Wk 7...Bye Week

[thedddd]

So he bruises up his girlfriend, presumably ex gf now that he has been charged. No need for Steelers PR to get involved. Seems clear they need to cut ties.

Free OLA!!!

Just think if they would have done this before the season, like they should have this wouldn’t have been a PR issue now along with the fact Tuzar would still be on the roster.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Colbert has been my MVP thus far. It required a lot but the facelift he gave this defense is incredible. Acquiring Bush, Nelson & Fitzpatrick were heavily scrutinized in different ways, but man oh man have they paid HUGE dividends for how well this defense is playing. It's just a completely different unit now. I've been wanting one for what feels like a decade, but they finally have the field general FS that they've desperately been needing. Fitzpatrick is well-worth the 1st round pick no matter how this season unfolds. He has indeed elevated the play of everyone around him. He's young, and will be much cheaper for them in the near future against their cap. And there's a lot to be said about taking the known commodity vs drafting for one without knowing how they translate to the NFL. At the time, I'll admit I was skeptical of the Nelson signing. Nothing about him made me feel like he was worth the $25.5m contract. But I am glad to be wrong there. He has easily been the best CB on the roster thus far this season. And Bush is every bit of the playmaker they wanted at ILB. Seeing how well he is progressing from week to week is fun to watch. There is still a lot of room to grow, but for him to be able to handle that position as a rookie speaks volumes to his future. I'm betting he'll get robbed of DROY honors, but he's on the short list for the award.

Offense... Lots of question marks here. Starting at the top with shaky & conservative OC scheming. The O-line has played better the last few outings, but overall it appears they have been overrated & living on past accomplishments. They need to be more consistent across the board to elevate this unit. The level of QB play has been hindering them from taking that next step as well. A lot of people are knocking the WR group, but the tape doesn't lie. WRs are getting open and the QB is failing to make the right reads. Mason, for the most part, has been very gun-shy. Juju is having a tough season. But his character & optimism remains remarkably high. Defenses have been keying on him. Diontae Johnson has been a gem, but they need someone else to step up. So far Washington has not lived up to the hype from the preseason. But again, the QB play is just not where it needs to be. Once they start connecting on the intermediate to deep passes then we should get a better look at where this group stands. Conner hasn't looked great this year, but the O-line hasn't been giving him much room to breathe and the playcalling has been too predictable. Not a good recipe for success at the RB position. Getting Nix back should help.

Defense... I'm kind of excited to see this defense with a healthy Sean Davis. Kam Kelly has been a liability in the "big dime" package or whatever its called. Davis should be a much more competent player working with Fitzpatrick & Edmunds in the backend. We may even see Fitzpatrick start to freelance with Davis on the field. Just a thought. D-line has been dominating, and losing Tuitt is a huge blow to that production. How they keep up that level of play will be something to keep our eyes on. They have capable pieces, but Butler will need to get creative with their deployment. I'd like to see Hargrave get more reps outside. I'm not concerned at all about the secondary moving forward. Well, maybe only if they keep insisting on playing Artie Burns in wake of injuries to the outside CBs. FREE SUTTON!

Team outlook... I'm still pretty gloomy on this team's chances. Rightfully so. They are still in a hole, and have a lot of question marks on offense. They have a defense that can contend with anyone, but the offense could be the achilles heel if this turns out to be a unicorn season. And I'll never instill much faith into this coaching staff until proven otherwise. I get the feeling that this is going to be one of those "admirable" losing seasons come December. Looking ahead they should have the division dead in their sites by week 10. Never any guarantees, but they SHOULD be able to climb out of this hole to 5-4 or 4-5 by week 10. The 3-game stretch of AFCN games that ensues will most likely dictate their '19 season.

MVP to date...@ 2-4, I really don't have one, but if I had to hand one out for the first 6 games, I would give it to Bush.

To your point...Colbert has done an excellent job this season...both the offseason and the trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick. If I've said it once, I've said it 20 times already...I'm dFor the 1st time really since Ike, McFadden, Troy and Clark, the Steelers have a playoff caliber backend DEF. Even his worse moves (Mark Barron & 5th yr to Dupree) have yielded pretty good results. Barron is not what many of us expected, but he has a pick, a fumble recovery, and of course Bud Dupree has been everybody's whipping boy for lack of sack production...he had 3 sacks and a forced fumble, several TFLs.

OFC...this is partly on Fichtner and partly on the QBs. The OC part...most every OC is going to have a fairly conservative game plan for the back up QB...especially one that is starting for the first time in the NFL. But when you get 5 turnovers in a game like they did against SF, you must go down field and make them pay and aside from the short pass the Juju took 87 yds to pay dirt, very few passes traveled more than 10 yds.

QBs...I do think Rudolph was easing into more of a comfort zone when he got dinged. Losing him for the Charger game basically reset the conservative mode with Fichtner. We'll have to see what they serve up after the bye, but it's pretty clear if the team is to make any kind of run, the OFC will have to be a bigger part of the reason. IMO, watching the all22 tape the WRs/RBs are doing their jobs. WRs are open downfield, and as much as I'm okay with the check down to the RB, the QBs need to start challenging the DEF down field or the DEFs will start to creep up on those check downs. They're more asking the TEs to block mostly right now, should see some targets heading to #89 in the second half as well.

