OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: New Quarter Backs for the Handball team!

[WheresRamziAbid]

This narrative that Juju's dances didn't impact the team needs to stop. The Bengals, Bills and Cowboys didn't like it, yet he continued to do it.

First Call: Bengals warn JuJu of pregame dancing, Steelers won't have to deal with Bengals top RB

The Bengals aren’t wild about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and his pregame dancing. The Steelers won’t have to prepare for Cincinnati’s star running back. And some controversy surrounding the Cleveland Browns-Baltimore Ravens game Monday night. That’s what we’ve got to...

triblive.com

The Bengals were fired up for this game and Bell even spoke about it being a motivation. You don't give bulletin board material to other teams unnecessarily.

Reactions: Bengals' Vonn Bell forces JuJu Smith-Schuster fumble with big hit

Vonn Bell remarked before Monday night's game that JuJu Smith-Schuster dancing on the opposing team's logo was disrespectful.

www.cincinnati.com

So uh yea, it literally was the definition of a distraction that was done by JJSS himself. Other players hated he was doing it and calling it disrespectful. But I guess that's the media's fault....

You know how much it actually changed? Most likely nothing.

Its a narrative that gets created and cherry picked when they lose or struggle and disappears when they win. Apparently the teams they beat werent “extra motivated”.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

You know how much it actually changed? Most likely nothing.

Its a narrative that gets created and cherry picked when they lose or struggle and disappears when they win. Apparently the teams they beat werent “extra motivated”.

Sure had the Bengals fired up in the game where they kicked our asses. Why would the Bengals talk about it BEFORE AND AFTER the game if it wasn't on their minds?

We had 1 poster suggesting people soured on JJSS bc they are "racist". Can that at least be debunked? Crazy how people are so quick to throw race around. But I guess that's not as fun...

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Being a Steelers fan out of market is fascinating.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Sure had the Bengals fired up in the game where they kicked our asses. Why would the Bengals talk about it BEFORE AND AFTER the game if it wasn't on their minds?

We had 1 poster suggesting people soured on JJSS bc they are "racist". Can that at least be debunked? Crazy how people are so quick to throw race around. But I guess that's not as fun...

Because its irrelevant if they we “fired up”. Do you really think professional athletes need external motivation? If they do, dont you think they would find something/anything regardless? Do you think the result would have been different?

I think the league is littered with games every week that had “fired up” teams getting their ass beat. And the ones that win get to run with the narrative.

I there were always a bunch of people that didnt like Juju because of the tic tok type stuff and while there are cultural components, including race, that play a part in forming those feelings, no i dont think people dislike Juju because of race. IMO its the same subset of people that hate when TJ Watt celebrates after a sack.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Being a Steelers fan out of market is fascinating.

I'm in the same boat. Never lived in Pittsburgh, but it basically was my 2nd home during the summer months as a kid (my dad and his family are from there).

And of course there are racist people in Pittsburgh, but doubt it's more than any other Midwest city...

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Because its irrelevant if they we “fired up”. Do you really think professional athletes need external motivation? If they do, dont you think they would find something/anything regardless? Do you think the result would have been different?

I think the league is littered with games every week that had “fired up” teams getting their ass beat. And the ones that win get to run with the narrative.

Professional athletes are human, so yes I can say with relative certainty they can at times play with extra juice. I mean if you've followed Michael Jordan and watched "The Last Dance" MJ's humanness and chip on his shoulder is pretty well on display. He made no bones about it that he took things personally.

And I'm unsure if your word choice was intentional by asking if they "NEED" external motivation. No, they don't need it so why give your opponent something they can latch on to?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Professional athletes are human, so yes I can say with relative certainty they can at times play with extra juice. I mean if you've followed Michael Jordan and watched "The Last Dance" MJ's humanness and chip on his shoulder is pretty well on display. He made no bones about it that he took things personally.

And I'm unsure if your word choice was intentional by asking if they "NEED" external motivation. No, they don't need it so why give your opponent something they can latch on to?

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens did it for years.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Kaboly: Broderick Jones Starting LT Entering Training Camp, While Dan Moore Jr., Troy Fautanu To Battle For RT

Outside of the wide receiver battle for the No. 2 spot behind George Pickens in training camp, one of the most anticipated camp battles for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Saint Vincent College will be the offensive tackle positions on both the left and right side featuring Dan Moore Jr., Broderick...

steelersdepot.com

According to Kaboly, Jones will be the starting LT and Fautanu and Moore will battle for RT. Which means that Jones is the starting LT and Fautanu is the starting RT.

 

[JTG]

The team can pay two top WRs if they want to though. That'll mean sacrifices elsewhere, but it can be done.

I'd also argue that having a great WR who can show them what it means to walk the walk is about the best thing you could do for the young WRs development. It'll take targets from them, but it'll also take away attention on the field and give them a role model. I think Pickens in particular could use having a mature adult who's his equal talent wise.

Agreed. I think even if they don't add though, what they have is good enough for Artie Smith's offense.

