GDT: The Pittsburgher Thread - Here we go!

[USMC607]

Yes, Goff almost came back against an elite SF defense. Stafford dominated last night. Did you watch either game or look at any stats??

Goff did look better than I expected against a very good defense in SF.

Stafford did good too, but I would still agree with the 3rd best in his division, with Wilson and Murray there also having big days.

But I dont think that necessarily takes anything away from Stafford. It's just a division loaded with good QBs.

 

[xlm34]

- Yesterday had to have been the first time since I’ve watched the Steelers that they had six rookies start.

Harris, Fryourmouth, Green, Moore, Norwood and Harvin.

Didn’t realize that until this morning when I thought about Norwood starting in the nickel.

- Also no one was missing Dupree yesterday. Their OLB were a menace.

- Surprised that no one is talking about how well Sutton played.

- Harris didn’t look good IMHO, but it’s one game with a line in flux and the Bills were stacking the line often.

Sutton was really, really good. Even on the TD he gave up, he had good coverage. A lot of what I’ve read about him talks about how high his football IQ is and how he really takes a lot of time preparing for the opponent.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

The Cards didn't seem to be bothered by his presence. Blurb from the Titans fan site says he got a few pressures, but no sacks. TBF, I don't remember many crying because Bud went to make his $$.

I don’t think many were mad at Dupree for leaving, but a number of fans thought the Steelers D would really miss him.

I don’t want to say he was a product of Watt, but I never believed Dupree was a guy they couldn’t afford to lose.

Their OLB were terrorizing the Bills all day and their rotation looks even better than last season with Dupree.

Dupree was a good player for sure, but they were wise to not break the bank and commit insane money to 1 position (OLB with the Watt contract).

Buffalo is a solid team and I predict they'll end up w/ a better record than the Steelers

Tomlin has to learn how to manage his starters' "pitch count". The Dline in particular is thin and up there in age. We know his issues with RB snaps as well. They have to manage Watt too. Ingram looks to be a solid pickup, but it'd be nice if they had a 4th Edge guy emerge since Ingram has had his own injury issues.

Overall a really good showing by the defense. The offense needs to take some strides, but its game 1. What I didn't like is on the 2nd FG drive is Claypool wasn't on the field for 2nd and 3rd downs. You're in the Red Zone and you take your tallest playmaker off the field? Thankfully they corrected this later in the game, but Claypool is the guy that really will make this offense go or not. It's stupid as hell how they essentially phase him in and out

Bills kind of remind me of the Steelers under Tomlin, except they can actually win a playoff game.

Good team, but something doesn’t feel right about them.

I’d like to see them win a SB, so hopefully they figure it out.

They will likely have a better season than the Steelers, but I’ve been pretty adamant this Steelers squad isn’t the punching bag fans and pundits have made them out to be.

I think they showed that yesterday - but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Tomlin special next Sunday.

Harris playing every offensive snap shows us Tomlin will never learn about killing his workhorse back, but what can you do?

 

[LOGiK]

WOW!
I had to leave for work in when the steelers were up 13-10 and even then I was in SHOCK....
Got to work and got on the wifi and logged in to my dvr (can't watch live) when the game ended to watch the last quarter.... and what do you know - I couldn't believe my eyes - the steelers won!

Without the punt block that game goes a whole other direction (or tie, or who knows)... just a massive showing in the second half... in front of that pretty wild jam packed stadium... first time in years playing in front of packed houses....


Now I'm just mad I tried to record two four o clock games and it taped over the browns chefs game for the ***tty giants.... ****

 

[USMC607]

- Yesterday had to have been the first time since I’ve watched the Steelers that they had six rookies start.

Harris, Fryourmouth, Green, Moore, Norwood and Harvin.

Didn’t realize that until this morning when I thought about Norwood starting in the nickel.

- Also no one was missing Dupree yesterday. Their OLB were a menace.

- Surprised that no one is talking about how well Sutton played.

- Harris didn’t look good IMHO, but it’s one game with a line in flux and the Bills were stacking the line often.

