Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Big Ben, Minkah Fitzpatrick and other Steelers thoughts on goals for finishing season.
The Steelers want to go 1-0 every week, but they’ve also said their goal is not to go undefeated but to reach and win the Super Bowl.
Here are what some players have said about their perfect season, as they await Tuesday and another opportunity to go 1-0.
Before yesterday, the 6-0 start to the season had only occurred once for the Steelers.
When the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Seattle Seahawks in overtime late Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers stood alone as the only unbeaten team in the NFL.
Before yesterday, the 6-0 start to the season had only occurred once for the franchise, in 1978. That year, Pittsburgh went 14-2 and won the Super Bowl.
For the Steelers, there’s still a long road ahead and a lot of questions to answer after they blew a 17-point lead in Tennessee.
In another measuring stick game, Pittsburgh will face its next-toughest matchup in six days when they travel to Baltimore to take on the division rival Ravens.
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A new concept for the 2020 season is the “protected” practice squad. Here are the four players the Steelers chose to protect.
For Week 4, the Steelers have chosen to protect wide receiver Deon Cain running backs Trey Edmunds and Wendell Smallwood and defensive end Henry Mondeaux. These four are not eligible to sign with another team until after Sunday’s game.
The most interesting observation is that Pittsburgh has protected two running backs. With the addition of Edmunds, linebacker Jayrone Elliott is now unprotected.
Practice squad “protection” is a new concept for the 2020 season. It’s a concession for the potential personnel shortages that could occur if the virus strikes the locker room.
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Teams can designate protected players each Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m., except for clubs that played on the previous Monday night; their designations go into effect prior to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Steelers continue their 2020 season Sunday, Oct. 4 versus the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
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A new concept for the 2020 season is the “protected” practice squad. Here are the four players the Steelers chose to protect.
For Week 2, the Steelers have chosen to protect linebacker Jayrone Elliott, defensive end Henry Mondeaux, tackle Derwin Gray and running back Wendell Smallwood. These four are not eligible to sign with another team until after Sunday’s game.
Practice squad “protection” is a new concept for the 2020 season. It’s a concession for the potential personnel shortages that could occur if the virus strikes the locker room.
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Teams can designate protected players each Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m., except for clubs that played on the previous Monday night; their designations go into effect prior to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Steelers continue their 2020 season Sunday, Sept. 20 versus the Denver Broncos at Heinz Field.
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SiriusXM Blitz co-host pictures the Steelers hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in 2021.
Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn broke down their predictions for conference champions and Super Bowl on their show SiriusXM Blitz on Wednesday.
The two have the Steelers and Chiefs repping the AFC but predicted opposite winners.
For Murray, it came down to Baltimore or Pittsburgh in the conference championship. “Everything you’re hearing and seeing about Ben Roethlisberger coming back from that injury, with the arm being sound… I think it’s easy to see [Pittsburgh in it].”
Murray doesn’t have the Steelers winning the AFC North but does envision Baltimore faltering in the playoffs, as they have the last two seasons — leaving Pittsburgh to battle Kansas City for the conference. Murray picked the Chiefs as victors.
While Murray speculates Kansas City in the Super Bowl, Quinn has the Steelers beating the Chiefs for a trip to Tampa.
“I think [the Steelers] might be one of the only teams that defensively has the pieces to match up with the Chiefs offense,” Quinn said. “Also, offensively, put some pressure on the Chiefs and put up some points through the air and on the ground.”
Quinn, a former first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, thinks Pittsburgh’s team checks all the boxes they need to be successful.
“They get JuJu Smith-Schuster coming back healthy with a second-round pick in Chase Claypool. And Diontae Johnson, James Washington to go along with their tight ends, their run game. They really do have it all.”
“As long as Ben stays healthy and plays the way he’s capable of, this team shouldn’t have any shortcomings,” said Quinn. “I have the Pittsburgh Steelers winning it all in 2020 and beating the New Orleans Saints, unfortunately for Drew Brees and Sean Payton… It may be one of the last [Super Bowl wins] Pittsburgh has with Big Ben.”
