ThathappenedinlateNovember,butthatwassufficientforMontraviusAdamstostart4gameswiththeSteelers.Didhedoenoughtogetinvitedback
MontraviusAdamssacksPatrickMahomesintheplayoffs.PhotoCredit:EdZurga,APviaAL.com
TheSteelershadhadtheireyeonAdamsandhecanprovidecost-effectivedefensivelinedepthwhereitissorelyneeded.
MontraviusAdamssimplyisn’ttheanswer.
Doesthatmeanhe’salostcauseNo,notnecessarily.
ThefactthatAdamswasabletostepinoffthestreetandcontributesomethingtoadefensethatwasstrugglingshowshehassomeskills.Whilehe’snot“startercapable”nordoeshelikelyhavemuch“upside”atthisstageofhiscareer,heissomeonewhocanprovidedepthanddosoatanaffordablesecondcontract.
ThePittsburghSteelersbeattheNewYorkGiants26-16toopentheir2020seasoninanemptyMetLifeStadium.
TheSteelersvictoryhasbeendescribedas“workmanlike,”“notpretty”butnonethelessanewblueprintandareminderthat“itsnot2019.”Allaccuratedescriptions,butifyouwanttounderstandthevictory,youneedlooknofurtherthanthesandwichcookie.
Staywithmeonthisandseewhy.
JamesWashingtonmusclespastJulianLove&BlakeMartinez.PhotoCredit:SethWenig,APviaYahoo!NewZealand.
LastseasonwasoneSteelersfansprefertoforget,yetearlyintheGiantsgame,the2020Steelersteasedarepriseoftheworstof2018AND2019.
Still,asthe2minutewarningloomed,theSteelersweredown10-9andDustinColquitthadalreadypunted3times.Whichbringsustooursandwichcookieanalogy.
Conveniently,mygrandmotherlivedinBaldwin,threedoorsfromthePittsburghcityline.Idon’tknowthatweevergot“DoubleStuf”Oreosthere(weDIDgetplentyofotherjunkfood),buttheSteelersperformanceonbothendsofhalftimewaspure“DoubleStuf.”
TheSteelerswenttoworkattheirown22yardlinewith1:32lefttoplay.Thenext69secondswouldsee:
ThankstotheseeffortstheSteelersfoundthemselvesatNewYork’s11with0:23secondsandtimeoutsleft.Thatwasnice,butwhatcamenextwastrulysweet:
Thosememoriesmaydateme,butallthreeplaysprovideaboutasclearexamplesasyoucanfindofaplayerwillinghimselfintotheendzone.
Sweetindeed.
TheNewYorkGiantsstartedtheirfirstpossessionat12:07fromtheirownninewhereDanielJonesbegantomethodicallypickaparttheSteelersdefensewithaneasethathasn’tbeenseeninyears.
CamHeywardkillsadrivebyinterceptingDanielJonesintheendzone.PhotoCredit:AlBello,GettyImages,viaSteelersWire.com
Thefirst18playsofthatdriveundoubtedlymadeFantasyFootballownerswhostartedDanielJonesveryhappy.ButHeywardsinterceptionreinforcedthefactthatinRealityFootballyardagebetweenthe20’smeansnothingwhendefensestonewallsyouintheRedZone.
Itmaynotbethereasonwhyyoueatthesandwichcookie,butyoucan’thaveasandwichcookiewithoutthehardcookiesholdingthestuffinginplace.
Butgoingintoandcomingoutofhalftime,theSteelersfuseddeterminationwithtimelybigplaysandsandwichedthosesweetspotsonbothendswithsolidfundamentalfootball.
WhatwillperhapsgodownasthemostunusualcutdowndayinSteelershistorybeganwithafewsurprises.TheNFLrequiredallteamstocutdowntothe53manrosterlimitby4:00pmonSaturdaySeptember5th,andtheSteelerscutsincludedtwonamesthateveryoneknows.
CuttingRyanSwitzerwasthe1stSteelerssurpriseoncutdownday,2020.
