Well who saw that coming? Who could have possibly seen the game going that way? The defense is tremendous. Mike Mitchell is a hero. Landry Jones is the best quarterback available. What is happening?
I don’t think many in Steeler Nation, even many of the optimists, saw the Steelers come out of that game with a W. Particularly by 12 points. What a great game for the Steelers.
Many thought with Ben down the Steelers would risk their ability to stay in playoff contention. Now with Bryant back, and with Ben and Shazier due back in presumably within a week or two, the playoffs seem inevitable.
So let’s sound off.
Landry Jones
Landry Jones, savior of the season. We all saw it. What more is there to say?
Well how about this tweet:
Mike Tomlin told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler of the suddenly deep QB position, “That’s something he’s been working tirelessly for, we’ve got some options.”
According to Will Graves of the Associated Press, Bell was impressed, saying, “Landry was like Ben’s little brother out there. He was out there making checks and everything and it brought us back like ‘Dang, Landry really got this. After we scored the first touchdown, it was like a confidence booster.”
Of the confidence that Haley and Tomlin showed in their play calling, a grateful Jones said according to the AP, “I’m just so thankful they gave me a shot. They just didn’t hand the ball left and right off the bat. They let me get out there and throw.”
Chris Boswell
Boswell is all of a sudden a hero in Pittsburgh. After a string of bad luck with kickers the Steelers appear to have found their guy in Chris Boswell. After 3 strikes the Steelers swung a fourth time because they frankly didn’t have a choice. Boswell was the special teams player of the week.
Ryan Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Ben Roethlisberger as saying, of Boswell’s success and his unique approach, “I’m so happy for him. The thing about him, why he does so well, is he doesn’t care. It sounds weird, but he doesn’t care. We ask him, ‘If we got a chance to win the game, do you want the ball right hash, left hash, middle?’ ‘I don’t care.’ That sounds silly, but it’s awesome.”
Boswell himself said, “I’m just happy I could go out there and make them. I’m doing the best I can do and just trying to do my job. I’m just waiting for the call. As soon as I hear it I run out there. I love that he trusts me that much. I just hope I don’t let anyone down and keep kicking them straight.”
Martavis Bryant
So in case you’ve been avoiding highlights or countdowns of top plays Martavis Bryant is back in the line up. He looked like his old self posting multiple touchdowns and making long plays.
Chris Adamski of TribLive reported Darius Heyward-Bey saying, “That’s just Martavis being Martavis. He can be the best in the world one day.”
“I’m not a guy who’s surprised that ‘Tav did that.”” said Le’Veon Bell.
“No one thought he would take that (fourth-quarter) catch all the way like he did. But he’s the biggest, fastest guy down the field. He’s a freak of nature. He’s like a ‘Megatron.'” said Lawrence Timmons.
Bryant himself said, “It felt good to be back out there with my teammates. I have been through a lot these last few weeks and I miss guys, especially since I have been away from the team. And for me to come back and be able to contribute, I’m thankful for God and for my teammates for welcoming me back.”
Defense
The defense performed very well. It was thought to be a liability early in the season. It’s true they give up a lot of passing yards but they held the top offense in the league to 13 points. Especially when it comes to sacks and turnovers the defense is really doing well.
Ralph N. Paulk of GoErie.com had James Harrison saying of his forced fumble, “They did a screen, and I was trying to get out there and make a tackle. The defensive back was going to force him back to me, and I just put as much force into it as I could to jar the ball loose.”
He continued, speaking of the overall performance, “We gave a few big plays here and there, but we tried to tighten it up. They got a bunch of yards, but the biggest thing that counts is the scoreboard at the end. It’s from us being tenacious and pursuing the ball. We are flying around at 100 mph, and hitting. We’re playing better now because guys have had another year to be around one another and another year to learn the defense. The history of the Steelers defense is what it is. If you don’t know that, then you’re on the wrong team.”
Arthur Moats added, “James’ play came at a critical moment. You’re going to give up plays, but we don’t let one negative play turn into three or four negative plays.”
And here’s a quote from yours truly:
Dear @LandryJones12 , I'm sorry for anything negative I ever said about you. #Steelers #PITvsARI #SteelersNation @StillCurtain
— Zack G (@ZackGo55) October 18, 2015
I’ve never been so glad to be wrong.
Next: Steelers Landry Jones plays hero over Cardinals
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