Welcome back to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
falconsaftey43: Hey Alex,
Can Heyward (78.5) and T.J. Watt (77.5) should both pass James Harrison (80.5) for first place on the Steelers’ all-time sack list. Who gets there first, and in which game this year?
Alex: Ha, it’s gonna be one of my favorite battles of the year. I had written about it a couple months ago. I hope Heyward does it just so he can own the record for a little bit because we know Watt will have it long-term. Who gets there first though? Ahh, that’s tough. I’ll say T.J. just because I know he can get those sacks in bunches. The 49ers losing Mike McGlinchey hurts them in Week One, too. Right now, that right tackle spot is looking pretty rough in San Fran right now and they gotta be on the road and come to Pittsburgh.
SoCal now Central PA Steeler: I don’t really have any important questions during this current down time for the Steelers but I’ll ask who you personally are looking forward to watching in camp next month? More than one is fine.
Alex: That’s always tough to answer because I try to go into camp with wide eyes and not think too much about any one player. I want to try to let the day come as it is and whatever catches my eye, catches my eye. But certainly want to see how guys like DeMarvin Leal and Patrick Peterson are being used. Expecting versatility from both and want to get an idea how they’re being infused into the defense.
Of course, want to get eyes on Calvin Austin III, though game action will mean more from him. And the third RB spot is wide open and will make for great competition, though it’s hard to judge them until the pads come on a few days into camp.
Steelers D: Hi Alex,
If Danny Smith were to retire after this season, would he make the Steelers’ Hall of Honor?
Alex: He’d get my vote, ha. But no, he won’t make it. It’s mostly players anyway with just a couple of coaches/contributors.
Daniel Moon: Hey Alex, I do believe the Steelers have all the offensive pieces to succeed. This success will depend on KP making a 2nd-year leap and MC improving his play calling. I am more worried about MC because opposing players said they could predict what the Steelers were going to do. Is this something MC can change or is it something we will have to live with?
Alex: No, I wouldn’t say it’s something to live with. Living with being uber-predictable is not an answer. You’re going to lose your job pretty quickly in the NFL. I do understand he was under constraints last year with a new and young offense that probably limited a lot of what the Steelers wanted to accomplish. It became about not losing the game as much as it was trying to actually win it and be productive. But it’s Year Two, those excuses are over, and it’s put up or shut up. That’s the bottom line.
Tangitau Attack: Hello, hope all is well. What are your complete thoughts about Najee Harris? Do you think he was good value at 24? If he has a similar year this season as compared to his first two are you extending him? The overall consensus from football fans in general is that he is a bust but like I said what do you think? Thanks for doing this!
Alex: Was he good value? Eh, probably not. Not based on the positional value of it all. But I still don’t hate the pick the way some do, especially the super-analytic crowd that has railed against it. I just like drafting good players who help, not hurt, your team. The draft is hard. The success rate, avoiding obvious busts, is about 50/50. Or guys get hurt and their careers never get off the ground. So having positive contributors, even without great value, is a good outcome overall considering what the alternative often is. No one should be calling him a bust, that’s for sure. Extremely hyperbolic by any fan making that claim.
stan: I’m going back and forth on the Harvin/Mann punting competition. It’s easy to think back to the bad punts Harvin has had and choose Mann, but the reports on him are similar. How can you tell who’s going to be more consistent when the lights come on? It seems like just choosing the guy who’s better in camp is only part of the story since both these guys can be incredible at times.
Alex: That’s what camp is for. You really can’t predict it now. You’re right, it’s only part of the story but that’s true for anything. When we evaluate Broderick Jones this summer, we’re going off camp. Now, when you get these guys inside a stadium will matter more and carry extra weight since neither Harvin nor Mann are new to the NFL. Preseason action will be a bigger litmus test than on-air punts in practice without a rush.
But you gotta make a call and hope for the best. There’s nothing that happens this summer that gives you perfect predictive power.
Mark O’Connor: Hi Alex, is Kwiatkoski more of a run stuffer than a coverage LB? Just wondering what the plan would be should Holcomb get injured.
Alex: Yeah, probably a bit more downhill and run stuffing than a coverage guy. But he’s a bit more well-rounded. Check out Jonathan’s film room here.
If Holcomb gets injured? I’m not sure the Plan B from a coverage standpoint. Tanner Muse is at least a former safety that lends itself to a coverage background. They probably get creative with someone like Keanu Neal as a dimebacker, he’s played ILB too, as ways to work around that.
Steeler Fanatic: Hey Alex- great work. I think the AFC Championship Game is a possibility. Hear me out. The Steelers went 3-3 in the division last year and could improve that division record this year. Getting a home playoff game and then beating the Bills, Jets, Jaguars, etc. in the second round is not out of the realm of possibility. Beating out the Bengals (first-place schedule) could have them playing them at home. Thoughts?
Alex: Well, I’m not going to say you’re wrong and I understand your point. If the Steelers can go 9-8 with how many things were bad/went wrong last year, improvement this year should be good enough for a couple more wins, right? Maybe. It’s still a tough AFC and AFC North and they’re always playing tight games that can go different ways. If Pickett doesn’t lead back-to-back game winners, we’re talking about a 7-10 team, not 9-8.
Of course, he did and we can play the game the other way (what if they don’t blow a lead against the Jets?) but all of that is to say you just gotta get in the playoffs first. Buy your lottery ticket. From there, who knows? It’s still going to require scoring points and the offense being capable of coming alive. All the things you’re talking about are 20 steps down the road. Once the season starts, I just take it one game at a time.
Pghomer: Hey Alex, thx for doing this each week. Glad I could get in this week.
How do you see the team handling it if Dan Moore Jr is better than Chuks and Joes does enough at LT?
Alex: Okorafor is still highly likely to be the starter. Given his experience there and the salary they’re paying him. Moore will either start at LT or be the swingman and backup.
It’s more interesting to me if Moore is the starting LT and Jones loses out. Does he become the swingman? How many RT snaps did he get in the summer? He didn’t get much in college. So what happens there? Does Moore go to RT if Okorafor goes down or Jones to LT? Is Jones – *gasp* – inactive to start the year in favor of Le’Raven Clark, who is not a good player but has LT/RT experience? We’ll see if the Steelers are confronted with that problem and if so, how they handle it.
falconsaftey43: My question isn’t that exactly, but what would have looked different if the goal was to build a high-flying explosive offense? Like what personnel moves are incompatible with that ultimate goal?
Alex: Just putting the question here to shorten up the thought. It’s a fair conversation to have. They’re not trading for zone-beater slot receiver Allen Robinson II. They’re probably not drafting a big blocking TE in Darnell Washington. I imagine they’re adding another bigger-play slot wideout and if he and Calvin Austin III succeed, then that’s a good problem to have. I would just say the tone and the thought of the offseason would be different than what the team has said about being physical and imposing their will.
So it’s probably a bit more about moves they don’t make and just the way they are framing things rather than some giant course in personnel changes. They still would’ve loaded up on the o-line, for example. Need that no matter what, run- or pass-heavy.