DanielMcCullersclosesinonRGIIIinthe2016seasonfinale.PhotoCredit:JoeSargent,GettyImagesviaBTSC
WordintrainingcampwasthatDanielMcCullershadslimeddownandwasplayinghisbestfootballyet.
TheotherSteelersinitialcutsinclude:
TightEndsKyleMarkwayKevinRader
DefensiveLinemenCavonWalkerHenryMondeauxCalvinTaylor
DefensiveBacksTrajanBandyJohnBattleAntoineBrooksJr
SpecialTeamsPunterCorlissWaitmanandlongsnapperLiamMcCullough
Happiertimes.JamesWashingtonandJaylenSamuelscelebrateduringthe2019preseason.PhotoCredit:PittsburghPost-Gazette
TheNFLinstitutedtheCOVID-19reservelistinresponsetothepandemic.BeingputonthelistdoesnotnecessarilymeanaplayerhastestedpositiveforCOVID-19,itcanalsomeanthatthey’vebeenincontactwithsomeoneelsewhohastestedpositiveforthevirus.
Asymptomaticplayersareabletocomeoffthelist10daysaftertheirfirstpositivetestOR5dayshavepassedsincetheirfirstpositivetestANDtwoconsecutivenegativetestsarecompletedseparatedby24hourswithinafive-dayperiod.
Symptomaticplayersmustsee10dayspassaftertheirfirstCOVID-19symptomandmusthaveafull72hourspasssincetheirlastsymptomslastoccurred.Theirreturnmustbeapprovedbytheirteam’sdoctorinconcertwithboththeICSandtheNFL’schiefmedicalofficer.
Thehealthandsafetyoftheplayersimpactedmustbeofparamountconcern,anditisSteelCurtainRising’ssincereconcernthatJamesWashingtonandJaylenSamules,(andJustinLayneandAaronSpringsforthatmatter)remainCOVIDfreeandreturntothepracticefieldinfullhealthatHeinzField.
EvenpriortolandingontheCOVID-19reservelistJaylenSamuelswasgoingtoneedtofightforarosterspot.Nowthatfightjustgotmoredifficult.
TomeettheNFL’s80manrosterlimittheSteelerscut8players,including:
FromtherehespenttimewiththeGiants,Jets,JaguarsandPanthersbeforereturningtoPittsburghlastwinterviathepracticesquad.
AnthonyMcFarlandbringsjusttwoyearsofNCAAexperiencetoPittsburgh.IntwoseasonswiththeTerrapins,McFarlandrushedforover1,600yards,althoughhisproductiondroppedbetweenhisfreshmanandsophomoreyearduetoinjuries.Withthatsaid,McFarlanddidbreaktheUniversityofMaryland’sfreshmanrushingrecord.
SteelersrunningbackscoachEddieFaulknerdescribedMcFarlandas“He’sreallyexplosive.”Faulknercontinued,“Heseesthecrease,andit’shisabilitytohitthecrease—hegetsfrom0to60quick.”
Whatthevideowon’tshowissomeoftheredoratleastyellowinjuryflagsthataccompanyMcFarland’sarrivalinPittsburgh.TheMarylandnativeandDeMathaCatholicgraduatemissedhissenioryearofhighschoolwithabrokenleg,tookaredshirtfreshmanyearatMaryland,andthensawahighanklesprainruinhissecondyearatMaryland.
Steelersfirst20204throunddraftpick,AnthonyMcFarland,Jr.PhotoCredit:USATodaySportsimages,viaNBC.com
Whilehe’sleavingCollegeParkafterjusttwoseasons,AnthonyMcFarlandJr.putplentyontapetoestablishhispedigree.Hereisalookathishighlightreel:
CompetitionbringsoutthebestandtheSteelersbackfieldcertainlymustimproveonits2019performance.WelcometoSteelersNationAnthonyMcFarland.
