Falcons' first drive

[Ghost]

No panic as it's just game 2 of the preseason but the 1st Q was downright horrrible with 8 out of 11 starters playing on D (and Falcons missing their best WR and starting RB). The article above lists the 3rd down D as a loser. More concerning is the inability to stop 3rd and long in the first Q: 3rd and 10 - 14 yards given up. 3rd and 10 - 10 yards given up. 3rd and 8 - 15 yards given up. One of those conversions was a flat out missed tackle by Gay that should have stopped him short.

[fordfixer]

I had to work Sunday so I listened to the game on the radio can't tell you how tired I was of hearing "They had a step on Cockrell" or "Cockrell beaten by a step"

[pittpete]

Golden is pretty useless

[Oviedo]

Golden is pretty useless

Yes he is.

Are you sure Shamarko didn't change his name to Golden?

[RuthlessBurgher]

We have two safeties named Golden now. Robert and Malik.

[Oviedo]

Seriously, for DBs I don't think we risk either Hilton or Brian Allen on the practice squad. I think maybe we carry an extra DB or two

[RuthlessBurgher]

Moats likes progress, but work still needed
Posted 17 hours ago

Teresa Varley
Steelers.com


Arthur Moats likes what he sees from the Steelers defense, but communication still needs work.

Easy to fix: Early in the season last year communication was an issue for the Steelers’ defense. It’s something they worked on, and eventually got it figured out.

That issue arose again on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, something Arthur Moats said will be easy to correct.

“I feel like we have done some good things, at the same time there is room for improvement,” said Moats. “I feel like from a communication standpoint we can continue to get better. We had some issues that we thought we put to bed last year. They rose back up.

“It’s one of those things if you don’t put emphasis on it, it can become an issue. During OTAs, training camp, you don’t have those issues occur. Until you have a team like the Falcons with the tempo in there on offense, you realize why we have it in place. We hadn’t emphasized it. Now that we have seen it in a stadium, we know we can put emphasis on the communications, hand signals so if we see it again we are taken care of.”

Mike Mitchell agreed with Moats’ assessment, but isn’t concerned at this point of the preseason.

“There is a little bit of that sense of false security you get in practice,” said Mitchell. “Yes, Ben (Roethlisberger) is trying to attack us. But if we don’t have a guy on the field, he waits for us to get the 11th guy in the field. But in game, its full speed, attack, attack, attack. Communication needs to get better, but we played better and it’s only the second preseason game. Communication is always going to be critical, especially playing in Pittsburgh on this defense.”

Staying positive: JuJu Smith-Schuster has been sidelined with a knee injury, missing Sunday’s game against the Falcons. It’s been a rough preseason for him, having hurt his ankle early on in training camp as well.

“This probably has been the hardest camp I have been a part of,” said Smith-Schuster. “If you go through camp injury free, God bless you. At the same time, it’s full pads every day. We go hard every day. It’s the most injuries I have had back-to-back. I stay positive, keep pushing.

“It’s hard at times. I wish I could be out there with my boys. This past week I wish I was able to go out there and play. But we have to do what is best for the future.”

Making a splash: Jordan Dangerfield has heard Coach Mike Tomlin preach about splash plays, and he took it to heart against the Falcons when he came up with two interceptions in the Steelers preseason win.

“It felt great,” said Dangerfield. “Just being able to catch my first career interception and another one after that, it felt incredible. Those plays are very important. That is one thing I wanted to show this year, that I can play man coverage, that I can make a play on the ball. I hope that shows them a little something.”

Dangerfield hasn’t had the easiest road in the NFL, from being released, to not being on a roster his rookie season, to practice squad, to active roster. He knows that every play counts, and he made his count against the Falcons.

“The journey I have been on, I don’t take anything for granted,” said Dangerfield. “I just come out here and compete every day and work hard. I am thankful for my opportunity.”

