Overall Thoughts (Serious)

[tbsteel]

Alright, I had some fun tonight with all the pictures of the horseys because we were playing the Colts, oh wow, how funny, right? But hey, let's get serious for a minute and analyze what was a really solid win and what this team needs to do going forward:

-- Is it just me, or does it look like Najee is out there running with horse blinders on? His vision and decision-making is the weakest part of his game. His second carry of the game on the a jet sweep opened up for a clear cut back to the inside that would have picked up 5+ yards, but he didn't see it, remained indecisive, and the play amounted to manure. Pure horse manure to put it precisely.

-- Bennie Snell was raring and ready to go tonight. Just burst out of the starting gate and didn't look back. Just galloping down the field.

-- Since we're losing Mitch and Masey this offseason (I can't see how they bring back Mitch with his cap #), I'd recommend making a move in the offseason to bring in Colt McCoy. Just something about him, I can't put my finger on it, but he's got something.

-- With our first and those two early second rounders, we really need to nail all three of those like a straight trifecta. We need those three to be a huge payoff if we're to cash in next year.

-- Coming down the stretch, we really need to whip it into another gear and finish strong this season. Don't be afraid to get outside our lane and make a risky move or two.

-- Past performances are not indicative of future results. We need to move on from this one quickly and get ready for the Falcons on the road on a short week.

-- Horse.

[jebrick]

Najee had better really be hurt all year or otherwise, Benny Snell looked much better than Najee has for most of the year against a very good run defense.

[K_C_]

Najee had better really be hurt all year or otherwise, Benny Snell looked much better than Najee has for most of the year against a very good run defense.

Snell’s vision was amazing last night. I couldn’t believe like what I was seeing.

[Rod & Wire Mill]

Najee had better really be hurt all year or otherwise, Benny Snell looked much better than Najee has for most of the year against a very good run defense.

Najee doesn’t deserve the name O’Harris.

[Steel Ubaldo]

The Steelers are beating the Falcons next week. Book it. Then, prepare for the bewailing, lamenting and gnashing of teeth of the Draft Squad on here. It will be entertaining. The Steelers are also beating the Panthers. If they somehow beat the Rats after the Falcons get ready for a Draft Squad and Pickett sucks contingent full on meltdown.

NHALS is gonna NHALS

[steelmann58]

Pump the Breaks the Colts are really bad there no way Ryan survives dallas

[langer]

Our Lord Najee was tippy-toeing last year, I think that injury is a bit permanent and something he's fighting through.

The Other McFarland ran with energy. All three of the other backs run that way, Najee not so much.

[Steel Ubaldo]

Pump the Breaks the Colts are really bad there no way Ryan survives dallas

The Saints were bad. The Colts are bad. The Falcons are bad. The Carolina Panthers are bad. The Steelers have won or are going to win all of those games despite the sky is falling Draft Squad/Kenny sucks crew. They are in for a tough time. The Raiders are not any good either I think the Steelers win that game too.

They aren’t going to tank and will wind up around .500 despite all of the chicken littling going on.

It’s going to be entertaining to watch it unfold.

NHALS is going to NHALS or at least make it EXTREMELY close

[Texas Black & Gold]

Pump the Breaks the Colts are really bad there no way Ryan survives dallas

The Saints were bad. The Colts are bad. The Falcons are bad. The Carolina Panthers are bad. The Steelers have won or are going to win all of those games despite the sky is falling Draft Squad/Kenny sucks crew. They are in for a tough time. The Raiders are not any good either I think the Steelers win that game too.

They aren’t going to tank and will wind up around .500 despite all of the chicken littling going on.

It’s going to be entertaining to watch it unfold.

NHALS is going to NHALS or at least make it EXTREMELY close

I agree.
The Steeler losses are to teams with winning records. With the lone exception of the Browns.
The Steeler wins are to teams with losing records. With maybe the Bengals being the lone exception at that time.
If that trend continues then the Steelers could end up 9-8 provided they at least split with the Ravens.

Go Steelers and NHALS.

[955876]

Najee had better really be hurt all year or otherwise, Benny Snell looked much better than Najee has for most of the year against a very good run defense.

Najee was an awful pick. Nothing about him his better than a whole gaggle of RBs you can find in the mid rounds or later.

