DK: Still so much uncertainty about these Steelers, right?
It's only acceptable to celebrate symbolic Super Bowls in Cleveland.
In March and April, of course.
These Steelers, fresh off the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex fields this afternoon amid a refreshingly cool climate, don't seem inclined toward anything of the kind. Certainly not from what I've gathered these past few weeks, including today. There's a quiet, calm confidence about the collective, and it really doesn't waver.
Aaron Rodgers signed?
Oh, awesome.
Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith with one swing?
Neat.
I find that ... compelling. There's a maturity in that. If the needle were bouncing all over creation right about now, with less than two weeks before the Sept. 7 opener against the Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., that'd be cause for bona fide concern.
As it is ...
"There's just so much here to like, and we know that. We feel that," Calvin Austin was telling me. "You can see the pieces, and it's popped up in some places. But we see how it's coming together behind the scenes, the work that's being put in, the chemistry."
Yep. All that intangible goodness.
I respect that. I know it's real. I get it when Patrick Queen shares with me, "There's something special coming together with this group. And for real, I can't wait to see it."
Me neither.
But there's also this: We haven't seen it. Not yet. Not even close, really.
Some of that uncertainty's due to injury. Austin's scarcely seen a snap since he showed up at Saint Vincent College. Smith's scarcely seen a sled, much less a snap. Both need to be critical contributors to the offense. Same applies on the other side to Alex Highsmith, who divulged after this practice that he'll be ready for Week 1, and Nick Herbig, who divulged ... nothing of the kind, instead speaking in vague terms about being "on schedule" and the like.
Some of that uncertainty's due to stuff that's yet to be shown, to the public or even to the media. Not Xs and Os. I'm talking about roles among starters, or among those on the depth chart just beneath those starters.
Case in point: If Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, all tight ends, break the huddle, what's the formation? Who are the rest of the targets? Or is that more likely to be a run regardless?
No clue.
Remember when Smith ran a pitch play with four of his tight ends -- Connor Heyward included -- in an otherwise empty set that day in Latrobe?
Was that a portend of anything? Or a misdirection, in the event word might filter across to Maryland? Or absolutely nothing at all?
No clue.
Another case in point: Is Mike Tomlin drop-dead serious about his "coverage people" scheme on defense, one that'd task Ramsey -- and Ramsey alone -- with tailing the opponent's top receiving threat? And one that'd have Darius Slay and Joey Porter lining up here, there and everywhere in some sort of harmony with Ramsey?
I asked Tomlin today: What about Brandin Echols? Where's he fit?
"I think he's had a great camp and preseason," Tomlin replied. "He's been highly competitive. He's played top-down. He's kept the ball in front of him. He certainly is an asset to us. We'll get more detail into how we're dividing the labor up as we get closer to game week."
Hm. I liked the sound of that. Echols needs to play. As in, a lot. No reason he couldn't work his way into the "coverage people" category, up to and including partaking in a rotation.
What'll it look like, when additionally weighing the safeties? With DeShon Elliott most effective closer to the line of scrimmage? With Juan Thornhill still not all the way back?
No clue.
Some of that uncertainty's due to the other Heyward, given Cam's curious career choice at this time to hold out in a season that's at least somewhat about affording him a chance to finally win ... all I've got is that the Steelers, from what I hear, aren't about to back down. Nor should they. Not this time. I've supported all of Cam's contract pushes in the past. Not this one.
And if he holds out from a real game? With Derrick Harmon down?
No clue. Maybe the bad guys will run for another 299 or something.
Then there's the offensive line, which has found a permanent home in the public conscience of this franchise's fan base. Isaac Seumalo was held out of the entire preseason, but the other four played, played a lot and played well enough that ... uh, no, I'm not going there. Not even after Broderick Jones went back-to-back with encouraging performances.
And hey, let's not even get started on the wide, wide world of WR2.
Who can know anything?
Well, again, it sure seems like the guys who matter the most do.
"Yeah, I think we've got a pretty good handle on it," Highsmith would say. "In preseason ball, it's good to get out there for a series or two, obviously. But honestly, we're confident about how we're going to feel when we go out there in Week 1."
All right, then. Thirteen days for the rest of us.
