a center.
Priority
As we are now about one month from the start of free agency, I have to believe Cam Sutton is at the top of the Steelers’ list of free agents needing to be signed. His versatility, football IQ and experience with the team are key reasons why. But, the most important reason is that the Steelers are dreadfully short on cornerbacks. Second on my list would be Terrell Edmunds. Had he been a third round draft pick, Edmunds would be among the most celebrated Steelers’ defenders. Because he was a first round pick, he’ll never be viewed that way. What he does is play steady, remain healthy and allow Minkah Fitzpatrick to do what he does. From there, I think the list is wide open.
Prospect Profiles
We’ve started our NFL Draft Coverage here at SCB and the first of our Position Profiles is out. We’ve made the decision that rather than make extensive profiles of each player, we are doing smaller ones and grouping them by position. This allows us to easier update information as Pro Days and the Combine provide more info.
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