Take SoFi Stadium, for instance, the site of the Steelers' game here tonight against the Chargers. It cost $6 billion to build, it can seat as many as 100,000, it's got a concert venue and a lake as spare parts, it's covered by a translucent roof that'd span several city blocks ... and it'll still somehow converge into this single sharp point at its structural conclusion. Surrounded by a modest assembly of plants that might as well be plucked from the bargain aisle at Lowe's.
See that pic I snapped above. It's like a scene out of 'Teletubbies.'
Football can be similar. The events can come across as bigger than life, the playbooks the participants follow might as well weigh a ton, and all the film study, the statistical analysis, the countless configurations ... still somehow converge into something as simple as a solo tackle:
Uh-huh. Like that.
Only lots and lots of that.
Here's how I'm seeing this matchup in advance, this in a three-point stance:
1. The Chargers' offensive line is allowing pressures on 27.5% of their quarterback dropbacks, worst in the NFL. That's a total of 105 pressures, which averages out to 11.6 per game through their otherwise largely impressive 6-3 start.
2. Now, on top of that, they'll be without not one but BOTH of their starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, because of injuries. They'll be replaced by Austin Deculus on the left, Trey Pipkins on the right. The former has started four NFL games at age 26, and the latter's been predominantly a backup for all but three of his seven seasons, now at age 29.
3. When the Steelers' edge rushers are effective, they win. When they don't, they look as limp and lifeless as they did against both the Bengals and Packers.
There it is. Game, set, match. It shouldn't matter all that much that Justin Herbert's second in the NFL in passing yards with 2,390, second in passing touchdowns with 18, and first in rushing yards by a quarterback with 305.
To say nothing of his public posterization of the Titans' Jaylen Harrell a week ago in Nashville:
Because if the Chargers can't block, and the Steelers simultaneously can carry over even a reasonable fraction of their fire from unraveling the Colts a week ago back home, it shouldn't matter who's at quarterback because that individual should spend most of this evening horizontal.
That means a reignited T.J. Watt, a refreshed Alex Highsmith and a finally-being-reused Nick Herbig should be teeing off from here to Hollywood. And I don't feel any differently about the bigger boys up front, chiefly Cam Heyward and Derrick Harmon. These are precisely the scenarios this franchise had learned to love for decades and, given the personnel and posture of this group, that's got to be the case again tonight.
If not, watch how it'll all get complicated in an uncomfortable hurry.
• Say what one will about Najee Harris' time in Pittsburgh -- he's lost to the Chargers for the season, of course, with an early Achilles injury -- but he was 1,000 yards in the bank. Fair assessment or not, Jaylen Warren's not on that pace yet, with 404 yards and the season almost at its midpoint. And coming off his most meager output to date, with 31 yards on 16 carries against the Colts, this might be a fine time to bounce back.
• We as a football society aren't sufficiently appreciating Troy Fautanu of late. He's been terrific.
• Everyone else can fuss over wide receivers. Not me. I'd rather focus on far more targets for Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington than the usual 3-4 each sees. Sure, feed DK Metcalf along the way, but let's figure this out before fretting over the rest.
• The AFC has five teams with six-plus victories. Should the Steelers prevail here, they'll be 3-0 against those teams ... and they'll become one of those teams, as well.
• Everyone would've signed up this past summer for a 6-3 start. Just sayin'.
• I probably repeat this too often anymore, but I'll take improvement in the Steelers' foundational facets over results at this stage. I really would. I'd welcome seeing the offense resume that ascent it'd been riding before the Colts, and I'd very much welcome seeing the defense string even just two doozies together. That'd mean far more toward the team's near-term future than whether or not Chris Boswell can boot one from 55 with a few ticks to go ... because that'd mean they're legit getting better.
• Hard to fathom any pregame feature could have one better prepared for the main event than Chris Halicke's excellent Next Opponent analysis each week. Indispensable data and detail.
• There've been colder moves of franchises in professional sports history than sliding the Chargers up Interstate-5 to this place. But not many.
Hear me on this: San Diego's fans loved this team -- some still do -- at a level I haven't seen in many cities for this league, and I can't be convinced there couldn't have been a solution for a football stadium in a glaringly open lot adjacent to the Padres' Petco Park. That's not what the NFL wanted, though. The league wanted not one but two teams here in a city where nary a soul minded being without one for two decades. The league wanted ... cash.
Better watch it with that. Fandom can't be concocted at will. Certainly not here.
• Finally, while on the subject of football ...
... a hearty congratulations from this coast to the Riverhounds back home for their playoff victoryover Detroit that's pushed them through for the first time to the USL semifinals, and this accompanied by the largest soccer crowd in Highmark Stadium's history at an SRO 6,220.
• It'll soon be everyone but the baseball team, right?
