Steelers Offseason Grade, Cowher on Bus, Shazier Leap

The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially on summer vacation. They’ve wrapped up their minicamp and will head out to parts unknown for the next five weeks until reporting to the dorms of Saint Vincent for the Steelers’ 50^th season of training camp in Latrobe. While the Steelers are enjoying their summer break we’ll be busy looking for mentions of your Black & Gold so we’ve got you covered. Here’s your Steelers Morning Huddle for Thursday, June 25^th.

Steelers Offseason Grade

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler graded the Steelers’ offseason workouts based on what he saw out of the team. He gave the team an overall “B” grade primarily due to the defense. Without having the ability to wear pads and hit during the workouts it’s too early to judge the defense, which is why they remain the team’s ultimate question mark as the season approaches.

The Steelers offense is undoubtedly the best-looking part of the team. The gang is back together with the addition of DeAngelo Williams to be the anti-LeGarrette Blount and Ben Roethlisberger is taking charge of teaching and instructing the young guys to get the most out of this unit.

Fowler explains that the Steelers took a risk in bypassing the cornerback market with their first pick in the draft and opting for linebacker Bud Dupree but they have the potential to end up looking smart if Cortez Allen cleans up his past underwhelming performances and Antwon Blake impresses in pads as much as he impressed in shorts this offseason.

Cowher on Jerome

There were no two people more iconic to Pittsburgh in the late 90s-early 2000s than Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis. Teresa Varley tells us that Cowher was thrilled right alongside the rest of us to see that announcement that Bettis will finally be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"“I am just happy for him. You look at what he has done over a period of time, how great he was. He was meant to be in the Hall of Fame for what he has done and how he did it. He deserves to be in there.” – Bill Cowher"

Cowher coached Jerome from the time he was traded to the Steelers in 1996 to the Bus’s last stop in Detroit, holding the Lombardi Trophy for Super Bowl XL.

"“He is everything you would want. He accepted any role, he gave you everything he had, he worked at it, and he carried himself like a professional. He was a great leader, a great worker, and had a presence about him. He was a great role model for every young person in this league. He is a Hall of Fame running back and a Hall of Fame person. He handled himself with class and dignity. Jerome Bettis was a consummate pro and great football player. Ask anybody who tried to tackle him.” – Bill Cowher"

Shazier Leaping

The Around the NFL crew has decided again this year to rank the players they believe will escalate their status from relative no-name status to being quality starters this season. Last season, Chris Wesseling designated Le’Veon Bell as a player ready to “Make the Leap” and he sure did turn out to be right. In Bell’s rookie season there were those who thought the Steelers made a mistake in taking Bell over Eddie Lacy.

This season Wesseling predicts linebacker Ryan Shazier will make the leap to quality starter this season and finally showcase the speed and athleticism that attracted the Steelers to him in the first place last April. Shazier has bulked up a bit for his sophomore season and he’s expected to be an every-down linebacker, putting a lot of pressure on the second-year backer out of Ohio State.

Next: Steelers Brown Gets Nod From Megatron

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