I dont know if it was just the play calls or the growing pains we will go thru with this new line, him being a rookie, Buffalo having a good decent front 7.

They didn't get Najee involved in the passing game as much as I thought they would. Especially when the running lanes weren't opening.

He did have a pass where he didn't turn his head around fast enough. Ben over threw him twice. But I dont remember any more chances.

As far as running. Oof it could be a long season for him if the line can't get any push, or if defenders keep meeting him in the backfield.

I did see him hesitate on some runs too, trying to wait on something to open. Sometimes when ur oline is new or not doing well u just gotta go north/south pick a lane Hit it hard with speed and take what u can get.

 

[Al Smith]

I don’t think many were mad at Dupree for leaving, but a number of fans thought the Steelers D would really miss him.

I don’t want to say he was a product of Watt, but I never believed Dupree was a guy they couldn’t afford to lose.

Their OLB were terrorizing the Bills all day and their rotation looks even better than last season with Dupree.



Bills kind of remind me of the Steelers under Tomlin, except they can actually win a playoff game.

Good team, but something doesn’t feel right about them.

I’d like to see them win a SB, so hopefully they figure it out.

They will likely have a better season than the Steelers, but I’ve been pretty adamant this Steelers squad isn’t the punching bag fans and pundits have made them out to be.

I think they showed that yesterday - but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Tomlin special next Sunday.

Bills could use a solid running game; I don't think the two-headed monster of Singletary and Moss is going to get them to the Super Bowl. Chiefs have gotten there recently without a solid running game, but Allen isn't Mahomes.

I was listening to ESPN radio yesterday AM, and one guy had the Bills -6.5 as his lock of the week, and the two other dudes pushed back saying this was the kind of game where Tomlin's teams did well. So they were right. Yeah, we all know the bad loss is coming; I'll just try to enjoy the nice victory for a bit.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I dont know if it was just the play calls or the growing pains we will go thru with this new line, him being a rookie, Buffalo having a good decent front 7.

They didn't get Najee involved in the passing game as much as I thought they would. Especially when the running lanes weren't opening.

He did have a pass where he didn't turn his head around fast enough. Ben over threw him twice. But I dont remember any more chances.

As far as running. Oof it could be a long season for him if the line can't get any push, or if defenders keep meeting him in the backfield.

I did see him hesitate on some runs too, trying to wait on something to open. Sometimes when ur oline is new or not doing well u just gotta go north/south pick a lane Hit it hard with speed and take what u can get.

Harris didn't look comfortable in passing situations: pass blocking or catching it in open space.
Was that a weakness of his coming out of college?

 

[USMC607]

I don’t think many were mad at Dupree for leaving, but a number of fans thought the Steelers D would really miss him.

I don’t want to say he was a product of Watt, but I never believed Dupree was a guy they couldn’t afford to lose.

Their OLB were terrorizing the Bills all day and their rotation looks even better than last season with Dupree.



Bills kind of remind me of the Steelers under Tomlin, except they can actually win a playoff game.

Good team, but something doesn’t feel right about them.

I’d like to see them win a SB, so hopefully they figure it out.

They will likely have a better season than the Steelers, but I’ve been pretty adamant this Steelers squad isn’t the punching bag fans and pundits have made them out to be.

I think they showed that yesterday - but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Tomlin special next Sunday.

Even tho he did decent against us. I think their lack of utilizing the run game can hurt them. They said they run just enough to keep defenses honest but I didn't see it yesterday. Our defense just pinned our ears back and kept rushing Allen. Even when Singletary had nice runs they'd abandon it for long stretches for passes.

It felt like we were willing to give up some decent runs by constantly rushing. Because we knew they wouldn't stick with it.

They need to balance the run/pass a little more.

I know they got a good passing attack but it just seems they rely on it too much, and if a team is getting constant pressure (knowing they don't run much) like the steelers did not allowing Allen to get into rhythm. They run into issues, and on those days they need to lean on running the ball.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I dont know if it was just the play calls or the growing pains we will go thru with this new line, him being a rookie, Buffalo having a good decent front 7.

