Initial Thoughts game 2

[MeanJim]

If we can't run the ball, can't protect the QB, and can't stop the run, it's going to be a long painful season (again). Hopefully, the "can't stop the run" issue last night was just scrubs being scrubs.

 

[Sarge]

Here’s my thing, and perhaps I’m looking at it incorrectly, but yes, this is pre-season. This is where things are supposed to be easier, right? Running against vanilla schemes, you should have at least SOME success, right? And somehow, the Steelers manage to look like a complete and total train wreck offensively.

Watching other teams around the league, it doesn’t seem as though their offensive lines need to do nearly as much “gelling” as our offensive line needs for 5-8 regular season games every damn year. And you’ll never convince me that George Pickens can’t get open, but guys you never heard of somehow find themselves running free in every defense they play against. Every year. Same problems. It’s not an accident or coincidence.

And I crack up at the whole “it’s just pre-season, call me once the regular season starts,” like the Steelers will just flip a switch and suddenly execute whatever the heck the offensive scheme is with the efficiency and competence they’ve lacked for the better part of five years.

Look, as a man, I like Coach Tomlin, but this guy is not some football genius. His philosophy is outdated and stale. And his choices of when to and when not to challenge is mind bogglingly inept. Assistants and players come and go, yet the same problems are there year after year.

I know one thing, I will have a backup plan for Sundays. Got a feeling this season will be hard to watch.

 

[Punxsutawney]

I agree that they need to settle Jones into one position and let him exclusively practice and play there. It's probably not the only reason he is struggling, but it most definitely isn't helping. With that being said, I'm becoming a little bit worried about him not becoming the franchise-level blocker they were expecting.

Moore is apparently strictly a LT who is incapable of paying on the right. It's really limited their options with Fautanu out.

They might really have something inside going forward with Frazier and McCormick, though we probably will not see McCormick much this year barring injury.

 

[Punxsutawney]

Look, as a man, I like Coach Tomlin, but this guy is not some football genius. His philosophy is outdated and stale. And his choices of when to and when not to challenge is mind bogglingly inept. Assistants and players come and go, yet the same problems are there year after year.

I believe Tomlin has the worst success rate of any coach in history when it comes to challenges.

It was plain as day that Pickens didn't have both feet in on that catch, but it's like Tomlin lives in a different universe when it comes to viewing plays like that.

People say it's no big deal in the grand scheme of things, but to me, it says something about his general judgment or lack thereof.

 

[Shane Falco]

I was flustered by the first string O Line. Specifically Jones and Daniels. By the time either QB set up to throw Buffalo was collapsing the pocket not giving either time to set. Jones didn’t look like he was even moving or getting a push. He looked out of character. I get moving positions, but he played RT the majority of the season last year. When Russ did throw, it was short (with the exception of that beauty to Pickens that ended up out of bounds). Fields didn’t look much better until he was playing against scrubs scrapping to make the team. Still he couldn’t get in the end zone. All I know is right now, the safest place to be in Pittsburgh for a tornado are the end zones at Acrisure stadium cause nothing ain’t touching down there

 

[Steelersreign]

preseason. it's terrible. No ones cares - even the coaches.
See you week 1.

Tired of watching the pre season garbage.
Get two pre season games and 18 regular season games already.

 

[formerscribe]

The OL was not good. Not entirely unexpected with the youth, but I had hoped to see a little more. By extension, our running game is ****. I know, preseason n'at but this is supposed to be a run based system Smith brings to town. We gotta get that sh*t cleaned up or it going to be the same ole song and dance with the running game (again).

I did not buy the NFL+ yet, so no all 22 cam for me (if it is even there for preseason games), but my gut is that WR's were not getting open. Yea, I know pressure was in the QB face and Fields blew a sure TD. Just not confident in or WR room right now.

I kinda liked what I saw in Perine at times - may be a good depth/role player.

