To be frank, my opinions about football plays and players aren't worth that much because they lack a grounding in actual expertise.So this is a post that's instead designed to solicit some opinions and debate from the people who know better.
You're out there! I've seen your posts and Comments before! So do the rest of us a favor and chime on in.
As Edmund Nelson said toward the end of the game, the Eagles gave our Steelers a good, old-fashioned whuppin'. So be it. A good punch in the nose while your sparring may be the very thing they need to get focused for the actual season. I didn't enjoy watching the debacle, but my mood probably wasn't the team's main priority going into the game. In fact, I'd bet good money that the coaches cared a lot more about their chance to evaluate the up-and-coming and on-the-bubble players. It seems to me that (once you all pet my bruised feelings to make it all better) that we should follow suit.
So here are a few observations to get things started, and a great many questions to get things moving.
The Pass Rush. I saw Jason Worilds around the quarterback a lot, but did Jarvis Jones ever get close? He only seemed to be involved on the running downs. On the other hand, we knew going in that he'd be playing across from an all-pro Left Tackle, and the rest of the front seven didn't do a lot to help him. So how did JJ look if you focus in on his individual performance? Did he do as well against Jason Peters as most guys, or did he get suppressed even worse? And did he really hold the edge better than Worilds, or was that my imagination? How did Arthur Moats perform when his turn came? Did he show up for pass rush duty, or did he get smothered just as badly? Finally, what happened in the competition between So'oto, Howard Johnson, and Chris Carter? Who stood out? Who got stood up? Who stood still? This is one camp contest that I think could actually matter for the regular season.
The Defensive Line. I can't judge the actual plays in the trenches without slow-motion film, but I did sit up and notice in the Bills game when Stephon Tuitt appeared out of nowhere to make a tackle far downfield. Last night I saw Big Dan McCullers do the same thing - come racing in like a Clydesdale with his tail on fire to be in on a sideline tackle. Coach Mitch has the young ‘uns hustling! Which means he has them working, which means they ought to be getting better. So ... are they? I gather that Tuitt had a one-step-back night. In what way? Was it a matter of typical rookie lapses, or an indicator that he has further to go than we've been hoping? More importantly, what progress was made in the battle for those final DL and practice squad slots? Fangupo, Arnfelt, Williams, McCullers and Mauro have all been up and down at various points. What did they (or any of them) show against the Eagles?
The Inside Linebackers. How does the injury to Sean Spence shake things up? I think it's safe to say that Jordan Zumwalt is looking at the practice squad. You can't make the club from the tub. But who would be the backup Mack if Shazier goes down and Spence is unavailable? I assume the team's first move would be to move Timmons back to Mack and push Williams into the Buck, but what would the situation look like behind that? Can Garvin play as a regular linebacker yet? P.S. The knock on Shazier during the draft was, "He has trouble getting off blocks." Maybe the added weight wasn't enough to solve that problem on its own. That makes the D-line issues even more important, right? Or is it something we can expect Shazier to learn as his rookie year goes on?
The Safeties. It seemed to me that Robert Golden had a (relatively) decent game. Good enough to push Will Allen further onto the bubble?
The Corners. Guys, the yellow belongs on your uniform, not on the grass around your feet. What gives with this?! Training with tennis balls in their hands might be a really good idea. Maybe we should just glue a pair onto Ike for game time too. Yes, it might cut down on the odds of an interception, but it's IKE, remember? Is there anything else we can say except (a) "Everyone else has the same problem," and (b) "I bet I know a position the Steelers will be drafting early next year."
The Offensive Line. I actually thought there was some overall improvement here. Am I wrong that the unit played more-or-less exactly on the bottom edge of Coach Tomlin's ‘line'? The running game didn't exactly excel, but I've seen worse and it's not like Ben was getting dirty all night. But what about the individuals? The only one I focused on was Mike Adams, and to my uneducated eye he looked better than I remember from last year. I thought I saw him pitching as well as catching, and his body language looked like a man who was ready to mix it up instead of a guy hoping that nothing would go wrong. OTOH, that's what I really want to see, so I don't trust my own judgment. Ye Who Know Better: what did you see out of Mssr. Adams and his peers? Has Wesley Johnson showed enough yet to keep him off the practice squad?
The Wide Receivers. Bryant may be a really good one in 2015. Fingers are still crossed and rosaries are being processed. He did nothing to dim my hopes. Antonio Brown looks like the kind of player that makes you well up with a joyous and evil, "Mwahh-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa!!!" That young man is a world beater. Markus Wheaton? To me he looks like a decent but not yet good #2. What did you all think? We have a great many eggs in that bent-finger basket. As for the rest, did Justin Brown play? If so, why didn't I notice the fact? Did that one route by DHB do anything to push him back up the bubble? Is Moye really destined for one of those new practice squad slots? Inquiring minds want to know.
The Running Backs. I wish I could say they were a breath of fresh air, but ... [sigh]. All jokes aside, it looked to me like Bell made a few bad choices about when and where to cut, but actually deciding if that is true goes way beyond my pay grade. How many of the problems with the running game started from the Line, and how many from the guys with the ball? Are we just kidding ourselves with this outside-zone thing?
The QBs. A ray of light to close the article! Gradkowski looked like a very capable backup. Hooray! My heart is eased. When in doubt, fall back on the Kid from Dormont. And Ben looked good except for that colossally stupid interception - a play for which I give thanks since he needed to have some push-back from his otherwise stellar preseason performances. No kidding, I really am glad to see a blunder that will allow Ben to suffer along with the rest of his teammates.