Pretty bad when a slow guy like Benny Snail comes in and looks better

[Stosh-67]

Snell and McFarland were a pleasant surprise.

Snell 12 for 62, 5.2 avg and a TD

McFarland look quick and did not run out from under his feet, which is what he did in the past.
6 for 30, 5.0 avg.

3 catches for 18 yards between the two of them.

Be nice to get some screens to McFarland ..........
Tho we do not want to take those screen pass targets away from Gentry, as he his North - South quicks and elusiveness keeps this play in the playbook.

What on earth is this staff thinking with these type plays to Gentry?

Props to the OL.....
36 carries for 172 yards, 4.8 avg. 2 TDs
24 for 102, 4.2 and 2 TDs last week.
43-217, 5.0 and 2 TDs the previous week.
24-144, 6.0 vs Eagles.

So four straight, pretty good run games.

And we are seeing guys moving people out of way and creating lanes.

Need WR coach to work with Pickens hand placement. He needs more than 6 targets.
Then again, the coaches have not changed DJs habits....so hope its different with GP.

Yes, TJ was quiet, so was Cam.
TJ is certainly not at full strength and I do not think he will be the rest of the year and probably is playing pretty tentative on extending, ripping, grabbing, etc...with his injury. That RT did a really nice job of moving his feet and staying in front of TJ.

Levi Wallace battled the whole game. Leads the team in passes defended and INTs

Maulet with another active game, 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL.

Highsmith with another sack and is on pace for a 15+ sack season.

[jebrick]

Najee had better really be hurt all year or otherwise, Benny Snell looked much better than Najee has for most of the year against a very good run defense.

Najee was an awful pick. Nothing about him his better than a whole gaggle of RBs you can find in the mid rounds or later.

Pretty bad when a slow guy like Benny Snail comes in and looks better

It was more about Snell hitting the hole well and making the right cuts. I really do not like Najee giving me Trent Richardson vibes

[Jobu]

So I guess we are just going to ignore the fact that Harris, the past two games, has put up 99 and 90 yard rushing efforts?

[Mick]

So I guess we are just going to ignore the fact that Harris, the past two games, has put up 99 and 90 yard rushing efforts?

hard to be excited by your defense holding the opposing team’s 2nd round pick RB to 20 carries for 90 yards while at the same time being excited that your 1st round pick RB managed to pick up 90 yards on 20 carries.

And more generally, players not named harris or trubisky on our team are averaging 5.2 yards per carry on the season. Harris hasn’t hit that mark over a single game this year.

[langer]

I’d like to thank Mr Monday Jeff Saturday for thinking that he had another quarter left to play. Big brain stuff there.

[Orangesteel]

How many more times do Tomlin and Canada need to see the TE screen play to Gentry fail at the line of scrimmage before it is pulled?

How dumb are our coaches?

Even the field mic picked up the Colts sideline screaming “it’s the same damn plays!”

[955876]

So I guess we are just going to ignore the fact that Harris, the past two games, has put up 99 and 90 yard rushing efforts?

When did a 90 yard game become an amazing feat?

I’m sure if Warren had all of Najee’s Carrie’s he could have squeaked out that production as well.

This isn’t to say Najee is awful. It’s just pointing out there is nothing dynamic to his game that can’t be found in a 4th rounder or even an UDFA.

I would be saying anything if they snatched him in the day the 3rd.

But taken in the 1st? I’m underwhelmed at this point.

[anpsteel]

Since the beat down to the Eagles, and Cowher's on air lambasting of the team's offensive approach, several things have changed.

I cant say they are a result of Cowher voicing his opinions, but we do know from multiple incidents over the past few seasons, some of the minority owners and former players have spoken out about changes needing to be made; specifically indicating these teams are not in any way a reflection of the standard they expect from the Pittsburgh Steelers.


The changes:
Tomlin seems to have checked his NHALS attitude to a degree. He hasn't worn his stupid sunglasses since that game. The team's offensive philosophy has decidedly shifted to Run First, and the defense appears to be mixing in some "outside" concepts which I'm going to assume is a function of Flores influence.

It's good to see Tomlin feel some heat and seemingly some accountability.

I don't have any faith that Art will fire the buffoon, but if he can shake him up from his brain dead "keep doing what we do" mentality, that's a win.