I saw big 98 (Leal) finding some gaps in the line to get a little pressure a few times early in the game. Just not enough to get to the QB.

Herbig continues to impress. Gotta find ways to get him on the field.

The line was terrible. Specifically, Broderick Jones was awful. Much of the thought that the line would be improved was based on him and he doesn't look good at all right now.

I agree with you in thinking the receivers also weren't getting open. PIckens can't do it all by himself and the rest of that group just isn't good enough. Trading Johnson without a viable replacement is going to be a big problem for this season.

 

[formerscribe]

OL is garbage. This whole offense revolves around OL and running the ball. For unknown reason, they keep playing Jones at RT.

They drafted Jones to be the LT of the future, but then they decided Dan Moore has to play LT so make your 1st round and potential franchis OT learn a new position. Not Dan Moore. He can't possibly be asked to play RT but Jones? Sure let's just move him back and forth so he's mediocre at both spots.

The WRs suck. Pickens in the only one with any juice and he's not a great route runner. Every other WR on the roster is a role player or future walmart associate. Even Roman Wilson, he was mainly a slot guy in college.

Whatever the plan is at WR, they better get it done this week. Give SF a final offer and a deadline and then move on to plan B.

They need a slot CB. Sutton will miss half the year and the season could be done by then due to how hard the second half schedule is.

Being stuck on the right side is no excuse. Jones was horrible last night.

 

[formerscribe]

Seeing our RB's still getting hit behind the LoS is disturbing especially considering we've spent 3 of our top 4 draft picks on O-line the past 2 drafts. The only thing worse than the run blocking was the pass blocking by the O-line. They were terrible today!

Russell Wilson & Justin Fields will be hard to watch this season....Wilson just doesn't seem to have it anymore and Justin Fields can't read Defenses.....he's not an NFL capable QB. Heck at this point I think Kyle Allen might be our best QB on the roster.

Playcalling looks meh....perhaps it because the O-line is so bad it's hard to evaluate.....but I don't have high hopes this season.

Defensively Peyton Wilson looks great for a rookie! He should be able to contribute in the middle along with Queen & Roberts. I think our Defense will be descent but they will wear down as the game goes along because our offense can't sustain drives and control the clock.

I was optimistic this season for the Steelers but honestly looking at our schedule I think this team will be 5-12 or 6-11.

This should be Tomlin's last season as Steelers coach! I was never really a Tomlin supporter....I'm probably one of the few people on here to think Tomlin is one of the most over-rated Head Coaches in NFL History! IMO the guy had more talent on his rosters from 2007-2016 than most other NFL teams but only managed 1 Super Bowl Victory!

I can only hope there's a young QB in the 2025 Draft the Steelers can build a team around.

I'm all for trading TJ Watt right now....maybe we can get a 1st & 2nd or 1st & 3rd for him.....I'd also trade George Pickens for a 2nd round pick. We need to start from scratch after this season and with a new Head Coach!

Panic much? It was a preseason game. Didn't we all learn not to read too much into those results last year if we hadn't learned it before?

I saw two genuine reasons for concern last night. One was the offensive line. Jones was horrible. It's tough to evaluate everyone else with him playing that poorly. He was much better than that at right tackle last season, so I don't know what is going on, but they are in trouble if he doesn't at least match his level of play from 2023.

The other issue is the one we've known was there since they traded Diontae Johnson. They aren't good enough at receiver. They don't have anybody who is going to be consistently open. Pickens will make plays in traffic, but he still has work to do on running good routes. The rest of the receiving corps is a bunch of guys who should be no better than a No. 3 or 4. They don't have a No. 2. That is why likely missing out on Aiyuk is a huge problem.

Those are two reasons why I won't judge either quarterback harshly. Fields was what he has always been. He is a dynamic runner who simply isn't a good enough passer. He should have had a touchdown pass late, but he overthrew it a little and the receiver misplayed the ball. (Watch it again. He slowed down too much while trying to track the ball.) Wilson rarely had time to throw and didn't have receivers getting open. He was still inches away from a big play to Pickens, which is a big part of his game, but the offense's other problems limited his production.