THE ASYLUM
DK: The Steelers' aim here should be straight
Things aren't always as complex as they seem.
Take SoFi Stadium, for instance, the site of the Steelers' game here tonight against the Chargers. It cost $6 billion to build, it can seat as many as 100,000, it's got a concert venue and a lake as spare parts, it's covered by a translucent roof that'd span several city blocks ... and it'll still somehow converge into this single sharp point at its structural conclusion. Surrounded by a modest assembly of plants that might as well be plucked from the bargain aisle at Lowe's.
See that pic I snapped above. It's like a scene out of 'Teletubbies.'
Football can be similar. The events can come across as bigger than life, the playbooks the participants follow might as well weigh a ton, and all the film study, the statistical analysis, the countless configurations ... still somehow converge into something as simple as a solo tackle:
Uh-huh. Like that.
Only lots and lots of that.
Here's how I'm seeing this matchup in advance, this in a three-point stance:
1. The Chargers' offensive line is allowing pressures on 27.5% of their quarterback dropbacks, worst in the NFL. That's a total of 105 pressures, which averages out to 11.6 per game through their otherwise largely impressive 6-3 start.
2. Now, on top of that, they'll be without not one but BOTH of their starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, because of injuries. They'll be replaced by Austin Deculus on the left, Trey Pipkins on the right. The former has started four NFL games at age 26, and the latter's been predominantly a backup for all but three of his seven seasons, now at age 29.
3. When the Steelers' edge rushers are effective, they win. When they don't, they look as limp and lifeless as they did against both the Bengals and Packers.
There it is. Game, set, match. It shouldn't matter all that much that Justin Herbert's second in the NFL in passing yards with 2,390, second in passing touchdowns with 18, and first in rushing yards by a quarterback with 305.
To say nothing of his public posterization of the Titans' Jaylen Harrell a week ago in Nashville:
Because if the Chargers can't block, and the Steelers simultaneously can carry over even a reasonable fraction of their fire from unraveling the Colts a week ago back home, it shouldn't matter who's at quarterback because that individual should spend most of this evening horizontal.
That means a reignited T.J. Watt, a refreshed Alex Highsmith and a finally-being-reused Nick Herbig should be teeing off from here to Hollywood. And I don't feel any differently about the bigger boys up front, chiefly Cam Heyward and Derrick Harmon. These are precisely the scenarios this franchise had learned to love for decades and, given the personnel and posture of this group, that's got to be the case again tonight.
If not, watch how it'll all get complicated in an uncomfortable hurry.
• Say what one will about Najee Harris' time in Pittsburgh -- he's lost to the Chargers for the season, of course, with an early Achilles injury -- but he was 1,000 yards in the bank. Fair assessment or not, Jaylen Warren's not on that pace yet, with 404 yards and the season almost at its midpoint. And coming off his most meager output to date, with 31 yards on 16 carries against the Colts, this might be a fine time to bounce back.
• We as a football society aren't sufficiently appreciating Troy Fautanu of late. He's been terrific.
• Everyone else can fuss over wide receivers. Not me. I'd rather focus on far more targets for Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington than the usual 3-4 each sees. Sure, feed DK Metcalf along the way, but let's figure this out before fretting over the rest.
• The AFC has five teams with six-plus victories. Should the Steelers prevail here, they'll be 3-0 against those teams ... and they'll become one of those teams, as well.
• Everyone would've signed up this past summer for a 6-3 start. Just sayin'.
• I probably repeat this too often anymore, but I'll take improvement in the Steelers' foundational facets over results at this stage. I really would. I'd welcome seeing the offense resume that ascent it'd been riding before the Colts, and I'd very much welcome seeing the defense string even just two doozies together. That'd mean far more toward the team's near-term future than whether or not Chris Boswell can boot one from 55 with a few ticks to go ... because that'd mean they're legit getting better.
• Hard to fathom any pregame feature could have one better prepared for the main event than Chris Halicke's excellent Next Opponent analysis each week. Indispensable data and detail.
• There've been colder moves of franchises in professional sports history than sliding the Chargers up Interstate-5 to this place. But not many.
Hear me on this: San Diego's fans loved this team -- some still do -- at a level I haven't seen in many cities for this league, and I can't be convinced there couldn't have been a solution for a football stadium in a glaringly open lot adjacent to the Padres' Petco Park. That's not what the NFL wanted, though. The league wanted not one but two teams here in a city where nary a soul minded being without one for two decades. The league wanted ... cash.
Better watch it with that. Fandom can't be concocted at will. Certainly not here.
• Finally, while on the subject of football ...
... a hearty congratulations from this coast to the Riverhounds back home for their playoff victory over Detroit that's pushed them through for the first time to the USL semifinals, and this accompanied by the largest soccer crowd in Highmark Stadium's history at an SRO 6,220.
• It'll soon be everyone but the baseball team, right?
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