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A few quick takes from PreSeason Game 1 vs Bucs.....

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Chicoman

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Well football is back and I gotta say it's nice to not have the drama of Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell. This team can move forward this year and focus on being a team and playing winning football. Here's to hoping AB retires over his crying about having to wear a different helmet!

Stock Up:
Devin Bush - 10 tackles in a half of football during his first game is INCREDIBLE! If anyone was wondering if we made the right choice trading up for him it's pretty obvious we did. If you want to compare Devin White to Devin Bush.....White had an assist on a tackle.....Bush had 7 solo tackles and 3 assisted plus a Pass Breakup....if he held onto it....it was a Pick 6. Devin Bush is the real deal!
James Washington - WOW....it seems he's taken a giant leap from year one to year two. He looked great tonight....4 rec 84yds 1TD
Chris Boswell - Seems like he's back to form with his kicks.....I think the other kid might have a stronger leg but Boz looks like he's back to his 2017 form
Mason Rudolph - Here's another guy who seems to have made great progress in his 2nd year......what impressed me the most about Rudolph was his patience in the pocket tonight and how he bought himself time to make the throw.....nice example was his TD pass to Gentry
Joshua Dobbs - He looked good tonight except for a few balls badly overthrown......with the improvement of Rudolph in year 2 Dobbs could be on the outside looking in....honestly IMO if they can trade him to Philly......for a 4th or 5th.....DO IT!
Devlin Hodges - This kid really was a surprise last night....Undrafted rookie QB showed good patience in the pocket.....missed 2 or 3 throws where they were just behind the WR but he's going to be interesting to watch in the next 3 pre-season games.
Zach Gentry - This kid has better than average hands as a receiver.....He's a monster at 6'8" tall but I guess he struggles with his run blocking.
Ulysses Gilbert - This kid is going to be hard to hide on the practice squad if he continues to play like he did last night.....strip sack & INT last night....late in game, he looked really good.
Robert Spillane - Another LB'er who was all over the field making tackles....always around the football
Ola Adeninyi - He looked far better than Bud Dupree rushing the QB but saw him struggle a bit in pass coverage......I can't wait till Bud is gone....the guy flat out sucks!
Kameron Kelly - Might be our best DB....at least he looked ok last night.....DB is a big weak spot on this roster right now.
Tuzar Skipper - This kid came out of nowhere. 1 sack 3 hits on the QB....he's a legit OLB with what appears to be a pretty good arsenal of pass rushing skills. Can't wait to see more of him.


Stock Down:
Justin Layne - The rookie has the athleticism but he looked a bit lost out there at times....missing too many tackles and when he played a soft zone he was burned early and often. Only place he can go is up after this performance
Benny Snell - The kid reminds me of Chris Rainey he goes down too easily usually by the first tackler to gets to him.......saw him break one tackle in the game.
Dionte Spencer - Dropped an easy catch for a first down last night......he did flash some elusiveness on a punt return though.

Overall a good team performance for our Steelers......I like what I see.
 
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Chicoman said:
Well football is back and I gotta say it's nice to not have the drama of Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell. This team can move forward this year and focus on being a team and playing winning football. Here's to hoping AB retires over his crying about having to wear a different helmet!