I'm not worried about the play-calling yet, either. It is preseason. They aren't going to get very creative in these games. They are going to save that for games that count. It just won't matter if Jones can't block and the receivers can't get open.

 

[Drink IRON City]

Well now I understand the 49ers strategy. The Steelers are going to be desperate for a positive narrative come Monday

My thoughts exactly.

I still don’t want the STEELERS to bite and sell the farm.


Salute the nation

 

[Punxsutawney]

The other issue is the one we've known was there since they traded Diontae Johnson. They aren't good enough at receiver. They don't have anybody who is going to be consistently open. Pickens will make plays in traffic, but he still has work to do on running good routes. The rest of the receiving corps is a bunch of guys who should be no better than a No. 3 or 4. They don't have a No. 2. That is why likely missing out on Aiyuk is a huge problem.

It's becoming more apparent the closer we get to the season that trading Johnson was a huge mistake.

They clearly overestimated their ability to acquire a legitimate replacement. They seem to have focused too much on Aiyuk, while it's looking like he and the 49ers have just been yanking on the Steelers' dick for the past four or five months.

All because Tomlin doesn't "deal with hostages." Perhaps, it's time he looks in the mirror and reflects on why he seems to create so many.

 

[ZonaBurgh]

My expectations are lowered, fortunately their success or failure doesn't effect any of us.

 

[SteelerFan448]

It's becoming more apparent the closer we get to the season that trading Johnson was a huge mistake.

They clearly overestimated their ability to acquire a legitimate replacement. They seem to have focused too much on Aiyuk, while it's looking like he and the 49ers have just been yanking on the Steelers' dick for the past four or five months.

All because Tomlin doesn't "deal with hostages." Perhaps, it's time he looks in the mirror and reflects on why he seems to create so many.

I was fine trading Johnson because you want a winning attitude in the locker room. I also assumed they were going to find an adequate replacement for him and they haven't yet. With no insider knowledge, I'd assume a lot of the attitude issues were because the QB couldn't get him the ball for most of the season. Not necessarily in a selfish way, but in a let's make some basic plays way. That doesn't excuse his lack of effort or bad attitude. We also got a starting CB out of it, so all in all, not a terrible trade. Just a terrible job replacing him.

 

[Punxsutawney]

I was fine trading Johnson because you want a winning attitude in the locker room. I also assumed they were going to find an adequate replacement for him and they haven't yet. With no insider knowledge, I'd assume a lot of the attitude issues were because the QB couldn't get him the ball for most of the season. Not necessarily in a selfish way, but in a let's make some basic plays way. That doesn't excuse his lack of effort or bad attitude. We also got a starting CB out of it, so all in all, not a terrible trade. Just a terrible job replacing him.

I like Donte Jackson and think he could be an upgrade over what they've had at CB2 since......well basically forever at this point, but I just do not see the point in bringing in Russell Wilson only to trade away one of the better route runners in the league right after doing so.

Johnson's attitude wasn't the best, but as you implied, it was somewhat understandable given the QB play and offensive schemes he's had to deal with in recent years.

Also, Pickens has not exactly been a ray of sunshine on a crisp spring morning either, yet they remain willing to put up with him.

 

[suncitysteel]

Panic much? It was a preseason game….

I'm not worried about the play-calling yet, either. It is preseason. They aren't going to get very creative in these games. They are going to save that for games that count. It just won't matter if Jones can't block and the receivers can't get open.

I get it that they’re not going to run the double-reverse pitch back flee flicker on 3rd and 2 at this juncture…

But at some point they have to run much of Arthur’s playbook to see whether the plays are 1) executable against certain defenses and 2) if they have the right personnel to run them. Trial and error. Team practices won’t do that.

