While the Pittsburgh Steelers cruised to a 27-17 win in their preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night, several notable players stood on the side, remaining undressed for the game.
Missi Matthews of Steelers.com spoke to DL Cameron Heyward on the sidelines Friday night, having the night off as the younger guys got more opportunity in Pittsburgh’s first preseason game. Matthews asked Heyward what he liked about the defense through the first three quarters, and Heyward responded with a couple compliments, but also an aspect he sees that needs improving.
“We were able to take the field in some unfortunate situations and I thought we stepped up,” Heyward said to Missi Matthews on video from her Twitter page. “Nick Herbig has had a pretty good game rushing the passer. D-line we can do a little bit better on the run. Overall, I like the way our defense has played.”
Herbig’s game has been often-mentioned since last night as the Wisconsin product was in on two sacks and another tackle for loss, looking impressive in his first action as a Pittsburgh Steeler. However, Heyward has a point where the defensive line could have played better against the run Friday night. The front line had problems getting sealed off by blocks and allowing runners into the second level of the defense for a couple successful runs.
The Buccaneers only had 66 yards of 26 carries last night, resulting in a measly 2.5 YPC. Still, playing assignment-sound football is something that Heyward takes pride in, and RBs Taye Barber and Chase Edmonds both had successful runs in the game where the defensive line looked outplayed.
Overall, it was a good showing by the run defense Friday night in Tampa Bay, and Heyward is going to be critical of his own position group. However, the competition will get tougher when the regular season comes, and Pittsburgh’s reserves need to be up for the challenge.
