Is This Pre Season an Omen of Things to Come?
Comments Off on Is This Pre Season an Omen of Things to Come?
  |
It’s only pre-season and the 0-2 record means about as much as a 2-0 record would mean at this time but there are certainly some glaring issues the Steelers need to resolve before kickoff on September 8th. Some of their issues are out of their control, such as injuries; but others like offensive play and mental mistakes are correctable. It seems that over the last few years injuries have plagued the Steelers during the season. Whether it is a product of age, poor conditioning or just bad luck, the injury bug crept up and bit the team right when they could afford it least. This season it’s hit early, hopefully that won’t be followed by often.
|
| The team has seen rookie running back LeVeon Bell go down with a foot sprain. The timetable for his return is not set but fortunately his injury is not as severe as originally thought. Bell was a standout in camp and was likely to be named starter when the season opened but that plan could be in jeopardy for the time being if he is unable to finish the pre-season. Isaac Redman and LaRod Stephens-Howling have seen injuries prevent them from playing in the pre-season games so far as well, leaving the running back position thin.
Heath Miller’s timetable for a return from last year’s injury is not set but don’t expect him before mid-season at best. His replacement, Matt Spaeth, who returned to the team via free agency, is out 8 to 10 weeks with a foot injury of his own. Plaxico Burress tore his rotator cuff and his career may be over. Lastly, Cortez Allen had surgery on his knee and hasn’t returned to the field to re-claim his starting cornerback position since. Injuries happen every year but this team seems to have been hit hard very early. They’ll need to find a way to overcome them, quickly.
|
  |
  |
Injuries may also be contributing to the inability to move the ball offensively. Don’t worry about Big Ben, he’ll be more than ready when the regular season starts but if this offensive line doesn’t shape up, he’ll be joining his teammates on the injury list, which will effectively end any chance the Steelers have. Many of these linemen are entering years 3 or 4 in the NFL and it’s time to put up or shut up. The o linemen still seem confused, slow and unable to protect Ben when there’s any kind of a pass rush. The receivers, while talented, seem to lack a true number one guy. Mike Wallace had some very well documented issues last season but he was the team’s best receiver and they lack that threat with this current group. Antonio Brown is great, but is he a true number one receiver; no, he’s not. Without a guy like Wallace on the other side, it’s much easier for defenses to shut Brown down and limit him to 4 or 5 balls a game. Brown is the hardest worker on the team and will do what he can but it’s going to be tough for this team to replace Wallace’s presence. Add in the fact they don’t have a tight end to throw to and the passing attack will be limited. To add to the offensive woes, the mental mistakes must stop. It was an issue last season and it’s proving to be again this year. The holding penalties are killer, the missed blocks, the incorrect routes, the blown coverages; these are all mental errors that must be rectified. The good news is this, its pre-season, it’s the time of year to mess up and work out your issues. The offensive issues and the mental mistakes are fixable; it takes practice, repetition and time. The injuries will heal but could linger into the season. If the next man up philosophy fails this year as it has in years past, the team’s issue will only be magnified and last year’s 8-8 will look glorious compared to what this year’s record will turn out to be. That all said, better early than late, better now than then and better fix soon or suffer the consequences later. |
 |
|
A Look At Training Camp Thus Far
“Not good work today, great work” Mike Tomlin stated after last Saturday’s practice. It was a practice much luck the others that preceded it this training camp, full of hard hitting and tackling. After spending a few days on the sideline watching the team practice it became apparent they are on a mission in 2013. Tomlin and his troops were embarrassed by missing the playoffs last year and they don’t want to see that happen two years straight.
The team has been running some great drills that have seen some incredible plays by both offensive and defensive players alike and certainly haven’t been short of bone crushing hits and tackles. Tomlin is working this team, perhaps making them pay for last year’s shortcomings or perhaps preparing them so they won’t fall short again. Either way, the team appears focused and ready to take on the world.
It’s apparent the team will use both young and old players and they seem to be mixing together nicely so far. Troy Polamalu stated “We have a good mix of experience and youth” and he’s absolutely correct. So far he has looked very good in camp making some plays in Red Zone drills that the Troy of old used to make. To compliment that, Jarvis Jones has been impressive in drills, running with the first team and showing some extreme bursts of speed and ability.
There are still battles to be won and one of those features Jones vs. Jason Worilds for the starting outside linebacker job. Larry Foote could be seen coaching up Jones before one on one drills, showing him how to make some inside and outside moves and sharing his many years of knowledge with the rookie. Jones did not disappoint as he roughed up many of the running backs and full backs he matched up with. Worilds is battling a toe injury currently and when asked what he needs to do to become the starter he stated he needs to “continue to play my game”. Worilds has started in the past and has made some plays but after watching Jones, it may be tough to grab that job. Both will be impact players on this squad and will see significant time either way but Jones seems to have the edge right now.