Pickett is playing within the system, despite it's flaws, and not forcing the ball. Much like Ben was required to do his rookie season, the team clearly has installed a "pitch count" - in regards to the number of passing plays they run

AND they are mixing in passing plays on First Down, rather than the previous standard of, interior run for no gain.

I'm not sure if the improvement of the running game is a function of the oline improvement, the backs playing better, or better play design, or more likely a combination of the three- but it is really good to see all of the backs actually being productive.

It's also good to see the staff recognize the Najee, whether due to injury or ability, is not playing well, and despite his draft status- he's been seeing reduced touches.


The team still has a looong way to go before they are competing for a division title, much less the super bowl, but at least it looks like Tomlin has clued in, that the same old shit that he's done for the past 15 years, isn't going to work.


Let's hope the changes continue and the team grows positively, through the remainder of the season.

[Jobu]

So I guess we are just going to ignore the fact that Harris, the past two games, has put up 99 and 90 yard rushing efforts?

When did a 90 yard game become an amazing feat?

I’m sure if Warren had all of Najee’s Carrie’s he could have squeaked out that production as well.

This isn’t to say Najee is awful. It’s just pointing out there is nothing dynamic to his game that can’t be found in a 4th rounder or even an UDFA.

I would be saying anything if they snatched him in the day the 3rd.

But taken in the 1st? I’m underwhelmed at this point.

Not arguing with a single thing posted here. My argument is fellating Benny fucking Snell after one so so performance, backed up by three years of mostly shit.
The run game is looking better because the run blocking has been better. There is no rocket science involved here.
Speaking of…I see Josh Dobbs is back on the market. Over/under of one week before he’s signed to the Steelers practice squad.

[K_C_]

So I guess we are just going to ignore the fact that Harris, the past two games, has put up 99 and 90 yard rushing efforts?

When did a 90 yard game become an amazing feat?

I’m sure if Warren had all of Najee’s Carrie’s he could have squeaked out that production as well.

This isn’t to say Najee is awful. It’s just pointing out there is nothing dynamic to his game that can’t be found in a 4th rounder or even an UDFA.

I would be saying anything if they snatched him in the day the 3rd.

But taken in the 1st? I’m underwhelmed at this point.

Not arguing with a single thing posted here. My argument is fellating Benny fucking Snell after one so so performance, backed up by three years of mostly shit.
The run game is looking better because the run blocking has been better. There is no rocket science involved here.
Speaking of…I see Josh Dobbs is back on the market. Over/under of one week before he’s signed to the Steelers practice squad.

I was a fan of the Najee pick and defended him a bunch last year and somewhat into this year.

I’m done doing that.

The run game was a lot better yesterday because Snell showed something Najee simply is unable to do: Snell saw holes and ran to them. Najee somehow runs toward tacklers, like he’s Derrick Henry or something.

Najee isn’t Derrick Henry and his body is already breaking down. Our first round pick from last season already has lost a step and he couldn’t afford to lose any.

[955876]

Oh I wasn’t fellating him and dont think he’s anything more than a jag back-up.

Just saying when there are holes Najee doesn’t look a whole hell of a lot better than this jag back-up. If at all…

[955876]

He hasn't worn his stupid sunglasses since that game.

Well, it’s not summer any more. I’m sure that has more to do with it than the notion that Jibbs is “getting serious”.

His transmission is perpetually stuck in 1st gear.

[lifelongsteel]

Oh I wasn’t fellating him and dont think he’s anything more than a jag back-up.

Just saying when there are holes Najee doesn’t look a whole hell of a lot better than this jag back-up. If at all…

Najee's vision is awful. It's obvious when you watch him run behind the line and then any other RB running behind the same line. He's been called out by a lot of former OL where they show the available holes and Najee missing them. I'm afraid this is something you can't teach. It's really a bummer that Warren missed the game last night. I suspect he would have had a 100+ yard game with lots of highlights, which would have really stirred the pot about who should be getting the snaps. Since it was jag-by-committee the spotlight is off a little bit . . .

Man, if the Steelers could just be average at drafting and/or signing RB and ILB they wouldn't have to reach for the Najee's and Bush's in the draft . . .

