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This is Part 2 of a series, revisiting preseason and midseason awards predictions. Part 1, featuring more traditional awards, can be found HERE. In Part 2, I wanted to speculate about some less traditional “awards” for the upcoming season. I’ll include the entries from the first version, plus a few new ones.
My goal, as always, is to start a few arguments in the comments section, so have at it. On with the show. Go Steelers.
Here’s the shorthand version (with my picks). Explanations and polls to follow.
People’s Choice Award: Jaylen Warren
People’s Goat Award: Kevin Dotson
Biggest Disappointment: Sacks
Pleasant Surprise: Third Down Offense
Weakest Link: WR depth
Strongest Unit: Running Backs
Unsung Hero: Mason Cole
Biggest Loss: Stephon Tuitt
Bonus/New Questions:
Hat Tip: Benny Snell
Biggest 2nd Half Surprise: Kenny Pickett’s back-to-back game winners
Game of the Year (individual): Minkah vs the Bengals (wk 1)
Name We’ll All Know Next Year: Calvin Austin
Missing Piece: Shutdown Corner
People’s Choice Award
This is an award for guys that, every time they do something (anything), we all get stoked. Who did you find yourself saying, “man, I love this guy!” at least once or twice per game?
Preseason Winner: Pat Freiermuth (36%), George Pickens (26%), Pickett (23%)
My Preseason Choice: Kenny Pickett
Midseason Winner: Pat Freiermuth (33%), George Pickens (31%), Jaylen Warren (26%)
My Midseason Pick: Jaylen Warren
Poll
People’s Choice
This poll is closed
-
20%
Kenny Pickett
(63 votes) -
32%
Jaylen Warren
(101 votes) -
13%
Pat Freiermuth
(42 votes) -
28%
George Pickens
(90 votes) -
3%
Connor Heyward
(12 votes) -
0%
Mark Robinson
(2 votes) -
0%
Other
(3 votes)
My Postseason Pick: Jaylen Warren
It’s kind of exciting that almost all of the reasonable options here wound up being rookies. Warren is my choice because, in my experience, at least once or twice per game, I found myself thinking, “man, I like how this guy runs,” and it felt like a revelation every time.
People’s Goat Award
This one is an “award” for the player who gets the most UNDUE grief from the fanbase — the guy who everyone seems to pile on, even though he’s not really that bad.
Preseason Winner: Devin Bush (40%)
My Preseason Choice: Benny Snell
Midseason Winner: Chuks Okorafor (24%), Devin Bush (22%)
My Midseason Pick: Chuks Okorafor
Poll
People’s Goat
This poll is closed
-
24%
Devin Bush
(66 votes) -
13%
Chuks Okorafor
(37 votes) -
3%
Benny Snell
(10 votes) -
12%
Pressley Harvin
(34 votes) -
17%
Kevin Dotson
(46 votes) -
23%
Robert Spillane
(63 votes) -
4%
Other
(12 votes)
My Postseason Pick: Kevin Dotson
Dotson has drawn the ire of many for his repeated Ineligible Man Downfield penalties this year, but they’re so persistent I’ve started to think they’re more a reflection of poor play design than Dotson simply screwing up. Moreover, Pro Football Reference reports that he played 100% of offensive snaps this year, which means he was a part of the dramatic improvement along the line. He’s not the best lineman on the team, but he’s better than we give him credit for.
Biggest Disappointment
This category has a lot to do with expectation. It’s an element of the team that appeared to be a strength (or at least solid), but which wound up underachieving. Importantly, it’s not just “something these guys were bad at” — it’s something that we thought they’d be good at, and they weren’t.
Preseason Winner: Rushing Offense (58%)
My Preseason Choice: Takeaways
Midseason Winner: Rushing Offense (36%)
My Midseason Pick: Third Down Offense
Poll
Biggest Disappointment
This poll is closed
-
13%
Third-and-long defense
(37 votes) -
11%
Kicking
(33 votes) -
1%
Kick returns
(3 votes) -
7%
Pass rush
(22 votes) -
61%
Red Zone Offense
(170 votes) -
2%
Other
(6 votes) -
2%
Sacks
(7 votes)
My Postseason Pick: Sacks
I know T.J. Watt missed half the season. And I know Alex Highsmith had an impressive 14.5 sacks. But the Steelers got 30 sacks (a full three quarters of their entire season total) from just Highsmith, Watt, and Cam Heyward — and Watt, as we already established, only played half the year. What happened to everyone else? Ten sacks from the entire rest of the team is abysmal, especially on a squad that led the league in quarterback takedowns for five consecutive years. (P.S. we don’t talk about that enough. The Steelers led the NFL in sacks for five straight years!) To see them with 40 sacks this year (#16 in the NFL) is jarring. Let’s hope Watt’s return isn’t the only thing that lifts that number next season.
