Training camp and Steelers updates

[Orangesteel]

Tomlin & Co. have a Ferrari and a jalopy in the garage.

Let's hope this season they take the Ferrari for a spin.

[Ice]

I'm starting to have some very high hopes for the defense this year, as well. Pass rush and secondary should be improved.

[Kodiak]

Tomlin & Co. have a Ferrari and a jalopy in the garage.

Let's hope this season they take the Ferrari for a spin.

But first they're going to take the golf cart down to the garage. Let's hope they make it there before the end of the season.

[FC]

Sometimes being direct and blunt can be taken for negative.

I have no doubts that the Steelers win the division unless the injury bug hits

With the news that Bell will report before the season starts...(I expect after training camp breaks) The Steelers offense is 2nd to none.

The Steelers cannot be predictable...Toddy Haley has been quoted saying he doesn't like to trick teams...That's a big part of his job

Next Ben has to be better on the road



The Steelers need to expand the run game...The Steelers need to vary the routes.

The Steelers offense has become stale.

Defensively it all starts and ends with tackling...Tuitt Shazier Mitchell Davis Burns. The 5 of them were terrible.

Tuitt could easily had double digit sacks and tackles for loss last season.

The Steelers defense is filled with talent and if's.

If those five improve tackling

If Dupree becomes a legit star

If the defenders can show some coverage skills...The Steelers backers and safeties were brutally bad in coverage last year...Corners not much better

If the defense eliminates mental errors and breakdowns

I will close in a more positive light

Bryant is elite...He can score from anywhere on the field. Fantasy players I strongly suggest drafting him
AB is elite.
Bell is elite.
Oline is top 5 in the NFL

Defensively

The Steelers defensive line has the potential to be the best in the NFL..Hargrave Heyward or Tuitt can wreck a blocking scheme...Who gets doubled and how the fuck do you zone block it...Zero chance to stop penetration

Backers... I trust Harrison and no one else. BUT

Dupree Watt and Shazier are hard workers who want to be great.
Williams is a pitbull
I expect all four Steelers linebackers to play super fast and violently
Harrison off the bench could be a god send

DB's. I hate Cockrell. I think Gay is done. Mike Mitchell will get a pass due to health. From there I have no clue but I like what I have seen. Artie Burns is the pedigree guy who looks likes a star. I was impressed with Allen. Sutton could be the wildcard.

Regardless the Steelers should be a far faster athletic deep defense in 2017.

[bradshaw2ben]

This Ben on the road thing is way overblown. If we don't try so hard to run Bell into the ground, if we don't have the 2nd worst weather to play in, if receivers simply catch perfectly thrown balls, and if Ben isn't forced to play catch up or with a gimpy knee and ankle, the home/road narrative thing is going to be vapor.

Hell, Ben had a few of fantastic games on the road last year, and they coincided with more aggressive offensive plans and his health. He was tremendous opening night in a driving rainstorm, against a good team.

The Steelers TEs, Safeties, & CBs will tell the tale this season. Despite camp being almost over, I don't think the CB situation is settled. There's even time (unlikely as it is) for Golson to eke out a spot. We'll see.

I'd play Hagen & Davis at safety, especially while Mitchell is injured. Robert Golden does nothing for me on defense, and Dangerfield is a fringe player.

The ILBs in last week's game played better in coverage that they did in most of last two years. That was Williams and Red and Fort and Johnson.

[Orangesteel]

So who is under more pressure this season? The O or the D?

I keep forgetting we were a win away from the Super Bowl last year because of the ass kicking we suffered in Foxboro.

Perhaps there is less pressure this year. I dunno.

[955876]

Offense for sure.

The defense is still young. The offense has no excuse.

I'd love to see what his offense could do with better Xs & Os guys at HC & OC...

[RemoAZ]

The defense has to be better to win in the playoffs. In the regular season, especially early, the offense needs to score early and often to take pressure off the defense and give them time to gel. I really think the key is the progression of the defense from the beginning to the end of the season. They should get a lot better unless injuries derail that.

[955876]

The defense has to be better to win in the playoffs. In the regular season, especially early, the offense needs to score early and often to take pressure off the defense and give them time to gel. I really think the key is the progression of the defense from the beginning to the end of the season. They should get a lot better unless injuries derail that.

Totally agree. I just think the pressure is on the O. They can't be asking this defense to hold a team under 18 points in a playoff game....

[Orangesteel]

I need Ben R. to put this team on his back and take them to the promised land much like the MAN Sidney Crosby he done two years straight.

Oh, and Tomlin and Haley to not be such idiots. More Mike Sullivan, less Disco Dan.

Pittsburgh is now a Penguins city. Can the steelers get back on top?