Stock Up:
Devin Bush - 10 tackles in a half of football during his first game is INCREDIBLE! If anyone was wondering if we made the right choice trading up for him it's pretty obvious we did. If you want to compare Devin White to Devin Bush.....White had an assist on a tackle.....Bush had 7 solo tackles and 3 assisted plus a Pass Breakup....if he held onto it....it was a Pick 6. Devin Bush is the real deal!
James Washington - WOW....it seems he's taken a giant leap from year one to year two. He looked great tonight....4 rec 84yds 1TD
Chris Boswell - Seems like he's back to form with his kicks.....I think the other kid might have a stronger leg but Boz looks like he's back to his 2017 form
Mason Rudolph - Here's another guy who seems to have made great progress in his 2nd year......what impressed me the most about Rudolph was his patience in the pocket tonight and how he bought himself time to make the throw.....nice example was his TD pass to Gentry
Joshua Dobbs - He looked good tonight except for a few balls badly overthrown......with the improvement of Rudolph in year 2 Dobbs could be on the outside looking in....honestly IMO if they can trade him to Philly......for a 4th or 5th.....DO IT!
Devlin Hodges - This kid really was a surprise last night....Undrafted rookie QB showed good patience in the pocket.....missed 2 or 3 throws where they were just behind the WR but he's going to be interesting to watch in the next 3 pre-season games.
Zach Gentry - This kid has better than average hands as a receiver.....He's a monster at 6'8" tall but I guess he struggles with his run blocking.
Ulysses Gilbert - This kid is going to be hard to hide on the practice squad if he continues to play like he did last night.....strip sack & INT last night....late in game, he looked really good.
Robert Spillane - Another LB'er who was all over the field making tackles....always around the football
Ola Adeninyi - He looked far better than Bud Dupree rushing the QB but saw him struggle a bit in pass coverage......I can't wait till Bud is gone....the guy flat out sucks!
Kameron Kelly - Might be our best DB....at least he looked ok last night.....DB is a big weak spot on this roster right now.

Stock Down:
Justin Layne - The rookie has the athleticism but he looked a bit lost out there at times....missing too many tackles and when he played a soft zone he was burned early and often. Only place he can go is up after this performance
Benny Snell - The kid reminds me of Chris Rainey he goes down too easily usually by the first tackler to gets to him.......saw him break one tackle in the game.
Dionte Spencer - Dropped an easy catch for a first down last night......he did flash some elusiveness on a punt return though.

Overall a good team performance for our Steelers......I like what I see.
Click to expand...

Not sure I agree with your stock down. Snell got better the more touches he got and had the pile moving some even when no hole was there. Not flashy but he seems to be getting better.

Payne looked exactly like what he is a bit raw. I saw him look a bit nervous and try to hard but I think with reps he will be a good addition.

Same with Spencer that drop was trying to hard to make a play after the catch and being a bit nervous. Not sure he will make the team but I liked his returns.


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Chicoman said:
Well football is back and I gotta say it's nice to not have the drama of Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell. This team can move forward this year and focus on being a team and playing winning football. Here's to hoping AB retires over his crying about having to wear a different helmet!

Stock Up:
Devin Bush - 10 tackles in a half of football during his first game is INCREDIBLE! If anyone was wondering if we made the right choice trading up for him it's pretty obvious we did. If you want to compare Devin White to Devin Bush.....White had an assist on a tackle.....Bush had 7 solo tackles and 3 assisted plus a Pass Breakup....if he held onto it....it was a Pick 6. Devin Bush is the real deal!
James Washington - WOW....it seems he's taken a giant leap from year one to year two. He looked great tonight....4 rec 84yds 1TD
Chris Boswell - Seems like he's back to form with his kicks.....I think the other kid might have a stronger leg but Boz looks like he's back to his 2017 form
Mason Rudolph - Here's another guy who seems to have made great progress in his 2nd year......what impressed me the most about Rudolph was his patience in the pocket tonight and how he bought himself time to make the throw.....nice example was his TD pass to Gentry
Joshua Dobbs - He looked good tonight except for a few balls badly overthrown......with the improvement of Rudolph in year 2 Dobbs could be on the outside looking in....honestly IMO if they can trade him to Philly......for a 4th or 5th.....DO IT!
Devlin Hodges - This kid really was a surprise last night....Undrafted rookie QB showed good patience in the pocket.....missed 2 or 3 throws where they were just behind the WR but he's going to be interesting to watch in the next 3 pre-season games.
Zach Gentry - This kid has better than average hands as a receiver.....He's a monster at 6'8" tall but I guess he struggles with his run blocking.
Ulysses Gilbert - This kid is going to be hard to hide on the practice squad if he continues to play like he did last night.....strip sack & INT last night....late in game, he looked really good.
Robert Spillane - Another LB'er who was all over the field making tackles....always around the football
Ola Adeninyi - He looked far better than Bud Dupree rushing the QB but saw him struggle a bit in pass coverage......I can't wait till Bud is gone....the guy flat out sucks!
Kameron Kelly - Might be our best DB....at least he looked ok last night.....DB is a big weak spot on this roster right now.