Social Spotlight:

I could lift that. #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/RIFz0j7uwJ
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 21, 2017


#SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/Rh9Dpte5eO
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 21, 2017

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Moats-likes-progress-but-work-still-needed/1ffc9a9a-2637-40c5-b6f2-de1924c29820

[RuthlessBurgher]

Steelers vs. Falcons Preseason Week Two: Knee Jerk Reactions after the Steelers 17-13 win over Atlanta

Check out the Steeler opinions of a writer tha shoots from the hip and apologizes later.

by Bryan Anthony Davis

Aug 22, 2017, 10:30am EDT

While watching the Steelers battle the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in their second exhibition game of 2017, I found myself not as enthused as I was the previous weekend against the Giants. What I'm sharing with you today were my true and initial thoughts without time to objectively think things through.

Thus, knee jerk reactions.

•The Steelers are 2-0 in the 2017 exhibition season. However, that and $1.29 will only get you a song on iTunes.

•The defense didn't impress in the early going. It could have been 21-0 early. But the bend-don't-break boys of Butler kept the Falcons out of the end zone after the early score. Makes me wonder how improved the defense actually is.

• Artie Burns is aggressive and that's a good thing. But his aggressiveness breeds too many penalties that a top-tier corner can't afford to commit. It's a fine line because you don't want him to lose that fire, but he needs to play with a higher level of discipline.

• Ross Cockrell seemed overmatched against lesser competition. Julio Jones would have ate his lunch, dinner and midnight snack too. He has talent, but can't afford to be a liability.

•Josh Dobbs will make this team and has shown enough to warrant it. But is it enough to leap frog Landry Jones and can he actually carry the mail if Ben goes down? Plenty of upside and a possible bright future for No. 5, but at this juncture, I think not.

•The feel good story of James Conner continues to read well. But the Pitt rookie needs to desperately rewrite the disappointing chapter that is his pass-catching ability.

•Danny Smith has been much-maligned as a Special Teams coach. His unit made him proud on Sunday.

• Trey Williams punt return to paydirt was a very impressive North-South jaunt. The Steelers need to employ a specialist to return punts and kicks. Like the long snapper, I'd love to see a return man that doesn't do anything but return. The diminutive Williams definitely threw his hat in the ring in a big way.

• Stephon Tuitt looks like a giant among men on defense. He has to get paid.

• Justin Hunter and Sammie Coates both had the perfect opportunity to set themselves apart and cement themselves in the crowded WR stable. Neither one did that against Atlanta. True...Hunter scored a TD. But it still wasn't a performance worthy of making him a mainstay.
•On the other side of the ball, Jordan Dangerfield took advantage of his audition,

Those were my kneejerk reactions for Preseason Week 2. Now let the carnage on the message boards commence.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2017-nfl-preseason-pittsburgh-steelers-atlanta-falcons-tickets-streaming-time-how-to-watch/2017/8/22/16176310/steelers-vs-falcons-preseason-week-two-knee-jerk-reactions-after-the-steelers-win-over-atlanta

[Shawn]

But guys its ok! We got JuJu in the second round.

[feltdizz]

But guys its ok! We got JuJu in the second round.

what a weird thing to type.

[Oviedo]

But guys its ok! We got JuJu in the second round.

That's wierd????

[feltdizz]

That's wierd????

Bust-a-JuJu

[Slapstick]

Because that 2nd round rookie CB that we had to trade up to get would have single handedly stopped the Falcons O...

[feltdizz]

Because that 2nd round rookie CB that we had to trade up to get would have single handedly stopped the Falcons O...

or maybe he gets hurt in practice and misses a preseason game and gets called a wasted pick?

silly season...lol

[RuthlessBurgher]

Three glaring offensive observations from the Steelers preseason game against the Falcons

Because the Steelers’ starting offense is already pretty much locked in, many backups and hopefuls are getting extended looks this pre-season. Here are three observations of them from the Steelers’ matchup against the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons.

by Mike Frazer

Aug 23, 2017, 9:30am EDT

Now that we have two preseason games in the books, it’s easy to start seeing the development of some players. That’s been especially true this year for the Steelers, as many veterans have yet to suit up for a game due to injury or, in the cases of some, a simple lack of need to get them playing time and risk injury. It’s given coaches the chance to get extended looks at some players, and for the fans, we can start to get an idea of who has a realistic shot at making the team.

