Monthly Archives: August 2019

Fresh Eyes: Part V

Screen Shot 2019-08-30 at 10.49.05 PMKarl Rosen photo, Steelers.com

by Ivan Cole

Question # 5: Heading into the 2019 season, what is fantasy and what is reality? 

During a recent program that was covering the Democratic Primaries for president it was mentioned that voters of that party tended toward a desire to ‘fall in love’ with a candidate as opposed, presumably, to a more calculated decision process. 

That struck me as an accurate description of many Steelers fans during the preseason. We are looking to fall in love and that impulse leads us to identify those who will be ‘camp Darlings’. And in a compensatory manner we also select scapegoats and anti- heroes who must be cast out if we are to reach the Promised Land. 

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Fresh Eyes: Part IV

Screen Shot 2019-08-19 at 2.14.24 PMRebecca Mehling photo, Steelers.com

by Ivan Cole

Question # 4: Why isn’t Roger Goodell and the NFL smart enough to utilize Alejandro Villanueva to help with its image problems?

When you first heard of it you couldn’t help but smile. I know because that was how Rebecca and Homer first reacted when they heard. ICYMI, early in the first week it was announced that the camp had experienced its first fight. The combatants? Any number of hotheads and bad actors might scroll through your head. Your first guess probably wouldn’t be defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva.

Then the mind goes giddy as it absorbs the concept: The son of Iron Head in single combat with a 6’9” army ranger. Both men are as affable and likeable as you could want, but it is entirely possible that, unlike other encounters of this sort, someone could end up dead. Now admit it. You might not drop a nickel to attend a practice, but you’d pay good money to see that fight. Wouldn’t you love to have a license to promote a rematch? How did it come to this? Villanueva’s explanation after the fact was precious: They had a disagreement over the ending of The Game of Thrones. (Question from Rebecca—how soon can this man be persuaded to run for public office?) Read more

Fresh Eyes: Part III

Screen Shot 2019-08-19 at 1.58.44 PMTevin Jones; Karl Rosen photo, Steelers.com*

by Ivan Cole

Question # 3: Will the road to a championship in 2019 run through the Steelers wide receivers room? 

A week or so ago this would be a somewhat over the top question, but not by much. If you subscribed to the idea that the losses of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown would be critical factors in the ability of the Steelers to compete then there is some relevancy here. Additionally, the circumstances for the receivers would be different those for the running backs, who have already had to cope with the absence of Bell. This brought to bear a series of complex questions concerning how this group, with JuJu Smith-Schuster as the centerpiece, would respond. 

And then Darryl Drake passed away.  Read more

Fresh Eyes: Part II

Screen Shot 2019-08-19 at 9.27.16 AMSteven Nelson and Sean Davis: Karl Rosen photo, Steelers.com

by Ivan Cole

The Disclaimer. It has always been my standard practice when discussing the possibilities of any new season to caution that all is subject to change based upon the potential impact of an unavoidable factor in the NFL dynamic: Injuries. 

Usually I have spoken of this in the manner of those commercials where a narrator in rapid fire fashion attempts to slip past you the possibility that in addition to the wonders provided by the product they are selling, there is also a chance that it could kill you. In this segment there will be a deeper dive into the Disclaimer, providing a more specific set of arguments and information related to just how injuries might play out as anything from an annoyance to a derailment of the 2019 Steelers’ championship aspirations. 

Question # 2: Who do we not want to see on a long-term injury report?  Read more

Fresh Eyes: Part 1

Screen Shot 2019-08-14 at 9.26.23 AMphoto: Rebecca Mehling/Steelers.com

by Ivan Cole

As Rebecca has already mentioned, life has slowed both of us down a bit but that should not be construed to mean that interest has been lost in the fortunes of the Steelers. For me it represents an opportunity to approach the upcoming season in a manner opposite from that which has been the case since I have been privileged to communicate with you concerning the fortunes of what I believe to be a model of what a first class organization, in sports or any endeavor is, as it strives to reach its goals. 

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Open Season?

Screen Shot 2019-08-05 at 8.53.40 PMKarl Rosen/Steelers.com

As many of you perhaps noticed, the flow of commentary from the pens (or keyboards, really) of Ivan and me slowed to a trickle last season and then dried up altogether. As I sort of explained in the comments section of the last published article, both of us have gone through somewhat of a wringer in the past year, mainly because of family health issues, and haven’t had the time and/or mental energy for posting about the Steelers.

But we haven’t lost interest, as you can see when I tell you that Homer J and Ivan drove in from D.C. to meet me in Latrobe last Friday, and we attended Friday Night Lights, the evening practice at the Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

But I suppose I shouldn’t have piqued your interest, because I’m not going to write about the experience, except to say that all of us feel very good about this team. The lack of drama is refreshing, and there is definitely the feeling that everyone is on board with a team-first attitude. Let the national writers talk about the Browns all they like—and I do think the Browns will be a force to be reckoned with—but barring catastrophic injuries, the Steelers really ought to take the division this year.

However, the main reason for this post is because of a request by MTSnot that I put up a post that will serve as sort of a placeholder for you all to visit and discuss things in the comments. So let’s consider this the place to discuss any pre-season thoughts, and we’ll see where it goes from there. I may feel led to put up an article from time to time (although I don’t make any promises) but I can certainly put up the occasional post to basically open a discussion forum, if nothing else. So let’s hear your thoughts! I’ll start by saying that from what we saw on Friday night, it was worth the cost to trade up and grab Devin Bush. How about y’all?

Rebecca