Preseason Week 2: vs. Falcons

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

My quick-take reviews...

QB… Pretty bad day all around for Dobbs. Struggled behind a patchwork O-line. Looked wildly inaccurate in this game, mainly with the short-to-intermediate passes. Lots of overthrows & a few underthrows. Pretty much confirms what I was concerned with over the last game, and that is Dobbs lacks accuracy & touch. Still like his pocket awareness. He climbs the pocket well & flushes nicely. Houston took the reins in the 4th qtr. 1st series sputtered, but he got a TD on the 2nd. Thanks in large to a certain RB. C-

RB… Toussaint got the start. Had a couple of good runs. Conner got the bulk of the work. Had mixed feelings on him until the 4th qtr when he started to explode. He stopped jump cutting and ran downhill. Didn’t see Davis or Watson get any carries. Great blocks by Nix for most of the day. B+

WR... Couple of nice grabs by Bryant, but looked a tad rusty. I think that was more due to his QB. Good contested grabs that he fought for. Something that DHB & Hunter didn't really try to do. Coates made some good grabs, but was largely used between the hashes. Good effort by Hunter on a few plays, but I fear he lacks the overall physicality to be an asset. DHB left the game with some sort of leg injury. Also had a ball hit him in the hip on a contested pass. Thankfully they got a DPI called. Didn't see Hamilton in this game? B-

TE… Couple of dump passes to James, and good effort for the YAC. Dropped pass by Grimble on the 6th O series. Gotta hold onto that ball! McGee put on a blocking clinic late in the game. His pull blocking in particular sprung Conner for multiple big gains in the 4th qtr. Coaches gotta like what they see! B

O-line… Feiler & Finney got the start in place of Foster & Pouncey. Hubbard didn’t play either. Not a great day for the unit. Dobbs was flushed from the pocket constantly. Run game didn’t see much daylight. Mihalik looked good late in the game. Hawkins struggled yet again. C-

D-line… Decent day overall, but the 1st team was largely overshadowed by an ATL aerial attack that largely took them out of the equation. Hargrave got a concussion early. Walton got the nod inside. Alualu also saw a good amount of reps. Decent day for all involved. Didn't notice McCullers at all? B-

OLBs… Aside from a few run stops, Watt was relatively quiet on the stat sheets. He was still flying around the ball & making his presence felt. Dupree was dressed but didn't play, which resulted in a great game by my man Chickillo! 2 sack day, and multiple tackles in run support. Hugenin chipped in a team sack late in the game. B-

ILBs… V-Will had a decent day. A couple of good blitzes & a coverage breakup in the RZ. Matakevich got bulldozed for ATL’s 1st TD. Matakevich got the start in place of Shazier. Stevie J got a few reps but left with a hammy injury. Great 2nd half play from LJ Fort. Watched him destroy a few 1v1 matchups to get tackles. B-

CBs… None of the starters looked good. Particularly Cockrell got picked on early & often. On ATL’s 2nd series where the WR dropped the ball in the EZ that was Cockrell that gave the guy a free inside release. That’s a huge error on his part. Gay looked every bit as inept as he did last season. Had a badly missed tackle in the flats. Sensabaugh & Ducre got the outside starting gigs in the 2nd half. Hilton in the slot. Sensabaugh & Hilton were notably good. Handfull of great PBU’s from both. Allen & Dixon both looked good in coverage late in the game. C+

S… Golden & Davis looked like they were a step behind the entire time they played. They were getting exposed often. Dangerfield & Hagen looked decent. Dangerfield was gifted his 2 INT’s. 1st was thrown directly to him, and the 2nd was tipped into his lap. Good heads up play though. C+

 

[Bridgeburner]

Dobbs... he is what we thought he was I guess.

Conner... honestly looked slow and stiff most of the game to me. Hard to tell if he got better or the competition got worse. Maybe a better eye than mine can pick that out.

Bryant... can't stand that guy. Even rusty he flashed though. Still an amazing talent.

Watt... back to earth but still active. I wasn't disappointed.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Refocused: Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Atlanta Falcons 13 | NFL Analysis | Pro Football Focus

TOP 5 GRADES:
S Jordan Dangerfield, 86.5 overall grade

ED Anthony Chickillo, 83.5 overall grade

LB L.J. Fort, 83.3 overall grade

ED Arthur Moats, 83.1 overall grade

ED T.J. Watt, 79.9 overall grade

PERFORMANCES OF NOTE:
QB JOSHUA DOBBS, 44.5 OVERALL GRADE
You wouldn’t think either Landry Jones or Ben Roethlisberger will be worried about their places on the depth chart after this uneven display. Showing some issues with ball placement and making one ridiculous decision you can’t make at this level (or any level for that matter), Dobbs looked anything but a safe hand. He wasn’t helped with two drops but completing just 53.8% of passes when not under pressure is not good enough.

