Steel City Blitz
Preseason game or not there’s always a lot to unpack. Tonight’s game in Carolina however begins and ends with Derrick Harmon leaving the field on a cart. I am not a doctor and I don’t play one in these spaces. With over 50 years of watching this game though, when a player goes down with a non-contact knee injury it’s usually not good. When a player’s face looks like Derrick Harmon’s did on the back of that cart? It’s usually not good.
That said…. Harmon walked out of the locker room and joined his teammates on the sidelines. He was seen laughing with Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt. So perhaps the Steelers have dodged a bullet. That’s where the storyline begins and ends from the Steelers’ 19-10 win.
UPDATE: Mike Tomlin revealed a sprained knee for Harmon in his postgame comments and he’s still under evaluation.
Here are my other observations from the game.
-Jaylen Warren(2 Carries 3 Yards FMB) looked like a guy who hasn’t played all preseason. Not only did he fumble but he also stumbled twice too.
-Lots of people claiming Skylar Thompson(11/13 152 yards TD) should be the backup ahead of Mason Rudolph(6/8 36 yards INT). That’s not happening. Mike Tomlin will rely on Rudy’s experience and knowledge. Granted, he didn’t look good tonight but I think he remains the number two.
-Trey Sermon played like a guy who really wants to make this roster.
-How do you tell Scotty Miller he’s not on the roster? Yes, he’s a water bug who can’t block anyone but he’s had an excellent summer. Lance McCutcheon (3 Rec 52 yards TD) looked good as did Ke’Shawn Williams who collected two passes and 31 yards. This may be one of the more “in flux” positions over the next couple of weeks.
-Max Hurleman not getting a single carry in the preseason suggests to me that they just don’t see him as a running back right now.
-Yahya Black is going to be a problem for some teams. His combination of size and length has become more and more of a problem all Preseason.
-What we’ve seen with Jalen Ramsey all summer long is exactly what we saw tonight. He’s going to play everywhere on this defense.
-Pretty easy interception for James Pierre but those things matter. Could be a difference maker for him in terms of making the roster.
-I think Jack Sawyer has heard people like me wondering when he was going to start making plays. He was much more of a factor this evening collecting five tackles and two tackles for loss.
-Pretty good night for Malik Harrison and he needed it. Picked up a handful of tackles and one for a loss. Carson Bruener led the team in tackles with seven and has been impressive all summer on Special Teams. He’s a top candidate for the Practice Squad but I do fear that someone could scoop him up beforehand.
-I...
