Because there's no setting, not Saint Vincent, not some pad-free practice, not some weekend walkthrough, not in some alternate AI reality, that any NFL player can be excused for this:
It's unacceptable. Unbelievable, actually. It's one of those remarkably rare moments in professional sports where almost everyone in the place is so awed by the absurdity of what just went awry that, no matter how many are in the house, all that follows is a collective stone silence.
And man, I wasn't any different up in the press box. Mouth agape. Fingers frozen hovering over the keyboard, unable to type.
But being blunt here, by the time the Steelers were done being blown up by the Seahawks, 31-17, in their home opener on this otherwise sunny Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium, this far harsher reality had hit me: That rookie mistake, however monumental in the moment, might not make my own top-five list of everything I really, really hated about this event as a whole.
Don't believe it?
Let me give it a try, countdown-style ...
5. I really, really hated Jaylen Warren's usage.
Which is to say, I really, really hated Kenny Gainwell's continued usage in the face of contributing next to nothing to any offensive phase. It's not the 20 yards on five carries or the three catches for 16 yards, unimpressive as those were. Rather, it's that Mike Tomlin and/or Arthur Smith sent him into the huddle at some of the worst times, right when a big play or conversion was needed.
Warren accounted for 134 all-purpose yards, 48 on the ground, 86 through the air, and that doesn't begin to describe how the Seattle defense had no counter for him. He was relentless, unlike almost all of his teammates, bulldozing, spinning, whirring, leaping ... and for some reason, he was limited to 18 total touches of the football.
I'm aware that Tomlin and Smith both liked -- and planned -- to have Gainwell play a meaningful role in this offense. I'm also aware that he's doing no such thing.
I'm also aware that Tomlin's seldom passed up an opportunity to cite some sort of durability issue when referencing Warren, even though he's been healthy enough over the course of his NFL career -- participated in 49 of 51 games -- to just earn a three-year extension from management.
Sure enough, when I asked Tomlin afterward about Warren's usage and whether it might increase soon, it popped up again: "I'm certain he can. I know that he had a good week's work. I know that he felt good going into today, and he expressed that, and so I see no reason why he can't."
I'm hardly Warren's doctor, but there's yet to be a solitary slice of evidence that Warren's been less than healthy all summer, not officially, not unofficially.
This is weird. And self-defeating.
4. I really, really hated Rodgers' lack of support.
No, Rodgers wasn't as sharp as he'd been a week earlier in East Rutherford, completing 18 of 33 passes for 203 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also took three more sacks, this despite looking a lot more nimble than in the opener, after which he'd mentioned a stiff back.
But a legit factor in this loss was that he didn't get anywhere near as much help.
That was true of the line again, and it'll be true for the foreseeable future, at least as long as Broderick Jones keeps getting run out there unconditionally:
I'm not about to pile on, and I'm not about to isolate, since no lineman was good enough, but the sacks, the hurries conceded ... they're going to get Rodgers hurt, and everything else will become moot.
I've got no solution for this. But then, that's not my job. Tomlin and Omar Khan need to figure this out in the shortest possible order. If it isn't Calvin Anderson or anyone else in-house, then get knockin'.
Somehow, the non-DK Metcalf receivers were worse.
Metcalf, predictably, was covered closely by his former team and held to three catches for 20 yards, including a combative touchdown. The others needed to do as they'd done in the opener, and they didn't. Jonnu Smith was wasted mostly with sideways fluff, resulting in four catches for 27 yards. Pat Freiermuth had three catches for 31 yards, in addition to a dropped deep ball on Rodgers' prettiest pass of the day. Darnell Washington was almost wholly ignored again, this after a heavy buildup for months.
And the biggest disappointment: Calvin Austin, a standout a week ago, had one garbage-time grab on four targets, in addition to this error:
Rodgers confirmed that throw was meant for Freiermuth and that it would've been a touchdown from his view had Austin not strayed so far from his route: "Cal's the best kid ever, but he probably should've just stayed in the flat there. He knows it. He was kinda stealing it from Pat."
Do I even need to add that the only reason Rodgers rolled to his left was that Jones let a guy go right by him?
There's no need to check the quarterback's credentials. He's who he is, a four-time MVP, and he's already shown everyone he can still do the job. But he's not about to carry a franchise at age 41.