LG MATT FEILER, 78.7 OVERALL GRADE
Feiler isn’t exactly a player who many non-Steeler fans will know too much about. He has bounced around preseason rosters with his first two years in Houston and the last two in Pittsburgh, always giving a good accounting of himself but never making the cut. Given a chance to start here he put forward a case that he could stick with an assured effort that saw him generate good movement in the run game while only getting beat for one hurry in 31 pass blocks.

ED T.J. WATT, 79.9 OVERALL GRADE
After impressing in rushing the passer and picking up two sacks last week, Watt this time showed that he can play against the run just as well. The former Wisconsin player excelled at setting the edge and turning runs back inside against Atlanta while he picked up three run stops on just 12 plays defending the run.

ED ANTHONY CHICKILLO, 83.5 OVERALL GRADE
Whereas Watt was Pittsburgh’s best run defender, Chickillo was the Steelers’ best pass rusher in the win against the Falcons. Chickillo had two sacks and picked up two additional hurries on just 25 pass rushing snaps while recording a total of four defensive stops.

 

[Yo Tee]

Even though I am a skeptic of Dobbs and have been since the draft, I don't think we should judge him based on what we see in the preseason, especially when he's playing mainly with the 2nd team. He's a rookie and he's playing with 2nd string guys. He's not gonna be awesome and it's not like we are expecting him to take over ASAP. With that said, he did regress in this game from last week. But it will be great for him to get the kinks out during preseason so he can learn better behind Ben over the season. Can we just have a discussion about Bart Houston? Did we draft the wrong dude? Like, seriously. This guy can play. What I've seen from him, I'd choose Houston over Dobbs right now. Maybe there is a spot on the main roster for Houston? Just throw Landry on IR for a hangnail and made the Depth Chart Ben, Dobbs and Houston. I've also heard that Bell is staying away from the Steelers during Week 3 preseason also. If this ends up with a healthy Bell, deep playoff run, I guess it pays off. I just can't help but think that this doesn't end well for either Pittsburgh or Bell. Bell doesn't get what he wants so we put the tag on him again and he's forced to play for a team he doesn't want to play for. How does that help us? That doesn't make Bell want to play well for a team that isn't allowing him to get his money or go somewhere where he can get his money. Bell has to know at some point he's asking too much, but maybe he doesn't. Who the hell knows.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Even though I am a skeptic of Dobbs and have been since the draft, I don't think we should judge him based on what we see in the preseason, especially when he's playing mainly with the 2nd team. He's a rookie and he's playing with 2nd string guys. He's not gonna be awesome and it's not like we are expecting him to take over ASAP. With that said, he did regress in this game from last week. But it will be great for him to get the kinks out during preseason so he can learn better behind Ben over the season. Can we just have a discussion about Bart Houston? Did we draft the wrong dude? Like, seriously. This guy can play. What I've seen from him, I'd choose Houston over Dobbs right now. Maybe there is a spot on the main roster for Houston? Just throw Landry on IR for a hangnail and made the Depth Chart Ben, Dobbs and Houston. I've also heard that Bell is staying away from the Steelers during Week 3 preseason also. If this ends up with a healthy Bell, deep playoff run, I guess it pays off. I just can't help but think that this doesn't end well for either Pittsburgh or Bell. Bell doesn't get what he wants so we put the tag on him again and he's forced to play for a team he doesn't want to play for. How does that help us? That doesn't make Bell want to play well for a team that isn't allowing him to get his money or go somewhere where he can get his money. Bell has to know at some point he's asking too much, but maybe he doesn't. Who the hell knows.

Dobbs... I don't think anyone was expecting him to walk on water. We've learned all too well that the preseason doesn't mean much, especially that an 0-4 preseason doesn't equate to disaster in the regular season. In regards to Dobbs I look at the simple tangibles that could make him successful in any capacity. Just over 50% completion rate WHEN NOT UNDER PRESSURE is a very telling stat line. And that's with every string he played with. He played under duress for most of that game though, so there is definitely something to be said about him never finding rhythm in that game.