[R_S]

The defense has to be better to win in the playoffs. In the regular season, especially early, the offense needs to score early and often to take pressure off the defense and give them time to gel. I really think the key is the progression of the defense from the beginning to the end of the season. They should get a lot better unless injuries derail that.

True but the game I watched against NE, the vaunted offense looked like utter garbage.

[jebrick]

The defense has to be better to win in the playoffs. In the regular season, especially early, the offense needs to score early and often to take pressure off the defense and give them time to gel. I really think the key is the progression of the defense from the beginning to the end of the season. They should get a lot better unless injuries derail that.

True but the game I watched against NE, the vaunted offense looked like utter garbage.

Double Brown and no other receiver can get open.

I would expect the AFC championship goes through NE this year. Their division is baby shit soft with two teams all but tanking and one so injured it will be lucky to go 8-8.

[FC]

This Ben on the road thing is way overblown

Actually its not.

The Steelers quality road record over the past three seasons is despite Ben not because of him

I am starting to agree with the thought process that Ben has played his way out of the HOF.

Double Brown and no other receiver can get open.

I have a feeling that won't work this year. I won't be shocked when teams double Bryant and not Brown.

[Steelperch]

I am starting to agree with the thought process that Ben has played his way out of the HOF.

I've really grown to hate message boards.

[bradshaw2ben]

[jebrick]

Double Brown and no other receiver can get open.

I have a feeling that won't work this year. I won't be shocked when teams double Bryant and not Brown.

My comment was in response to the offense not showing up in the game. We can hope that one of them is left in single coverage.

[bradshaw2ben]

FC you are either forgetting or ignoring the utter crap road plans we've had plus receivers who can't seem to run proper routes nor catch the football. Ben has made his share of mistakes on the road, but I'll bet if you chart every road game of past two years and account for play/game situation and drops-- his results are not bad at all.

Besides, Ben has a better road record than Aaron Rodgers... do you think Aaron Rodgers has played his way out of the HOF?

Which one of these QBs is known for road struggles?
AR 37-34 W/L -10.2 rating diff
BR 54-39 W/L -10.7 rating diff

[stinger8]

So who is under more pressure this season? The O or the D?

I keep forgetting we were a win away from the Super Bowl last year because of the ass kicking we suffered in Foxboro.

Perhaps there is less pressure this year. I dunno.

Same as last year the O. The majority of the cap is spent on the O, so they have to be dominant, no excuses. There are lots of excuse makers here.

Also I know how it will end (on this board) it always does. The O is dominant and Ben, Brown, Bell, Pouncey etc are all the greatest just phenomenal. The offense struggles Tomlin and Haley are horrific and have to go immediately.

Dont forget Colbert designed this team, decided where to spend the money etc, he deserves as much scrutiny as anyone player or coach.

Fingers crossed cause it could get ugly round these here parts.

[bradshaw2ben]

So who is under more pressure this season? The O or the D?

I keep forgetting we were a win away from the Super Bowl last year because of the ass kicking we suffered in Foxboro.

Perhaps there is less pressure this year. I dunno.

Same as last year the O. The majority of the cap is spent on the O, so they have to be dominant, no excuses. There are lots of excuse makers here.

Also I know how it will end (on this board) it always does. The O is dominant and Ben, Brown, Bell, Pouncey etc are all the greatest just phenomenal. The offense struggles Tomlin and Haley are horrific and have to go immediately.

Dont forget Colbert designed this team, decided where to spend the money etc, he deserves as much scrutiny as anyone player or coach.

Fingers crossed cause it could get ugly round these here parts.

I agree with all of that

[jeemie]

FC you are either forgetting or ignoring the utter crap road plans we've had plus receivers who can't seem to run proper routes nor catch the football. Ben has made his share of mistakes on the road, but I'll bet if you chart every road game of past two years and account for play/game situation and drops-- his results are not bad at all.

Besides, Ben has a better road record than Aaron Rodgers... do you think Aaron Rodgers has played his way out of the HOF?

Which one of these QBs is known for road struggles?
AR 37-34 W/L -10.2 rating diff
BR 54-39 W/L -10.7 rating diff

The media still loves Aaron Rogers.

They do not love nor ever have loved Ben Roethlisberger.

I know SP thinks the HoF voters will be above such pettiness when it comes time to vote on Ben.

I do not.

[jeemie]

The defense has to be better to win in the playoffs. In the regular season, especially early, the offense needs to score early and often to take pressure off the defense and give them time to gel. I really think the key is the progression of the defense from the beginning to the end of the season. They should get a lot better unless injuries derail that.

True but the game I watched against NE, the vaunted offense looked like utter garbage.

Double Brown and no other receiver can get open.

I would expect the AFC championship goes through NE this year. Their division is baby shit soft with two teams all but tanking and one so injured it will be lucky to go 8-8.

Well Coates got open...and then, as usual, couldn't catch.