3. I really, really hated seeing the same players getting overpowered again and again.
I invest a lot of my criticism of this team into the coach, specifically Tomlin.
But sorry, this crap merits its own select level of scorn:
Two Sundays of this now.
It's not just Payton Wilson getting pancaked. It's not just the defense. It's way too many participants in all three phases. And I always have a tough time pointing the finger at coaches when players are palpably falling short at the most basic fundamentals.
Throughout the sport's history, there's only ever been one way to sufficiently address this.
2. I really, really hated the postgame reaction, in general.
Not sure exactly what I'd been expecting afterward, but it couldn't have been the head coach, in his opening statement before taking questions, saying this: "Certainly a disappointing home opener. There's a lot of things we can do better in all phases and in coaching, and we will. I compliment those guys on a winning performance," he'd say of the Seahawks before turning to this: "You know, it was still a ballgame, man. There's a lot to be desired, certainly, but it's just interesting: We were in a close ballgame last week, and special teams broke it open in our favor. This week, we're in a close ballgame, and special teams broke it open in our opponent's favor."
Uh ... yuck?
Blaming the already struggling rookie for a rookie mistake didn't feel right, even if, again, the mistake was unacceptable. Intended or not, this came across as scapegoating. Doubly so when it's remembered that the Steelers' drive that followed that mistake saw a third Chris Boswell field goal and pulled them back within a single score at 24-17. Triply so when it's remembered that the Seahawks right then, yet again, went coast-to-coast for the easiest touchdown drive anyone's ever seen, capped by the easiest 19-yard touchdown run anyone's ever seen:
Anyone see Johnson out there for any of that?
Better to look at that angle Wilson took, only to spill over Brandin Echols. Good Lord.
Blaming injuries didn't feel right, either, and Tomlin did that, too, referring to "in-game attrition" and calling that "a challenge." It was fact-based in that the defense was missing four regular starters by the second, plus a couple others popping in and out with problems, but that's always unusual from Mr. Standard-Is-The-Standard.
Asked to explain the lack of a running game: "You know, we have to possess the ball more." As if that part precedes the running.
Asked about his ill-advised, ill-fated call to punt from midfield late in the third quarter, one that flies in the figurative face of all of football's advanced metrics: "It was a 14-14 game. Neither offense was lighting it up at that juncture." That has nothing to do with this scenario. Nothing. Rather, it's about throwing away a possession. Over one yard. At midfield.
I didn't like a lot of what I observed from the players, as well.
Who's Wilson to be letting Nick Herbig have it after an apparent collision while both pursued a sack? How much self-awareness must Wilson be missing, after crowing this summer about being "one of the best cover linebackers in the world" to performing the way he has these two games, to making a scene like that out in full view?
Another: If Rodgers is getting frustrated on the field, as he visibly was at times, at what point does he make that known publicly?
I asked him about it, and he didn't appear to appreciate it:
"No," he came right back in that trademark understated tone. "It's Week 2. Come on, come on ... it's Week 2. I mean, like, it's good for us. Last week probably there were some people feeling pretty good because everybody outside the building was talking about how great we were on offense, and our 34 points. That's the league. You can't ride the highs or ride the lows."
That's fine. That's his right. But some of what occurred around him could be partly attributed -- I'll just say it -- to guys not trying hard enough. A sharper sword might be needed.
This wasn't awesome, either: T.J. Watt's name hasn't been called all that often, and that's due somewhat to opponents gutting their way up the middle and never needing to go his way. And yet nothing's been done about that schematically, either to shore up that middle or, as had been promised and practiced in Latrobe, to move him around.
I asked Watt to comment on this:
"I don't know," was all he'd say back. "I'll let you speculate all that stuff. I'm just trying to help as much as I possibly can any way that I possibly can."
I liked this least of all: Defensive players continued to complain about calls, just as they had the previous week. Only this time, what was heard was way more specific, way more stinging.
Now, I'd be nuts to expect that to get aired out. It won't and, arguably, it shouldn't. But the conversation even arising, in any form, suggests to me that not all of the lines of communication between players and coaches are what they could be.
1. I really, really, REALLY hated the coaching.
And so much more than all the rest that it could've consumed the entire list for a casual snack.
THE ASYLUM
DK: One lousy lapse didn't lose this
Oh, go right ahead and get after Kaleb Johnson.
