Happy Friday and welcome to the weekend.
There are now three weeks remaining until the Pittsburgh Steelers first training camp practice of 2018 and as of Thursday, five weeks remaining until they play their first preseason game. In other words, football is close.
Welp, I have to get one of those CPAP machines as I have a serious sleep apnea problem. The doctor said the number of times I woke up in an hour during my sleep study was astounding. Hopefully the special equipment I need will be approved by the insurance company and sent to me by the time training camp gets underway.
The fourth of July is not one of my favorite holidays because of neighborhood fireworks. My little dog does not like hearing them one bit and they seem to go on for hours. I guess I’m getting paid back for all the years I drunkenly set them off back in Florida as a kid.
If things work out right with the date of one of my annual fantasy football drafts, I will be going to see Blue Öyster Cult play live at the Green Valley Ranch Casino here in Las Vegas on August 31. I’ve only seen them live one other time in my life and it was over 30 years ago.
Ok, as usual, I have five questions for yinz to answer on this Friday night and I look forward to being entertained by numerous responses. Have a great weekend and please be safe.
Peace and love, peace and love!
1 – Name two former Steelers who weren’t drafted by the team that you would like to have over for an all-day summer cookout.
2 – Last season Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell registered 1,946 combined yards. Will he top that number in 2018?
3 – True or false: The Steelers will select a tight end and an edge-rusher in the first three rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.
4 – Rank the Steelers first six opponents of the 2018 regular season from toughest to easiest as it relates to come time when each contest will be played:
Cleveland Browns
Kansas City Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baltimore Ravens
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
5 – Which of the three other teams in the AFC North is most-likely to be swept by the Browns in 2018?
Recap of Last Week of June 2018: Steelers Friday Night Five Questions
Question 1 – Training camp is still three weeks away, but we are very bullish on James Washington. 95% of respondents believe he will exceed both the 26 passes caught and the 549 receiving yards gained by wide receiver Martavis Bryant in his rookie year.
Question 2 – The choice of Mason Rudolph in the draft has created a mild buzz in Steelers Nation. Steelers Depot respondents believe that the hype of him being the heir apparent as the new franchise quarterback along with his ability to start right now in the NFL are the two most overhyped aspects about him. Some believe his accuracy and arm strength may be overrated as well. On the other hand; his pocket presence and ability to evade pressure is underrated. As is, his football IQ and motivation to prove that he was worthy of being selected in the first round. We shall see in with8n the next 4 to 5 years.
Question 3 – Most of the respondents believe it is possible for young quarterbacks to increase their pass velocity and distance at the NFL level. A few believe that you either have the talent or you don’t while a few others did not think it really mattered: Some quite good quarterbacks thrive on accuracy and touch over distance and velocity. Just beware of the law of unintended consequences when tinkering with the mechanics of an athlete.
Question 4 – Here is how we ranked the quarterbacks (votes) listed with shorter odds than Ben Roethlisberger to win the NFL MVP Award in 2018: Aaron Rodgers (18); Tom “cheetah” Brady (15); Carson Wentz (12); Drew Brees (12); Deshaun Watson (10); Russell Wilson (9); Cam Newton (8); Matt Ryan (6); Jimmy Garoppolo (5); Kirk Cousins (5); Jared Goff (4) & Philip “cry me a” Rivers (4).
Question 5 – We would most to see Joshua Dobbs playing against Florida, Alabama and Texas A & M in 2016 contextualized. Ask and ye shall receive. Dave Bryan has already Dobb’s pass attempts versus Florida.
This is the 20th offseason recap of the Steelers Friday Night Questions in 2018. Kudos to DirtDawg1964, Chris92021, SkoolHouseRoxx and Spencer Krick for responding every week. Wreckless and Jason Campbell were near perfect – just one week missed. Keep doing what you do folks. Let’s go people!
