Indholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 36 - Number 2 i Steelers Digest

It’s not difficult to point out their blemishes. But it’s also fair to admit they have worked hard on as many as they could within the confines of a hard salary cap coupled with a draft system that requires as much luck as skill in any attempt to re-make and/or reinforce a roster over the course of a single offseason. When 2022 season, the Steelers offense was one that needed to find a way to be more prolific on the scoreboard and more explosive in the process. There are a lot of elements that go into ringing up NFL scoreboards on a weekly basis over the course of a regular season that now lasts for 19 calendar weeks. And actually, it might be better to have a respectable level of…

At first glance, they are two players who are about as opposite as you can get on a football team. One is a 13-year defensive veteran who has been there, done that, and seen it all in the league. The other is an offensive rookie, who’s trying to navigate his way through his first training camp to be followed by his first season as a professional. It might seem like an odd pairing for mentor and mentee, but for cornerback Patrick Peterson and tight end Darnell Washington, works perfectly. Washington has been leaning on Peterson since the start of camp for advice, and it’s something Peterson loves. “We sit next to each other in team meetings, so he’s always picking my brain on how to handle himself after practice, day-to-day…

In a 27-15 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills, one that had been a rout when the margin reached 27-0, the Bills finished with three more first downs and 74 more yards of offense than did the Steelers. Problem, though, was another stat: Buffalo committed nine more penalties for 67 more yards. In other words, the Bills couldn’t make even routine procedures look routine. By now, everyone’s heard that Mike Tomlin-ism, that he expects – no, demands – that the Steelers make the routine plays routinely. The penalties by the Bills brought that emphasis to life. As did one Steelers offensive play in particular. “That’s clinic tape right there,” Jaylen Warren said a couple hours after bolting 62 yards behind the perfectly routine blocking by not only the line but…

Steelers.com History has a way of repeating itself. That is one big reasons the Steelers are so optimistic regarding second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. They’ve seen other quarterbacks given starting experience as rookies take a big leap in their second seasons. Pickett led the Steelers to a 7-5 record in games he started in his rookie season as the team rallied from a slow start to finish 9-8. “I think if you look at rookies and talk about picks and those things, other really, really talented players who have gone on to have tremendous careers, their rookie season might not have been great,” third-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “You look at having a winning season, there’s a lot to build upon. That by no means is good enough. We have…

Forty-Niners Coach Kyle Shanahan is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best offensive minds and play-callers. San Francisco has a star-studded roster. Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner all have very strong cases for being the top running back, offensive lineman of any sort, edge defender, and off the ball line-backer in the entire league. And tight end George Kittle is clearly a top three player at his position as well. Overall, the 49ers could have the league’s best group of skill position players, and Shanahan utilizes them masterfully. Last year, playoffs included, San Francisco won 15 games before finally losing in Philadelphia for the NFC Championship in a game in which they lost all their quarterbacks to injury. That loss snapped a 12-game winning streak.…

Based on how their 2022 season ended and the specific things that happened during those 17 games that conspired to prevent them from qualifying for the postseason, the Steelers could point to a list of issues that needed to be addressed. A good place to begin is getting the offense to start games more quickly, and nothing satisfies the desired time frame better than scoring a touchdown on its opening possession, something that happened exactly twice all of last season. Sticking with the offense, the unit also had to find a way to create more chunk plays and develop ways to score quickly instead of having to depend so much on putting together drives of 10-plus plays to get into the end zone. On defense, maybe the most glaring issue…