Houston... Looked much better in PG2. Still saw some issues. On that TD by Hunter he waited a little long to get the ball out on a quick drop pass which is usually a big error. Thankfully the ATL D was playing patty-cake at the goal line. I liked his downfield work though. He benefited from the D trying to play against Conner though. When you have a run game firing on all cylinders it makes the QB's job much much easier. Not seeing how he can make the roster unless like you said, an injury occurs. Call it an act of God if Laundry gets injured to the point he has to be on IR. Guess we can all hope for that in PG3.

Bell... My guess is he returns just before PG4. At this point the damage is done. He hurt the team & himself by holding out this long. But it is what it is. I don't have high hopes for him returning next season either. Taggin him again next year would suck for both parties. In a way though it would be giving Bell the contract that the Steelers wanted at $12mil per. I still have a feeling that one of the hangups with the declined contract offer was in the guarantees. But I'm not in the camp of wanting to pay him $15mil per. If he was more durable then definitely. Paying that much for a player they only get 12 games a year isn't worth it. He's a difference maker, but the best ability is availability. It's been 2-3 postseasons in a row where we have lost Bell at crucial moments. The biggest problem with that is the offense tends to flatline without him. My blame is directed at Haley for those downfalls.

 

[Yo Tee]

Dobbs... I don't think anyone was expecting him to walk on water. We've learned all too well that the preseason doesn't mean much, especially that an 0-4 preseason doesn't equate to disaster in the regular season. In regards to Dobbs I look at the simple tangibles that could make him successful in any capacity. Just over 50% completion rate WHEN NOT UNDER PRESSURE is a very telling stat line. And that's with every string he played with. He played under duress for most of that game though, so there is definitely something to be said about him never finding rhythm in that game.

Houston... Looked much better in PG2. Still saw some issues. On that TD by Hunter he waited a little long to get the ball out on a quick drop pass which is usually a big error. Thankfully the ATL D was playing patty-cake at the goal line. I liked his downfield work though. He benefited from the D trying to play against Conner though. When you have a run game firing on all cylinders it makes the QB's job much much easier. Not seeing how he can make the roster unless like you said, an injury occurs. Call it an act of God if Laundry gets injured to the point he has to be on IR. Guess we can all hope for that in PG3.

Bell... My guess is he returns just before PG4. At this point the damage is done. He hurt the team & himself by holding out this long. But it is what it is. I don't have high hopes for him returning next season either. Taggin him again next year would suck for both parties. In a way though it would be giving Bell the contract that the Steelers wanted at $12mil per. I still have a feeling that one of the hangups with the declined contract offer was in the guarantees. But I'm not in the camp of wanting to pay him $15mil per. If he was more durable then definitely. Paying that much for a player they only get 12 games a year isn't worth it. He's a difference maker, but the best ability is availability. It's been 2-3 postseasons in a row where we have lost Bell at crucial moments. The biggest problem with that is the offense tends to flatline without him. My blame is directed at Haley for those downfalls.

It's obviously to see Houston and Dobbs are rookies so that's why I'm not freaking out like some people about Dobbs because, in reality, he's our third option. Whether we like it or not, if Ben gets hurt, it's Landry who under center, not Dobbs. I think Houston has earned a spot on at least the practice squad. As far as Bell goes, I'm still in the camp that we are better as a team with him than without him because we got Fumble Toussaint, Rookie James Conner and Knile Davis. That's not a good trio of backs to have, which means we are once again in the running back market during the draft. I would rather pay him $13-14mil on a 3-4 year deal than not have him and have to deal with our current RB situation. This offense without Bell worries me. On the other hand, Le'Veon needs to figure out whether he wants to be a Steeler and possibly win a title or at least make the playoffs each year, or be a high paid back on a not as good team with an offense that's probably a lot worse than the Steelers' offense.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

It's obviously to see Houston and Dobbs are rookies so that's why I'm not freaking out like some people about Dobbs because, in reality, he's our third option. Whether we like it or not, if Ben gets hurt, it's Landry who under center, not Dobbs. I think Houston has earned a spot on at least the practice squad. As far as Bell goes, I'm still in the camp that we are better as a team with him than without him because we got Fumble Toussaint, Rookie James Conner and Knile Davis. That's not a good trio of backs to have, which means we are once again in the running back market during the draft. I would rather pay him $13-14mil on a 3-4 year deal than not have him and have to deal with our current RB situation. This offense without Bell worries me. On the other hand, Le'Veon needs to figure out whether he wants to be a Steeler and possibly win a title or at least make the playoffs each year, or be a high paid back on a not as good team with an offense that's probably a lot worse than the Steelers' offense.