Pleasant Surprise
This is also about expectations. It’s the flip-side of the previous question: the thing we were most pessimistic about, that wound up exceeding expectations.
Preseason Winner: Rush Defense (23%), Mid-range Passing (23%), Deep Passing Offense (20%)
My Preseason Choice: Mid-range Passing
Midseason Winner: Rookie Contributions (57%)
My Midseason Pick: Rookie Contributions
Poll
Pleasant Surprise
This poll is closed
-
9%
Third down offense
(25 votes) -
28%
Rookie Contributions
(75 votes) -
18%
Running offense
(48 votes) -
7%
Finishing (i.e. closing out games)
(20 votes) -
4%
Team leadership
(11 votes) -
32%
Offensive Line
(85 votes) -
0%
Other
(1 vote)
My Postseason Pick: Third down offense
I know this is really only about the second half of the season, but good lord, the Steelers got good at converting third downs this year. They converted 33.7% from weeks 1-8. Then after the bye, a whopping 54.3%. That’s insane. And to dot the I, only one team in football converted over 50% on the year — Buffalo, who converted 50.3%. The Steelers spent over two months converting 54.3%. Wow.
(Side note: if you want perspective on how significantly this team improved after the bye, look at the previous question. I took the midseason poll on the bye week. At the time, my midseason choice for “biggest disappointment” was third down offense, and the winner of the poll was rushing offense. Nobody is claiming either were disappointments now.)
Weakest Link
Preseason Winner: Offensive Line (85%)
My Preseason Choice: Offensive Line
Midseason Winner: Cornerbacks (43%)
My Midseason Pick: Cornerbacks
Poll
Weakest Link
This poll is closed
-
20%
Cornerbacks
(53 votes) -
54%
Inside linebacker
(141 votes) -
5%
WR depth
(15 votes) -
7%
Offensive Line
(19 votes) -
9%
Defensive Line
(24 votes) -
3%
Other
(8 votes)
My Postseason Pick: WR depth
I actually struggled to come up with entire position groups that were simply weak this year. (In fact, you’ll notice both lines on this list, but they both are also options on “strongest unit” below, because I can imagine people putting them on either extreme.)
For me, I suppose I’m going to cheat a tiny bit and claim “WR depth” (that is, behind starters Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, which is not an option I gave for any other spot). My reasoning is that a single WR can be neutralized by a shutdown corner in a way no other position can, so quality depth can play the role of WR1 any time. And behind DJ and GP, the unit gets pretty rough. Some of that falls on the young QB(s), and some on the playcalling and scheming. But some of it falls on the WRs too. I loved Stephen Sims’ leaping grab on the game winning drive against Baltimore, but that’s about the only offensive play I can remember from him, Myles Boykin, Gunner Olszewski, or Cody White.
Strongest Unit
Preseason Winner: Wide Receivers (55%)
My Preseason Choice: Wide Receivers
Midseason Winner: Safeties (43%)
My Midseason Pick: Safeties
Poll
Strongest Unit
This poll is closed
-
40%
Safeties
(103 votes) -
41%
Running Backs
(107 votes) -
10%
Tight Ends
(26 votes) -
2%
Offensive Line
(6 votes) -
4%
Defensive Line
(11 votes) -
1%
Other
(3 votes)
My Postseason Pick: Running Backs
This was solidified for me against the Colts, when Najee Harris went down, and Jaylen Warren was still in street clothes, paving the way for Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland to rush for over 100 yards in a one score game. When Harris came back, he ran like an animal (really, his entire post-bye stretch is outstanding) and Warren impressed all year. Even Derek Watt looked good as a blocker, short yardage back, and occasional surprise pass catcher. The running backs did not look like a team strength in September, but they sure do now.