DEF...Tuitt going down is a blow to the this group. Chickillo just put himself into a bad light with a DV issue, could be released actually. I can't help but think Ola will move into the OLB3 role. Just keep it going.

Outlook...I'm not sure what to think right now, but I do know these 3 home games coming up will factor immensely. They have more talent than MIA, and at least equal to the Colts, they will have to play at the top of their games to beat the Rams....if they win 2 of the 3, they can still make some noise as a wild card, but imo they really need all 3 Ws. They will face IND as mentioned, but also BUF later in the season.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just think if they would have done this before the season, like they should have this wouldn’t have been a PR issue now along with the fact Tuzar would still be on the roster.

Amen.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

MVP to date...@ 2-4, I really don't have one, but if I had to hand one out for the first 6 games, I would give it to Bush.

To your point...Colbert has done an excellent job this season...both the offseason and the trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick. If I've said it once, I've said it 20 times already...I'm dFor the 1st time really since Ike, McFadden, Troy and Clark, the Steelers have a playoff caliber backend DEF. Even his worse moves (Mark Barron & 5th yr to Dupree) have yielded pretty good results. Barron is not what many of us expected, but he has a pick, a fumble recovery, and of course Bud Dupree has been everybody's whipping boy for lack of sack production...he had 3 sacks and a forced fumble, several TFLs.

OFC...this is partly on Fichtner and partly on the QBs. The OC part...most every OC is going to have a fairly conservative game plan for the back up QB...especially one that is starting for the first time in the NFL. But when you get 5 turnovers in a game like they did against SF, you must go down field and make them pay and aside from the short pass the Juju took 87 yds to pay dirt, very few passes traveled more than 10 yds.

QBs...I do think Rudolph was easing into more of a comfort zone when he got dinged. Losing him for the Charger game basically reset the conservative mode with Fichtner. We'll have to see what they serve up after the bye, but it's pretty clear if the team is to make any kind of run, the OFC will have to be a bigger part of the reason. IMO, watching the all22 tape the WRs/RBs are doing their jobs. WRs are open downfield, and as much as I'm okay with the check down to the RB, the QBs need to start challenging the DEF down field or the DEFs will start to creep up on those check downs. They're more asking the TEs to block mostly right now, should see some targets heading to #89 in the second half as well.

DEF...Tuitt going down is a blow to the this group. Chickillo just put himself into a bad light with a DV issue, could be released actually. I can't help but think Ola will move into the OLB3 role. Just keep it going.

Outlook...I'm not sure what to think right now, but I do know these 3 home games coming up will factor immensely. They have more talent than MIA, and at least equal to the Colts, they will have to play at the top of their games to beat the Rams....if they win 2 of the 3, they can still make some noise as a wild card, but imo they really need all 3 Ws. They will face IND as mentioned, but also BUF later in the season.

The Colts are going to be a very tough out. Especially without Tuitt. They have the premier O-line of the NFL right now. Luckily for the Steelers they have the secondary to give the front 7 time to get after Brissett. But I fear Bush & V-Will will have their hands full with Mack all game long. If the Steelers offense doesn't find rhythm against Miami next week, then its going to be a big stretch to think they can beat Indy. They need to find an identity quickly or else each game will turn into one of those "find a way to win" types.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

The Colts are going to be a very tough out. Especially without Tuitt. They have the premier O-line of the NFL right now. Luckily for the Steelers they have the secondary to give the front 7 time to get after Brissett. But I fear Bush & V-Will will have their hands full with Mack all game long. If the Steelers offense doesn't find rhythm against Miami next week, then its going to be a big stretch to think they can beat Indy. They need to find an identity quickly or else each game will turn into one of those "find a way to win" types.

Agreed.

HOU got beat with several deep balls yesterday. On paper they are playing much better on OFC at home. Aside from the opening week @ LAC, they have scored 17 (TN) and 13 (KC) on the road. The Steelers D will need to sustain this level of play for sure.

 

[thedddd]

Tuzar was waived today. Now is the time to cut Chickillo and get him back.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Tuzar was waived today. Now is the time to cut Chickillo and get him back.

Rectify that mistake!

 

[thedddd]

Rectify that mistake!

Well they didn't sign him and he is now on the Giants practice squad.

Giants news, 10/24: Tuzar Skipper added to practice squad, more headlines

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Well they didn't sign him and he is now on the Giants practice squad.

Giants news, 10/24: Tuzar Skipper added to practice squad, more headlines

So if they want him back, he has to be on the 53...correct?

 

[thedddd]

So if they want him back, he has to be on the 53...correct?

Yeah that's the way I understand it.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Yeah that's the way I understand it.

Okay...if it were me I'd send Lynch back to the PS squad and bring him back. Play ST and depth.