My biggest fear is that we basically find out what we already know and that Najee sucks at running behind a zone scheme. The more I learn about Smith's scheme, the more I think Warren is the starter by week 3.

Kaboly: Broderick Jones Starting LT Entering Training Camp, While Dan Moore Jr., Troy Fautanu To Battle For RT

Outside of the wide receiver battle for the No. 2 spot behind George Pickens in training camp, one of the most anticipated camp battles for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Saint Vincent College will be the offensive tackle positions on both the left and right side featuring Dan Moore Jr., Broderick...

steelersdepot.com

According to Kaboly, Jones will be the starting LT and Fautanu and Moore will battle for RT. Which means that Jones is the starting LT and Fautanu is the starting RT.

The best part about this is that if anything happens to Jones...Fautanu is there. LT insurance is the ultimate insurance.

Dan Moore needs to be a G. They are so bad at positioning offensive linemen.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

The best part about this is that if anything happens to Jones...Fautanu is there. LT insurance is the ultimate insurance.

Dan Moore needs to be a G. They are so bad at positioning offensive linemen.

I don't understand why the Steelers do this shit. They screwed up with K Green, Dotson, etc. What is going on?

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Professional athletes are human, so yes I can say with relative certainty they can at times play with extra juice. I mean if you've followed Michael Jordan and watched "The Last Dance" MJ's humanness and chip on his shoulder is pretty well on display. He made no bones about it that he took things personally.

And I'm unsure if your word choice was intentional by asking if they "NEED" external motivation. No, they don't need it so why give your opponent something they can latch on to?

Because i think it all BS. I think Michael Jordan was an extreme INTERNAL motivator to the point where he always had a chip on his shoulder and would “find” some slight real or imagined.

I DO NOT believe that these things actually make a difference in the results. I think for every time a “motivated team” wins and we get a story of how it fueled them, there are 50 “motivated teams” that get their head caved in.

I think at the end of the day talent, preparation, luck, weather all make a extremely bigger difference that the net effect of extra motivation from some contrived slight.

 

[Peat]

Agreed. I think even if they don't add though, what they have is good enough for Artie Smith's offense.

My biggest fear is that we basically find out what we already know and that Najee sucks at running behind a zone scheme. The more I learn about Smith's scheme, the more I think Warren is the starter by week 3.

I hear this a lot and don't get it. The offence will still throw the ball a ton, it'll still face pass only situations. Maybe you're a lot higher on guys like Van Jefferson than I am but right now this looks like about as weak a group of pass catchers as Smith has ever had. It's certainly not up there with AJ Brown and prime Corey Davis aka when Smith's offence didn't get him fired.

Also Harris' numbers in outside zone have been solid. 4.3 YPA over the last two years, higher than Warren's. He ran inside zone well last year too (although not as solid as Warren).

Because i think it all BS. I think Michael Jordan was an extreme INTERNAL motivator to the point where he always had a chip on his shoulder and would “find” some slight real or imagined.

I DO NOT believe that these things actually make a difference in the results. I think for every time a “motivated team” wins and we get a story of how it fueled them, there are 50 “motivated teams” that get their head caved in.

I think at the end of the day talent, preparation, luck, weather all make a extremely bigger difference that the net effect of extra motivation from some contrived slight.

The difference in talent and preparation at the NFL level is very slim most days though, and motivation tends to play a part in which team is better prepared too.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

I hear this a lot and don't get it. The offence will still throw the ball a ton, it'll still face pass only situations. Maybe you're a lot higher on guys like Van Jefferson than I am but right now this looks like about as weak a group of pass catchers as Smith has ever had. It's certainly not up there with AJ Brown and prime Corey Davis aka when Smith's offence didn't get him fired.

Also Harris' numbers in outside zone have been solid. 4.3 YPA over the last two years, higher than Warren's. He ran inside zone well last year too (although not as solid as Warren).



The difference in talent and preparation at the NFL level is very slim most days though, and motivation tends to play a part in which team is better prepared too.

The difference in motivation is even smaller IMO especially the difference between motivation and the “difference” that some perceived bulletin board bs makes.

Talent is a much bigger and more impactful gap IMO. Luck/randomness being second. With coaching being a wildcard. Teams with ass coaching it becomes a bigger importance. But a small difference if both team have average/good coaching.

I hear this a lot and don't get it. The offence will still throw the ball a ton, it'll still face pass only situations. Maybe you're a lot higher on guys like Van Jefferson than I am but right now this looks like about as weak a group of pass catchers as Smith has ever had. It's certainly not up there with AJ Brown and prime Corey Davis aka when Smith's offence didn't get him fired.

Also Harris' numbers in outside zone have been solid. 4.3 YPA over the last two years, higher than Warren's. He ran inside zone well last year too (although not as solid as Warren).



The difference in talent and preparation at the NFL level is very slim most days though, and motivation tends to play a part in which team is better prepared too.

The difference in motivation is even smaller IMO especially the difference between motivation and the “difference” that some perceived bulletin board bs makes.

