Halicke: Steelers are focused on themselves as preseason begins

LATROBE, Pa. -- The Steelers' preseason gets underway Friday night at Acrisure Stadium as the defending AFC South champion Texans come to town. And, it should be a good test from the get go as head coach DeMeco Ryans said his first-teamers will get some action to start the game.

But, the preseason isn't about strategizing to beat the opponent in front of them. Of course, teams want to win. But, there just isn't the same level of game planning. Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin aren't dialing up a plan to minimize C.J. Stroud for 60 minutes. And, Arthur Smith isn't going to reach deep into his bag of tricks in order to best secure a victory in early August.

Typically, these types of articles ahead of games aren't focused on the Steelers, but rather on the upcoming opponent to better educate you on what the team is up against each and every week.

The Steelers are doing something similar. They are focused internally on their own development as a team, not on the team across the field.

"I'm really more concerned about how we perform in some fundamental things as opposed to strategy and schematics," Tomlin said in his Wednesday morning press conference. "I think it's important that we handle pre-snap football at an acceptable level on both sides, cleanliness in terms of penalties, fluid shifts in motions offensively. Adjustments and communications appropriately on defense, things of that nature. We can't be a group that's highly penalized.

"We want to set a nice high floor in terms of some of those things. We want to put our conditioning on display and continue to develop it. Really excited about fundamental things blocking and tackling and ball searching and ball security, things that have been kind of the foundation of the beginnings of our development in this setting. I want to see people make routine plays routinely." 

Some people that won't get -- or need -- the opportunity to check these boxes for Tomlin are seven veteran players: T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Isaac Seumalo, Patrick Queen, Alex Highsmith and Russell Wilson, who is listed as Tomlin's starting quarterback. Some players such as Queen, Highsmith and Wilson are nursing minor injuries, so Tomlin doesn't see the need to push them. It is just the first preseason game, after all.

Even with Wilson, who is obviously new and playing in a offense, Tomlin is not at all worried about the lack of reps Wilson's had with the first-team offense. He'd rather be overly cautious with these players rather than lose them for a longer period of time when the games matter.

What this does is create the other important aspect of preseason football.

"It’s just going to provide additional opportunity for others that I know less about, and maybe need more runway from a preparation standpoint," Tomlin said. "And so, we're going to go with that group in terms of watching."

There are players that are worth more attention than others. With Wilson out, Justin Fields can look to build on what's been a very solid training camp with some good performances in stadiums. Although preseason should only be taken with a grain of salt, the games still provide a better barometer for where a player is, maybe even especially for a quarterback.

For example, there is a hard and fast rule in practice to not touch the quarterback. So, nobody ever truly gets a gauge on how a quarterback will handle pressure in the pocket until he steps into a stadium and is facing a team in different colors, especially if some of those players are playing for a job.

As we learned last preseason, only so much stock should be put into preseason play. But, Fields can still put himself in a better position with clean play rather than struggling. Though Tomlin is adamant that Wilson is the starter right now, he did say this is a quarterback competition. So, Fields has a lot to play for.

Of course, the quarterback isn't the only position or player to watch. Although I expect Dan Moore Jr. to start at left tackle and Broderick Jones to start at right tackle, I expect there to be a healthy dose of Troy Fautanu. The Steelers are going to play with their best line when the season begins in Atlanta. So, Fautanu needs to make the most of his snaps.

The same goes for Nate Herbig and Zach Frazier. Herbig's had a solid start to camp while Frazier's remained limited to second-team reps. But, who knows how this offensive line could be shuffled around over the next month. If James Daniels is somehow involved in a trade for Brandon Aiyuk, maybe Herbig can slide to the right to make room for Frazier.

Speaking of Aiyuk, the receivers need to show up in a big way. While a trade appears to be the most likely outcome, nothing's done yet. So, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III need to carry over what they've done in practice into the stadium. Jefferson's been a pleasant surprise, and Austin has done a great job thus far, too.

One the defensive side, there are a number of players of note. Big things are expected out of Keeanu Benton, and I'm curious to see what he puts on preseason tape. Two newcomers to the secondary, DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson, have been very impressive in training camp. Preseason action could make me feel better about what I'm seeing in practice.

And, yeah, Payton Wilson is looking like a steal right now. He's been flying around the field, picking Queen's brain every day and making things look way easier than it should for a rookie at a position with a lot of responsibilities. What's he going to look like when he's facing the Texans' first-teamers? I'm going to have my eyes glued to 41 in black, that's for sure.

But, as with any preseason, there are guys who are on the bubble that are playing for jobs. Showing well in practice is one thing, but Tomlin can be swayed with what transpires in preseason games.

"There's a component of in-stadium play that you can't anticipate," Tomlin said. "Somebody always surprises you in a positive way. Somebody always surprises you in a negative way, and that's just a component of it. I'm always open minded and excited about seeing who they are under those circumstances. And I'm, quite frankly, never surprised when someone runs their way onto this football team with their efforts in preseason."

DeMarvin Leal's had a good start to camp. He's versatile, which is always a good thing. But he ended last season in Tomlin's doghouse. He has a lot to prove.

With Cam Sutton suspended for the first eight games of the season, the Steelers need a slot cornerback. And, undrafted free agent Beanie Bishop has done enough in camp to earn the top spot on the depth chart. However, Tomlin was a bit reluctant to put him there. If it weren't for suspensions or injuries to players such as Grayland Arnold, maybe Bishop wouldn't be there.

But, this is a great opportunity for Bishop to prove he belongs in this spot.

"To Beanie’s credit, he has done some nice things in this camp and throughout the developmental process, dating back to the spring. He's a game young man, and I'm excited about seeing him in stadium, particularly some of the things that come along with that position on first and second down football, blitzing and so forth, excited to see him in some real action there."

The Steelers have been using quite a bit of I-formation in practice, with Jack Colletto taking virtually all the reps at fullback. However, Connor Heyward is listed as the starting fullback on the depth chart. Heyward is also more versatile than Colletto. The way Colletto can stand a better chance to make the roster is by earning a spot on special teams. He has to do more than just play fullback.

That's where a lot of guys can earn jobs, and this year is different than just about any other year. With the new kickoff rule in place, teams have to rethink how each roster spot should be allocated. There could be more big men that earn a spot given the nature of the new kickoff:

No matter what happens Friday night or in the other two preseason games, for better or worse, remember to quell any overreactions. Last year, a perfect performance by the first-team offense did not translate to the regular season. And, if the offense looks shaky, it doesn't mean the regular season is a lost cause. That's where Tomlin's head is as preseason kicks off.

"I don't have a desire to. I don't have a need to," Tomlin said regarding the carryover from preseason into the regular season. "I don't worry about the hype, to be honest with you. The preseason is the preseason. The regular season is a regular season. Those of us have been this thing for a while know that there's a difference. It's football like but it's not necessarily football if you're talking about it from a regular season perspective, but it is significant in terms of our development and guys sort themselves out, and relative to the work we're doing here, it’s a significant step, so we're excited about it from that perspective."