Welcome back to our weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
NickRVA: Hi Alex, given the recent interview with Troy, where do you see his place in the best Steelers of all time conversation considering he’s largely viewed as potentially a top 3 Safety of all time.
Alex: I was thinking about that relatively recently. Was considering redoing my Top 100 Steelers list Dave and I did back in 2016. At the time, I ranked Toy 8th all-time.
That’s probably about where I’d put him today. Maybe up a slot or two but there’s some heavy competition ahead of him. I had him behind Franco (6th) and I’d consider swapping that. Of course, T.J. Watt wasn’t even a Steeler when we made those lists. I don’t know if he’s yet top ten but he’s right on its heels.
falconsaftey43:
Just wanted to say the Pickett breakdown video was great, Alex. Thanks for all the hard work that went into that.
Which one of his negatives from last year would you say is the most important to see improvement in this year?
Alex: Thanks Falcon! Thrilled how well it was received. Wasn’t sure given how longform it was.
I’ll point out the three biggest issues I saw that still need improved/corrected.
1. Pocket Presence – Still wanted to leave the pocket too quickly and bail on clean ones last year. Even the TD to Najee to beat Baltimore is an example of that. Now, it’s pretty common with young, mobile QBs like him and generally guys improved and Pickett got a lot better post-bye. But something on my radar.
2. Better Slant/Flat Reads – And better versus zone overall. I thought he struggled to consistently read that last year and made some poor decision.
3. Leading Receivers On Sideline Throws – Receivers constantly had to turn back to the ball on sideline/flat throws last year. Hurt YAC opportunities. One of many reasons why the Steelers struggled there but that was one of them.
David Rudin: What are you going to focus on during the summer doldrums between the end of Mini Camp and Training Camp?
Alex: It’s always the hardest part of the season. But we search deep into the couch cushions for some content. We’ll have some series, some fun lookbacks, and whatever else we can come up with it to get us through until July 26th. It’s not too far away, at least. Definitely have some things lined up for you all, especially our yearly “Best/Worst Case Scenario” article for the new rookie class.
George Hareras:
Hey Alex,
On a scale of 1 to well obviously:
How shocked are you that AB’s team got the boot?
Bonus:
Favorite all time player from each team:
Pitt football-
Pitt Hoops-
Pens-
Buccos-
Steelers-
Alex: On a scale of 1-10? Oh I’d say….negative five.
For my favorites, I don’t have strong feelings about all these teams but…
Pitt Football – Tony Dorsett
Pitt Hoops – Probably Cam Johnson. Not much of a college hoops guy but I like the Suns and they drafted (and then sadly traded) Cam. So I’ll go him.
Pens – Marc Andre-Fleury. I’m a sucker for goalies. It’s my favorite and most respected position in all of sports.
Buccos – Gonna go Cutch. Very conventional answer here.
Steelers – Chidi Iwuoma. Big Daddy Lipscomb a close second.
Jesse Hernandez: Hey Alex, now that you’ve watched every snap of Pickett last year, has his ceiling in your perspective changed or gone up at all?
Alex: It hasn’t changed much. Partially because he was a rookie in a bumpy offense. 2023 is really the year to judge more of those long-term things. 2022 was more of getting a baseline, seeing if would sink or hold his head above the water. And I think he did the latter.
bad cheese monger:
HI Alex –
Love your work, especially when you go back through steelers history and bring up some gem pre 70’s like Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb.
What that in mind, where do you think TJ Watt Ranks in the list of All time steelers pass rushers?
Alex: Hey man! Sorry this was a late response. Your comment didn’t go through initially for some reason. Whew, that’s a tough one. So many great rushers. If we’re talking more of true EDGE guys like him, he’s right there with Harrison. By career’s end, he’ll likely surpass him easily with the volume of his stats, playing out of the gate instead of when he was almost 30 like Deebo.
Obviously, there’s a good case to be made he’s ahead of Harrison right now. I’d wait for him to at least break his sack record and become the Steelers’ all-time leader. But he’s going to end his career #1 barring something crazy happening.