WiththePittsburghSteelersfirstpickofthe2020NFLDraftnotcominguntilthesecondround(49th,overall),andwiththeteamonlyhavingsixpicks,total,thefocuswillhavetobequalityoverquantity.ButwheredoesrunningbacksitonthepeckingorderforPittsburghasitpreparesfora2020NFLDraftthatcouldprovetobepivotalasitpertainstotheupcomingregularseason
JamesConnerstiffarmsDenzelPerryman.PhotoCredit:PhotoCredit:RobertGauthier,LATimes
SnellJr.,whowasveryproductiveatKentucky,isanintriguingunknownandcouldpossiblythriveinaworkhorserole.
SteelersheadcoachMikeTomlinsaidthere’dbechangestohiscoachingstaffathispost-seasonpressconference,andwhileTomlintookhistime,he’smadegoodonhispromise.
BryanMcClendonisn’tthefirstwidereceiverscoachthatMikeTomlinhaspluckedfromtheCarolinacollegeranks.AftermovingRandyFichtnertofromwidereceiverstoquarterbackscoachfollowingthe2009season,hehiredScottieMontgomeryfromDuketoreplacehim.Montgomeryheldthatpositionfrom2010until2012whenhereturnedtoDuke.
Takenfromthegradebookofateacherwhoishorrendouslylateinturninginhisgradesheet,hereisthePittsburghSteelersReportCardforthe2019season.
SpecialTeamsChrisBoswellreversedhisRussianrouletteroutineof2018andreturnedastheWizardofBozin2019.JordanBerrystartedoffstrongonlytofade,withpoorpuntsand/orcriticalerrorscontributingtolossestotheBillsandtheRavens.
Whilehewasprobablyplayinginjuredformostoftheseason,RyanSwitzer’sreturnsweremediocre,althoughhewassurehanded.DiontaeJohnsonhaddifficultyfieldingkicksearlyintheseason,butfoundhislegsandgavetheSteelerssomesparktotheirpuntreturns.
ThecoverageofDannySmith’sunitswasspotty.Theydidn’tgiveupanytouchdowns,butdidgiveuptoomany“longish”returns.Whiletheystoppedonefakepuntattempt,theygaveuptwomoreandbadlybotchedoneoftheirown.Grade:C
CoachingRandyFichtneristakingalotofheat.Someisknee-jerknonsensebutcritiquesthathisformationsandplaycallingaretoopredictablehavesomemerit.
ButeventhosewhowitnessedthelatentleapinthelateseasongamesagainstthePatriotsandSaints,whowouldhavepredictedsuchastunningturnaroundin2019Injectionsoftalentatcornerback,linebackerandsafetyfueledthelion’sshareofthechange,buttheunitplayedasamuchmorecohesivegroup.
Instead,MikeTomlinfocusedhisteamonproducingwinningperformances.Throughitall,heneverblinked.Henevershiedawayfrompersonneldecisionsorfromtakingthecalculatedrisksheisknownfor.
WhileMikeTomlinwouldagreehedoesn’tdeserve“CoachoftheYear”honors,2019mighthavebeenhisbestperformance.Grade:A
Alongtheway,thefrontofficemadeupwardsof60rostermovesduringtheseason.Liketheplayersonthefieldandthecoachesonthesideline,theFrontOfficerefusedtothrowinthetowelwhenthingsgottough.Grade:A-
TheemotionalrollercoasterridethatwasthePittsburghSteelers2019seasonhasended,andtwoweeksofplayoffupsetshaveleftSteelersNationasking“WhatIF”asthey’veenjoyedasecondyearofhomecouchadvantagethroughouttheplayoffs.Clearly,thiswasnottheoutcomewehadhopedfor.
OneofthethingshasgottenlostinalloftheseSteelers2019postmortemsisthelasttwoseasonhavebeenalmostidentical.Bothseasons:
Butifdeepdisappointmentsetinimmediatelyfollowingbothseasons,there’sadistinctlydifferentfeeltotheway2020isbeginning.Toexplainhowandwhythisispossible,andthelessonitperhapsprovides,perhapsitsbesttotakeastepback.
TheNFLwasdifferent.TwoyearsearliertheFreeman-McNeilverdictthatbroughtfreeagencytotheNFL,andtheleaguewasintransition.Forthefirsttimeplayerscouldsignwithnewteamswhentheircontractsexpired,andforthefirsttimeteamscouldgoonoffseasonshoppingsprees–iftheykeptthemselvesunderthesalarycap.