QB depth... Main culprits are desperation after all the Ben retirement talks & yearning from Steeler Nation to get rid of Laundry. A lot of people will unfairly judge Dobbs because of those reasons alone. I keep harping on this point, and that is Dobbs was a 4th Rd pick for a reason and not a 1st, 2nd or 3rd Rounder. He's going to take time to become a polished product. And that product may never be anything more than a backup.

Houston... Would love to see him on the PS. And that is likely where he'll end up so long as injuries don't ravage a particular position forcing need elsewhere. A PS QB is the more likely candidate to get dropped in favor.

Bell... I agree that this is a better team with Bell. There's no denying that he's a x-factor & arguably the best at his position. I simply don't think the dropoff in play should be as vast as it is absent him. I may be more harsh on my own team but it appears to me that other powerhouse teams don't seem to have that problem. Could very well be that it is far less apparent given the circumstances. I'll withhold judgement on the backups though. Conner, Davis & Toussaint have all looked good thus far this offseason. One thing the Steelers probably want or tried to do was backload the contract to Bell. The average per year could have been the $12mil, but he probably would have been getting $6-8mil per in the first couple years of the contract. Those sort of "prove-it" contracts are essentially team insurance making it easier for them to get out of contracts should a player not live up to it. As in Bell's case, should he continue to be hampered by injuries. Whatever the case, the ball was in Bell's court and he decided his value was greater than what the Steelers were willing to pay. The $12mil per was more than generous given the next highest paid RB would have been getting $4mil less per year. So essentially he already made the decision that he doesn't want to be a Steeler & win titles.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Watching Cockrell get torched by a UDFA & likely PS-candidate yesterday was cringe-worthy... Cockrell needs to get his hands on the receiver near the line to be more effective.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[ATL96Steeler]

@FaCe-LeE-uS

Good work! I had all intentions of watching the game, didn't see a snap.

From reading through your posts and looking at the play by play... Getting touched up by Matt Ryan is one thing, getting touched up by the backup was not encouraging...are we premature with this DEF being better?

I expected Dobbs to struggle against their 1st team DEF. Chick, Conner, Tuitt, and Jordan...showed up.

I'm not going to make a judgement yet, but obviously the DEF needs to pick it up quickly.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@FaCe-LeE-uS

Good work! I had all intentions of watching the game, didn't see a snap.

From reading through your posts and looking at the play by play... Getting touched up by Matt Ryan is one thing, getting touched up by the backup was not encouraging...are we premature with this DEF being better?

I expected Dobbs to struggle against their 1st team DEF. Chick, Conner, Tuitt, and Jordan...showed up.

I'm not going to make a judgement yet, but obviously the DEF needs to pick it up quickly.

DEF... Obviously the biggest concerns is that we are still seeing the same issues with the starting defense. The pressure is inconsistent at best, they’re leaving massive holes open, that godforsaken 2 D-lineman look came back out yesterday and was promptly scored on, and they can’t get off the field on 3rd downs. Atlanta converted third downs like clockwork, and it’s damn easy to do so when we’re playing zones and lining up 15 yards off the receiver on 3rd and 12. Whoever is making that call needs to be slapped in the face. Tomlin, Butler or Lake. Yes I know full well that having Shazier, Dupree, Harrison, Mitchell & Hargrave back will help. But it doesn't cover up the madness of that scheme I bolded above. We watched the 1st team D get torched by ATL's aerial attack which rendered the front 7 absolutely useless. If the DB's cannot make the QB hesitate then the pass rush will never get there against elite QBs.

I do have some serious doubts about Butler & Lake. I think this has to be a make or break year for 1 or both. This is the most pure talent they’ve had on defense in many years and it’s high time for some of it to come together for them. But what really worries me about the situation is that even if things don’t improve, I just cannot see them firing him. I feel like when it comes to select members of the coaching staff there is a shocking lack of accountability. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am. I also hope I’m wrong about Butler and that he fixes the problems on the defense.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

DEF... Obviously the biggest concerns is that we are still seeing the same issues with the starting defense. The pressure is inconsistent at best, they’re leaving massive holes open, that godforsaken 2 D-lineman look came back out yesterday and was promptly scored on, and they can’t get off the field on 3rd downs. Atlanta converted third downs like clockwork, and it’s damn easy to do so when we’re playing zones and lining up 15 yards off the receiver on 3rd and 12. Whoever is making that call needs to be slapped in the face. Tomlin, Butler or Lake. Yes I know full well that having Shazier, Dupree, Harrison, Mitchell & Hargrave back will help. But it doesn't cover up the madness of that scheme I bolded above. We watched the 1st team D get torched by ATL's aerial attack which rendered the front 7 absolutely useless. If the DB's cannot make the QB hesitate then the pass rush will never get there against elite QBs.

