Steelers kickoff preseason against the Detroit Lions
By Kim Myers
The Steelers are finally back in Heinz Field playing football. The long national nightmare we know as the NFL offseason is officially over.
While it is only a preseason game there are still things to learn from in the Steelers first matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Coach Mike Tomlin had already announced that starters Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Maurkice Pouncey, Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams would not be playing on Friday night just to protect them from any injuries.
Landry Jones got the start under center for the Steelers but it was defensive plays that made for the highlights of the first half. James Harrison sacked Matt Stafford on a third down and Arthur Moats recovered a fumble.
Cornerback Doran Grant picked up Dan Orlovsky early in the second quarter for the Steelers’ first touchdown of the game. Landry Jones connected with Darrius Heyward Bey for a 29-yard touchdown pass to cap off a 75-yard scoring drive midway through the second quarter.
Special teams was not special for the Steelers with Will Monday coming in during the second half for Jordan Berry to kick some very junior varsity punts. The Steelers kickoff unit then allowed a 96-yard return by Dwayne Washington to put the Lions up 24-17 after a successful two-point conversion.
Bruce Gradkowski made a short appearance in the game after scrambling for a few yards and leaving holding his hamstring. Hopefully there is nothing serious there. Dustin Vaughan came in to replace him.
Two names that stick out for the wrong reasons from the game are Sammie Coates and Sean Davis. Both have been having relatively good camps but both had some miscues during the game, capped off with Coates losing a fumble.
Remember folks, this is preseason. There is no reason to keep score. The first preseason game is basically seeing how the rookies can turn drills into plays on the field. It’s a learning curve for everyone.
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The Steelers’ 2016 preseason debut wasn’t exactly impressive with the 30-17 loss to the Lions but it is best to reserve judgement until the starters are playing against other starters.
The Steelers will host the Philadelphia Eagles next week for their next preseason game.