Then Quinn asked the question all of Steelers Nation has since the pandemic surfaced, and the NFL decided to make a go of the season.
“What’s going to happen if Ben Roethlisberger gets COVID and has to miss a couple of weeks — will Mason Rudolph be able to take over and do enough at the quarterback spot?” Quinn asked, hypothetically. “There are all kinds of questions that are yet to play out [for the league].”
For those who may remember, Quinn played in the NFL for a spell. He was selected 22nd overall in the 2007 NFL Draft by Cleveland, where he appeared in 14 games over three seasons. He spent his final season with the Chiefs in 2012.
I think we can all agree, Quinn is a far better analyst/radio co-host than he was a pro football player. And not just because he picked the Steelers to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2021.
Did my Super Bowl 55 pick with @Brady_Quinn today
on @SiriusXMNFL.I apologize in advance to fans of all the other teams.
Bruce SB 55 Champion – #Saints
Brady SB 55 Champion – #SteelersAgree? Disagree? Let's hear it!
👇AFC/NFC CHAMP BREAKDOWN👇 pic.twitter.com/xYlgjqke2y
— Bruce Murray (@BruceMurrayNFL) September 9, 2020
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A new concept for the 2020 season is the “protected” practice squad. Here are the four players the Steelers chose to protect.
Steelers protect 4 on practice squad (other teams cannot sign):
LB Jayrone Elliott, DE Henry Mondeaux, S Curtis Riley, RB Wendell Smallwood— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) September 8, 2020
For Week 1, the Steelers have chosen to protect linebacker Jayrone Elliott, defensive end Henry Mondeaux, safety Curtis Riley and running back Wendell Smallwood. These four are not eligible to sign with another team until after Sunday’s game.
Practice squad “protection” is a new concept for the 2020 season. It was put into place to allow teams more flexibility due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.
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Teams can designate protected players each Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m., except for clubs that played on the previous Monday night; their designations go into effect prior to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Steelers kick off their 2020 season Monday, Sept. 14 versus the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
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The deadline for teams to trim their rosters to the final 53 was Saturday.
Like every other NFL team, the Steelers were forced to trim their rosters from 80 to 53 on Saturday.
It’s worth noting this roster is fluid. Since teams have until noon Sunday to submit a claim for players placed on waivers or sign free agents, the 53-man roster could potentially change.
Click on the gallery to see all the Steelers current 53-man roster.
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Pro Football Focus released its ranking of all 32 defenses ahead of the 2020 season.
Ranking all 32 offenses 👇https://t.co/q2pkfBObm6
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) September 2, 2020
It’s that time of year where Pro Football Focus releases its rankings ahead of the 2020 season.
PFF ranked the Steelers third, just behind the San Francisco 49ers and (the despised) Baltimore Ravens.
Here’s a snippet of what PFF’s Anthony Treash had to say about the Steelers D.
The trio of [T.J.] Watt, [Cam] Heyward and [Stephon] Tuitt is a force to be reckoned with and will be the toughest matchup of the year for any offensive line on the Steelers’ schedule.
Fitzpatrick produced an 87.6 coverage grade after being traded from the Dolphins, the sixth-best at the position. He certainly proved he could be one of the best deep safeties in the game for Pittsburgh.
In addition to Fitzpatrick, The Steelers have three of the NFL’s top-25 cornerbacks in their secondary [Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, Mike Hilton].
PFF does give credit where credit is due — to Watt, Heyward, and the secondary. The 49ers and the Ravens are stacked on defense, but the Steelers have the potential to outdo both of them in 2020.
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Steelers coaches are looking forward to seeing the progress that defensive end Stephon Tuitt has made since his 2019 season-ending injury.
Karl Dunbar said when Stephon Tuitt is on the field you can't double team everybody. He said today is a day they can 'kick the tires and toot the horn' as far as Tuitt's injury progress since they will be in pads.