Stock Down:
Justin Layne - The rookie has the athleticism but he looked a bit lost out there at times....missing too many tackles and when he played a soft zone he was burned early and often. Only place he can go is up after this performance
Benny Snell - The kid reminds me of Chris Rainey he goes down too easily usually by the first tackler to gets to him.......saw him break one tackle in the game.
Dionte Spencer - Dropped an easy catch for a first down last night......he did flash some elusiveness on a punt return though.

Overall a good team performance for our Steelers......I like what I see.
Click to expand...

Very good. I would add Berryman showed a heck of a leg.




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Can anybody remind me why Sutton is on this team?
 
I like the depth. Should be very good competition for the 53 which usually breeds a good team. Bush looks as advertised. I thought Ola looked good. Dirty Red and Chickillo will have some heavy competition for playtime. Ola was a demon on Sp. Teams and looks like he needs snaps. I was very pleased with all three QBs, but thought Rudolph was most like what they will need moving forward. He needs to start game two so there is an apples to apples comparison for QB 2. Not sure what they can do with Hodges. My guess is someone else is going to get themselves a very good project qb as a number 3.
 
MTC said:
I’m impressed by Hodges
Click to expand...

as was I, moment didn't look too big for him, even though he came from a small school and he knows he's at the bottom of the totem pole.
 
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Spencer is the best returner I've seen since Brown stopped doing it. Would like to see DJ do it too, but I'm not as hard on Spencer's performance. He had some nice catches as well.
 
Cope said:
Spencer is the best returner I've seen since Brown stopped doing it. Would like to see DJ do it too, but I'm not as hard on Spencer's performance. He had some nice catches as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah his ability to return alone had me excited. He had what, 2 30+ yard gainers I think (we haven't seen that in a while). I liked Snell's natural looking hands and his pass protection, but he didn't have much to work with on runs most of the night.

Isaiah Buggs was active, getting his hands up to bat down passes and even saw some double-teams. He's going to be a load to deal with IMO. Mason Rudolph looked like a veteran out there, great play to Gentry for his second TD. Hodges also looked good. I think for the first time in a while, this is the best depth this team has had.
 
I like that we have a QB problem. Who’s going to be #2 and who’s moving on? All three back ups made good plays, but Mason looked the most like a NFL quarterback IMO. Hodges seemed to play more like a back up than Dobbs did, and it was fun to watch. I like that we have three guys behind Ben who seem to be able to play. What a problem!!


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Steelworth said:
Isaiah Buggs was active, getting his hands up to bat down passes and even saw some double-teams. He's going to be a load to deal with IMO.
Click to expand...

Agreed, Buggs stood out to me, was in the right place at the right time, alert to where the ball was, more agile than I envisioned.

Couple of other observations:

