Neues » The Pittsburgh Steelers need help on offense

Black Zach Gentry Jersey , but what is the solution to their problem?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsSteelers Film Room2018 NFL Draft AnalysisLatest NewsLatest NewsWith so many Steelers offensive weapons lost the past two years, what is the solution?New,114commentsThe Pittsburgh Steelers need help on offense, but what is the solution to their problem?EDTShareTweetShareShareWith so many Steelers offensive weapons lost the past two years, what is the solution?Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsLe’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Jesse James, and Martavis Bryant have all moved on from the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2017 season. That high octane offense went 13-3 while generating 377 yards per game, has been all but dismantled. Of the skill players who remain, running back James Conner, wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Vance McDonald accounted for 1 Rod Woodson Jersey ,249 of the 6,201 yards generated during the season. The trio saw a major uptick last season while generating 3,506 yards, looming questions remain with the draft less than two weeks away. This leads to some enormous question marks that will impact the Steelers draft. Can Smith-Schuster keep evolving and be productive with additional coverage as the Steelers top wide receiver? Who will be the #2 wideout, second-year James Washington or newcomer, Donte Moncrief? Will Washington or Moncrief gel with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2019? Can Conner remain healthy for 16 games and break a thousand yards? How many games will McDonald miss in 2019? He has never played in all 16 games during his six-year career while missing 21 of a possible 72 games. I am worried about our offense and filling all that lost productivity in the past two seasons. A case can be made by fans that we need an infusion of talent on defense and I agree but not in the first round. The position that has the greatest need for an impact player for the 2019 season is at tight end. As I noted in earlier articles, inside linebacker and wide receiver do not have clear paths for playing time. As I pointed out McDonald, just like most of the top tight ends in the NFL, misses games. I have no faith in backup tight end Xavier Grimble being able to be a reliable fill in for McDonald let alone see the substantial snap counts James participated in past years. Do I want a player on the field for 500 snaps who fails to wrap up the football, who carries the ball in the wrong hand, and tries to showcase his tough guy mentality all on the same play Dan McCullers Jersey , while failing? Pass. I want a guy who is technically sound as a receiving tight end and the best blocking tight end in the 2019 draft. TJ Hockenson is that player. Is Hockenson a SPARQ athlete like fellow Iowa Hawkeyes Noah Fant? He is not. Fant was not asked to block in college which raises a red flag. Just because he was not asked to block in college does not mean he can’t. If he has blocking skills why did Hockenson shoulder such a load? NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks compare Hockenson to Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, which is a valid comparison. They are both big-bodied tight ends separated by only an inch and about 10 pounds. Both ran a 4.7 forty time at the combine and contribute on the field similarly. That is high praise for Hockenson to be compared to a player fourth on the NFL’s all-time reception list and 21 in receiving yards. With so much offense lost it will be hard for the Steelers to replace that with their current players. The 1,720 lost yardage from James and AB departing cannot be absorbed by players currently on the roster. A big chunk should and will but not all of it. Hockenson has the ability not only to open holes for Conners but also find holes in defensive secondaries like Heath Miller did for so many years in Pittsburgh. Hockenson being available at 20 is in doubt so it is up to general manager Kevin Colbert to move up and snag a true difference maker in 2019. Check out his highlight reel on You Tube. The Steelers were back on the gridiron for another training camp practice, and we’ve got the recap for you!" Latest NewsSteelers 2019 Training Camp Recap: Fans get final glimpse of Steelers before Buccaneers gameNew,4commentsThe Steelers were back on the gridiron for another training camp practice, and we’ve got the recap for you!EDTThe Pittsburgh Steelers have over a week of training camp practices under their belt now, and while there are times it is still considered “football in shorts”, the team has had plenty of news coming from these workouts heading into the preseason. With the team’s first preseason game this Friday, the Steelers continued to put the final touches on their preparation for the upcoming exhibition game. Wednesday’s practice was also the final time fans will get to see the team before their game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday at Heinz Field.The team will practice Thursday, but it will be closed to the public. Nonetheless, there was news Roosevelt Nix Jersey , outside of Joe Haden’s mysterious/not-so-serious injury, and it is now time to dive into that news...Seven ShotsOffense wins...again. Is this drill just a formality anymore? While there are occasions where the outcome is disputed, a quarterback sack or a player out of bounds, but the Steelers offense has dominated the defense in this goal-line drill. If my memory serves me, the defense has only won this drill one time, and Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t participating on that day. This is an aspect of the team I am anxious to see on Friday night.P.J. Locke sightingWhen the Steelers signed former Texas Longhorn safety P.J. Locke, everyone thought he could be a depth piece on a team needing help at the safety position. However, throughout training camp there has been little-to-no news surrounding Locke...until Wednesday. During the Seven Shots drill, it was Locke, and not Kameron Kelly, filling in for Sean Davis. Locke got an opportunity Coty Sensabaugh Jersey , but whether he seized that opportunity is up for debate.Boswell remains strongChris Boswell is, and should, remain a focal point of training camp. His success, or failure, will determine how the team handles his hefty contract/bonus at the end of the preseason. If the early portions of camp are any indication, Boswell has been rock solid, and he had another good performance on Wednesday. Mike Tomlin did say Boswell and Matthew Wright will alternate kicks on Friday night at Heinz Field.Zach Banner impressingLeading up to training camp everyone was talking about the right tackle battle between Matt Feiler, Chukwuma Okorafor and Jerald Hawkins. But there was another player no one was talking about, but was on the 53-man roster last year, and that is none other than the mountain of a man named Zach Banner.Wednesday, it was made clear the depth at tackle involves Banner. Banner has drawn positive comments from Mike Tomlin Franco Harris Jersey , and with each poor practice Jerald Hawkins has it seems Banner might be paving his way to the 53-man roster for a second straight season.Glimpse into QB rotation throughout preseasonIf you are a fan who was trying to draw conclusions into Joshua Dobbs starting the game Friday night, think again. Tomlin typically gives his most seasoned backup the start in Week 1. He did this for Landry Jones, and is doing the same with Dobbs. What will be interesting to see is how he handles Weeks 2 and 3 with Dobbs and Mason Rudolph. Nonetheless, Rudolph spoke with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently and gave an outline as to what the team might be thinking as the preseason progresses, in regards to the quarterback rotation.PODCASTSVIDEOSPHOTOS