Second Weekend Of June: Steelers Friday Night Five Questions

Happy Friday to you, Steelers’ Nation. Hope you’ve all had a fantastic week. The Pittsburgh Steelers finished up their offseason OTAs. Next week will be a three-day, mandatory minicamp before the month-long break until the team reports to training camp (hopefully at St. Vincent College). We’ve learned JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hopes to play more on the outside this year, the status of Devin Bush’s knee, and that Robert Spillane is talking like he’s the team’s starting ILB in 2021. 

We’re also bringing you guys some fun offseason content to get us through the next couple of weeks. Be sure to check out today’s Terrible Podcast. Josh Carney and Owen Straley joined Dave and me to break down the Steelers’ draft picks.

As usual, I have five Friday night questions for yinz to answer these next several hours. I look forward to reading the responses in the comments below this post.

Have a great rest of your weekend and once again, thank you for stopping by the site.

Peace and love, peace and love!

1 – Last season, JuJu Smith-Schuster caught 83.2% of his total targets out of the slot. What percentage of his targets in 2021 will be out the slot?

2 – As Devin Bush said, he expects to be 100% healthy when camp opens up. Will the team hold him back at all early in the summer (i.e. not allowing him to participate in team drills right away) or do you believe there will be zero restrictions?

3 – Today, we posted a video on the worst loss in Steelers’ history. To you, what is the most painful loss you’ve ever personally watched as a Steelers’ fan?

4 – Yes or no, will Chukwuma Okorafor be a Steeler in 2022?

5 – Ray-Ray McCloud played 165 offensive snaps last season. Over/under 185 total offensive snaps in 2021 (remember, it’s now a 17 game season)?

Recap of 2021 First June Weekend Friday Night 5 Questions

Question 1: Steelers Depot respondents believe Matt Canada’s offense will feature fewer running plays out of the shotgun formation in 2021. In 2020, 58% of runs were from the shotgun. Depot respondents say that percentage will drop to somewhere between 20-52% of running plays in 2021. The median response was 40%.

Question 2: James Washington caught 30 passes in 2020. In 2021, Depot respondents predicted Washington making between 26-45 receptions. The median response was 35, five more than last year.

Question 3: Alex Highsmith will record somewhere between four to 11 sacks in his second season according to respondents. The median response was seven just one behind the number of Bud Dupree’s sacks in 2020. For comparison, Bud Dupree sacked quarterbacks 4.5 times in his sophomore season.

Question 4: JuJu Smith-Schuster is most likely to re-sign after the season according to respondents. Dave DeCastro was next followed by Joe Haden. Ben Roethlisberger and Terrell Edmunds tied for the next spot. No one voted Eric Ebron as likely to re-sign. In fact, he received the most votes as least likely to re-sign, edging out Terrell Edmunds. Big Ben was third as least likely with Haden and JuJu in a tie. No one voted DeCastro as unlikely to re-sign. Might have to save this question for after the season to see how we did.

Question 5: Mike Tomlin ranks anywhere from second to fifteenth among the current 32 NFL coaches. The consensus of respondents matched the NBC Sports ranking of seventh best. I don’t care if Tomlin is ranked 33rd if the Steelers win this Super Bowl.

Thanks to everyone who is responding to the Friday Night Five Questions during the offseason. Good to keep your prognostication skills sharp for the upcoming season.