Following each game in the 2023 Steelers season I will once again be giving you my 10 takes. These aren’t going to be hot takes that are meant to shock the world. This will be instant reactions to the game written while still in that period just following the game when the emotions are high, and the ideas are fresh. Included will be thoughts, observations, queries, and reasons that caused me to yell at the television.
Preseason Week 1 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1. Made Me Want to YAC – I looked it up for you. Last year in 17 games, according to Pro Football Reference, George Pickens had 104 yards after the catch on 52 receptions. On his lone catch in this preseason game, he hopefully gave us a glimpse that will change greatly. Not only did he make a catch on an in-breaking route, but he gained 21 yards after the catch to get the touchdown. His route tree was limited last year, and the YAC shows that. It’s one catch. In preseason. But I like it.
2. ILB Competition – I’m guessing Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts were pretty comfortable in their probability to be the starters for several weeks. Kwon Alexander may have another opinion. He is fast. He is decisive. He brings the house when he makes tackles. For a good portion of the first half, he was all over the field making plays from sideline to sideline. That group hasn’t had speed like that in a few years. Add Mark Robinson, Nick Kwiatkoski and Chapelle Russell and that group looks pretty deep.
3. Kenny Directing – Overall, it was a good showing from Kenny Pickett. He looked decisive and made some nice throws outside the pocket. On one of those plays, he hit Diontae Johnson coming across the field. The ball was a little behind DJ but that was on purpose. We saw Pickett indicate to Johnson to slow down into that hole in the defense. It looked like he wanted to give him a chance to gain some yards after the catch rather than just run out of bounds. Good to see the young signal caller communicating with his veteran receiver.
4. Nu Blood – It may not have been against first-string players, but Keeanu Benton looked pretty darn good. There was a series where he was involved in two stops in the backfield and had his man beat on a pass rush. He looked like he was tripped after a nice swim move. There is a lot of athleticism in that big man. I’m hoping the injury that took him out of the game wasn’t serious, and we can see him with the first team defense in this preseason.
5. I Withheld My Thoughts – We were excited by his potential last year, but he never got to see the field. This year he talked confidently in training camp, and I wanted to say, “Let’s see it on the field before we get too confident.” Well. Calvin Austin III is going to be a playmaker. He showed us that jet sweeps are allowed to gain more than three yards. Who knew? They threw him a couple deep balls, and, on the touchdown, he blew by the defender. This team has lacked speed on both sides of the ball for years. That is changing this year.
6. Potential Chain Mover – I think Connor Heyward has the chance to be the guy who converts the third downs this year. He didn’t get a lot of plays on offense last year, but Derek Watt was very successful on short yardage runs last year. Heyward is capable of handling those short yardage runs. He had one carry and a couple of plays in the backfield tonight as well as a third down reception out of the back of a bunch formation in the slot. He will be used in a variety of ways from various alignments and will have a role in this offense.
7. New Bros in Town – The Herbigs had a successful debut in black and gold. From what I saw, Nate Herbig had a solid night at left guard and at center. With Kendrick Green having a holding penalty and bad snap the backup center job is there for the taking. The reserve edge rushers were not existent for a vast majority of the game. David Perales, Quincy Roche, and others produced next to nothing and then Nick Herbig said, “Hold my beer”. Three total tackles and 1.5 sacks is a good initial showing for the rookie.
8. On Different Sides of the Fence – Anthony McFarland Jr. looked much better than he has in the past. He is much more patient, allowing his blocks to develop before making his move. His four touches and a score showcased this along with his speed. He may not get many touches in the regular season, but I feel more confident about him. Cody White has seen better days. He had a penalty on special teams, did not come down with a 50/50 ball, almost cost the Steelers a field goal try in the second quarter and dropped a throw in the third. Hopefully the next preseason game is kinder to him.
9. Draft Delights – Despite a late-game holding penalty, I felt Broderick Jones played well. He looked comfortable, moved well, and showed some nasty on a couple plays. He played quite a bit of the game and held up well in the Florida heat. I mentioned Benton and Herbig above. Darnell Washington had some good blocks and one reception. He gives you the feeling of great things coming. Spencer Anderson is another lineman who I thought also performed well. I think he played both guard spots and maybe some tackle as well. Omar Khan’s first draft passed the first preseason test.
10. Week One Random Thoughts – I saw some good things from defensive lineman Armon Watts. He used his hands well when rushing the passer. B.T. Potter is an NFL kicker and will be someone’s kicker this year. I like the effort of Allen Robinson II blocking in the run game. Alex Kozora has been talking about Luq Barcoo in his camp reports and I get it. I like his size and aggressiveness to attack downhill, and he had a nice rep as the gunner on punt cover as well. He’ll be a good depth piece. The team has become very long at cornerback.
I am happy to be back and looking forward to your takes. Let’s hear them.