THE ASYLUM
DK: Still so much uncertainty about these Steelers, right?
It's only acceptable to celebrate symbolic Super Bowls in Cleveland.
In March and April, of course.
These Steelers, fresh off the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex fields this afternoon amid a refreshingly cool climate, don't seem inclined toward anything of the kind. Certainly not from what I've gathered these past few weeks, including today. There's a quiet, calm confidence about the collective, and it really doesn't waver.
Aaron Rodgers signed?
Oh, awesome.
Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith with one swing?
Neat.
I find that ... compelling. There's a maturity in that. If the needle were bouncing all over creation right about now, with less than two weeks before the Sept. 7 opener against the Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., that'd be cause for bona fide concern.
As it is ...
"There's just so much here to like, and we know that. We feel that," Calvin Austin was telling me. "You can see the pieces, and it's popped up in some places. But we see how it's coming together behind the scenes, the work that's being put in, the chemistry."
Yep. All that intangible goodness.
I respect that. I know it's real. I get it when Patrick Queen shares with me, "There's something special coming together with this group. And for real, I can't wait to see it."
Me neither.
But there's also this: We haven't seen it. Not yet. Not even close, really.
Some of that uncertainty's due to injury. Austin's scarcely seen a snap since he showed up at Saint Vincent College. Smith's scarcely seen a sled, much less a snap. Both need to be critical contributors to the offense. Same applies on the other side to Alex Highsmith, who divulged after this practice that he'll be ready for Week 1, and Nick Herbig, who divulged ... nothing of the kind, instead speaking in vague terms about being "on schedule" and the like.
Some of that uncertainty's due to stuff that's yet to be shown, to the public or even to the media. Not Xs and Os. I'm talking about roles among starters, or among those on the depth chart just beneath those starters.
Case in point: If Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, all tight ends, break the huddle, what's the formation? Who are the rest of the targets? Or is that more likely to be a run regardless?
No clue.
Remember when Smith ran a pitch play with four of his tight ends -- Connor Heyward included -- in an otherwise empty set that day in Latrobe?
Was that a portend of anything? Or a misdirection, in the event word might filter across to Maryland? Or absolutely nothing at all?
No clue.
Another case in point: Is Mike Tomlin drop-dead serious about his "coverage people" scheme on defense, one that'd task Ramsey -- and Ramsey alone -- with tailing the opponent's top receiving threat? And one that'd have Darius Slay and Joey Porter lining up here, there and everywhere in some sort of harmony with Ramsey?
I asked Tomlin today: What about Brandin Echols? Where's he fit?
"I think he's had a great camp and preseason," Tomlin replied. "He's been highly competitive. He's played top-down. He's kept the ball in front of him. He certainly is an asset to us. We'll get more detail into how we're dividing the labor up as we get closer to game week."
Hm. I liked the sound of that. Echols needs to play. As in, a lot. No reason he couldn't work his way into the "coverage people" category, up to and including partaking in a rotation.
What'll it look like, when additionally weighing the safeties? With DeShon Elliott most effective closer to the line of scrimmage? With Juan Thornhill still not all the way back?
No clue.
Some of that uncertainty's due to the other Heyward, given Cam's curious career choice at this time to hold out in a season that's at least somewhat about affording him a chance to finally win ... all I've got is that the Steelers, from what I hear, aren't about to back down. Nor should they. Not this time. I've supported all of Cam's contract pushes in the past. Not this one.
And if he holds out from a real game? With Derrick Harmon down?
No clue. Maybe the bad guys will run for another 299 or something.
Then there's the offensive line, which has found a permanent home in the public conscience of this franchise's fan base. Isaac Seumalo was held out of the entire preseason, but the other four played, played a lot and played well enough that ... uh, no, I'm not going there. Not even after Broderick Jones went back-to-back with encouraging performances.
And hey, let's not even get started on the wide, wide world of WR2.
Who can know anything?
Well, again, it sure seems like the guys who matter the most do.
"Yeah, I think we've got a pretty good handle on it," Highsmith would say. "In preseason ball, it's good to get out there for a series or two, obviously. But honestly, we're confident about how we're going to feel when we go out there in Week 1."
All right, then. Thirteen days for the rest of us.
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