DETROIT -- Last summer, far too many people in Pittsburgh were taking too much stock in preseason football. Kenny Pickett and the first-team offense scored touchdowns on all five preseason series, and the hype ballooned way beyond control and, more important, realistic expectation.
This summer, it's the opposite story. The Steelers' offense is garnering just as much concern and worry as the Pirates' incompetence just down the North Shore. Throughout the first two preseason games, the offense has produced the following results in each series with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback:
• Punt
• Punt
• Punt
• Punt
• Punt
• Punt
• Punt
• Missed field goal
• Punt
• Field goal
• Turnover on downs
• Turnover on downs
• Turnover on downs
13 series, three points. In five series with Wilson in his preseason debut, the offense moved the chains just one time.
Needless to say, this has everyone in shambles. Is the quarterback play really that bad? Is it Arthur Smith's offense? Is the offensive line a legitimate concern? In order for the Steelers to get where they want to go, the offense has to be better than it has been. And right now, the offense looks worse than it did under Matt Canada.
If you're looking for solace, Smith's offense has been significantly limited in the preseason, and for several reasons. First, there's no reason to show the entire league what they plan on doing. Second, teams never game plan for the team lining up across from them, especially during the first game or two. Everything is internally focused, whether it be on specific concepts, emphasis on certain situations such as red zone, possession downs, etc. Third, for Wilson in particular, the playbook was limited even more for him because the team wanted to ease him back into game action as he continues to recover from the calf injury sustained at the start of training camp.
So, don't worry about Smith's system. At least, not until these guys play games that actually matter. That's when the film will reveal quite a bit.
However, the player component of this is where the concern is warranted. Preseason is more about evaluating players, not schematics. That's been true for the first two games and it'll be true Saturday when the Steelers play the Lions in their preseason finale at Ford Field.
"It’s not about the volume of schematics, it’s about the quality of execution and our understanding of what we’re seeing, and us playing full speed in those moments," Tomlin said after Wednesday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "So, it’s less about what we show from a schematics standpoint, and just us getting individually and collectively familiar with the moments, and winning in those moments."
It is, however, safe to assume that the level of concern is not just external. Nowadays, the third preseason game is what the old fourth preseason game used to be: One last ditch effort for all the bubble guys to make their claim for a roster spot while the starters wore hoodies and ball caps on the sideline.
That won't be the case this year. When the Steelers take the field Saturday, all healthy players will play, as Tomlin said after Thursday's practice. That also means Wilson will start at quarterback and Fields will get a healthy dose of snaps, too. And, Tomlin said there won't be any restrictions for Wilson or anyone else.
There's no room for excuses anymore. The Steelers went through a simulated preparation week, meaning they treated it in the same manner as a typical game week during the season. That also means specific preparation for the upcoming opponent. So, we may see the first unveiling -- albeit, a small one -- of Smith's system. More important, the players must execute the plays called, regardless of schematics.
"In the mindset that it's a dry rehearsal, I want to see the fruit of the labor that I've seen out here on the practice field," Tomlin said Thursday. "We've had some really awesome practice days and shown really good consistency and fundamentals and splash play ability, but I haven't seen it in the stadium yet. So in a perfect world, I’d like to see that in the stadium before I move on to provide reps with some other guys that are trying to get a job for themselves."
Bottom line, this offense has to do something in this game. They've gotta score points. They need to get the ball in the end zone. They need to move the chains on third down. They need to limit the pre-snap penalties and other self-inflicted wounds. All of that lends itself to the strength of what Smith can call schematically, both Saturday and during the regular season.
After all, it doesn't matter what Smith schemes up if the offensive line can't limit false starts, gets beat consistently in pass protection and fails to push the pile forward in the running game. It doesn't matter what Smith schemes up if Wilson can't stop checking the ball down or Fields can't trust his eyes and make throws NFL quarterbacks need to make.
The players feel the urgency. Yes, preseason doesn't really matter, but that's only in terms of wins and losses. Despite what we witnessed last season, the players believe in the momentum the preseason can create for the team heading into the season:
"I think it's definitely important, getting that momentum going into the season," Fields said after Thursday's practice. "In the locker room, everybody knows that. So, that's what we're focused on doing."
As Tomlin alluded to, there's been a lot of quality execution in practice. It obviously hasn't translated to games. If you're looking for solace, I polled several offensive players and that all echoed exactly what Cordarrelle Patterson told me.
"There's a lot of new faces and players in this offense," Patterson told me after Thursday's practice, who'll undoubtedly get an uptick in snaps with Jaylen Warren sidelined with a hamstring injury. "It takes time. That's what preseason is for. You can't really judge people off of bad performances in the preseason, just like you can't judge them of how good they did in the preseason. None of it matters until Week 1."
But, true solace won't come until the offense actual produces results. If it doesn't come Saturday in Detroit, it better materialize on Sept. 8 in Atlanta.
