The Pittsburgh Steelers had an ugly showing against the Carolina Panthers in their preseason finale, and these six players didn’t help their cause.
There was nothing pretty about this game, and I almost feel bad for Pittsburgh Steelers fans who stomached through it to see if it would get better. While I typically love every moment of preseason action, this contest against the Carolina Panthers was just hard to watch.
That doesn’t mean that there weren’t any positives to note or players who performed well (I will get to that soon), but for most in black and gold, this is a game they would like to forget. Here are six players whose stock really plummeted after a poor performance in the Steelers preseason finale:
Steelers LB Robert Spillane
If you watched this game in its entirety, you know that the performance of this particular player needs no explanation. Robert Spillane stood out like a sore thumb. Though he made a few solid plays in run defense, his pass coverage was disgraceful and he was beaten badly on nearly every play that came in his direction.
According to Pro Football Focus, Spillane managed to give up 4 receptions on 5 targets for 48 yards (12.0 per reception) and a touchdown. Considering he didn’t even play the full game, these numbers are not at all what we had hoped to see.
Somehow, Spillane has gone from a serviceable stop-gap player to an almost unplayable linebacker on defense. He still holds some special teams value, but his stock has plunged this summer. Thank goodness for Joe Schobert.