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Steelers: Preseason problems no reason for panic

By Nick Brown

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It’s no secret that the Steeler’s have had some problems this preseason. The offense has been pretty lackluster and unable to put up points; the defense hasn’t been terrible but has shown some glaring holes. And while some young players have shown a lot of talent, some haven’t lived up to expectations just yet.

These problems have led to two preseason losses for Pittsburgh, losing 14-3 to the Vikings and 23-21 to the Jaguars. However, don’t let these outcomes worry you at all, this team is going to be perfectly fine come regular season.

The staring units for the Steeler’s have played minimal time in the past two games, especially offensively. The offensive starters have played a whopping one series, in which Ben Roethlisberger was 3-3 for 59 yards, including a 44-yard TD pass to Martavis Bryant and a two-point conversion to Markus Wheaton. Antonio Brown only had once catch for six yards but was only targeted once in the game.

The rushing game looked great too. Le’Veon Bell racked up 18 yards on only two carries in very little playing time and also had a catch for nine yards. De’Angelo Williams showed that he will be a fine replacement for him in the first two games, racking up 28 yards on six carries. Dri Archer has shown flashes as a good speed back and may be used as a return man in the season.

Landry Jones has posted two extremely mediocre games while seeing significant time under center. He played the entire first game and almost the entire second game, in which he threw a combined 39-78 for 328 yards and one TD and one interception. However, the return of Bruce Gradkowski will fix this issue and finally give Pittsburgh a decent backup again.

Aug 9, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) makes a catch while being tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Shayon Green (49) and inside linebacker Ryan Shazier (50) during the first quarter at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Defensively, the linebackers have looked stellar so far, especially the young guys. Ryan Shazier has had a fantastic first two games, recording 14 tackles in limited playing time and Sean Spence has looked pretty good as well, recording ten tackles. Even Jarvis Jones has shown significant improvement, which is a great sign.

The most glaring issue for the Steeler’s is still their secondary. However, the addition of Brandon Boykin will help greatly and a few young guys have showed potential the past couple games, specifically Kevin Fogg and Antwon Blake. If these young players can make a difference, the defense will be in good shape.

The Steelers have kept there key players off the field for the most part this preseason and have kept the play-calling very vanilla thus far. The preseason is meant for young guys to compete for spots and starters to rest and prepare for the regular season; so despite two losses, there is absolutely nothing to worry about and things are looking good in Pittsburgh.

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