They didn't get Najee involved in the passing game as much as I thought they would. Especially when the running lanes weren't opening.

He did have a pass where he didn't turn his head around fast enough. Ben over threw him twice. But I dont remember any more chances.

As far as running. Oof it could be a long season for him if the line can't get any push, or if defenders keep meeting him in the backfield.

I did see him hesitate on some runs too, trying to wait on something to open. Sometimes when ur oline is new or not doing well u just gotta go north/south pick a lane Hit it hard with speed and take what u can get.

The passing games needs to get their safety out of the box and make the LBs respect the PA… line also has to be much better run blocking.

I anticipated these issues and that it would make it tough on Harris to run, but I thought he would be able to create more room for himself.

That was disappointing, but it’s one game.

 

[USMC607]

Harris didn't look comfortable in passing situations: pass blocking or catching it in open space.
Was that a weakness of his coming out of college?

His passing catching is actually a strength of his. May have just been first game jitters.

I know he either made the wrong cut or didn't get his head around quick enough.

But the kid can catch and catch well.

As far as pass protection in college he was adequate but I wouldn't say he was amazing at it.

So with the NFL being bigger, stronger, faster. It may take some time for his to get comfortable with it. .

 

[TimmyD]

How did Ingram look for you guys yesterday? Didn’t get a chance to watch the game because I was at the Chargers-WFT game. Big win for the Steelers

 

[USMC607]

The passing games needs to get their safety out of the box and make the LBs respect the PA… line also has to be much better run blocking.

I anticipated these issues and that it would make it tough on Harris to run, but I thought he would be able to create more room for himself.

That was disappointing, but it’s one game.

I agree one of his strengths in college was squeezing every extra yard he could out of bad situations. Also him being hard to bring down.

But I didn't really see any of that yesterday. I'm hoping it's just first game jitters. I know they all say they thrive on pressure.

But as a rookie going into one of the most insane stadiums, first real game, against a really strong team that has SB aspirations. I understand.

Hopefully it all improves.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

How did Ingram look for you guys yesterday? Didn’t get a chance to watch the game because I was at the Chargers-WFT game. Big win for the Steelers

Pretty good- he comes in on obvious pass situations and he flashed/was noticeable when asked to rush. Believe he drew a holding penalty and got adequate pressure. I'd love to have another Ingram on the roster. Obvious concerns though about him staying healthy.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I agree one of his strengths in college was squeezing every extra yard he could out of bad situations. Also him being hard to bring down.

But I didn't really see any of that yesterday. I'm hoping it's just first game jitters. I know they all say they thrive on pressure.

But as a rookie going into one of the most insane stadiums, first real game, against a really strong team that has SB aspirations. I understand.

Hopefully it all improves.

Yea I'm not gonna dog the offense too much after a game or 2 because of so many new pieces. I had higher expectations for the defense (and they delivered).

But I just watched clips of last years Game 1. I'm not sure I see much of a difference between Fitchner and Canada's offense?

 

[USMC607]

How did Ingram look for you guys yesterday? Didn’t get a chance to watch the game because I was at the Chargers-WFT game. Big win for the Steelers

Ingram from a 1 game sample size has been worth every penny of his contract so far.

Dude was getting pretty consistent pressure on Allen. Idk really what else to say.

But ya. He did pretty good. If he can stay healthy he will be a huge asset.

 

[TimmyD]

Ingram from a 1 game sample size has been worth every penny of his contract so far.

Dude was getting pretty consistent pressure on Allen. Idk really what else to say.

But ya. He did pretty good. If he can stay healthy he will be a huge asset.

If he stays healthy he’s going to the steal of the offseason. Health was always his biggest problem as a Charger

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

As someone who didn’t love the Najee pick, I think he looked really good.

Overall numbers were ugly obviously, but lots of positive yardage runs with about zero openings all day.

 

[Pens1566]

I can't remember ever seeing that many holding calls ... we're going to have a good year putting pressure on the QB.