- Dirty Red came to play. Good to see him healthy and playing with good energy and assertiveness. His slow foot speed killed me on a couple of plays last season, he looked a step quicker last night.
- Yes, Layne looked lost out there most of the night, typical rookie, scared of his own shadow. Way too early to draw any conclusions, hopefully he'll pick it up from here. He seems like a guy they're not gonna count on too much this year.
- I didn't think Snell was terrible, not at all. Did a good job wrapping the ball, inched out whatever yards he could muster. Made a nice cut on one play for a decent gain. He was met by defenders at or behind the line on most runs. If anything, he reminds me a lot of Connor, same type of running style. I see him getting increasingly better as he gets more PT, and starts running behind our real OL and not the back-ups.
- Was pleasantly suprised by Johnny Holton. The DHB comparisons are easy, but Holton seems to be a better reciever.
- As far as our return game, the guy I can't wait to see is Dionte Johnson. In my view he has the skills to be our best returner. Spencer should get plenty of chances next few games as well.
- Good to see how well Zach Banner is progressing. Lost a bunch of weight and will be in the hunt for that swing tackle spot. He seemed to hold his own last night.
- Needless to say Devin Bush blew me away, better than advertised. He could be the impact ILB we've been missing. On that same note, I was hoping to see more out of Mark Barron. He was in on a few tackles but didn't really stand out.
- Not convinced Washington has arrived, even with the great game he had. He was pretty good last pre-season as well. Nonetheless, was real happy for him, to see him make splash plays, time his jumps well and hold onto the ball.
- Ulysees Gilbert has some legit skills, it's obvious what the scouts saw in this kid. He should earn his keep on ST's, could really help set the tone there.
- The Toledo boys - Tuzar Skipper and Olasunkanmi Adeniyi - look almost interchangable. Both made some nice plays last night, good to see our depth taking shape at LB. Our practice squad should have quite a lot of talent, for those that miss out on the final cuts.
- Pleasantly surprised by the play of big Zach Genry. Kept his head down, made some nice catches including TD. He's still raw as a blocker but that can be worked on. He seemed to be having a so-so camp, this game may be a good step for him getting his confidence up.

And finally, insane what's going on with that Tampa Bay coaching staff, the number of former Steelers Bruce Arians hired. Leftwich, Foote, Harold Goodwin, Amos Jones, Randle El...the list goes on, damn. Seems like Arians really enjoyed his time in the 'Burgh and is doing all he can to replicate that.
 
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Just saw the game highlights. Washington definitely looks like he picked up where he did at the end of last year and has definitely improved. Nice adjustments to the ball and nice catches. He's doing it in the stadium (as Tomlin likes to say) rather than just on the practice field.
 
Cope said:
Spencer is the best returner I've seen since Brown stopped doing it. Would like to see DJ do it too, but I'm not as hard on Spencer's performance. He had some nice catches as well.
Click to expand...

I agree. He had a bad drop and you think to yourself, CUT. But then he came back and made some plays. I think he belongs in this league, just a question if it is the Steelers.
 
Bush is the only one i wanted to see, we sold the farm for him so he had to stick out on the field. He did, always around the ball making plays, cant ask for anything else. Didnt look like a rookie.

The backup QBs looked like they belonged on the field, Dobbs looked like a young Kordell, only faster, lol, and Mason made some good passes, or maybe Washington made them look good, glad he seems to be improved too.

On to the next scrimmage game
 
Spike said:
Bush is the only one i wanted to see, we sold the farm for him so he had to stick out on the field. He did, always around the ball making plays, cant ask for anything else. Didnt look like a rookie.

The backup QBs looked like they belonged on the field, Dobbs looked like a young Kordell, only faster, lol, and Mason made some good passes, or maybe Washington made them look good, glad he seems to be improved too.

On to the next scrimmage game
Click to expand...

I'm always more concerned with the way they look than the result. I thought the depth looked good and a couple of the Starter prospects, Washington and Bush looked very good.
 
I wonder how Holton fits it as he can provide splash plays with that speed. Based on this game I would say his stock is up.

You have

Juju
Moncrief
Washington
Johnson
Eli
Switz
Spencer
Holton


Do you ever remember having a more difficult decide depth wise?
 
slashsteel said:
I wonder how Holton fits it as he can provide splash plays with that speed. Based on this game I would say his stock is up.

You have

Juju
Moncrief
Washington
Johnson
Eli
Switz
Spencer
Holton


Do you ever remember having a more difficult decide depth wise?
Click to expand...

