:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69330608/1295725773.0.jpg)
There’s always so much to talk about when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the inquiries surrounding the black-and-gold are definitely ever-evolving, especially this week with rookies being signed, Ryan Kerrigan ending up in Philadelphia and no Steelers receiver being ranked in the top 32 at the position by PFF. It seems like the musical selection that best fits this week’s Fact or Fiction could be the R. Kelly classic, I Believe I Can Fly.
Here’s a sample...
See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me, ho-oh
If I can see it (woo), then I can be it
If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it
I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
Oh, I believe I can fly (woo)
Hey, ‘cause I believe in me
You can ponder the significance or wonder whether these lyrics are really related here. Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to listen to some inspirational R&B. But anyhow, there is surely a lot to wonder about. BTSC tries to answer some of the poignant wonderings ahead of time. Take a gander at some bold statements on this and more as we label them as fact or fiction.
Are we on point? Only time will tell.
The Steelers aren’t a prime free agent destination for players from other franchises
Fact
The Steelers aren’t a team that relies on signing top free agents for success. Instead they are a team with a reputation as home-growers of talent. They occasionally sign a player in free agency and have been linked to even more players recently like J.J. Watt, Karl Joseph and Ryan Kerrigan. Watt wasn’t realistic because his price range was sky high. Joseph and Kerrigan were rumored to have the Steelers on their short lists, but signed on the cheap with other teams. Despite the fact that Mike Tomlin is a coach players long to play for, guys aren’t signing in the Steel City. Because of their penchant for not being big players in free agency and the fact that their needs are more for depth, free agents might not view Pittsburgh as a prime free agent destination.
The Steelers 2021 starters aren’t all on the roster right now
Fiction
When Kevin Colbert said in the press conference before the 2021 draft that the Steelers had a lineup that he would be comfortable trotting out if they had a draft that very day, it was an indication that the general manager believed that the team had a great foundation. After adding players that could start Week 1 like Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth and Kendrick Green...the Steelers would be adding for depth at this point. Barring a devastating injury in training camp, It looks like the Steelers have their team.
The Steelers getting shut out of the wide receiver rankings is a bad thing
Fiction
Bad thing? This is a great thing. Snub the Steelers in every poll, article or ranking, I beg you to, The Steelers play better with a chip on their collective shoulders. If it’s them against the world, I’ll take the Steelers without the points on that bet. That’s when this team wins outright. So PFF doesn’t think that Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson are worthy of being ranked among the Top 32 in the NFL, that’s quite all right. Claypool, Smith-Schuster and Johnson will be fueled by being left off of the guest list at that particular party. Just wait until they explode and crash that party in 2021.
We don’t know much, but we know enough to be excited about Matt Canada’s offense
Fact
We basically know what Matt Canada has done in his NCAA stops and we think we have an idea of what his offense will be as the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though we can only assume that we know what’s going to happen and some are prejudging Ben Roethlisberger’s possible inability to run said scheme, it has been under wraps. We know that Najee Harris expects to line up in some instances as a receiver and we heard Pat Freiermuth talk about being in motion quite a bit and that’s mouth-watering. What we don’t realize is that Canada will tailor his offense to work under a quarterback whose mobile days are in the rear-view mirror. BTSC writer K.T. Smith recently mentioned watching film of Clemson’s defeat at the hands of Clemson a couple of years back by saying, “Canada had Clemson so confused with his pre-snap stuff. it was almost unfair”. That’s something I can’t wait to see.
Najee Harris might just be the most-anticipated rookie since Ben Roethlisberger
Fiction
Although there have been many rookies like Heath Miller, Santonio Holmes, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and T.J. Watt that garnered excitement among Steeler Nation, there is another that Steelers fans expected to save the franchise and start immediately. That was Devin Bush Jr. from the University of Michigan in 2019. The Steelers traded up ten spots and surrendered valuable draft capital to add Bush in immediately at inside linebacker. Harris might be more highly-anticipated than No. 55, but Bush was a pretty big deal when drafted.
Check out the Fact or Fiction podcast to learn even more about these topics every single week and listen for more on the player below.
Loading comments...