Another key battle is on the offensive side of the ball for the two through four receiver spots. Antonio Brown is the clear number one and continues to be a crowd favorite with his work ethic (he’s the only player I saw who rode his bike after practice to the lunch room vs. taking a golf cart) and his infectious smile and interaction with the crowd.
The two spot seems to be in the hands of Emmanuel Sanders but rookie Markus Wheaton saw reps with the first team as well. The three and four spots will be battled out between Sanders, Wheaton, Plaxico Burress and Jerricho Cotchery. Burress looked great in workouts making a few impressive TD grabs and mixing it up with the refs even on plays he wasn’t in on. Though no roles have been defined yet, Burress noted “I’m just going to go out and compete, and in the red zone score touchdowns and draw double coverage”. With his height and skill set there is room on this team for him to do just that. Not only can he be an impact on the field but Burress seems to be taking to the idea of helping the young receivers as well. Having been around the league for a while he’s taken it upon himself to teach the younger guys about reading coverage and they seem to be all for it.
Editors Note: Plaxico Burress was injured in practice shortly after this article was posted and has a torn rotator cuff. His season and career may be over.
LeVeon Bell has looked like the back this team has been missing since the end of the Willie Parker era. He’s fast but has the ability to hammer it home. While he’s battling with Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer, he has to be the leading candidate at this point to win the starting job.
It’s not all business on the field, the team has done some fooling around to entertain the crowd as well. The QB’s will do a challenge in which they need to throw the ball about 40 yards across the field into a trash can; Big Ben seems to win that one more often than not.
The receivers and punt returners see who can catch the most punt machine balls in a row while holding all the previous balls they caught at the same time. Emmanuel Sanders holds the current record with 6 catches in a row. That’s no easy feat.
Overall the team looks loose, they look fit and they look ready. The true test will be in game action but from a practice perspective these guys look hungry and ready to go and if they want to avoid the pitfalls of 2012, they’ll need to continue the “Great Work” Mike Tomlin described.
Who Will Replace James Harrison, Jason Worilds or Jarvis Jones?
Comments Off on Who Will Replace James Harrison, Jason Worilds or Jarvis Jones?
One of the big questions at training camp this year is who will replace James Harrison at outside linebacker? Will it be 4th year man Jason Worilds or this year’s first round selection Jarvis Jones?
Worilds has the edge in experience having played 3 years in the NFL, knowing the schemes that Dick LeBeau runs and having started games as a replacement for both Harrison and LaMarr Woodley over the past few seasons. He has shown flashes of greatness and was actually among the Steelers leaders in sacks in 2012. He has the size and ability but at the same time he hasn’t shown he can do it on a consistent basis. Worilds will need to prove in camp and again during preseason games that he can get to the quarterback consistently, stuff the run when needed and drop back in pass coverage when the down calls for it. Physically he’s as gifted as anyone but mentally he seems to be progressing at a slower rate than the black and gold would like. The speed of the game may be preventing him from picking up the plays fast enough to make the right decisions.
Enter Jarvis Jones. While Worilds has the ability physically, the Steelers are clearly not sold on him as the answer for the long term and potentially not even immediately. Jarvis Jones fell into their laps and they snagged him with the 17th overall pick in the 2013 rookie draft indicating he, not Worilds is the future outside linebacker of this club. Don’t doubt for a second that they are letting him compete for the immediate job as well. Jones has quickness, strength, and the ability to cover tight ends and running backs. He also possesses the tenacity to get the quarterback regularly. The problem is he’s a rookie. He hasn’t done it in the NFL yet and to top that off he’ll need to learn a complicated scheme that Dick LeBeau runs. He’ll get camp and a preseason to prove he’s the guy and he very well may do just that but the odds are against him. The Steelers generally don’t like to start rookies and as great as he may be, that may just be an obstacle too large to overcome at first.
The end result seems clear to me, though. Worilds is going to start opening day at outside linebacker in place of Harrison. He’ll put up decent numbers but won’t be overwhelming and could even make a costly error or two. Jones will steadily gain playing time as the top backup on the roster and will make multiple impact plays in doing so. By week four or five, the rolls will reverse. Jones will take over as the guy and by the end of the season he may be the best linebacker the team has on its roster. Worilds will prove to be a valuable commodity but as a backup and the defense should be stronger for having both individuals on the roster.
So who will replace James Harrison? Both. Worilds will just warm up the seat for Jarvis Jones who will be there soon and the Steelers hope for a long while after.
