Sorry for being silent the last few weeks. I am happy to report we went to Green Bay for the game last week, sorry to report that the Steelers looked out of whack, albeit no one seemed concerned.
With training camp officially closed and the preseason half way done, here is what we know:
- The defense is still a work in progress: While some players have shown flashes of brilliances, the Packers game was a wake up call that there is a lot to do. While the mantra is they keep it vanilla and don’t run schemes, they struggle with contain and in coverages. The tackling is still lousy and guys seem to be lost in the “vanilla” scheme.
- Jon Bostic is not Ryan Shazier: While this is not a revelation to anyone, he just doesn’t look like he fits in the Steelers schemes and has looked miscast in the middle. L.J. Fort has done well and reminds me of Jerry Olsavsky, unspectacular but gets the job done.
- Whoever finds WRs for the Steelers is really good at it: James Washington looks like the next breakout star and his draft position looks well deserved. Damoun Patterson could be the camp sleeper. Add them with AB and JuJu and the Steelers could once again boast the best WR squad.
- Le’Veon Bell is going to be gone next year: Both sides seemed to misplay this one. The visual of Bell being in a strip club while AB was lighting up Latrobe couldn’t have come out worse. The Steelers should have given him a better offer and now both sides are going to lose out.
- This team is still loaded with talent: The Packers game aside, you can see the method to what they are trying to build. The secondary looks athletic and strong, the defensive line is physical and imposing. The Linebackers look like a work in progress but there is definitely upside and talent there.
- The offense is loaded again: With or without Le’Veon Bell the offense is going to be great. James Conner is having a very good camp, the offensive line is one of the best in football, we already hit on the receivers who all seem to be a strength.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!