Preseason Week 1: vs. Giants

[Yo Tee]

What were your takeaways from this game? Mine? JJ Watt is the real deal! That kid can play some freaking defense boy. Was not impressed with Dobbs at first, but he got it together and played pretty decent after his 2 INTs.

 

[SteelersPride]

watt looked great, Juju wasnt gonna be featured until he got concussed..........im impressed with hargrave

dobbs was a total mixed bag but better than landry

eli rogers still looks good, trouble finishing drives

 

[dbldwn711]

I did not see the game but I say give Dobbs some time. I think he will be good.

 

[Yo Tee]

My confidence in Dobbs has grown after last nights game. Kid's got a strong arm on him. Move over, Dirty Laundry!

 

[ATL96Steeler]

OFC...Dobbs at worst looks like a QB2, better arm than what most thought going in...the TD pass to Grimble that got called back threaded the needle with some heat on it...he just needs to be coached up, can't make a habit of staring down reads. I like what I saw.

Appear to be loaded at RB...Watson and Davis looked good...it'll be interesting to see how the depth chart looks in Sept.

DEF...TJ...great start...the 1st sack the interior boys won big time, Heyward especially flushing him into TJ, but I'll take it...smart playing on the 2nd, athletic enough to change direction on a dime and bag one...like a lot.

Hilton...I've been hearing this name a lot in camp...1st game out, making plays. Maybe they get a CB from Ole Miss after all...Golson is in trouble.

 

[SteelersPride]

OFC...Dobbs at worst looks like a QB2, better arm than what most thought going in...the TD pass to Grimble that got called back threaded the needle with some heat on it...he just needs to be coached up, can't make a habit of staring down reads. I like what I saw.

Appear to be loaded at RB...Watson and Davis looked good...it'll be interesting to see how the depth chart looks in Sept.

DEF...TJ...great start...the 1st sack the interior boys won big time, Heyward especially flushing him into TJ, but I'll take it...smart playing on the 2nd, athletic enough to change direction on a dime and bag one...like a lot.

Hilton...I've been hearing this name a lot in camp...1st game out, making plays. Maybe they get a CB from Ole Miss after all...Golson is in trouble.

hiton and watson, and watt, dobbs all looked very very nice

 

[Yo Tee]

Watt is definitely the real deal. I'm more confident in Dobbs now after seeing him play.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Had a busy week leading up to my boy's 1st bday party on Saturday so I completely missed the game! Caught the highlights, recaps & read a lot of articles so take my grades with a grain of salt!

QB... Dobbs had a mixed night, but such is life for a rookie appearing in his 1st game. As Tomlin said, he was mainly looking to see how Dobbs handled the communication aspect of the game (fielding calls, relaying messages, calling plays, etc). And from what I could tell he did a good job. Didn't look like he got too flustered with it. He made some boneheaded plays, but recovered nicely as the game progressed. Bummer on that callback TD to Grimble, but I'll count that as a TD in my book! Great read. His deep ball was spectacular. Not only talking about strength, but hitting the receivers in stride. That was something Laundry struggled with. Really loved seeing Dobbs start both halfs. The more exposure that kid gets, the faster he'll get settled in. I expect better performances as the preseason progresses. Houston looked pretty bad. Missed an easy TD, and looked pretty flustered... C+

RB... Saw great things from everyone. Toussaint, Davis & Watson all had great runs. Great burst & vision from Toussaint. Davis displayed some great field vision. And Watson is a bruiser with surprisingly nimble feet. Cannot ask for much more from this group in the preseason... A-

TE... Really hoped to see Grimble get used in the RZ & we saw just that. Solid night. Great block from McGee to spring Watson on that TD run... B+

WR... Really liked what I saw from Rogers. Hamilton made a case for sticking around. Coates should be fearing for his roster spot. Bum deal watching S-S get hurt, but hopefully he'll bounce back soon. Surprised me with how quick he looked while still showing his physicality in the middle. Hated what I saw from Severin. 3+ drops by my count. I was excited to see him stick around, but games like that will make it hard for him to stay in the NFL. If Tucker had a QB that could throw he would have had himself a night... B

O-line... Rough game for Hawkins. Thought he would be the swing backup, but not with performances like that. Munchak will get him turned around. But for now Hubbard looks like the main backup. Good play from Finney, but we already knew he was a beast. The group appears to have enough pieces in place to have solid depth. Nothing to worry about for now with this group... B+

D-line... Wow this unit is for real. Heyward, Tuitt & Hargrave are primed for a big year. Hargrave was penetrating every snap. The OLB's are going to wreak havoc because of this group. The depth they have is going to pay huge dividends as well. Here's a stat to chew on, 9 QB hits in this game & that's not including sacks. Thats huge, and it all starts up front... A+

OLB... Obviously Watt is the most talked about. Hate to be a downer but I didn't think anything special about those 2 sacks. As ATL noted, the 1st was because the D-line destroyed the pocket & flushed the QB right to Watt. Good shed to make the play though. 2nd sack was a gimme. Showed good burst on that play, as well as the QB pressures he registered. Most important thing for me was to see him in the mix at every level during the game. Made plays in the backfield, at the line & in coverage without ever looking rattled. Solid game to build on. Good to see Moats still making plays, granted it was against a bunch of backups & depth players trying to make a roster. Farrington Hugenin also made some good plays... B+

DB... What a game by Hilton. Got a sack, a FR, & multiple PBU's. Guess the media wasn't blowing smoke with all their reports on the kid. Really hope to see him stick around. Great RZ defense in the secondary. They were smothering. Good coverage from backups like Golden, Dangerfield, etc. Suddenly it looks as though they have depth everywhere! Didn't notice anything from Sensabaugh? Anyone see him play?... B+

ST... Wasn't particularly impressed with Davis on KR. But at least he's experienced enough to make an impact when called upon. Didn't get to see anything with Rogers on PR. Coverage units looked good, but its the preseason. We won't know if Danny Smith has his shit together until the season starts lol... C+

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Had a busy week leading up to my boy's 1st bday party on Saturday so I completely missed the game! Caught the highlights, recaps & read a lot of articles so take my grades with a grain of salt!