I do have some serious doubts about Butler & Lake. I think this has to be a make or break year for 1 or both. This is the most pure talent they’ve had on defense in many years and it’s high time for some of it to come together for them. But what really worries me about the situation is that even if things don’t improve, I just cannot see them firing him. I feel like when it comes to select members of the coaching staff there is a shocking lack of accountability. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am. I also hope I’m wrong about Butler and that he fixes the problems on the defense.

I'm not ready to pass judgement yet, but what little I saw reminded me a lot of what we watched LY...I can see not wanting to show much even if the starters are playing.

TJ...the local media was talking about how Matthews pretty much stonewalled him. I think it was a good lesson for him after his debut...gotta keep working. Matthews is still on his rookie deal, but already a top tier LT. I heard Cockrell was playing soft and getting picked on, but again, I'm not ready to judge them yet.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I'm not ready to pass judgement yet, but what little I saw reminded me a lot of what we watched LY...I can see not wanting to show much even if the starters are playing.

TJ...the local media was talking about how Matthews pretty much stonewalled him. I think it was a good lesson for him after his debut...gotta keep working. Matthews is still on his rookie deal, but already a top tier LT. I heard Cockrell was playing soft and getting picked on, but again, I'm not ready to judge them yet.

So you're sayin you don't want to sharpen your pitchfork & light your torch with me?

I see how it is

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Injury updates in this article...

Recap:

Hargrave: Got put into protocol even though he claims not to have been concussed. Still worrisome given this is his 3rd instance/eval since entering the NFL. Only had 1 determined to be an actual concussion though.
Foster: Officially out of concussion protocol now. Ready to practice this week.
Dupree: According to him he's been held out for precautionary measures & could play at any time. Nothing confirmed by coaches. Whether true or not, its not a good sign that the coaches are keeping him bubble wrapped.
Laundry: Still day2day with abdominal injury which he aggravated by throwing. Plans to ramp it up this week.
Sutton: Plans to "do more" this week in practice. He's been padding up for half of practices, so he could go full participation this week. But he wasn't confirming his health so its day2day.
S-S: Same as Sutton. But he was more optimistic by saying he's simply waiting to be cleared.
Ducre: On crutches after the game. Left ankle wrapped. Brian Allen could see more reps this Saturday.

Nothing on Golson or Adams.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

So you're sayin you don't want to sharpen your pitchfork & light your torch with me?

I see how it is

LOL...I have some concerns obviously because of the way LY ended...but they play 2 DIV games in the 1st four so I'm not expecting Butler to have any game planning of sort on display in these preseason games.

I have to say...if I'm CLE, I will have a short, quick hitting passing game ready to test the Steelers.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

LOL...I have some concerns obviously because of the way LY ended...but they play 2 DIV games in the 1st four so I'm not expecting Butler to have any game planning of sort on display in these preseason games.

I have to say...if I'm CLE, I will have a short, quick hitting passing game ready to test the Steelers.

I hope you're right that they're just disguising themselves. Would really hate to see all that offseason talk of switching up the schemes be nothing more than blowin smoke.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I hope you're right that they're just disguising themselves. Would really hate to see all that offseason talk of switching up the schemes be nothing more than blowin smoke.

I don't think they would show much with those two games so early on the schedule. But, watching those 1st couple of drives on replay vs ATL it was not all that reassuring that the DEF will be any better...I feel you there!

I normally look at the season in quarters and try to project by the qtr...right now I'm thinking 3-1 (@ BAL) after the 1st qtr...and 3-1 (@ KC) after the 2nd qtr

If this team is not 6-2 at the very worst at the bye I will be disappointed.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I don't think they would show much with those two games so early on the schedule. But, watching those 1st couple of drives on replay vs ATL it was not all that reassuring that the DEF will be any better...I feel you there!

I normally look at the season in quarters and try to project by the qtr...right now I'm thinking 3-1 (@ BAL) after the 1st qtr...and 3-1 (@ KC) after the 2nd qtr

If this team is not 6-2 at the very worst at the bye I will be disappointed.

Pretty much the same for me. I typically split it up in halves, but still look at it home vs. away stretches. Essentially it breaks it down into 3-4game stretches.

I have them at 6-2 before the bye as well. 3 questionable road games @BAL, @KC, & @DET. They should be able to win at the VERY LEAST 1 of those. Vikes will be tough but luckily its the 1st home game and the Steelers rarely drop those.