Chase Claypool goes down.
Ben Roethlisberger and Eric Ebron pick him up.
And after the kid's helped to the Heinz Field locker room and has his ankle examined, he shares his own upbeat prognosis:
All is well.
— Chase Claypool (@ChaseClaypool) August 17, 2021
If only all problems at the Steelers' training camp this summer could achieve such a simple, swift solution, right?
As it is, though, I've got to say, I like the way a lot of problems have been put down. Or the processes underway to put others down. Or even the possibilities in play to put down any others.
SHELLEY LIPTON / GETTY
Mike Tomlin shares a laugh with players at Heinz Field.
That'll sound Pollyanna-ish, I know. But hear it out, please:
• Problem: Little help for Devin Bush at inside linebacker, on top of little certainty that Bush will be his best self.
• Solution: Joe Schobert.
Really, this one leaps out. No position on the grid had concerned me more, as no single position had a projected starter less imposing than Robert Spillane. The latter might've been fine 15 years ago, but the NFL's changed, and the priority's coverage and coverage. And he can't do either of those, meaning pass coverage or sideline-to-sideline coverage. Worse, there was no competition, with Buddy Johnson a rookie and Ulysees Gilbert being nothing special.
There wasn't an answer in-house. That's scary. And again, with Bush fresh off major knee surgery, we still don't know what he can do. That's scarier.
Kevin Colbert's thievery of Schobert from the Jaguars is a solution and a half. He brings what the defense was missing and relieves the burden that would've been placed on Bush's comeback. He'll even take on some of the signal-calling, partly because, as Keith Butler conceded Tuesday, "We’re trying to keep that weight off him."
Butler added, in his inimitable style, "He’s still going to help Joe. It ain’t like Devin's done. We’re not throwing him out. If we’ve got two guys who know what the crap we’re doing, what everybody else is doing, then that’s two quarterbacks we have on our team. We need that."
• Problem: No cap space.
• Solution: Colbert knows what the crap he's doing. As does Omar Khan.
Between the Schobert trade, the bargain signings of Pro Bowl talents Trai Turner and Melvin Ingram, Stephon Tuitt's ensuing restructure and another that might come from Chris Boswell, we're all reminded yet again that, while everyone in Cleveland's dancing in the streets over the first couple days of free agency, the Steelers are just waiting to pull off something far smarter in summer's dog days.
It looks like there's $18 million in cap space currently, an incredible figure this time of year even when it's considered that the actual amount Colbert's free to spend is closer to $7 million. There's no question he can still make another move or two, and that's a credit to this front office.
• Problem: A certain other linebacker still hasn't participated in a team drill.
• Solution: This might not be popular, but I kind of like how the Steelers have handled T.J. Watt's camp status ... provided it ends up where it needs to end up.
No one gains if Watt's hurt, whether or not he's awaiting the largest extension in franchise history. And no one gains all that much if he were to practice fully or, for that matter, participate in the last real preseason game Saturday night against the Lions. If he weren't a consummate professional, if he weren't capable of preparing himself for action, then he wouldn't be worth a fraction of the money he's about to earn.
Tomlin's expressed public support, and Butler echoed his own Tuesday, again as only he could.
"Everybody needs practice. Everybody does. It doesn’t matter who you are," Butler began, before setting of a spectacular round of back-and-forth with himself. "But that’s really none of my business. His business is to try to get done what he wants to get done. I’m for him. I’m not against him. I’m for Art Rooney. I’m not against him, either. So, it’s really none of my business in that situation. Do I want him on the practice field? Yeah, sure, I do. But at the same time, I want him to be happy on the practice field, not dadgum begrudging all this stuff. I don’t think he would be. I’m just saying I hope they get it done. I’m for both sides. I’m for Mr. Rooney and T.J. I’m for both of them."
This guy's the greatest.
I'm not dadgum begrudging T.J., either. Damn the optics. Just get it done.
• Problem: Bud Dupree left.
• Solution: Alex Highsmith's already arrived. Top performer in camp at any position.
And that's to say nothing of Ingram's addition. He's been almost as dynamic, every bit as energetic on and off the field.
• Problem: Nickel back.
• Solution: Uh, Arthur Maulet?