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 17, 2020
Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt hasn’t tasted live game action since October of 2019. Tuitt suffered a torn pectoral during the first half of the Week 6 Steelers-Chargers game and was placed on injured reserve.
Monday is the first day the Steelers slap on the pads in training camp and really get at it. It’s also the first opportunity to see Tuitt in action since last season. Pittsburgh’s defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said in a pre-camp press conference on Monday that it was difficult to evaluate Tuitt in “shirts and shorts”.
Dunbar is anxious to see the progress that Tuitt has made. “Today is a day we get to toot the horn and kick the tires,” he said.
Fellow lineman Cam Heyward added that Tuitt has been “itching to go, raring to go” after missing 10 games last season.
Tuitt’s presence was sorely missed along the line. Before his season-ending injury, he had racked up 3.5 sacks, 18 tackles (six for loss) and seven quarterback hits.
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The new Pittsburgh Steelers fullback was brought in to inject some life into the ground attack.
The Pittsburgh Steelers want to take some of the pressure off their star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the best way to do that is to find a way to revive their once successful ground attack.
Cue: Derek Watt.
Though Watt has been more of a special teamer in his four-year NFL career, his talents should help increase production on offense, as well. After all, former Chargers running back Melvin Gordon couldn’t have amassed 3,599 yards and 36 touchdowns without a little help from his friend.
The Steelers have been at or near the bottom of the league in rushing the past two seasons and desperately need to utilize the fullback more.
While Steelers fans shouldn’t expect the second coming of Dan Kreider, I don’t believe Pittsburgh would’ve signed Watt to such a lucrative contract if he wasn’t going to be a key player in the run game. Watt is a tenacious run-blocker which should help running back James Conner tremendously. Teams that are successful on the ground like the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens have solid fullbacks in Kyle Juszczyk and Patrick Ricard.
There’s no doubt T.J. Watt nudged the Steelers to consider his free-agent older brother, but Tomlin and special teams coordinator, Danny Smith, also got a look at Watt with their own eyes. In the Steelers-Chargers game in October, Watt was part of 21 special teams snaps and six snaps on offense.
Steelers quarterbacks coach Matt Canada, who was Watt’s offensive coordinator during his freshman year at Wisconsin, offered valuable insight as well. In 2012, Derek played in all 14 games (five starts) and contributed 150 yards on 12 catches. He was also an integral part of their successful run game, making key blocks for running back Montee Ball, who enjoyed a record-breaking season.
Canada may be quarterbacks coach by title, but he was also brought to Pittsburgh to inject some creativity into what has become a predictable offense. Canada knows Watt’s strengths and how to use them.
As for the Steelers, they’re still in the discovery phase when it comes to Watt. “I think we are in the process of discovering that as we familiarize ourselves with him and his skillsets and the things he does well,” said head coach Mike Tomlin during a press conference on Thursday. “The known aspect of his game that was really attractive to us was his high-level of productivity on special teams.”
“And because we had an opportunity to play against his team last year, we also were very respectful of his functional fullback skills. But some of the off the beaten path things, some of the additional things, we are going to learn about him along the way.”
Tomlin pointed out that Watt and then-Steeler Tyler Matakevich led the NFL in special teams tackles in 2019.
Special teams is a critical phase of any football game, and the Steelers can always use help on that side of the ball.
In 2019, Watt played in 325 special teams snaps with a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.5. On offense, he logged 72 run-blocking snaps (58 grade) to just four pass-blocking snaps (34 grade). Watt did score a touchdown, but only had eight rushing attempts for 10 yards, so it doesn’t appear that he’ll be cutting into Conner’s touches.
Conner welcomes the presence and versatility that Watt brings to the Steelers.
“It’s been awesome having Derek,” said Conner in a Wednesday press conference. “He comes to work every day. He’s a leader as well. In the classroom, he sets the tone in there with his knowledge and how he’s picking things up. On the field, he brings energy. He will help our team out a lot, especially on special teams as well. You know, the way he comes down on kickoffs and being a fullback, he does it all.”
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