Unsung Hero
Preseason Winner: Terrell Edmunds (35%)
My Preseason Choice: Terrell Edmunds
Midseason Winner: Terrell Edmunds (47%)
My Midseason Pick: Mason Cole
Poll
Unsung Hero
This poll is closed
-
35%
Terrell Edmunds
(91 votes) -
27%
Mason Cole
(69 votes) -
2%
Myles Jack
(6 votes) -
13%
Robert Spillane
(34 votes) -
13%
Cam Sutton
(33 votes) -
5%
James Daniels
(13 votes) -
0%
Montravius Adams
(2 votes) -
1%
Other
(5 votes)
My Postseason Pick: Mason Cole
I’m staying with my midseason choice. I’ve been singing the praises of the OL a bit in these polls, but I think that’s partially because they don’t get enough credit for a fantastic turnaround. I’m not sure who I’d claim is the strongest lineman in the unit, but I’ll credit Cole, who solidified a very shaky position, despite working with multiple different quarterbacks and implementing a significant schematic change midseason. It’s easy to take the center for granted, but after a couple years of Pouncey’s decline and Kendrick Greene’s struggles, Cole has been a quiet breath of fresh air.
Biggest Loss
Preseason Winner: Joe Haden (44%)
My Preseason Choice: Joe Haden
Midseason Winner: T.J. Watt (69%)
My Midseason Pick: T.J. Watt
Poll
Biggest Loss
This poll is closed
-
14%
Joe Haden
(34 votes) -
11%
Ben Roethlisberger
(28 votes) -
1%
Chase Claypool
(4 votes) -
56%
Stephon Tuitt
(136 votes) -
12%
JuJu Smith-Schuster
(30 votes) -
0%
Chris Wormley (injured)
(2 votes) -
2%
Other
(7 votes)
My Postseason Pick: Stephon Tuitt
I really wrestled with Joe Haden on this (my preseason pick). And I still maintain, the Steelers need a legit CB1 more than anything else this year. But if Stephon Tuitt had lined up opposite Cam Heyward in 2022, the Steelers front line would have been the league’s best. Full stop. That’s no disrespect to Larry Ogunjobi or DeMarvin Leal, but Tuitt was special. He goes into my great “what if” file, alongside Ryan Shazier, and mid-career Lamar Woodley, among players who (if they’d stayed healthy and present), would have changed the entire trajectory of this team.
As I write this, Tuitt is still 29 years old; he’d still be at his peak. Man.
Bonus: New Questions for the End of the Year
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Hat Tip
With the Steelers’ many injuries, I thought it made sense to recognize the guys who aren’t supposed to see the field, but come off the bench for a brief stretch and keep the team afloat.
Poll
Hat Tip
This poll is closed
-
28%
Benny Snell
(71 votes) -
12%
Myles Boykin
(31 votes) -
29%
Matthew Wright
(72 votes) -
24%
Derek Watt (as ball carrier)
(59 votes) -
4%
Other
(12 votes)
My pick: Benny Snell
Probably my favorite off-the-bench delivery this season came against the Colts in Week 12. I mentioned it above, so I won’t go on about it, but the numbers are worth noting. Against Indy, Snell logged six touches for 33 yards and the game winning touchdown in the final period alone (total game: 13 touches, 68 yards, 1 TD). His load dropped the following week against Atlanta (7 touches, 35 yards); then the next week against Baltimore (2 touches, 4 yards), until he got zero offensive carries against the Panthers, and went back to being a special teams ace. No complaints; no drama.
The Steelers almost certainly needed him against the Colts, and he delivered. Then he went back to the bench. That’s exactly what you want from a depth teammate.
Biggest 2nd Half Surprise
Poll
2nd Half Surprise
This poll is closed
-
7%
Najee Harris reaches 1000 yards
(18 votes) -
5%
Chase Claypool traded to Bears
(14 votes) -
7%
Kenny Pickett: one INT in seven games
(18 votes) -
24%
Mike Tomlin wills the team above .500
(61 votes) -
1%
Matthew Wright goes 15-15 over three games in relief of Boz
(4 votes) -
27%
Pickett pulls off final minute game winners on national TV in consecutive weeks, with the playoffs on the line in both (a rookie record)
(67 votes) -
25%
Steelers lead the league in 3rd down conversion percent, long drives, and time of possession
(63 votes) -
0%
Other
(0 votes)
My Pick: Pickett pulls off final minute game winners on national TV in consecutive weeks, with the playoffs on the line in both (a rookie record)
These are all pretty good. But come on. Maybe Tomlin’s streak is in the running, but as Tomlin put it, those two games were “grow up games.” This team got a lot of people’s attention in those weeks.