Nah, me, neither. But fortunately, it sure sounds as if the Steelers are weighing other options. Including the one I've pushing for months: Leave Cam Sutton there, and stop overthinking the rest.
Maulet's been ... whatever, Antoine Brooks has been banged up, and the dream of engineering a Mike Hilton 2.0 fades by the day.
Butler, when asked Tuesday if nickel will come down to those two: "I don’t know yet. I can’t tell you that."
Butler, when then asked if someone else might be involved: "We'll see."
Butler, when then asked if James Pierre's done well enough at right outside corner to bump Sutton back inside: "We’ll see. That’s another possibility. That’s a great question and that might be the deal with us."
Oh, my.
• Problem: Backup QB controversy!
• Solution: No starting QB controversy!
The Nation won't warmly welcome Mason Rudolph being slotted ahead of Dwayne Haskins in drills Tuesday, but that's been the internal expectation all along, as I've written. It's also never been all that important, as I've also written. Makes for awesome back-and-forth among fans, but it still boils down to who'll be holding the clipboard in Buffalo, and who'll be in civvies and little more.
No, what matters is that, in these same drills, Ben dropped a dime maybe 50 yards downfield into the hands of a diving JuJu Smith-Schuster and, of course, that he's healthy. And healthier, as he's affirmed, than he was at any stage of the 2020 season following elbow surgery.
If and when the Steelers beat the Bills, it'll be because Ben beats them. Not because of whoever's his backup.
Good for Tomlin and everyone else on the inside for never getting caught up in that.
As Matt Canada worded it in his own session Tuesday, speaking to his first year as an NFL offensive coordinator, "When you’ve got a Hall of Fame quarterback, it’s a pretty good gig. Obviously, I’m very humbled by my role. The players play, Coach Tomlin sets the agenda, and I’ve got a role, and I am certainly very blessed and thankful to have my role. Ben and all of the other guys are the reason we’re gonna have success."
Starts with Ben.
• Problem: Too much Najee Harris hype.
• Solution: Ha!
The cool, the confidence this extraordinary young man exudes is rivaled only by the skill he's exhibited. I've tried to tone it down myself, but when I see/hear Tomlin wholly incapable of that -- maybe for the first time in his tenure with a rookie -- then I find myself fretting more about how those around him might handle someone of his pedigree.
Meaning this: Can they bring out his best?
Case in point, and it's a positive: Eddie Faulkner, the running backs coach, isn't hiding his own stance that Najee's special and should be treated accordingly. Those two often can be seen having their own conversations, even running their own drills well outside the sidelines while the rest of the backs work in a pack elsewhere.
I asked Faulkner about this very thing, particularly if he feels any added pressure:
Good stuff, right?
Take it from someone who covered Sidney Crosby entering the NHL under an overmatched, inexperienced coach in Eddie Olczyk, as well as Andrew McCutchen entering Major League Baseball under silent, stodgy John Russell: It helps to have people who can make the biggest difference out of athletes who themselves can make the biggest difference.
Both Tomlin and Faulkner appear to have shown the right balance so far.
He is special. Treat him as such.
• Problem: Two punters!
• Solution: Well, to start, if we're putting punters on this list at all, camp's going super-smoothly!
I remain a believer that Pressley Harvin III will win the battle, and not just because a draft pick was invested in a punter. I believe it because the ball just boots differently off that big leg, plus that he does all the rest well enough that the strength should be the obvious tiebreaker.
But I also believe Jordan Berry's had a strong camp and, infinitely more important, so does Danny Smith.
"It's been competitive. It really has," spoke the world's most wired human Tuesday. "It’s good to see two pros put their best foot forward. No pun intended. But Jordan’s punting the ball better than he ever has, and Pressley's very talented, so it’s been quite a competition. And it will continue. ... We feel we have two NFL punters here."
They just might. And Smith, in turn, might just be trying to build up value if one of the other 31 teams might not feel the same way. Or, he might be telling the truth that it's legit this tight.
Either way, to repeat, we're talking about punting. And I'm getting the distinct feeling I might be forgetting something.
Oh, right ...
• Problem: The offensive line.
• Solution: Man, look at the time! Hey, been fun! See ya!