I missed a chunk of the 4th quarter so don't have a complete picture but close enough.
- I like what we saw from Rudolph tonight big picture. It wasn't a good night but after the pick 6 he showed resilience and still made some plays. Stayed cool out there and looked like he had a veteran head on him already. The 2 issues I have are pocket presence and when he misses he misses high. Those are INT balls a lot of the time and that is worrisome. Highlight for me was the stiff arm he had when he took off out of the pocket. Showed some toughness there. Also when he was crushed and fumbled the ball he kept his head and made the recovery.
- The more I see of our running backs the more sure I am the Steelers will be okay without Bell. I think a fair argument can be made that Conner is already as good a pure runner as Bell so if his blocking can come together we are going to have another great back in him. Toussaint is the complete package. Looking decisive as a runner and showing good vision and looked great in passpro tonight. 2 standout blitz pickups in the game. I haven't been high on Samuels but he looked solid tonight as a runner as well. Might have to re-think my stance that he wont make the 53. As for Toussaint I am about to call him a lock. First team KR duty along with having back to back good games on offense.
- Is Vince Williams our best pass rusher? The dude can blitz his ass off. I know there is more to life as an ILB than rushing the passer but anyone who doubts this dude is a starting level ILB is foolish. He isn't perfect and isn't the athlete Shazier is but he is a great blitzer, sure tackler, and great against the run. Somewhat underrated in pass coverage as well.
- Big Dan is starting to look like a man amongst boys. I am exaggerating obviously but this guy is finally showing the fire we have been waiting for. Just straight up bullying centers at times. Pressure up the middle is key and if he keeps this up I think the Steelers should seriously consider getting him first team time when the season starts. He is now a lock for the 53 in my opinion.
- This defense gives me heartburn. Particularly the safety group but it was mostly bad all around. Let's talk about how terrible our guys are in open field. Nat Behre turned around something awful by a 12th string receiver for a touchdown, and Burnett looked like Mike Mitchell out there on a play early in the game when Sensabaugh got beat on a slant. To Burnetts credit he did go on to have like 2 or 3 nice plays after that. Brian Allen had a rough night. PI call in the endzone and burnt at least twice that I can remember, one being the TD Behre failed to make a tackle on. Burns also had a missed tackle. Think Sutton and Sensabaugh both looked shaky as well.
2 guys I want to talk positively about though. Quickly want to mention Malik Golden. Is this dude getting a fair shake out there? He has been pretty good but seems like a forgotten man. Is there a chance he surprises and makes the 53? 2nd is Edmunds. I don't think he had all that good a night on the whole but an almost INT in the back of the endzone, a forced fumble and recovery on kickoff coverage, and actually had great coverage on the TD the TE caught over him. It was just a great pass from Kizer. I am really excited about him after tonight. He is around the ball and may just be the playmaker we are looking for.
- James Washington is the real deal. Dude is a baller and the way he plucks balls over guys heads makes you think he has the height of Randy Moss. I am all in on him. Our receiving group will be undisputedly the best in the league this season.
- Adeniyi may already be a more polished pass rusher than Dupree and that is sad. Wonder if they keep him on the 53 as a pure pass rush specialist?
- A few odds and ends now. Berry had a pretty crap night punting. Marcus Tucker is a good ST player making 2 nice tackles including chasing down a PR that broke big. Too bad he doesn't do anything on offense. Sutton finally got a chance at PR duty which was good to see. Hopefully we actually get to see him return some.