Offense ... eh ...

 

[USMC607]

Yea I'm not gonna dog the offense too much after a game or 2 because of so many new pieces. I had higher expectations for the defense (and they delivered).

But I just watched clips of last years Game 1. I'm not sure I see much of a difference between Fitchner and Canada's offense?

I think after they realized the run game wasn't doing much (again) they kind of reverted back to last yr a little bit.

But Canada's Schtick is alot of motion and misdirection. Which is different from last yr.

However I will say, and it's something we didn't do last yr. We made offensive adjustments at halftime, and to me that's huge.

We took what wasn't working in the first half and made some changes and our offense while not amazing did improve in the 2nd half.

That's something Fichtner was incapable of doing last yr.

 

[T1K]

Goff did look better than I expected against a very good defense in SF.

Stafford did good too, but I would still agree with the 3rd best in his division, with Wilson and Murray there also having big days.

But I dont think that necessarily takes anything away from Stafford. It's just a division loaded with good QBs.

Agreed, the division is loaded. His comment about being 3rd best in the division is just lazy though. Makes it seem as if Stafford is just average, when in reality he could end up being a top QB this year.

 

[USMC607]

As someone who didn’t love the Najee pick, I think he looked really good.

Overall numbers were ugly obviously, but lots of positive yardage runs with about zero openings all day.

I think my biggest thing was I for sure thought they were gonna utilize him in the passing game more.

Like some dump offs, wheel routes. Etc.

Was surpised that wasn't the case.

 

[xlm34]

Yea I'm not gonna dog the offense too much after a game or 2 because of so many new pieces. I had higher expectations for the defense (and they delivered).

But I just watched clips of last years Game 1. I'm not sure I see much of a difference between Fitchner and Canada's offense?

One thing I noticed is that he’ll set plays up for later in the game. He’ll show a look earlier on and run the ball, and then run play action off of the same look later on. Fichtner was just really predictable.

Hopefully as the OL improves, he’ll open things up some more. But I thought the play calling was pretty decent for the most part.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Yes, Goff almost came back against an elite SF defense. Stafford dominated last night. Did you watch either game or look at any stats??

Goff sucks and threw a pick 6. He lit up SF against a prevent with 5 minutes to go down 24. Ir was just fantasy QB stat padding stuff.

Stafford is really good. Hence why it was so important to upgrade on Goff to him.

Calm down.

49ers vs. Lions - Game Summary - September 12, 2021 - ESPN

San Francisco had a win % of 98%+ for virtually the entire 2nd half. I'm sure Goff didn't just put up stats about prevent just like I'm sure BenRoth lit it up against the Brownies in January cause he threw for 500 yards.

George Kittle of all people muffed an onside kick recovery and then San Fran fumbled. That's how the Lions got close.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I think after they realized the run game wasn't doing much (again) they kind of reverted back to last yr a little bit.

But Canada's Schtick is alot of motion and misdirection. Which is different from last yr.

However I will say, and it's something we didn't do last yr. We made offensive adjustments at halftime, and to me that's huge.

We took what wasn't working in the first half and made some changes and our offense while not amazing did improve in the 2nd half.

That's something Fichtner was incapable of doing last yr.

Check out games like 1-5 last year: ton of motion, jet sweeps, etc. They seemed to be doing a ton of different formations.

Then all of a sudden it stopped (I can't remember what game exactly).

 

[Pengwins]

- Yesterday had to have been the first time since I’ve watched the Steelers that they had six rookies start.

Harris, Fryourmouth, Green, Moore, Norwood and Harvin.

Didn’t realize that until this morning when I thought about Norwood starting in the nickel.

- Also no one was missing Dupree yesterday. Their OLB were a menace.

- Surprised that no one is talking about how well Sutton played.

Norwoord and Pierre looked good. Sutton played well but why did he sit so much? Conditioning or banged up a bit?

They mentioned during the game that Tuitt would be back in a few weeks. What about Banner? is he done for the year? O-line did okay but i still worry about them