Will the Steelers clean up the “no talent” errors in their second preseason game?
While the Steelers showed plenty to appreciate in their first preseason game, sloppiness and laxity marred the performance. With 11 penalties against, for a combined 134 yards, they have a lot to clean up.
Disturbingly, many came on special teams. Even a veteran like Dean Lowry drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on a field goal attempt. The Steelers saw supposed future franchise LT Troy Fautanu commit false start and holding penalties in his limited playing time. That’s an extension of his training camp work, and Germie Bernard, another prominent offensive player, also committed a worrying number of infractions.
On the bright side, the Steelers didn’t struggle to tackle in their first preseason game. But the “no talent” mistakes should not be an issue, and they are. The concern is compounded by how long the issue has lasted, as HC Mike McCarthy noted weeks ago. Now in-stadium, it continues to cause problems for the team.
Tonight is the Steelers’ second preseason game, and their first opportunity to show they’ve cleaned things up since then. Given the way training camp ended, it’s hard to imagine they got in the work they’d hoped to in this department. In one early post-game practice, they did seem to devote extra time to special teams discipline.
One thing the Steelers absolutely cannot afford is to beat themselves, and what they do in the preseason may easily reflect what they will do in the regular season. Granted, we might not see all the starters, but we’re seeing these “no talent” errors from players who will absolutely be on the field come September, too.
The fact that the Steelers committed so many penalties in their first preseason game flies in the face of the message HC Mike McCarthy tries to promote about discipline and attention to detail. While they handily won the game, his team made him look bad in many ways. What they do tonight will reflect the success of his coaching methods and offseason regimen.
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks. With seven consecutive postseason losses and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin resigning.
We’re already out of training camp, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team that loses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
