Despite tie, Steelers had some bright spots
A lot has been made of the Steelers’ season opener in Cleveland by men and women who are far more qualified to do so than myself. However, I am still going to try and interject some opinions that maybe haven’t been explored by those experts.
Say what you want about the Cleveland Browns’ performance, but at least one of their new additions has brought more than just production to the wide receiver position. Former Dolphin Jarvis Landry has injected attitude and swagger to a franchise that has been sorely in need of both since its rebirth in 1999.
Proof of this was evident when he quickly and effortlessly got Artie Burns off his game to the point where he was seemingly ready to throw down with the veteran. If Landry’s influence, both good and bad, can rub off on the likes of fellow wide out Josh Gordon and tight end David Njoku, it will certainly make the transition from place-holder Tyrod Taylor to 2018 No. 1 overall selection Baker Mayfield in the future.
Speaking of futures, it’s obvious that the team and its fans feel pretty good about life after Le’Veon Bell. Not only was James Conner productive in the run and pass games, but showed marked improvement in blitz pickup, which is one of the more underappreciated skills possessed by Bell.
However, there was one thing that Conner displayed that not even Bell possesses in his personal arsenal. The emotion that seemed to be constantly flowing from the second-year Pitt product over 70 minutes of play was refreshing. Whether it was dogged determination, the joy of scoring his first pro touchdown or the frustration stemming from losing a fumble, Conner showed that he truly cared about the game and his teammates. Considering Bell would rather stay away from those same teammates than play for his exorbitant game checks, it wouldn’t be out of line to question his motivations.
Moving to the defensive side of the ball, some questioned the Steelers’ decision to exercise a fifth-year option on Bud Dupree this offseason. The former first-round pick from Kentucky wasn’t a dominant force against the Browns, but he played a great complimentary game to T.J. Watt, who logged a second-straight superstar showing in a season opener.
While Watt shined with 11 tackles, eight of which were solo, 5.5 tackles for loss and an unbelievable four sacks, as well as the tie-saving field goal block in overtime, Dupree did enough to keep the Browns offense honest in its protections. He made five tackles, two of which were for loss, and a sack.
The early returns were also positive for inside linebacker Jon Bostic who had one of Pittsburgh’s seven sacks as part of his nine-tackle day. He also logged 2.5 tackles for loss, helping the Steelers total 13 on the day. At 27 years old, Bostic is far from on the downside of his career and could be the team’s long-term solution if Ryan Shazier’s career really has come to a close.
If nothing else, he looks like he can be a productive member of the team until the franchise drafts the next in its long, illustrious line of stars at the position.
Perhaps this is the Pirates fan in me, but I was actually more excited about the future of the Steelers than the current incarnation after Sunday’s game and four weeks of preseason.
For the first time in I don’t know how long, I can honestly say the Pittsburgh return game is in good hand thanks to second-year speedster Ryan Switzer. His ability to make tacklers miss in space between the hashes was a ton of fun to watch.
I have to admit it seemed as though they were trying to shoehorn him into the role of a reliable slot receiver. His returner skills are what makes him so valuable and hopefully keeps him a Steeler for a while.
Speaking of receiver, it would have been nice to see what James Washington can do against regular season competition. The tools are there and seemingly without the baggage of Martavis Bryant. Even when Antonio Brown starts to slow down as he inevitably will, Ben Roethlisberger and whoever is the next in line, be it Mason Rudolph or not, the combination of Washington and JuJu Smith-Schuster will be ready, along with Conner, to make up the next super group of offensive weapons.
After the letdown in Cleveland, Pittsburgh is looking forward to its home opener against another team seemingly on the precipice of turning the future into the present. With second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his cannon arm under center, Kansas City is all about one thing: speed.
With a Chief defense that is trying to catch up to its young, exciting offense, expect the scoreboard to be lighting up all afternoon on Sunday.