PRESEASON THREAD

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I think I was a tad bit over reactive on Adams' play Saturday night. After watching the game again I realized he actually didn't do as bad as I thought. He made his usual mistakes, but amongst the other fodder on the 2nd team O-line he was actually decent. Adams played more snaps than any other O-lineman that night, and I think Munchak is trying to get this kid as many reps as he can. Could give Munchak good material for personal coaching techniques. Adams still has a ways to go before considering him a quality backup at both OT positions. But the more exposure he gets in the preseason could lead to a boost in confidence.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

Unfortunately not. I have to wait for the re-run on the NFL network.

I caught the NFL network replay. Big problem was that it was the Giant's broadcast of the game so everthing was slanted towrd NY. The announcers rarely mentioned who was making tackles for the Steelers' D which was very anoying to me!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I caught the NFL network replay. Big problem was that it was the Giant's broadcast of the game so everthing was slanted towrd NY. The announcers rarely mentioned who was making tackles for the Steelers' D which was very anoying to me!

The live broadcast here was by a PIT announcer. All he talked about was the Steelers players.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

The live broadcast here was by a PIT announcer. All he talked about was the Steelers players.

I live deep in enemy territory so I got to take what I can for viewing Pittsburgh sports teams. I wish the NFL network had used the Pittsburgh broadcast instead of the Giants one but at least I could see the game. During the season NFL Redzone is my best friend for all non national games.

 

[MISKO]

I live deep in enemy territory so I got to take what I can for viewing Pittsburgh sports teams. I wish the NFL network had used the Pittsburgh broadcast instead of the Giants one but at least I could see the game. During the season NFL Redzone is my best friend for all non national games.

I know what you mean .. i get the sunday ticket for regular season .. but preseason I have to watch it on line

 

[3riverbabe]

I know what you mean .. i get the sunday ticket for regular season .. but preseason I have to watch it on line

Yeah, same here. Looking forward to the regular season!

 

[MISKO]

soon our sundays will be filled babe

 

[3riverbabe]

soon our sundays will be filled babe

I wish I could see the next preseason game. My husband is a Bills fan.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

My thoughts on the 2nd game:

QB's... Ben looked like a general out there. No-huddle offense looked in midseason form. Gradkowski showed some improvement. Glad he can manage the no-huddle. Landry looked awful. At this point I'm questioning whether he is worth the development. Should see Brandon Key this week.
RB's... No-huddle took the RB's out of the run game, but still saw some dump passes. Archer showed more spark, but he needs to show more between the tackles or else defenses are going to key on him. Still waiting for the 5th option to emerge. Poole & Harris are likely candidates, but the team could go with 4 (Bell, Blount, Archer, WJ).
WR's... AB & Wheaton look like a dangerous combo! Both scoring great TD's. JB is pretty much locked in at #5. Bryant had a better game. Showed great catching ability down the sideline.
TE's... Not much to report. Pretty solid night. Blanch looked pedestrian though. Not liking his chances.
O-line... 1st unit looked good. No-huddle didn't get the run game going so hard to judge completely. 2nd teamers Wallace & Hubbard showed good improvement. Lost Browning to a separated shoulder. Johnson continued to struggle. Played at C for most of the game. Versatility is his only saving grace.
D-line... Tuitt showing more promise. McLendon needs to show some consistency, but he is getting some good penetration. McCullers is giving the opposing 2nd team O-lineman problems lol. He is continuing to make his case for the backup NT, at the very least he should make the 53. The battle between Arnfelt & Mauro is heating up. Both had strong showings against the Bills. Mauro just looks like he belongs, almost like a young Keisel.
OLB's... Carter showed some promise starting in place of JJ. Good mobility, and containment. Worilds is continuing to have good games. So'oto & HoJo are beginning to look like the Batman & Robin of the preseason. I think So'oto has the edge over Zumwalt at this point, and HoJo will likely need a year on the PS. Zumwalt needs to show up this week or he is PS-bound.
ILBs... Obviously Shazier stole the show. He amassed 11 tackles (2 ST) & a very athletic INT over the middle in only a little over 1 quarter of play. The arrow is pointed sky high at this point. My only concern is his tackling. He does the drag tackle which doesn't excite me in the least. He needs to show more drive & follow through if-you-will. Spence showed more reliability, but not as strong of a showing.
CB's... Not a good game for the CBs. Taylor & Gay looked ok, but Allen got beat a few times which worries me. Blake looked pedestrain, even stringing a few mind numbing penalties on consecutive plays. Toler looked lost. Positions are still up for grabs so Richardson needs to come back strong this week.
S's... Glad to see Polamalu in action again. He looks like he is going to have a good season if health permits. Thomas had a great game. 1 great FF, and a huge tackle on a short pass in the red zone that saved a TD. Mitchell is showing some good physical play, but the refs called him for it twice. He will need to change up his play a little since the refs are really cracking the whip. Golden had a roller coaster game. First he got trucked by a TE, then he got a good FR & a gift wrapped INT.
ST... Wing showed more improvement. Couple great punts, and a few good ones he pinned inside the 20. Suishi caused more head scratching on a missed extra point. He's making it harder to forgive him lol. Glad it didn't cost the game.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