Because there's no setting, not Saint Vincent, not some pad-free practice, not some weekend walkthrough, not in some alternate AI reality, that any NFL player can be excused for this:
It's unacceptable. Unbelievable, actually. It's one of those remarkably rare moments in professional sports where almost everyone in the place is so awed by the absurdity of what just went awry that, no matter how many are in the house, all that follows is a collective stone silence.
And man, I wasn't any different up in the press box. Mouth agape. Fingers frozen hovering over the keyboard, unable to type.
But being blunt here, by the time the Steelers were done being blown up by the Seahawks, 31-17, in their home opener on this otherwise sunny Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium, this far harsher reality had hit me: That rookie mistake, however monumental in the moment, might not make my own top-five list of everything I really, really hated about this event as a whole.
Don't believe it?
Let me give it a try, countdown-style ...
5. I really, really hated Jaylen Warren's usage.
Which is to say, I really, really hated Kenny Gainwell's continued usage in the face of contributing next to nothing to any offensive phase. It's not the 20 yards on five carries or the three catches for 16 yards, unimpressive as those were. Rather, it's that Mike Tomlin and/or Arthur Smith sent him into the huddle at some of the worst times, right when a big play or conversion was needed.
Dude was killing drives all by himself.
Whereas this was Warren ...
... and this masterwork, too:
Warren accounted for 134 all-purpose yards, 48 on the ground, 86 through the air, and that doesn't begin to describe how the Seattle defense had no counter for him. He was relentless, unlike almost all of his teammates, bulldozing, spinning, whirring, leaping ... and for some reason, he was limited to 18 total touches of the football.
I'm aware that Tomlin and Smith both liked -- and planned -- to have Gainwell play a meaningful role in this offense. I'm also aware that he's doing no such thing.
I'm also aware that Tomlin's seldom passed up an opportunity to cite some sort of durability issue when referencing Warren, even though he's been healthy enough over the course of his NFL career -- participated in 49 of 51 games -- to just earn a three-year extension from management.
Sure enough, when I asked Tomlin afterward about Warren's usage and whether it might increase soon, it popped up again: "I'm certain he can. I know that he had a good week's work. I know that he felt good going into today, and he expressed that, and so I see no reason why he can't."
I'm hardly Warren's doctor, but there's yet to be a solitary slice of evidence that Warren's been less than healthy all summer, not officially, not unofficially.
This is weird. And self-defeating.
4. I really, really hated Rodgers' lack of support.
No, Rodgers wasn't as sharp as he'd been a week earlier in East Rutherford, completing 18 of 33 passes for 203 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also took three more sacks, this despite looking a lot more nimble than in the opener, after which he'd mentioned a stiff back.
But a legit factor in this loss was that he didn't get anywhere near as much help.
That was true of the line again, and it'll be true for the foreseeable future, at least as long as Broderick Jones keeps getting run out there unconditionally:
I'm not about to pile on, and I'm not about to isolate, since no lineman was good enough, but the sacks, the hurries conceded ... they're going to get Rodgers hurt, and everything else will become moot.
I've got no solution for this. But then, that's not my job. Tomlin and Omar Khan need to figure this out in the shortest possible order. If it isn't Calvin Anderson or anyone else in-house, then get knockin'.
Somehow, the non-DK Metcalf receivers were worse.
Metcalf, predictably, was covered closely by his former team and held to three catches for 20 yards, including a combative touchdown. The others needed to do as they'd done in the opener, and they didn't. Jonnu Smith was wasted mostly with sideways fluff, resulting in four catches for 27 yards. Pat Freiermuth had three catches for 31 yards, in addition to a dropped deep ball on Rodgers' prettiest pass of the day. Darnell Washington was almost wholly ignored again, this after a heavy buildup for months.
And the biggest disappointment: Calvin Austin, a standout a week ago, had one garbage-time grab on four targets, in addition to this error:
Rodgers confirmed that throw was meant for Freiermuth and that it would've been a touchdown from his view had Austin not strayed so far from his route: "Cal's the best kid ever, but he probably should've just stayed in the flat there. He knows it. He was kinda stealing it from Pat."
Do I even need to add that the only reason Rodgers rolled to his left was that Jones let a guy go right by him?
There's no need to check the quarterback's credentials. He's who he is, a four-time MVP, and he's already shown everyone he can still do the job. But he's not about to carry a franchise at age 41.
