Steelers Morning Huddle 8/25/13

Aug 24, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Neiko Thorpe (38) upends Pittsburgh Steelers running back Baron Batch (20) during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Kansas City Chiefs won 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, the Steelers lost another one.  I’ve seen the stats of how poor the Steelers do in the regular season if they go 0-4 in the preseason.  I prefer not to think about that and hope that there are positives to take from the game.  The injuries are scary though.  If it wasn’t enough that the Steelers lost Bell to injury in the second game, now Jarvis Jones goes down.  I’m sure there will be more information on that as the day progresses.  For now, here’s a look at some of the articles out there.

“It Wasn’t Good Enough”

During Coach Tomlin’s post-game comments which are posted on Steelers.com he was asked if he thought the first-team offense had made progress and he replied that he wasn’t looking at that overall.  As far as the game went, the goal was to “secure victory” and they didn’t do that, so overall the total effort wasn’t “good enough.”  Based on the transcription, Tomlin was his typical self – short and to the point without saying much at all while being gracious and polite to the media.

Ed Bouchette gives his summary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and notes there are still too many penalties.  I saw a lot of twitter chatter about Polamalu’s hit on Alex Smith and many were already assessing his fine from Roger Gooddell.  What would a Steeler game be without someone paying a fine to the NFL?  He also notes Roethlisbergers numbers, which were good, and that he took two sacks.

Glass-Half Full

Bob Labriola’s, of the Steelers Digest, summary of the game takes the “glass-half full” approach, so if you want to read something positive this may be the one.  He thought Roethlisberger looked extremely sharp and I saw that Ben is the Digest player of the week.  Then Labriola gives a glass half-empty version that assesses the pass protection as better, but not where it needs to be yet and special teams remains in disarray.

Jarvis Jones Injury

I didn’t see the play (or any of the game because I’m not in the Pittsburgh area) so I can only imagine how everyone at Heinz Field winced when Jones was hit and didn’t get up right away.  According to ESPN, Jones walked off the field under his own power and the hospitalization is precautionary.   Mike Wilkening of NBC’s Pro Football Talk quotes Ed Bouchette that Jones will “be OK.”

A Look at the Passing Game’s Status

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review takes a look at last night’s passing performance and was encouraged by some things during the game but admits it’s all hollow without the win.  Roethlisberger didn’t speak to the media but Antonio Brown was optimistic that the offense had put the next set of building block in place.  I hope so.  I’ve been concerned about how to adjust the number of hits that Ben takes while still letting Ben be Ben.  How much do you ask him to change before he is no longer effective?  Having him injured and out for any games is also not a good thing when you build everything around him.  It’s like a circle where there are no stops to get off, you just keep going around and getting dizzy and confused.  The offense may have been a little less confused but there are still plenty of issues that make me uncomfortable about how this season will go.

A Look At the Rooney Family

If you have every wondered about the Rooney’s beyond the ones who are the face of the Steeler ownership, you should check out the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sports page.  There are at least 6 articles posted from J. Brady McCoullough on Art Rooney, Sr’s children – the ones who aren’t involved in the Steelers day-to-day operations as well as one on the energetic 81-year old Dan Rooney.  Dan Rooney is much beloved by coaches and players and the article is well-done, as are all of them.  A nice Sunday read.

That’s it for today – let us know what you think!