Time for Steelers Football
Steelers camp is over. The preseason is behind us. The Pirates are a laughingstock. So, it’s time for Steelers football. Here are my annual team predictions for the season.
Quarterback
Much to my chagrin, Mitch Trubisky will be the starter. My chagrin is that Kenny Pickett is already 24 years old, and I don’t want to lose a season with him watching. It’s certainly possible Trubisky will trip up and Pickett will replace him. But, I think Trubisky will play just good enough to keep that from happening.
Bold prediction: Pickett takes over in October and rivals Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie season.
Running Back
Najee Harris proved last year that he is a Bettis-like warrior. He’ll get the rock a lot. I have two concerns though. First, our offensive line won’t give Najee a lot of running room. And second, I worry about injury. I think Najee will tail off of last years numbers a bit. Free agent Jaylen Warren will be an adequate backup and change of pace back.
Bold prediction: Najee Harris gets injured and Jaylen Warren has over 1,000 yards rushing.
Wide Receiver
This is a major strength. Diontae Johnson is a quiet star. Rookie George Pickens looks like a breakout star. And, don’t forget Chase Claypool. That’s a lot of solid targets for any quarterback. You heard it here. Gunner Olszewski will catch a lot of balls in the slot.
Bold prediction: George Pickens wins rookie of the year.
Tight End
I think Pat Freiermuth will become an elite tight end this season. And, I have a feeling we could see Connor Heyward more than we should.
Bold prediction: Freiermuth accumulates over 800 yards receiving with at least 10 touchdowns.
Offensive Line
Oh boy! It might be worse than last season. A team is only as good as it’s offensive line and defensive line. Steelers management didn’t do enough to fix the offensive line in the offseason, and it’s going to show this season. They still haven’t recovered from the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey and the sudden loss of David DeCastro.
Bold prediction: Tomlin coerces Pouncey, DeCastro and Ramon Foster out of retirement.
Kicker
I personally think Chris Boswell is the best kicker in the game except for Justin Tucker. I absolutely love knowing that when Boswell steps on the field, it is almost a guaranteed three points every time.
Bold prediction: Boswell doesn’t miss one field goal the entire year.
Defensive Line
Cameron Heyward is a likely Hall of Famer. Tyson Alualu returns to plug the hole in the middle. And, the addition of Larry Ogunjobi shores up the other side of the line. These guys should be fun to watch. And, now we have quality depth in the event of injury. A strength.
Bold prediction: Cameron Heyward outplays Aaron Donald with his new support.
Linebacker
T.J. Watt is a future Hall of Famer. I’m not sure about Alex Highsmith anymore. He seems to be regressing. The addition of Myles Jack is solid. My guess is Devin Bush starts the season. But, I predict he loses the starting position within six games.
Bold prediction: T.J. Watt breaks the single season sack record.
Cornerback
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t even know who the starters will be. There has been no significant talk about this position. That means it is tied up in a neat bow or a bad surprise is coming. Based on names alone, I’m very scared.
Bold prediction: I learn the name of at least one cornerback by the end of the season.
Safety
If he doesn’t have to lead the team in tackles again, I predict Minkah Fitzpatrick has a career year. I’m not high on Terrell Edmunds, but he’s steady. There is a ton of quality depth at this position.
Bold prediction: Minkah Fitzpatrick breaks the Steelers single season interception record.
Punter
I predict that Pressley Harvin has a great season. He has looked very good in the preseason and he has the rookie jitters out of his system.
Bold prediction: Harvin has at least one punt of over 70 yards.
Coaching
Head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t going anywhere, so we have to accept his pros and cons. I hope Matt Canada’s offense is everything it is advertised. And, I can’t wait to see the effect of Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin and Assistant Head Coach Brian Flores. I don’t see any way they don’t improve the defense dramatically.
Bold prediction: Austin and Flores lead the defense to the top five in the league.
Conclusion
Usually when everybody counts the Steelers out, they go to the Super Bowl. But, I don’t see that this year. I think they’ll be in all of the games, but win some and lose some. The games should be close and low scoring, but they don’t have Ben Roethlisberger to bail them out in the fourth quarter this season. I’ll predict an 8-9 record breaking Tomlin’s “never had a losing season” stretch. But, I would love if they surprised me! Go Steelers!
Bold prediction: I will get mad sometimes, but I will enjoy another Steelers season.
