A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys.
Your Depot After Dark for July 5.
Lamar Jackson Greatest Dual Threat
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton is giving Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson his flowers. Newton put Jackson ahead of himself, anointing Jackson as the greatest dual threat quarterback in history.
“Lamar’s style is different than mine,” Newton said on his 4th and 1 show via PFT’s Josh Alper. “He’s got big plays any play. He’s got speed that I never had. And he’s just a legend. I played the game more powerful. I can run, but I’m going to probably get caught. Vick, Lamar, they ain’t getting caught.”
With 5,238, Jackson currently ranks fourth in NFL history for rushing yards by a quarterback. That puts him roughly 400 yards behind Newton and likely to surpass him during the 2024 season. The record is still held by Michael Vick’s 6,109. Jackson should break that mark sometime in 2025, if not sooner.
While Jackson is an elite runner and solid quarterback, there’s still plenty of competition for the “greatest dual threat” title. Steve Young and Fran Tarkenton would certainly like to have a word.
Russell Wilson’s Accuracy
Bringing you more Russell Wilson analytics. Per Warren Sharp, Wilson was an accurate quarterback last year. Only 25.3 percent of his 2023 throws were incomplete due to his inaccuracy. Only four quarterbacks were better: Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, and Jake Browning.
It might have helped that Wilson checked down at a high rate but still, he showed he can be an accurate quarterback to all levels of the field. Combined with arm strength that still exists and Wilson could succeed in Pittsburgh this season.
Bengals Bad Food
ESPN penned a deep-dive on the NFLPA player grades that ranked organizations in several categories, including nutrition/dietitian. Like the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals were rated as one of the worst teams. The Bengals finished last with an F-minus rating.
The article detailed why the Bengals were reviewed so poorly. Partially because the team’s best cook was “Chef Mike.”
“In 2022, there were multiple microwaves for Cincinnati players to reheat food brought from home,” wrote Sarah Barshop. “The Gatorade coolers doubled as a fridge, where players would store their lunch bags. They received an F- in nutrition for that year, too.”
The article didn’t touch on the Steelers, other than to acknowledge their ‘D’ grade. That ranked 30th in the survey. Pittsburgh ranked a bit better in the Food/Cafeteria category, receiving a B-minus grade that ranked 16th.
