Six Steelers’ Slobberknockers: A half-dozen questions for BTSC fans to discuss on game day

What the heck is a “slobberknocker?” In football terms, it’s s a hit that, well, knocks the slobber right out of the other player’s mouth. I’ll be posing six hard-hitting questions to BTSC fans every game-day morning during the 2018 preseason and regular season.

These questions won’t be the same old dull and droll questions rolled out every game day by the networks or cable channels. Let Terry Bradshaw or Kurt Warner bore the average NFL fan by asking questions about the windy conditions the quarterbacks will face — won’t happen here (we already know wind influences the trajectory of a football).

The questions will be directed towards the knowledgeable fans here at BTSC. Fans who are considered not to be average NFL fans or Steelers fans — but a cut above.

Q1: Besides the obvious 2018 rookies, who is the one offensive and one defensive player you’re most eager to see in action during the Philadelphia Eagles preseason game?

Q2: On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how strongly would an impressive performance by Landry Jones sway your wish for him to stay as the Steelers’ backup quarterback? And on the other hand, would a pedestrian performance by Jones send you to the BTSC boards to voice your frustration?

Q3: If the Eagles blow the doors off of the Steelers, would this be any cause for apprehension? Conversely, if the Steelers throttle the world champion Eagles, would this lead to higher 2018 expectations for the team?

Q4: Are you bummed out that the Steelers won’t be trotting out many of their starters or are you more pleased that the starters won’t be risking injury?

Q5: Who is the player with the most to gain during this game? And which one has the most to lose?

Q6: If backup tackles Chukwuma Okorafor and Jake Rodgers struggle, will you hit the panic button about the Swing Tackle position?

Steelers fans will be glued to their TV from kickoff until the final whistle, scrutinizing everyone from starters to camp-fodder players. While fans don’t put a great amount of stock in preseason games, they still want to see how players perform compared to the chatter coming out of training camp. Hopefully, the players we see on the field early will showcase the talent which made them Pittsburgh Steelers in the first place.

Will these players live up to their offseason hype, or will they flounder under the bright lights of the NFL? Only time will tell.