The first four barring injury or meltdown are locks. Holton Brings something different from the other three, at this point I think Spencer, Switzer and Eli are fighting for one bone unless one is kept for Special team specialist. Both Spence and Switzer had a drop last night but Spencer to me looks like a possible game breaker on returns. Question for him is how will DJ look doing that. Holtons physical tools separate him from the flock.
 
Tibs said:
Agreed, Buggs stood out to me, was in the right place at the right time, alert to where the ball was, more agile than I envisioned.

Couple of other observations:

- Dirty Red came to play. Good to see him healthy and playing with good energy and assertiveness. His slow foot speed killed me on a couple of plays last season, he looked a step quicker last night.
- Yes, Layne looked lost out there most of the night, typical rookie, scared of his own shadow. Way too early to draw any conclusions, hopefully he'll pick it up from here. He seems like a guy they're not gonna count on too much this year.
- I didn't think Snell was terrible, not at all. Did a good job wrapping the ball, inched out whatever yards he could muster. Made a nice cut on one play for a decent gain. He was met by defenders at or behind the line on most runs. If anything, he reminds me a lot of Connor, same type of running style. I see him getting increasingly better as he gets more PT, and starts running behind our real OL and not the back-ups.
- Was pleasantly suprised by Johnny Holton. The DHB comparisons are easy, but Holton seems to be a better reciever.
- As far as our return game, the guy I can't wait to see is Dionte Johnson. In my view he has the skills to be our best returner. Spencer should get plenty of chances next few games as well.
- Good to see how well Zach Banner is progressing. Lost a bunch of weight and will be in the hunt for that swing tackle spot. He seemed to hold his own last night.
- Needless to say Devin Bush blew me away, better than advertised. He could be the impact ILB we've been missing. On that same note, I was hoping to see more out of Mark Barron. He was in on a few tackles but didn't really stand out.
- Not convinced Washington has arrived, even with the great game he had. He was pretty good last pre-season as well. Nonetheless, was real happy for him, to see him make splash plays, time his jumps well and hold onto the ball.
- Ulysees Gilbert has some legit skills, it's obvious what the scouts saw in this kid. He should earn his keep on ST's, could really help set the tone there.
- The Toledo boys - Tuzar Skipper and Olasunkanmi Adeniyi - look almost interchangable. Both made some nice plays last night, good to see our depth taking shape at LB. Our practice squad should have quite a lot of talent, for those that miss out on the final cuts.
- Pleasantly surprised by the play of big Zach Genry. Kept his head down, made some nice catches including TD. He's still raw as a blocker but that can be worked on. He seemed to be having a so-so camp, this game may be a good step for him getting his confidence up.

And finally, insane what's going on with that Tampa Bay coaching staff, the number of former Steelers Bruce Arians hired. Leftwich, Foote, Harold Goodwin, Amos Jones, Randle El...the list goes on, damn. Seems like Arians really enjoyed his time in the 'Burgh and is doing all he can to replicate that.
Click to expand...

I only slightly disagree with Washington, I think he looked much better than last preseason and more polished.
 
Love when Merril Hoge breaks down plays:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s my preseason week 1 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/factorback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#factorback</a> player of the game <a href="https://twitter.com/_Dbush11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_Dbush11</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/herewego?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#herewego</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/steelers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#steelers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/steelersnation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#steelersnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/steelernation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#steelernation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/steelers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@steelers</a> <a href="https://t.co/ouNoQyGIQv">pic.twitter.com/ouNoQyGIQv</a></p>— Merril Hoge (@merrilhoge) <a href="https://twitter.com/merrilhoge/status/1160316879245848576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
slashsteel said:
Who is your six right now?
Click to expand...

I know you didn't ask me either, but mine:

- JuJu
- Moncrief
- Washington
- D. Johnson
- Rogers
- Spencer

I was torn between Switzer and Rogers, but Rogers seems to have the upper hand right now, and I really think they like this Diontae Spencer. That's an off-the-cuff take, didn't really think it all through.
 
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