1. In the aftermath of the Steelers loss to the Ravens, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Rob Rossi pointed the finger at Josh Scobee, while on Behind the Steel Curtain PaVa Steelers Fan laid the blame squarely on Mike Tomlin’s 4th down decision making. Which of them is right? Defend your choice.
2. Before the Steelers signed Chris Boswell, Argentine Steelers fan and scribe El Dr. de Acero made this suggestion to Dan Rooney:
For those of you not familiar with Nicolas Sanchez you can sample his kicking prowess here:
For those unaware, rugby players routinely make the equivalent of 50 yard field goals, often from difficult angles. Here’s another sampling of a historic kick:
We all certainly wish Boswell well (pun intended), and Chris Boswell’s NCAA kicking stats show promise. But if he should falter, do you think Kevin Colbert would be wise to scout rugby kickers, given that they’re well versed in punting, place kicking and are terrific textbook tacklers?
3. By any measure, Keith Butler’s defense is performing above expectations. However, the Ravens racked up 191 yards rushing and Justin Forsett had a Jim Brown like performance. Mike Tomlin said the lapse was due to scheming against play action. However, Dale Lolley observed that in many instances, blockers reached the second level, which was a no-no in Dick LeBeau’s defense….
Are you worried that more aggressive use of Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt exposes a weakness in the Steelers run defense?
4. Sean Spence had a monster game vs. the Ravens and also played very very, well against the Rams in replacement of Ryan Shazier.
Knowing what you know now about the development of Ryan Shazier and Sean Spence, imagine that someone gives you a Harry Potter Time Tumbler that takes you back to the Steelers draft room on May 8, 2014. The Steelers are on the clock, and Dan Rooney, Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert are deadlocked over whether to take Ryan Shazier in part because they’re unsure of Spence’s prognosis for a recovery.
They look to you to break the impasse. What do you tell them and why?
5. Finally, let’s shift focus to Chargers game with some Steelers historical serendipity.
In 2012 a Ben Roethlisbergerless Steelers team beat the Ravens with a last minute field goal in a game where the backup quarterback paved the way for a touchdown with a crucial block…. The win seemed to galvanize a previously inconsistent team, but the following week they fell flat on their faces against… San Diego Chargers!
Given all that this group of Pittsburgh Steelers has been through since then, how do you expect the Steelers to respond to last week’s loss?