Tomorrow the Steelers start camp at St. Vincents in Latrobe. The clock is ticking on this core of players and on the Roethlisberger Era. barring injuries of course, this team has everything needed to be a Super Bowl Champion!
Of course the first rule of camp is NO ONE GET HURT! Second is get in shape and lets see what we have!
Here are your quick hits for 7/25/17, night before Camp.
-Le’Veon Bell most likely will not be in camp…who cares? While both sides have legitimate points in his contract situation. Him being in camp means very little. He hasn’t played a full season ever, so camp is a non-issue. He will eventually sign his Franchise Tag and will be ready for game one against the Browns. Look for James Conner to get his reps. The Steelers also have other capable backs in camp.
-Alejandro Villanueva may also not come to camp. This would be a mistake on both sides, the Steelers should give him a better contract and Villanueva should take the money and play for a bigger and better contract in two years. He is a solid LT but still needs work. Reps are essential for his development and he will only get those in camp and with playing time. However, unlike Bell he has more leverage because the Steelers are very thin on O-Line. He is a high character guy, so don’t expect a distraction.
-As far as development, nothing is more important than the maturation of the defense. The front seven is one of the best in football. They added T.J. Watt to help the pass rush, with Bud Dupree coming back and the ageless James Harrison already in place. The Inside Linebackers are “Hustle and Muscle” Ryan Shazier, who is outstanding and Vince Williams, an old school mid-field thumper. Put those guys together with Javon Hargrave, back for a second season after a great campaign, Stephon Tuitt who played excellent, while anchoring the defense last season and Cam “SteelHead” Heyward coming back for a full year. This could be a special group!
-Artie Burns and Sean Davis will sure up the secondary and look for Senquez Golson to finally see the field. He is my sleeper pick for 2017.
-Whoever scouts WR for the Steelers is pretty good at it. The Steelers need to put someone opposite Antonio Brown who inked his new contract. Martavis Bryant is the front runner and until his off field issues derailed his career, he looked to be a breakout star. Sammie Coates and JuJu Smith Schuster (who needs a nickname) will press for a spot, both have a ton of upside. Don’t count out Eli Rogers, Demarcus Ayers and Cobi Hamilton who all have particular tools. Darrius Heyward-Bey is a special teams ace and is solid when called upon.
-Jesse James, (KGB’s favorite player) has the TE spot to lose.
-Backup QB should be a fun battle to watch, Landry Jones, who acquitted himself nicely last season will be back, but it is only a matter of time until Joshua Dobbs is nipping at both Landry and Ben’s heels.
-Lastly, this will mark the first time in well over 50 years that Ambassador Rooney will not be at camp. It will be a very somber moment when he is not on the sidelines. He had an amazing life and it is easy to find comfort in all he accomplished. This years Beer We Go Shirts will have a Mr. Rooney tribute, so stay tuned!
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!