Steelers vs Colts - Preseason Wk 2 - Thoughts and Reactions

Big Ben and the Steelers vs the Colts Sunday Night

Last night the Indianapolis Colts helped open up Heinz Field, and after everyone was strictly patted down and "wanded" by security it looked like a regular season game.  That was until the starters were removed after the first quarter.  As much as I say I love the preseason (and I really do...only time you get to see what some players are capable of) it is almost like watching a really good movie that ends after 30 minutes.  Regardless of your thoughts on the preseason, there are always things that we can take away / learn from these games, and here are my thoughts and reactions.  You disagree?  Leave YOUR thoughts and reactions in the comment section below the post.

- Offense Starts to Show Itself - In wk 1 of the preseason against the Eagles, the Steelers offense was called "dink and dunk" and a hybrid "west coast" offense.  In my "What to Watch For" post before the game Sunday night, I said that Steelers fans should expect to see Todd Haley open up the playbook more, and he did just that.  I enjoyed seeing some very unique packages, bunch formations, and interesting playcalls.  The bunch reverse to Chris Rainey was a beautiful playcall (even though he fumbled after an 8 yd gain), the read-option by Ben was another play that I don't mind seeing from time to time, and the quick screen passing game looks to be potentially lethal. 

- Offensive Players MIA - Heath Miller, Jerricho Cotchery, Emmanuel Sanders, and we all know Mike Wallace.  All of those players have done absoultely NOTHING this preseason.  Say what you want, but Emmanuel Sanders has been the only offensive receiver to catch a pass this preseason.  Maybe the plays just aren't opening up for veterans like Miller and Cotchery, but I certainly hope Haley plans to phase them into the game.  Heath is an excellent blocker, but also has a great set of hands to go with the blocking.  I think in Week 3 you will see the ball get in those playmakers hands more, and hopefully Mike Wallace is included in that mix.

- Turnovers and MORE Turnovers - This one goes both ways.  Ben Roethlisberger's interception on the opening series was down right hideous.  Not only was it ugly, but it was also inexcusable.  Ben can't blame Todd Haley's offense for that pass.  This is one of those throws that Ben has struggled with his entire career.  Think back to 2004 in the AFC Championship Game vs the NE Patriots.  Jerame Tuman releases into the flat wide open in the endzone if Ben lofts the ball over defender Rodney Harrison.  What happens?  Ben throws the ball flat and it is a pick-six the other way...game over.  Luckily this INT thrown wasn't the pick-six variety, but it was bad enough.  Those turnovers CANNOT happen if this team wants to win another Superbowl.  On the flip side, the defense/special teams did a great job of forcing turnovers.  Andrew Luck threw a pick-six to Ike Taylor (who knew that Ike could actually catch a football?!), another INT was basically due to the wide receiver bobbling the ball directly to the Steelers defender (don't think that Colt WR didn't think about the hit coming), and the blocked punt on special teams.  The pick-six and the blocked punt are the plays that stand out to me.  Those are what Tomlin calls "splash plays".  They are plays that can break the game wide open, or get you right back into a ball game.  Those were the plays the Steelers missed last season on defense and special teams. 

- Running Back Depth a Concern - I was anxiously awaiting seeing Chris Rainey and Baron Batch get the brunt of the workload last night.  Luckily for the Steelers Jonathan Dwyer suited up and showed the kind of toughness that can guarantee you a spot on the 53-man roster.  Dwyer did a respectable job as his size, speed, and agility were able to make some plays and get some yards after contact.  However, Chris Rainey looked to be undersized and overmatched when he carried between the tackles, and Baron Batch didn't seem to find any holes the entire night.  I did like how Batch was able to take what was given to him and surge ahead for a 2-3 yard gain.  Its better than nothing.  The one thing that jumped out to me though was that this offense needs Mendenhall, Redman, and then Dwyer (most likely) to be the top 3 RBs on the team.  Rainey gets thrown in as a WR/RB/KR/PR guy.  Hopefully Isaac Redman will be healthy for the last dress rehearsal at Buffalo next Saturday at 7:00pm.  Most likely the backfield for that game will be the backfield we will see on SNF in Denver to kick off the season.

- Offensive / Defensive Line Still Not "There" - The offensive line looked better in its pass protection for Ben Roethlisberger.  They didn't allow a sack when Big Ben was in the game, and he was only hurried once that I can recall (I blame my wife and kids for not letting me totally focus on the game...ha!).  The push in the run game was good enough to move the chains, and that is all you can ask from your offensive line.  David DeCastro continues to look more comfortable in the starting lineup, but Mike Adams (I give him credit for playing with his knee hurt) still struggles with pass blocking.  Run blocking is his forte, but you can't have a left tackle who struggles in pass blocking.  Look for Max Starks to take the starting job next Saturday and if healthy, never look back for the remainder of the season.  Now the defensive line was disappointing to me as they were coming off a great performance in the Eagles game.  There were several missed tackles, and at times players were being blown up off the line of scrimmage.  Steven McLendon did an "okay" job at NT, but Ziggy Hood missed several plays that could have been decision makers.  Cam Heyward didn't do much to impress when he got some playing time, but he is still a 2nd year player.  The line just looked too clogged to let the Linebackers roam free to make plays.  I'm sure this will improve by the regular season...we can only hope.

All in all the Steelers played a decent game, but I think this team has a TON of potential.  If they can all get healthy, and stay healthy then they could be a team to be reckoned with this season.  On a side note, if you ask me, Andrew Luck looks like the closest thing to sure thing than I've ever seen.  He showed the poise and patience that most rookies don't display at the NFL Level.  He shredded the Steelers 'D' for 2 80+ yd TD drives after throwing 2 INTs.  Lets hope this game is just a stepping stone for the Steelers as they approach September 9th date with Peyton Manning and the Broncos.