For the Steelers, the starting offense is pretty much already set in stone, so the coaches have been giving potential backups a lot of opportunities to see actual playing time. Here are three observations of the offense after week two. Not surprisingly, none of them have anything to do with starters.

Joshua Dobbs had a rough game, but he understands the position very well

Dobbs’ stats so far in the 2017 pre-season have been anything but stellar. Let’s be honest, though: if you expected anything better than this, you were fooling yourself. He has the physical and mental tools to be a very good quarterback, but he’s exceedingly raw in a number of ways. There was, after all, a reason he wasn’t taken until the fourth round.

But it’s when you watch the little things where you see he gets it. He pretty much gets it all. There is just something about him that makes me feel it’s just going to be a matter of time and repetition, as well as some work with Quarterbacks Coach Randy Fichtner to improve some known mechanical issues, before he comes into his own. Future franchise quarterback? Probably not. Strong backup? I’m almost certain of it.

Again, it’s the little things. For instance, when he hit Martavis Bryant for a 23-yard completion early in the second quarter, he did two things that scream “veteran”: for one thing, he looked off the safety. And then, when he turned to Bryant, he identified the situation quickly and threw a little high and to the outside shoulder when the corner had inside leverage. The only one who had a shot at the ball was Bryant.

Two plays later, he throws to Darrius Heyward-Bey. It wasn’t a great pass, and was almost on the ground when it got to Heyward-Bey, but the way he keyed the pass off the defenders was a veteran move. Cornerback Damonte Kazee saw running back James Conner run a short out route and immediately charged him, leaving Heyward-Bey running a skinny post under a huge cushion from former Steeler C.J. Goodwin. He timed the throw for the moment Kazee cleared out of the lane, and would have likely had a solid completion had the throw been higher. Like I said: lots to work on, but a lot of promise in Dobbs’ ability to quickly diagnose a play after the snap.

James Conner has some things to work on

Conner had a slow start, then acquitted himself well as the game wore on. He’s always been a bit of a grinder, and I don’t expect that to change as a pro. He ended up averaging nearly five yards per carry, which is an extremely solid debut.

But there were definitely some negatives. He had two terrible drops as a receiver, and in both cases, he turned his head upfield before the ball got to his hands. That’s a huge no-no. But it’s also not at all uncommon for rookies who are trying to make plays to impress coaches. In particular, had he caught a third-down pass just after the two minute warning in the first half, he had a chance to turn a grab just one yard past the line of scrimmage into a 20 or 25 yard gain, if not more.

The other issue comes from a few easy ankle tackles that took him down. Specifically, three in the first half. On further review, the first — on Conner’s first career carry — wasn’t an ankle tackle at all, and was pretty close to being able to be called intentional tripping by the defender, as he threw his right leg out into Conner’s path. The other two, though, come down to a combination of balance, technique and anticipation. One of the reasons why fellow running back Le’Veon Bell is so hard to take down by the ankles is that he runs with high knees — i.e., his feet get good clearance, especially when rounding a corner. Conner is currently using his knees to slow down, and not enough of his hips, which generates small, quick steps, but makes him very susceptible to ankle tackles. He needs to get his rear-end lower and bend more at the waist when turning upfield, using his entire lower body as a shock absorber, and allowing him to get his feet up higher with each step.

B.J. Finney looked much better this week

Finney, a former college center, looked solid filling in for Maurkice Pouncey in 2016, but appeared to struggle at times last week against the New York Giants. Against the Falcons, though, he looked great. One play that really stood out came in the second quarter, when the Falcons ran a delayed stunt. Finney quickly identified the looping defensive lineman and was able to stand him up at the point of attack.

It’s a fairly small detail to notice, but in a game when the starting offense looked bland and disinterested, it’s nice to see Finney took his lumps from last week and turned them around. Should any of the interior linemen go down in 2017, it’s comforting to know the Steelers have someone of Finney’s caliber waiting to jump into the lineup.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2017-nfl-preseason-pittsburgh-steelers-atlanta-falcons-tickets-streaming-time-how-to-watch/2017/8/23/16182372/three-offensive-observations-steelers-second-pre-season-game-atlanta-falcons-analysis-review-nfl