[Kodiak]

Well, I looked at Ben's last 3 years definitively by game.

He's been off the chart good at home, averaging (I'm using simple averages) a QBR around 113, which is probably a solid 15 points above his career prior to that.

On the road, he been trending down a bit (probably not meaningfully) and averaging around 85.0. That's probably 5-6 pts below his career prior to that, although it appears mostly driven by the 4 bad/mediocre games he had in bad weather on the road to start last year. The net effect is the differential has widened to about 28 from 8.

I'd say 5-6 pts starts to be significant, but it's pretty much all attributable to 4 games in bad weather last year. Clearly Ben has been much less effective on the road. But the two sets of numbers suggest a lot of factors in play and probably plenty of noise. I guess my issue is saying "Ben needs to be better on the road" suggest something Ben does on the road is contributing to his struggles and Ben alone can correct that. I don't think anyone can put their finger on what that is, or what it is that he's so much better at home. So I'm going to chalk this up to one of those interesting but aberrant observations.

He's gotten a little worse on the road, not hugely. He's gotten bigly better at home. But how do you explain either? Does he just eat and sleep better at home?!?

[bradshaw2ben]

1. They play a completely different offensive style on the road-- built around LB.
2. last year Coates, Hamilton, & DHB dropped so many crucial balls... Coates vs Baltimore I, for instance.
3. weather was 2nd worst in the NFL last year-- and one of his great road games was in a driving rainstorm.
4. clearly BR tried to do too much in games where the offensive plan was lackluster or the approach wasn't cutting it
5. lack of red zone targets in 2016 clearly hurt

[Steelafan77]

Arguably the most-anticipated player to make an appearance Sunday would be running back James Conner, whom Tomlin said is "scheduled to play." http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/126 ... rs+Stories)

Should be exciting to get a look at some players this Sunday vs the Falcons.

[Kodiak]

Arguably the most-anticipated player to make an appearance Sunday would be running back James Conner, whom Tomlin said is "scheduled to play." http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/126 ... rs+Stories)

Should be exciting to get a look at some players this Sunday vs the Falcons.

If Conner looks good, Bell's franchise tender will be signed before the final whistle.

[Kodiak]

1. They play a completely different offensive style on the road-- built around LB.
2. last year Coates, Hamilton, & DHB dropped so many crucial balls... Coates vs Baltimore I, for instance.
3. weather was 2nd worst in the NFL last year-- and one of his great road games was in a driving rainstorm.
4. clearly BR tried to do too much in games where the offensive plan was lackluster or the approach wasn't cutting it
5. lack of red zone targets in 2016 clearly hurt

All fair points. I don't think his play on the road has materially declined. But there HAS always been a large gap, and why haven't the road numbers followed the home number trending up significantly? I'm not sure I entirely buy the "offensive-centric LB" explanation.

[Steelafan77]

Please be advised that Friday’s Steelers Training Camp practice will take place at Latrobe High School. Practice will begin at 2:55 p.m.

Fans can attend practice and parking is available at Latrobe High School. http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/ ... 7594fd9aba

[Havoc]

Alex Kozora @Alex_Kozora
Coates strong catch for final play of that team period. Wrestled away deep ball from Brandon Dixon. #Steelers
3:21 PM - Aug 18, 2017

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/08/steelers-2017-training-camp-16th-practice-live-blog-highlights-friday-818/

[bradshaw2ben]

1. They play a completely different offensive style on the road-- built around LB.
2. last year Coates, Hamilton, & DHB dropped so many crucial balls... Coates vs Baltimore I, for instance.
3. weather was 2nd worst in the NFL last year-- and one of his great road games was in a driving rainstorm.
4. clearly BR tried to do too much in games where the offensive plan was lackluster or the approach wasn't cutting it
5. lack of red zone targets in 2016 clearly hurt

All fair points. I don't think his play on the road has materially declined. But there HAS always been a large gap, and why haven't the road numbers followed the home number trending up significantly? I'm not sure I entirely buy the "offensive-centric LB" explanation.

They play tight on the road-- emphasis on mistake free football and keep away TOP. Doesn't really suit Ben's game, does it?

[FC]

1st I said the Steelers/Ben had the 2nd best winning% on the road over the past 3 years.

My reference to the HOF was all over ESPN this past week. Will Cain claims Ben is 50-50.

They play a completely different offensive style on the road-- built around LB
4. clearly BR tried to do too much in games where the offensive plan was lackluster or the approach wasn't cutting it
5. lack of red zone targets in 2016 clearly hurt.

True. I believe I bitched about Haley...Stale and predictable.

When you add in fumbles Ben had more turnovers than Td's the past 3 seasons on the road.

Ben is hampered by Haley/Tomlin.

The Steelers have elite weapons
Top 5 Oline

The performance must improve...Quarterbacks get too much credit and take too much blame