My thoughts on the 2nd game:

QB's... Ben looked like a general out there. No-huddle offense looked in midseason form. Gradkowski showed some improvement. Glad he can manage the no-huddle. Landry looked awful. At this point I'm questioning whether he is worth the development. Should see Brandon Key this week.
RB's... No-huddle took the RB's out of the run game, but still saw some dump passes. Archer showed more spark, but he needs to show more between the tackles or else defenses are going to key on him. Still waiting for the 5th option to emerge. Poole & Harris are likely candidates, but the team could go with 4 (Bell, Blount, Archer, WJ).
WR's... AB & Wheaton look like a dangerous combo! Both scoring great TD's. JB is pretty much locked in at #5. Bryant had a better game. Showed great catching ability down the sideline.
TE's... Not much to report. Pretty solid night. Blanch looked pedestrian though. Not liking his chances.
O-line... 1st unit looked good. No-huddle didn't get the run game going so hard to judge completely. 2nd teamers Wallace & Hubbard showed good improvement. Lost Browning to a separated shoulder. Johnson continued to struggle. Played at C for most of the game. Versatility is his only saving grace.
D-line... Tuitt showing more promise. McLendon needs to show some consistency, but he is getting some good penetration. McCullers is giving the opposing 2nd team O-lineman problems lol. He is continuing to make his case for the backup NT, at the very least he should make the 53. The battle between Arnfelt & Mauro is heating up. Both had strong showings against the Bills. Mauro just looks like he belongs, almost like a young Keisel.
OLB's... Carter showed some promise starting in place of JJ. Good mobility, and containment. Worilds is continuing to have good games. So'oto & HoJo are beginning to look like the Batman & Robin of the preseason. I think So'oto has the edge over Zumwalt at this point, and HoJo will likely need a year on the PS. Zumwalt needs to show up this week or he is PS-bound.
ILBs... Obviously Shazier stole the show. He amassed 11 tackles (2 ST) & a very athletic INT over the middle in only a little over 1 quarter of play. The arrow is pointed sky high at this point. My only concern is his tackling. He does the drag tackle which doesn't excite me in the least. He needs to show more drive & follow through if-you-will. Spence showed more reliability, but not as strong of a showing.
CB's... Not a good game for the CBs. Taylor & Gay looked ok, but Allen got beat a few times which worries me. Blake looked pedestrain, even stringing a few mind numbing penalties on consecutive plays. Toler looked lost. Positions are still up for grabs so Richardson needs to come back strong this week.
S's... Glad to see Polamalu in action again. He looks like he is going to have a good season if health permits. Thomas had a great game. 1 great FF, and a huge tackle on a short pass in the red zone that saved a TD. Mitchell is showing some good physical play, but the refs called him for it twice. He will need to change up his play a little since the refs are really cracking the whip. Golden had a roller coaster game. First he got trucked by a TE, then he got a good FR & a gift wrapped INT.
ST... Wing showed more improvement. Couple great punts, and a few good ones he pinned inside the 20. Suishi caused more head scratching on a missed extra point. He's making it harder to forgive him lol. Glad it didn't cost the game.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Face...I wasn't too concerned about the CBs, but agree they didn't have a good game.

SS...don't want to lose him for any length of time, but for the 1st time in a long time, I'm not too worried about Troy going down...Thomas is ready...just needs to keep getting game reps...if he studys as hard as he hits, he's going to be fine.

I have to think there will be more focus on the run game next time out...no huddle clearly was the agenda this week and I thought they looked sharp.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I've watched 3 Qtrs of the Bills game.

OFC

• OL...looked pretty good in pass protection...not much focus on the running game when Ben was in there so hard to really say much about run blocking.
• Don't recall seeing him in there with the 1st team, but I continue to think Bryant will produce a few big plays...Right now J. Brown is looking better....not fair to him imo, but Moye is not getting enough time with the #1s or enough decent targets to make the team.
• Landry Jones is most likely not the future...I would like to see Brendon Key get some snaps next game.

DEF

• Obviously I have to start with the #1 pick...not a perfect game, but I see why he was inserted into the starting lineup so quickly...he's a 3 down player that is dynamic.
• Tuitt has some wheels and will be the starting DE at some point this season.
• Shamarko Thomas...they will have to find snaps for this kid...not just a big hitter, he tackles
• Speaking of tackling...I was disappointing in that part of the game overall...BUF RBs got way too many yards after contact.
• McLendon is going to make some splash plays when he guesses right on gap penetration, but point of attack play in play out I wasn't thrilled with his push...he was getting turned a bit

Preseason I know, but PIT looked to be the better team on the field...especially our OFC vs their DEF.