QB... Dobbs had a mixed night, but such is life for a rookie appearing in his 1st game. As Tomlin said, he was mainly looking to see how Dobbs handled the communication aspect of the game (fielding calls, relaying messages, calling plays, etc). And from what I could tell he did a good job. Didn't look like he got too flustered with it. He made some boneheaded plays, but recovered nicely as the game progressed. Bummer on that callback TD to Grimble, but I'll count that as a TD in my book! Great read. His deep ball was spectacular. Not only talking about strength, but hitting the receivers in stride. That was something Laundry struggled with. Really loved seeing Dobbs start both halfs. The more exposure that kid gets, the faster he'll get settled in. I expect better performances as the preseason progresses. Houston looked pretty bad. Missed an easy TD, and looked pretty flustered... C+

RB... Saw great things from everyone. Toussaint, Davis & Watson all had great runs. Great burst & vision from Toussaint. Davis displayed some great field vision. And Watson is a bruiser with surprisingly nimble feet. Cannot ask for much more from this group in the preseason... A-

TE... Really hoped to see Grimble get used in the RZ & we saw just that. Solid night. Great block from McGee to spring Watson on that TD run... B+

WR... Really liked what I saw from Rogers. Hamilton made a case for sticking around. Coates should be fearing for his roster spot. Bum deal watching S-S get hurt, but hopefully he'll bounce back soon. Surprised me with how quick he looked while still showing his physicality in the middle. Hated what I saw from Severin. 3+ drops by my count. I was excited to see him stick around, but games like that will make it hard for him to stay in the NFL. If Tucker had a QB that could throw he would have had himself a night... B

O-line... Rough game for Hawkins. Thought he would be the swing backup, but not with performances like that. Munchak will get him turned around. But for now Hubbard looks like the main backup. Good play from Finney, but we already knew he was a beast. The group appears to have enough pieces in place to have solid depth. Nothing to worry about for now with this group... B+

D-line... Wow this unit is for real. Heyward, Tuitt & Hargrave are primed for a big year. Hargrave was penetrating every snap. The OLB's are going to wreak havoc because of this group. The depth they have is going to pay huge dividends as well. Here's a stat to chew on, 9 QB hits in this game & that's not including sacks. Thats huge, and it all starts up front... A+

OLB... Obviously Watt is the most talked about. Hate to be a downer but I didn't think anything special about those 2 sacks. As ATL noted, the 1st was because the D-line destroyed the pocket & flushed the QB right to Watt. Good shed to make the play though. 2nd sack was a gimme. Showed good burst on that play, as well as the QB pressures he registered. Most important thing for me was to see him in the mix at every level during the game. Made plays in the backfield, at the line & in coverage without ever looking rattled. Solid game to build on. Good to see Moats still making plays, granted it was against a bunch of backups & depth players trying to make a roster. Farrington Hugenin also made some good plays... B+

DB... What a game by Hilton. Got a sack, a FR, & multiple PBU's. Guess the media wasn't blowing smoke with all their reports on the kid. Really hope to see him stick around. Great RZ defense in the secondary. They were smothering. Good coverage from backups like Golden, Dangerfield, etc. Suddenly it looks as though they have depth everywhere! Didn't notice anything from Sensabaugh? Anyone see him play?... B+

ST... Wasn't particularly impressed with Davis on KR. But at least he's experienced enough to make an impact when called upon. Didn't get to see anything with Rogers on PR. Coverage units looked good, but its the preseason. We won't know if Danny Smith has his shit together until the season starts lol... C+

Happy belated 1 yr old birthday!!!

Great write up Face...I see you're already in midseason form! I watched about a half live, then bits and pieces of the replay...I'm NOT in midseason form yet...lol

Sensabaugh...I did not see him making any plays, but admittedly I didn't know his number so I had to online and find out (#24).

TJ...yeah, the second sack he saw the fake, but he showed a quick change of direction to gobble of the ball play quickly...no chasing the QB down because he reacted late.

 

[Yo Tee]

I am so pumped up for this defense to just blow back the Browns Week 1. Can't fucking wait!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I am so pumped up for this defense to just blow back the Browns Week 1. Can't fucking wait!

There's nothing better than starting off the season on a high note like pummeling the Brownies.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Happy belated 1 yr old birthday!!!

Great write up Face...I see you're already in midseason form! I watched about a half live, then bits and pieces of the replay...I'm NOT in midseason form yet...lol

Sensabaugh...I did not see him making any plays, but admittedly I didn't know his number so I had to online and find out (#24).

TJ...yeah, the second sack he saw the fake, but he showed a quick change of direction to gobble of the ball play quickly...no chasing the QB down because he reacted late.

I got a little lengthy didn't I? lol. I always seem to start out my recaps with short & precise sentiments, but then my mind starts to dissect further & further like I can't just let it be 1 or 2 blanket statements, rather paragraphs worth! I'm glad you guys haven't gotten exhausted with me yet...

Read some good tidbits from Penn Live's Jacob Klinger's game recaps. If you don't follow his work I'd highly recommend it: Jacob Klinger (@Jacob_Klinger_) | Twitter

Somewhere he mentioned Sensabaugh having a "solid game". And wrote something along the lines of the team suddenly having good cornerback depth.