[Stillchest]

How many more times do Tomlin and Canada need to see the TE screen play to Gentry fail at the line of scrimmage before it is pulled?

How dumb are our coaches?

Even the field mic picked up the Colts sideline screaming “it’s the same damn plays!”

Is this true?

I haven’t heard about this.

[Stillchest]

Oh I wasn’t fellating him and dont think he’s anything more than a jag back-up.

Just saying when there are holes Najee doesn’t look a whole hell of a lot better than this jag back-up. If at all…

Najee's vision is awful. It's obvious when you watch him run behind the line and then any other RB running behind the same line. He's been called out by a lot of former OL where they show the available holes and Najee missing them. I'm afraid this is something you can't teach. It's really a bummer that Warren missed the game last night. I suspect he would have had a 100+ yard game with lots of highlights, which would have really stirred the pot about who should be getting the snaps. Since it was jag-by-committee the spotlight is off a little bit . . .

Man, if the Steelers could just be average at drafting and/or signing RB and ILB they wouldn't have to reach for the Najee's and Bush's in the draft . . .

Yep. Najee was a product of one of the best O-lines in college football. Similar to Trent Richardson.

Such a horrible, wasteful first round pick.

Tomlin had blinders, when picking Najee because of his charisma and smile.

Benny Snell showed better vision and decisiveness last night, than Najee has the entire season.

[anpsteel]

He hasn't worn his stupid sunglasses since that game.

Well, it’s not summer any more. I’m sure that has more to do with it than the notion that Jibbs is “getting serious”.

His transmission is perpetually stuck in 1st gear.

Not that you are making excuses for him- but he was wearing them, during indoor press conferences and also at night, so I can't allow the "it's not summer" lol

[Stillchest]

When did a 90 yard game become an amazing feat?

I’m sure if Warren had all of Najee’s Carrie’s he could have squeaked out that production as well.

This isn’t to say Najee is awful. It’s just pointing out there is nothing dynamic to his game that can’t be found in a 4th rounder or even an UDFA.

I would be saying anything if they snatched him in the day the 3rd.

But taken in the 1st? I’m underwhelmed at this point.

Not arguing with a single thing posted here. My argument is fellating Benny fucking Snell after one so so performance, backed up by three years of mostly shit.
The run game is looking better because the run blocking has been better. There is no rocket science involved here.
Speaking of…I see Josh Dobbs is back on the market. Over/under of one week before he’s signed to the Steelers practice squad.

I was a fan of the Najee pick and defended him a bunch last year and somewhat into this year.

I’m done doing that.

The run game was a lot better yesterday because Snell showed something Najee simply is unable to do: Snell saw holes and ran to them. Najee somehow runs toward tacklers, like he’s Derrick Henry or something.

Najee isn’t Derrick Henry and his body is already breaking down. Our first round pick from last season already has lost a step and he couldn’t afford to lose any.

Yep and unfortunately, the Steelers will hold onto him for the remainder of his rookie contract.

[Stillchest]

Najee had better really be hurt all year or otherwise, Benny Snell looked much better than Najee has for most of the year against a very good run defense.

Najee was an awful pick. Nothing about him his better than a whole gaggle of RBs you can find in the mid rounds or later.

Pretty bad when a slow guy like Benny Snail comes in and looks better

It was more about Snell hitting the hole well and making the right cuts. I really do not like Najee giving me Trent Richardson vibes

Trent Richardson had more explosion…barely but more.

[Orangesteel]

How many more times do Tomlin and Canada need to see the TE screen play to Gentry fail at the line of scrimmage before it is pulled?

How dumb are our coaches?

Even the field mic picked up the Colts sideline screaming “it’s the same damn plays!”

Is this true?

I haven’t heard about this.

Yes. Saw it on the nfl sub on Reddit

[955876]

He hasn't worn his stupid sunglasses since that game.

Well, it’s not summer any more. I’m sure that has more to do with it than the notion that Jibbs is “getting serious”.

His transmission is perpetually stuck in 1st gear.

Not that you are making excuses for him- but he was wearing them, during indoor press conferences and also at night, so I can't allow the "it's not summer" lol

I try to avoid the jabberin fool’s pressers so wouldn’t have seen that.

And the night thing, maybe he’s just a huge Corey Hart fan…