Happy Friday to all of yinz and welcome to another summer weekend, the first of June 2018.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have now wrapped up six of their 10 OTA practices of 2018 and that leaves one more week of sessions prior to the team’s mandatory minicamp. Unfortunately for the team, the injury bug jumped up and bit them this past week as two players have presumably now been lost to non-contact injuries. On the flip side, you don’t have to worry about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown getting injured during OTA practices as both haven’t been participating for several sessions now. We’ll see if that continues on next week.
Not much is going on with me this past week. Thankfully, no doctor visits this past week but in lieu of that, I had to see the dentist this past week in order to get a chipped tooth fixed that I have been putting off for a while. My doctor visits resume next week, so there’s that.
As usual, I have five questions for yinz to answer on this first Friday night in June and I hope several can do just that in the comments below.
Thank you for an outstanding traffic week this past week and please be safe this weekend.
Peace and love, peace and love!
1 – True or false: With tackle Jerald Hawkins now presumably lost for the season, backup tackle Jake Rodgers will make the team’s final 53-man roster should 9 offensive linemen in total be kept.
2 – Will tight end Vance McDonald set new career highs in 2018 in receptions (30) and receiving yardage (391)?
a) Yes, both
b) No, only receptions
c) No, only yardage
d) No, neither category
3 – As far as this year’s throwback jerseys go, ahead of the Wednesday decision which team were you?
a) Team block numbers
b) Team Batman
c) Team other
d) Team did not care
4 – What non-rookie Steelers player are you most-excited to see play during the preseason later this summer?
5 – In general, do Pittsburgh sports fans seem to do a poor job at attempting to be difference makers (loud) at home games in which their team is either trailing, tied, or not leading big?
Recap of 2018 Memorial Day Weekend: Steelers Depot Friday Night Questions
Question 1 – Ryan Shazier was a key factor in the Steelers defense last season. So much so, that we were split 50/50 on whether he alone would have made the difference in the playoff outcome versus Jacksonville in the playoffs if he had remained healthy and played. Amongst the naysayers; while his presence would have helped, the domination of the defense by the Jaguars offensive line was just insurmountable. With the final score being so close; the optimists believe Shazier would have made a splash play to change the outcome.
Question 2 – We were evenly split on whether Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt will play more than 20% of their defensive snaps in 2018 on the opposite side. The folks that believe that will happen like the idea of mixing up the schemes to make the Steelers defense even more difficult to prepare for. Those that don’t believe it tend to like the idea but feel that it will be fewer snaps as the players are put into the sides that gives them the most chance for success.
Question 3 – Only 54% believe the 2018 Steelers roster is better than the 2017 roster that opened the season last year. The loss of Ryan Shazier and Martavis Bryant are the two players mentioned the most that will be hard to replace. Some are optimistic that James Washington will make up for Bryant’s loss. Others believe that the defensive acquisitions along with better communications may help make this year’s roster slightly better than last. We’ll see.
Question 4 – Like the rest of the country; Steelers Depot are all over the place on the Anthem. There did not appear to be a clear consensus. Some are just tired of the drama; others defend the right to protest while others believe the employers have the right to set work conditions. Yoi.
Question 5 – 75% of respondents believe that 3 of the 4 listed second year players would make the 53-man roster this year. Josh Dobbs was frequently mentioned as the odd man out; either going to the practice squad or being traded. Keion Adams, Brian Allen & James Conner were deemed most likely to make the cut.