ByNovember‘94theSteelershadclearlyestablishedthemselvesasthecreamoftheAFC.ItwasequallyobviousthattheSanFrancisco49ersweretheNFC’sbest.TheSteelershadgottentherebytakingaconservativeapproachtofreeagencythatfocusedonresigningtheirownplayers.The49ershadtakentheoppositeapproach,bylavishlythrowingmoneyatplayers.*
LabriolalaudedtheSteelersfortakinga“team”approachtobuildingduringthesalarycaperacontrastingitwithotherteams(henevermentionedthe49er’sbyname)whotooka“star”approach.HewentontomuseaboutapossibletestofthetwoconceptsinaSuperBowlmatchupthatnevermaterializedthankstoAlfredPupunu.
Ifthatsoundsfamiliaritshould.MikeTomlinledhispressconferencesafterwinsovertheChargersandtheBengalsbycreditingitto“avictoryforteam.”Andthereinliesthedifferencebetweenthefeelingfuelingthisoffseasonvs.thelastyear.
TakealookatanySteelers-focusedsite,andstoriesofthelasttwoweekswillgenerallyfallalongtheselines:
My,whatadifferenceayearandreallytwoyearsmake.Atthispointduringthe’18and’19offseasonstheprimarystorylinescirculatingabouttheSteelersfocusedonwhether:
AssomePittsburgh-basedbeatwriterspointedoutatthetime,thewhole“TeamTurmoil”storylinewasoversoldinthenationalmedia.Withalittlebitofdistance,wecanseethatindeed,manyalthoughnotallofthosestorylinesweretiedtoafewindividuals.
ThedepartureofAntonioBrownwassupposedtobeenoughtohamstringtheSteelersoffense.Butbyanyconventionalmeasure,lossesofRoethlisberger,Conner,Smith-SchusterandMaurkicePounceyshouldhavedoomedtheSteelers.Yet,theydidn’tandinstead:
A1-4startbecamea5-4start.That5-4startslippedtoa5-5start,buttheSteelersreboundedfromtheirown“BodyBagGame”toimproveto8-5.TheSteelers8thwinoftheseasoncameovertheArizonaCardinalsandfeaturedanothergameinwhichPittsburghhadfoundanewwaytowin.
MikeTomlin,KeithButlerandRandyFichtnerdeservecreditformilkingasmuchastheypossiblycouldoutofthetalentattheirdisposalin2019.2020isanewyearandtheSteelerswillfieldanewteamnextfall.
OffensiveLineDevlinHodgeswassackedtwiceandhit6timesalthoughhewasunderpressureformuchoftheafternoon.Runblockingwassolid.Theoffensivelinedidn’tappeartobealiabilityagainsttheRavens,butitcertainlywasn’tastrength.Grade:C
SpecialTeamsOntheplusside,DiontaeJohnsonloggedtwosolidpuntreturns….
KerrithWhytealsomuffedthekickreturnonthefollowingplay,whichsetupasafety.Oh,andtheSteelersgaveupafakepunt.Grade:D
CoachingThere’sreallynotalottosay.
OnoffensetheSteelersgameplanseemedtobetotrytogrinditoutonthegroundandonlypasswhennecessary.TheSteelersexecutedthefirstpartofthatreasonablywell,thesecondpartnotsomuch.
ButwhiletheSteelersrundefensecertainlymadeanyfantasyfootballownerwhostartedGusEdwardshappy,thefactisthattheRavensneveroncewentthelengthofthefieldandalloftheirnon-turnoveraidedscoreswerefieldgoals.
WhileKeithButler’sboyswillnotandshouldbeletoffthehookforgivingupaneasytouchdownafterHodgesfumblereturn,overallthedefenseplayedwellenoughtowin.
ItwouldbeeasytocomedownonMikeTomlinforendingtheseasonwith3losses,thethirdofwhichlookedworstofall.Buteventhebestheadcoachcanonlyoutwitofthelawofaveragesforsolong.Grade:C