Steeler Nation, lets hope that this preseason game against the Eagles is a sign of things to come. The starting offense was really clicking with Ben Roethlisberger under center. Roethlisberger passed 8-12 for two touchdowns in limited action. Second year receiver Antonio Brown continues to shine and seems to be building good chemistry with Roethlisberger. Brown and Roethlisberger hooked up for a 29 yard TD pass. Brown has shown he is well on his way to securing that third wide receiver spot for the Steelers.
Wide receiver Hines Ward shows no signs of slowing down . Ben and Hines hooked up for a 20 yard TD . Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery may be the free agent steal of the year . He made 2 clutch catches from Byron Leftwich . One a 29 yard catch on 3rd and long and the other a 20 yard TD . Cotchery looks like a great pick up for the Steelers and seems to have recovered fine from his off season surgeries.
Running back Jonathan Dwyer may be the 4th back on the roster, after working his way in shape and showing he has improved on picking up the blitz on passing plays . He ran 13 times for 44 yards and a long of 14.
The offensive line still needs stability at left tackle with Johnathan Scott injured early on and then his replacement rookie Marcus Gilbert going down not long after . The good news is neither injury is thought to be serious and they both should recover.
The bad news is that both missed out on an opportunity to show what they could do at the position. Tony Hills looked good for the short time that he played guard but soon had to take over at left tackle because of Scott and Gilbert's injuries .
It looks like Tony Hills may be becoming the versatile and valuable player the Steelers hoped for when they drafted him .
On Defense the Steelers starters dominated most of the time . James Harrison and Troy Polamalu look to be making strong come backs and recovering on schedule. Both made great plays . Harrison pushed the pocket and helped on a sack of Michael Vick. Polamalu made a good interception and showed great burst and acceleration on the interception return and good closing speed on other plays . The Steelers defense also had interceptions from linebacker Larry Foote , safety Ryan Clark ,and cornerback Keenan Lewis. The Steelers defense had a total of 4 interceptions and intercepted Vick 3 times.
Keenan Lewis showed some of the promise, we all have been hoping for. Lets hope he keeps progressing in that direction.
The Steelers defense played with great intensity and seemed to get back to playing Steeler football this week.
The Steelers seem to be on the right track so far this preseason. Now lets take a look at the Good,Bad and Ugly of the Game.
The Good : There was plenty of good to go around. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers starting offense look to becoming something special . They had 2 long drives that ended in Touchdowns . The weapons on this offense seem plenty and the addition of WR Jerricho Cotchery is a big plus.
The Steelers defense showed that they can still dominate and the strong showings of James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are very encouraging. Anytime you can get 4 interceptions that's a good thing.
The Bad : There was not much bad but maybe the injuries to Scott and Gilbert at left tackle. The Steelers need to settle on a starting offensive line lineup soon and this does not help the situation any.
The Ugly : The Steelers did not have much ugly . Kicker Swayze Waters did miss an easy field goal of 27 yards .Waters also had a 47 yarder blocked. He made a 30 yard field goal . Going 1 of 3 for the game does not help Waters chances to make the team. The Steelers 3rd Stringers giving up 2 scores late in the game was ugly but no big deal.
OK Steeler Nation , It looks as if the Steelers are heading in the right direction so far on the road to 7.
Thanks for reading , feel free to comment and spread the word about this blog. You can follow the blog and me on Twitter @STEELERSNSTUFF.
Later, Steeler Nation
Go Steelers! Steeler Nation 4 life!
Link to Steelers-vs-Eagles-Highlights
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