Also, where are the TE’s? Save for a toss to Muth here & there, it’s like TE’s are an afterthought, when they are supposed to be an integral part of Arthur’s offense. I thought Mount Washington was going to be used to create mismatches? 3rd & short and even when we went for it on 4th down would’ve been a good time to use a TE. (Even better would’ve been a QB sneak, but I guess a stretch RPO was a better idea????)

I understand we don’t want to lay out our tendencies so soon but we can’t also be so fearful to run these plays. Are we going to wait until late in the game vs a division opponent to test it out? What ever happened to, “the opponent knew what play we were running but we ran it anyway. Stop us.”

We don’t live in our fears. Or something like that.

 

[troymania]

My thoughts.....meh. just preseason as usual. Go Steelers!!!!!

Why not play Jones at LT and Moore at RT? So in a regular season scenario if our rookie gets hurts Jones would be going back over to RT and Moore to LT.... I am guessing. Moore must be horrible at the RT position. Have we ever seen him play there?

He has said in the past he can't play RT. Get Jones healthy. Move him to LT where he ******* belongs. Fautanu is a.natural right tackle. Play these guys where the need to be. Quit trying to ******* pound a.square peg into a.round.******* hole..

 

[madinsomniac]

Woods or Metchie if they are released by the Texans

Woods gets no respect... he signed that big Extension with LA then the nextvyear tore his ACL... they thought they would replace him and that contract with Van Jefferson, so they dealt him to Tennessee.. he was tgeir leading reciever, but the O sucked.. they cut him for tgeir rebuild and he signed with the Texans, but got buried by their younger wr options...

 

[SteelerSask2]

Someone refresh my memory. What year did they get their dicks knocked off in the AFC championship game vs. The Pats. Besides fools gold year they got their dicks knocked off by the Browns that is the last year they contended.

 

[steelhurt]

Yes Jones was playing injured and will see a Dr.

Exactly. Broderick injured his arm in practice and is wearing a brace that he said makes it very difficult to play with.
Try playing OL at any level with a brace on your injured arm. It’s not pretty!
They need to sit Broderick down next week and allow him to heal.
Some here need to give this kid the benefit of the doubt here and try and understand. He’s trying to block ******* monsters with essentially one arm.

 

[SteelerSask2]

Exactly. Broderick injured his arm in practice and is wearing a brace that he said makes it very difficult to play with.
Try playing OL at any level with a brace on your injured arm. It’s not pretty!
They need to sit Broderick down next week and allow him to heal.
Some here need to give this kid the benefit of the doubt here and try and understand. He’s trying to block ******* monsters with essentially one arm.

I'm not blaming Broderick. I'm blaming the coaches.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

Oline needs to gel. like others have said, n ot sure why BJ is still playing RT. but he kinda looked like **** anyway.

Punter is 100% better.

PQ will be just fine in the middle

an injury of any of the starting dline and they are ******. 100% needs to be top pick next year unless a stud QB drops

66 will be a starter next year. that means 4 of 5 olinemen will be in 2nd or 3rd year.

Haven't even seen cam, and Larry looks like he's just picking up a check

 

[Litos]

Haven't even seen cam, and Larry looks like he's just picking up a check

Larry made good plays, must have missed the initial drives

 

[Litos]

Exactly. Broderick injured his arm in practice and is wearing a brace that he said makes it very difficult to play with.
Try playing OL at any level with a brace on your injured arm. It’s not pretty!
They need to sit Broderick down next week and allow him to heal.
Some here need to give this kid the benefit of the doubt here and try and understand. He’s trying to block ******* monsters with essentially one arm.

He shouldn't have started, especially at RT for this game

 

[SteelerSask2]

Larry made good plays, must have missed the initial drives

He busted through I think twice wiffed both times. But at least penetration.

 

[Poobah]

He busted through I think twice wiffed both times. But at least penetration.

That's what she said.