Steel City Blitz
Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Friday.
If you need further proof that preseason game outcomes mean little then look no further than the top story across national news outlets. They weren’t talking about the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Carolina Panthers 19-10. They were talking about the knee injury to Steelers’ first round pick Derrick Harmon and rightfully so. Any time a player is taken off on a cart, the fan base immediately expects the worse. Since teams first started using a cart in such a manner it has always signaled a really bad injury. These days however, guys are getting carted off for any number of things, many of which will not be “bad” injuries. In Harmon’s case, it looked pretty bad. It was one of those ‘non-contact injuries’ for the most part and then the look on his face was also unsettling. What we learned however is that Harmon has a knee sprain. He was able to walk back out onto the field in the fourth quarter where he joined the guys on the sideline. His spirts seemed to be pretty high so if he’s optimistic then I will be too.
Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin said earlier in the week that Thursday night’s game was going to be a huge one for CB Beanie Bishop, Jr. As you know, Bishop faces some real challenges in terms of making the roster yet he didn’t see a single snap last night. Was he hurt in warm-ups? Was there a trade offer made? I honestly don’t know yet. Doesn’t make a whole lot sense to me.
Let’s start with what we know. D.K. Metcalf, Roman Wilson and the injured Calvin Austin III will be on the roster. Robert Woods, signed to be the veteran presence in the locker room, has been non-existent. Ben Skowronek has been injured and is valued more for his Special Teams prowess so his spot may be in doubt. Then you have Scotty Miller who has had a brilliant Camp and Preseason yet at best is a slot receiver. Brandon Johnson has had a nice preseason but was dinged up last night. That opened the door for both Lance McCutcheon and Ke’Shawn Williams to have nice performances last night. And then there’s the elephant in the room… Will they make a move for a number two receiver?
Perspective is always needed because of who is on the field during preseason games but it’s hard to ignore what Yahya Black has been doing on the defensive line. He entered the NFL with everyone knowing about his size and length but the knock on him was an inability to get off at the snap. I don’t know where that came from because he’s been outstanding. His surprising quickness has been a huge thorn in opposing offensive lines. Long way to go but what a great pick so far for Omar Khan and company.
Four QBs?...
