3 standouts and (2 big duds) in Steelers blowout preseason win over the Falcons

  • Steelers had plenty of studs to pick from in this contest
  • There were a few shaky performances mixed in
Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers / Todd Kirkland/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next

Steelers Stud: Elandon Roberts

One thing that is very easy to notice when it comes to this new group of Steelers linebackers is that these guys are incredibly aggressive. This was something that was greatly lacking from the team in over the past several years. In the middle of it all, it definitely looks like veteran Elandon Roberts is going to be a tone-setter.

There's probably a reason that Roberts was a former team captain of the Miami Dolphins. This guy just knows how to get his team fired up to play -- even if it's just exhibition action against backups and an uncommon opponent. Still, we certainly get some Vince Williams vibes from what we've seen of Roberts so far, and his game against Atlanta was his best yet in a Steelers uniform.

From very early on, Roberts came firing downhill into the offensive line. His aggressiveness and willingness to attack the play led him to 3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, a sack, and a quarterback hit in limited first-half action.

You can tell that Roberts isn't as complete of a linebacker as Cole Holcomb or Kwon Alexander in terms of his ability to move in space or cover, but this man offers a niche, and his ferociousness is a welcome addition to this Steelers defense.