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What to expect

I didn’t know what to expect. The first Steelers game of the 2022 season. A quarterback who doesn’t go by the name Ben Roethlisberger to lead the team for the first time since 2003. As an average fan, I don’t come to pre-season games to see the starters or expect a win. My focus is mostly on individual players and who can stand out to earn a spot on the 53 man roster. What does the grid depth look like.

What I didn’t expect was an exciting fun game to watch.

Refreshing opening disc

At the game we stopped at Lennie and Cyndie’s Renegade tailgate and then at Heinz… er… Acrisure Stadium. We spoke to Chris Hoke who gave a shoutout to the Steelers Depot crew.

I have not heard the announced turnout, but my estimate is 50-55 thousand people. The Steelers win the toss and receive the ball. Anthony McFarland gives kicks that surprised me. I’ve also seen him at least once as a shooter on the punting team.

Mitch Trubisky let the Steelers touchdown on an opening run. McFarland ran 24 yards on third and one to really open it. Then Trubisky linked up with Gunner Olszewski for the score. How refreshing to convert a third and short plus a touchdown on the opening drive.

the real deal

Trubisky played one more series before giving way to Mason Rudolph. Steelers fans don’t like Rudolph. Lots of cheers when he came on the field. Then the offensive line broke and he fiddled with the first play. The yelling reached a climax. He couldn’t help but hear it. I felt ashamed of him. McFarland runs for seven. Then Rudolph launches a nice pass to the corner of the end zone and George Pickens corralizes it for a 26 yard touchdown. It only takes one pass to turn the booing into cheers. The piece played out right in front of me. I really thought Pickens was out of bounds but he showed an amazing attitude to secure the ball and land inbounds. Later in the game, he had a flyout in the Dutch big league. He convinced me that he is the real deal.

Jaylen Warren impressed me during this game. On another drive, he caught a pass and won 34 yards. Then got 13 yards running off right tackle. He fumbled a bit, but Miles Boykin found it for him. Steelers leads 17-3 in the middle of the second quarter.

The defense not so impressive. Geno Smith looked efficient at times and scrambled in to score towards the end of the first half.

Kenny, Kenny!

Kenny Pickett’s reception was the complete opposite of Rudolph’s as he came on the field for Pittsburgh’s first possession of the second half. Fans cheer and chant, “Kenny, Kenny,” Seattle marched down to tie the game 17-17 to start the half. The attack didn’t bother with third downs on this ride. Pickett to Sternberger for a first down. Then Steve Sims ran 38 meters around the right side. Then Pickett to Warren for seven hours. Warren runs for a first down the next game. Pickett hits Warren again for first and target. Then goes to Warren for the short touchdown. Steelers go for two, with Pickett and Connor Heyward joining in. It’s 25-17.

Mateo Durant’s forward line and pass protection failed and Pickett fired at the two. The punter from the end zone gave Seattle a great fielding position. The defense couldn’t bottle up Drew Lock and stop the run. Only five plays to score from 55 yards and then a two point conversion to tie the game again at 25. Way too easy. The defenders fighting for a spot on the roster must make a splash.

Winning preseason games wouldn’t matter

Teams trade points, but Pickett and the offense have the ball with 5:59 to go. Master Teague runs five times for 31 yards during the ride. He is a pile driver. Pickett also clambers down four yards for a first. But on the third and one, Teague goes to the middle and the umpires say he hasn’t gained an inch. I don’t know what the reruns on television showed, but the replay in the stadium showed Teague taking that down first. boo hoo! The game still stands and Seattle sacks Pickett in fourth place. The Seahawks have the ball in their own territory with only 1:17 left to play. Many fans are still in their seats and winning preseason games is not supposed to matter.

In Seattle’s first game, Mike Robinson unloads Drew Lock from the ball and Tuzar Skipper recovers. The stadium rocks! Pickett scrambles for four. Durant gets five more. Mike Tomlin spends a second time out. One was left to set up for a field goal, which would be a 52-yard effort if the first down didn’t convert. Pickett goes to Cody White who just gets the first one down. Pickett scrambles back up and dives eight meters forward. “Kenny, Kenny.” In second and second of the 24, Pickett finds Tyler Vaughns turning on the jets and diving towards the landing on the right cone. Acrisure Stadium is going crazy.

With three seconds left, Seattle gets the kicks and tries some razzle dazzle, passing the ball back and forth looking for an opening to get to the field to even the game. I mistakenly thought it was Donovan Jeter (number 66), but it was Khalil Davis (number 68) who wrecked a Seahawk to blow up the game and end the game. Fans loved the huge hit and intense ending to an entertaining preseason game.

Pre-Game Detour Leads to an Art Rooney Anecdote

For this game, Ted Webb joined me. He came from North Carolina to see some practice at Saint Vincent’s and then spent an extra day attending the game.

Before the game we went to see the South Pitt Hooligans rugby team playing an alumni match. I’ve been in touch with former Cal U rugby teammates Bill Agnew and the young Don Ratkiewicz. It was a special day when another former Cal U rugger, Justin Jewell, attended the game with his mother. They tragically lost brother and son earlier this year and South Pitt played the game in his honor and provided some proceeds for his widow. Just a little sports camaraderie in Pittsburgh.

Young Don told me he had a janitor job fresh out of high school. He was commissioned to clean the Steelers offices shortly after the Three Rivers Stadium opened. He went to clean Art Rooney’s office. Don couldn’t resist calling his mother to tell her where he was. The chief came in and saw Don on the phone at his desk. Don, ashamed, hung up, but the chief waved and said, keep talking, I’m just stopping by to record something. Don finished talking and went on with his duties. He went to the bathroom and his eyes shot wide as the chief floated a turd in the toilet bowl. Don wanted to flush it, but found that it was actually the soaked stub of a cigar. Don says he briefly considered fishing it out for a souvenir, but it fell through.

CONCLUSION

First, it’s just one preseason game with a lot of starters off the field. So it’s important to remember that this is part of a process and nothing to include.

Fans at the stadium weren’t worried that stars like TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cam Heyward, Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth, Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson weren’t playing. They wanted an entertaining game and see what the attack looked like even without major components. And the Steelers rewarded them.

While not All-Pro candidates, all three quarterbacks showed they can lead scoring runs. Jaylen Warren and Master Teague gained ground as running backs. But Anthony McFarland showed versatility in attack and special teams. The offensive proved better in the hasty attack than in the pass guard as a unit. The Steelers have many talented receivers with George Pickens at the head of the group. Connor Heyward contributed to attack and special teams. I think Pickens would like to have Heyward on the field with him.

The defense underperformed. Seattle was able to run the ball and both Geno Smith and Drew Lock completed the passes with relative ease. Devin Bush seemed to be missing a gap in the long run. The line of defense did not penetrate. And there were a few plays that Seahawk receivers were wide open. That said, defenders who tackled as if their jobs depended on it. Ahkello Witherspoon and Damontae Kazee made progress in making tackles. Karl Joseph was also in pain early in the game. Mike Robinson came up with a big move to get Pittsburgh back in the game.

Just a preseason game. But players and fans alike were thrilled. It was very entertaining to be there. Here we go.

Your song selection

I always like to add a little music. The Steelers are moving forward. New stadium name; New quarterback; A new edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s Turn the Page by Bob Seger.