Talent is a much bigger and more impactful gap IMO. Luck/randomness being second. With coaching being a wildcard. Teams with ass coaching it becomes a bigger importance. But a small difference if both team have average/good coaching.

 

[xlm34]

I hear this a lot and don't get it. The offence will still throw the ball a ton, it'll still face pass only situations. Maybe you're a lot higher on guys like Van Jefferson than I am but right now this looks like about as weak a group of pass catchers as Smith has ever had. It's certainly not up there with AJ Brown and prime Corey Davis aka when Smith's offence didn't get him fired.

Also Harris' numbers in outside zone have been solid. 4.3 YPA over the last two years, higher than Warren's. He ran inside zone well last year too (although not as solid as Warren).



The difference in talent and preparation at the NFL level is very slim most days though, and motivation tends to play a part in which team is better prepared too.

Yeah this team definitely needs to aim a little bigger than some of the past Arthur Smith offenses which have not been good. I don’t think they have a QB really capable of elevating some mediocre receivers either. And mediocre may even be too high of praise outside of Pickens.

It also puts a lot of pressure on guys like Wilson to step into a role they may not be ready for.

 

[The Old Master]

The difference in motivation is even smaller IMO especially the difference between motivation and the “difference” that some perceived bulletin board bs makes.

I've always found the bulletin board stuff has some guys focusing on a player instead of the guy in front of them.

 

[WickedWrister]

Yeah this team definitely needs to aim a little bigger than some of the past Arthur Smith offenses which have not been good. I don’t think they have a QB really capable of elevating some mediocre receivers either. And mediocre may even be too high of praise outside of Pickens.

It also puts a lot of pressure on guys like Wilson to step into a role they may not be ready for.

I know the lack of WR depth gets a lot of attention and deservedly so but I think the biggest question mark could be the OL again this year.

Broderick Jones still might be the most raw guy in the group and needs to make that year 2 jump. Plus penciling in two rookies in what figures to be one of the most complex run heavy schemes in football, and likely another if anything happens to one of our starting guards. Not to mention two QB's that love to break the pocket and extend plays with their legs which can be a nightmare for OL and holding penalties.

It's a tall order but they do have a lot of college experience in their favor (apart from Jones), so hopefully they get their shit together before we get into the hard part of our schedule.

 

[xlm34]

I know the lack of WR depth gets a lot of attention and deservedly so but I think the biggest question mark could be the OL again this year.

Broderick Jones still might be the most raw guy in the group and needs to make that year 2 jump. Plus penciling in two rookies in what figures to be one of the most complex run heavy schemes in football, and likely another if anything happens to one of our starting guards. Not to mention two QB's that love to break the pocket and extend plays with their legs which can be a nightmare for OL and holding penalties.

It's a tall order but they do have a lot of college experience in their favor (apart from Jones), so hopefully they get their shit together before we get into the hard part of our schedule.

Those are all great points about the line. It definitely would not surprise me if it looked pretty rough, especially early on in the season. And yeah they’re going to be protecting probably the two least OL friendly QBs in the league so that absolutely will not help things.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

There is an old saying.

A fool can ask more questions than a wise man can answer.

This team is a fool. Filled with questions. Too many to expect all to be answered how we hope.

Lots of potential.

More ways to come up short.

 

[Peat]

I know the lack of WR depth gets a lot of attention and deservedly so but I think the biggest question mark could be the OL again this year.

Broderick Jones still might be the most raw guy in the group and needs to make that year 2 jump. Plus penciling in two rookies in what figures to be one of the most complex run heavy schemes in football, and likely another if anything happens to one of our starting guards. Not to mention two QB's that love to break the pocket and extend plays with their legs which can be a nightmare for OL and holding penalties.

It's a tall order but they do have a lot of college experience in their favor (apart from Jones), so hopefully they get their shit together before we get into the hard part of our schedule.

This is an excellent point. I think WR gets more attention because something plausible can be done but you are right. The OL will be relied on a ton and has a ton to prove.

Right now Pat Meyer might low key be the one guy in the Steelers org whose success matters the most.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

This team is a fool.

Should we pity it?

Or us!??!

 

[JTG]

I'm not totally convinced Fautanu isn't the better LT.

I'm sorry I just have no faith in Meyer and Tomlin to not f*** up this very, very, VERY talented young offensive line.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Should we pity it?

Or us!??!

Just be realistic about the actual chances this team has. And react accordingly.

San Fran potential trade I am looking at you.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

I'm not totally convinced Fautanu isn't the better LT.

I'm sorry I just have no faith in Meyer and Tomlin to not f*** up this very, very, VERY talented young offensive line.

It could be Fautanu is better at RT than Jones. He blocked for Penix who was a left handed Qb.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

It could be Fautanu is better at RT than Jones. He blocked for Penix who was a left handed Qb.

To me, that's irrelevant to whether a Tackle plays the right or left side (QB handedness). Flipping sides as an Olineman has to be 1 of the most difficult things to overcome bc you're doing everything the opposite.

 

[Night Shift]

IMO its the same subset of people that hate when TJ Watt celebrates after a sack.

Lol, when was this?