Face...I wasn't too concerned about the CBs, but agree they didn't have a good game.

SS...don't want to lose him for any length of time, but for the 1st time in a long time, I'm not too worried about Troy going down...Thomas is ready...just needs to keep getting game reps...if he studys as hard as he hits, he's going to be fine.

I have to think there will be more focus on the run game next time out...no huddle clearly was the agenda this week and I thought they looked sharp.

Good summary ATL! Couldn't agree more on the tackling! The defense as a whole didn't look overly great, but they have a lot of upside & promise for the future. Hopefully this season it starts clicking sooner rather than later.

I agree about the run game this week. Now that they have seen the no-huddle in full force they know what they have. Now they need to focus on some of the position battles to separate/thin out the herd. This is the last week for many, so a lot is on the line. No need to put the starters into extended action this week since it's a short week, but would be nice to get another preseason win. As it is every year with CAR, PG4 is going to be another pillow fight.

 

[MISKO]

great stuff face I agree ..

I need a favor from you guys hold the fort here in steeler nation keep the great football talk coming.. we are getting a huge influx from another site that is shutting down and Im going to be busy getting the newbs acclimated here .. I know that I can count on yinz .. there is some really good posters on this site that is shutting down .. I hope we get a few KFFL Community.. make them welcome please ...thanks

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

Good summary ATL! Couldn't agree more on the tackling! The defense as a whole didn't look overly great, but they have a lot of upside & promise for the future. Hopefully this season it starts clicking sooner rather than later.

I agree about the run game this week. Now that they have seen the no-huddle in full force they know what they have. Now they need to focus on some of the position battles to separate/thin out the herd. This is the last week for many, so a lot is on the line. No need to put the starters into extended action this week since it's a short week, but would be nice to get another preseason win. As it is every year with CAR, PG4 is going to be another pillow fight.

They need to determie if they should carry 3 QBs on the roster. On Thursday against the Eagles I'd like to see Ben and Bruce sit with Landry Jones playing the 1st half and Brendon Key playing the 2nd half. I want to see what Jones can do with the first team. I know Jones may not be ready to start a game but if he doesn't at least look better with the first team it might be time to cut him and sign him to the PS. If Key outplays Jones the decision will be made a lot easier for the Steelers.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

They need to determie if they should carry 3 QBs on the roster. On Thursday against the Eagles I'd like to see Ben and Bruce sit with Landry Jones playing the 1st half and Brendon Key playing the 2nd half. I want to see what Jones can do with the first team. I know Jones may not be ready to start a game but if he doesn't at least look better with the first team it might be time to cut him and sign him to the PS. If Key outplays Jones the decision will be made a lot easier for the Steelers.

Not that I want to show everything, but I still want to see a run game, mostly to see some drive blocking from the OL...to your point...I agree...Bruce is in stone as the backup so you really don't need to play him.

Jones got a fair amount of snaps with the 1st team but he did digress as the 2nd team OL came in.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

great stuff face I agree ..

I need a favor from you guys hold the fort here in steeler nation keep the great football talk coming.. we are getting a huge influx from another site that is shutting down and Im going to be busy getting the newbs acclimated here .. I know that I can count on yinz .. there is some really good posters on this site that is shutting down .. I hope we get a few KFFL Community.. make them welcome please ...thanks

Of course! Now that more people are finally joining the conversation it will be easier to keep these threads moving. I haven't seen any new people from the KFFL yet? Or at least I don't think so... I always welcome new posters though, the more the merrier!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Not that I want to show everything, but I still want to see a run game, mostly to see some drive blocking from the OL...to your point...I agree...Bruce is in stone as the backup so you really don't need to play him.

Jones got a fair amount of snaps with the 1st team but he did digress as the 2nd team OL came in.

Yea Landry got to play behind the 1st team for almost an entire quarter of play... His performance amounted to nothing more than a bag of rocks. Not sure he will do much better with a full half of play. But yea I'd love to see Kay get a shot with both 1st & 2nd teams.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Right now...I'm all about health for the 1st teamers and I would like to see M. Bryant get some snaps with Ben...not that I'm salivating, or predicting anything, but after seeing JM last night I'm looking forward to week one and hopefully getting the 2014 season started with a win.

That said...the OL better be ready to strap it tight...the Browns look very solid on DEF again.

 

[SteelersPride]

Thoughts on the blount vs bell split?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I think they are being smart about using Blount. I think Bell is going to be the bell cow regardless, but it will be nice to see Blount in short yardage where injuries occur more often lol. Anything to keep Bell fresh for the long haul! I still expect Bell to get around 20 carries per game.