Game of the Year (for an individual)
Poll
Game of the Year (Individual)
This poll is closed
-
53%
Minkah Fitzpatrick (Wk 1, vs Bengals): 14 tackles, a first-quarter pick-6, and a game-saving blocked PAT in an overtime win.
(129 votes) -
9%
Najee Harris (Wk 17, vs Ravens): 111 rushing yards and game winning touchdown catch, battering the Ravens all game.
(22 votes) -
17%
Cam Heyward (Wk 16, vs Raiders): 7 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, as Steelers held NFL rushing leader Josh Jacobs to 44 in a tight win.
(41 votes) -
1%
Alex Highsmith (Wk 1, vs Bengals): 9 tackles, 3 sacks in overtime win.
(4 votes) -
17%
Kenny Pickett (Wk 18, vs Ravens): three insane completions and a 4th and 1 conversion, on game winning final minute drive.
(42 votes) -
0%
Other
(1 vote)
My Pick: Minkah Fitzpatrick vs the Bengals (Wk 1)
The Bengals chirped after sweeping the Steelers in 2021, claiming Steelers players had “given up.” And Minkah took offense. If I were in Cincinnati, I’d NEVER make that mistake again. The All Pro safety attacked on every play and practically won the opening game single-handedly.
Minkah’s performance that week goes into my pantheon of “greatest single game performances by one defender” that I’ve ever seen. James Harrison vs the Ravens in 2007. Troy Polamalu’s first half against the Titans in 2009. Ryan Shazier in the playoffs against Cincy (2015). T.J. Watt in Big Ben’s final game against the Browns (2021). Now add Minkah, in the opener this season.
Name We’ll All Know Next Year
If you obsess over this team (like some of us) you know all these names already, of course. But who’s going to talked about up-and-down in 2023?
Poll
Name We’ll All Know Next Year
This poll is closed
-
41%
Calvin Austin
(94 votes) -
12%
Damontae Kazee
(29 votes) -
20%
Mark Robinson
(47 votes) -
22%
DeMarvin Leal
(51 votes) -
0%
Isaiah Loudermilk
(1 vote) -
2%
Other
(6 votes)
My Pick: Calvin Austin
Calvin Austin wowed his teammates over the summer, with his speed and route running. He was a track star in college, but had more than just velocity — newly minted All Pro CB Sauce Gardner famously called him the hardest receiver he ever had to cover in college. Throw in the catch radius of a much taller man, and you’ve got a fascinating prospect. Now he’s had a year to learn the mental side of the pro game. If CA3’s foot heals like we hope it will, he might just be the final spark for this otherwise ascending offense.
Missing Piece
This question is specifically about areas where the missing guy is NOT already on the team. If you think Calvin Austin is the real thing, and that he’ll skyrocket the Steelers offense, then you would NOT pick “Third wide receiver” because the Steelers already have him. If you think Karl Dunbar will coach up Isaiah Loudermilk to be the next Brett Keisel, then you DON’T want to pick “DE star” because he’s already in-house too. See what I mean? I’m asking what’s missing for this squad?
Poll
Missing Piece
This poll is closed
-
48%
Shutdown Corner
(110 votes) -
19%
Stud Left Tackle
(45 votes) -
20%
Inside Linebacker
(47 votes) -
7%
DE star to eventually replace Cam
(16 votes) -
1%
Third edge rusher to rotate in
(4 votes) -
0%
Third wide receiver
(2 votes) -
1%
Other
(3 votes)
My Pick: Shutdown Corner
I’ve been beating this drum all season. The Steelers’ CBs are generally competent — I’ve always been a Cam Sutton fan, and Levi Wallace improved as the year wore on. But they both strike me as complimentary pieces. And they’d both look really good across from 2019-era Joe Haden or 2008-era Ike Taylor.
The Steelers D can play right now, but a real-deal shutdown corner changes everything. If you have someone who can run with the opponent’s best receiver, you don’t have to roll extra coverage his way. And that frees up safeties and nickel corners to patrol other parts of the field. You can disguise coverages, send unexpected blitzers, stack the box, and otherwise play looser on the field. The Steelers haven’t had that looseness for two years really, since Haden started missing games (and lost a step) in 2021. But he was a silent lynch-pin on those spectacular 2019-2020 defenses.
Get a shut-down man on one side, Levi Wallace on the other, Cam Sutton in the slot, and Minkah/Edmunds (or Kazee) at safety, and you won’t see those dreadful 3rd and long conversions next season. Hell, this could be the best secondary in football.
Thanks for a great season, Steelers. On to the draft...
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