3. I really, really hated seeing the same players getting overpowered again and again.
I invest a lot of my criticism of this team into the coach, specifically Tomlin.
But sorry, this crap merits its own select level of scorn:
Two Sundays of this now.
It's not just Payton Wilson getting pancaked. It's not just the defense. It's way too many participants in all three phases. And I always have a tough time pointing the finger at coaches when players are palpably falling short at the most basic fundamentals.
Throughout the sport's history, there's only ever been one way to sufficiently address this.
2. I really, really hated the postgame reaction, in general.
Not sure exactly what I'd been expecting afterward, but it couldn't have been the head coach, in his opening statement before taking questions, saying this: "Certainly a disappointing home opener. There's a lot of things we can do better in all phases and in coaching, and we will. I compliment those guys on a winning performance," he'd say of the Seahawks before turning to this: "You know, it was still a ballgame, man. There's a lot to be desired, certainly, but it's just interesting: We were in a close ballgame last week, and special teams broke it open in our favor. This week, we're in a close ballgame, and special teams broke it open in our opponent's favor."
Uh ... yuck?
Blaming the already struggling rookie for a rookie mistake didn't feel right, even if, again, the mistake was unacceptable. Intended or not, this came across as scapegoating. Doubly so when it's remembered that the Steelers' drive that followed that mistake saw a third Chris Boswell field goal and pulled them back within a single score at 24-17. Triply so when it's remembered that the Seahawks right then, yet again, went coast-to-coast for the easiest touchdown drive anyone's ever seen, capped by the easiest 19-yard touchdown run anyone's ever seen:
Anyone see Johnson out there for any of that?
Better to look at that angle Wilson took, only to spill over Brandin Echols. Good Lord.
Blaming injuries didn't feel right, either, and Tomlin did that, too, referring to "in-game attrition" and calling that "a challenge." It was fact-based in that the defense was missing four regular starters by the second, plus a couple others popping in and out with problems, but that's always unusual from Mr. Standard-Is-The-Standard.
Asked to explain the lack of a running game: "You know, we have to possess the ball more." As if that part precedes the running.
Asked about his ill-advised, ill-fated call to punt from midfield late in the third quarter, one that flies in the figurative face of all of football's advanced metrics: "It was a 14-14 game. Neither offense was lighting it up at that juncture." That has nothing to do with this scenario. Nothing. Rather, it's about throwing away a possession. Over one yard. At midfield.
I didn't like a lot of what I observed from the players, as well.
Who's Wilson to be letting Nick Herbig have it after an apparent collision while both pursued a sack? How much self-awareness must Wilson be missing, after crowing this summer about being "one of the best cover linebackers in the world" to performing the way he has these two games, to making a scene like that out in full view?
Another: If Rodgers is getting frustrated on the field, as he visibly was at times, at what point does he make that known publicly?
I asked him about it, and he didn't appear to appreciate it:
"No," he came right back in that trademark understated tone. "It's Week 2. Come on, come on ... it's Week 2. I mean, like, it's good for us. Last week probably there were some people feeling pretty good because everybody outside the building was talking about how great we were on offense, and our 34 points. That's the league. You can't ride the highs or ride the lows."
That's fine. That's his right. But some of what occurred around him could be partly attributed -- I'll just say it -- to guys not trying hard enough. A sharper sword might be needed.
This wasn't awesome, either: T.J. Watt's name hasn't been called all that often, and that's due somewhat to opponents gutting their way up the middle and never needing to go his way. And yet nothing's been done about that schematically, either to shore up that middle or, as had been promised and practiced in Latrobe, to move him around.
I asked Watt to comment on this:
"I don't know," was all he'd say back. "I'll let you speculate all that stuff. I'm just trying to help as much as I possibly can any way that I possibly can."
I liked this least of all: Defensive players continued to complain about calls, just as they had the previous week. Only this time, what was heard was way more specific, way more stinging.
Now, I'd be nuts to expect that to get aired out. It won't and, arguably, it shouldn't. But the conversation even arising, in any form, suggests to me that not all of the lines of communication between players and coaches are what they could be.
1. I really, really, REALLY hated the coaching.
And so much more than all the rest that it could've consumed the entire list for a casual snack.
Heck, maybe it did.
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