2022 GDT 5-7 Steelers host the 8-4 Ravens

[Steeler Hitman]

Ratbirds at Stillers....  It is Ravens Week aka The Bruise Brothers Bowl!!!

Stillers lead series over Ratbirds 32-24-0

This is a series that everyone gets beat up! Physical versus Physical!!!!

Kenny Pickett has been dialing up the tosses to TE's Freiermuth and Heyward!!!!

Look who is maturing at QB.... Kenny Pickett is quietly becoming a leader and the QB of the future!

Dionte Johnson has been consistently inconsistent as the #1 WR.  

The Muth has been running loose. 

The Ravens will probably be without franchise QB Lamar Jackson

The Ravens still have a formidable defense that can give the inconsistent Steelers offense problems.

This game will probably come down to who can hold onto the football best:

Who can hold onto the ball when it is handed off to them or thrown to them. 

Who can avoid turnovers or have the fewest turnovers will probably win.

Steelers have a slight edge playing at home and no Lamar, but this is Kenny Pickett's and George Pickens first Raven experience. 

 

Yes throw Pickens the ball more!!!!

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Steeler Hitman

[jebrick]

Be interesting to see what is happening with Lamar.  I heard day-to-day and week-to-week.  I heard speculation on a torn LCL

[MOSteelers56]

43 minutes ago, jebrick said:

Be interesting to see what is happening with Lamar.  I heard day-to-day and week-to-week.  I heard speculation on a torn LCL

His contract situation is going to be very interesting too. Short term problems for the Ravens as well as potential long term problems. 

[August4th]

looking forward to seeing how kenny handles his ravens rivalry debut

[MOSteelers56]

I believe we're favored to win this one. Vegas has us at -2. 

[bigben07MVP]

1 hour ago, jebrick said:

Be interesting to see what is happening with Lamar.  I heard day-to-day and week-to-week.  I heard speculation on a torn LCL

I seriously doubt he plays but Huntley is no slouch. He showed some good things last year and I think he’s one of the better backups in the league.

[43M]

2 hours ago, bigben07MVP said:

I seriously doubt he plays but Huntley is no slouch. He showed some good things last year and I think he’s one of the better backups in the league.

We have lost to worse backups on worse teams.

[3rivers]

3 hours ago, jebrick said:

Be interesting to see what is happening with Lamar.  I heard day-to-day and week-to-week.  I heard speculation on a torn LCL

even if he is healthy I think we get this win. We have his number for the most part, but it should be good. If has the torn LCL he should be out but maybe they will be another team that makes a player play then after the season the league finds out about such an injury

[warfelg]

 

[Dcash4]

 

The idea that this is all being overblown by the media is valid, but it's also concerning that they seem to just be brushing it under the rug and pointing the fingers back to the media. That wide receiver room is scary man, especially with just how fragile all of their mental states seem to be and how the attitude seems to be to shrug your shoulders and go get em next time. 

I would be inviting Pickens into every QB meeting when we go through tape. He needs to see and understand progressions and get a viewpoint from the QB eyes. There's plenty of times he gets open way too late or is eliminated early on in the process that are real reasons to move on. 

I don't want to turn this into a "blame Tomlin" moment because I dont, but I do think he needs to get a hold of this group personally. Whatever they have been doing behind closed doors isn't working and it's spilling onto the field (and we have seen a DJ benching work in the past). 

This room needs a no nonsense vet in the worst of ways. 

[MOSteelers56]

@Dcash4 I think it was you that mentioned the stat that Pickens is one of the least open WRs in the game. I think James Lofton even mentioned in on the broadcast against the Falcons. He said something like Pickens thinks he's open but he's actually not because the windows close much faster in the NFL. 

[August4th]

who was the last vet in the room? Moncrief? and he did not last a yr. the next one would be AB lmao. crazy to think Juju might be the closest to a "vet leader" guy we've had in yrs when he was like 23 being a leader. DJ was seen giving advice to Pickens on the sideline,  maybe he can grow into a mentor type eventually...

[Dcash4]

32 minutes ago, MOSteelers56 said:

@Dcash4 I think it was you that mentioned the stat that Pickens is one of the least open WRs in the game. I think James Lofton even mentioned in on the broadcast against the Falcons. He said something like Pickens thinks he's open but he's actually not because the windows close much faster in the NFL. 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nfl-receiver-rankings/

Still not great. Ranks 93 of 111 in open score. This just matches seeing games. He is generally covered. He is also a player who is still open while he is covered, but your going to have a difficult time selling that to a Rookie KP when there seems to be an emphasis on protecting the ball. 

He had a flash of anger on Sunday's game when he was running a 7/banana back to the left sideline and he threw his arms up after the play.....Atlanta was in a C2, but his route took longer to develop and Kenny was already back out the other side against pressure running right. 

I like that he wants the ball and doesn't care about coverage. But I also think he needs to start understanding why he isn't getting it (and I would really love to sell him on focusing his route running so he becomes a monster next season). 

37 minutes ago, August4th said:

who was the last vet in the room? Moncrief? and he did not last a yr. the next one would be AB lmao. crazy to think Juju might be the closest to a "vet leader" guy we've had in yrs when he was like 23 being a leader. DJ was seen giving advice to Pickens on the sideline,  maybe he can grow into a mentor type eventually...

I wonder how much an effect the WR coaches we had were the heads of those rooms. Richard Mann was well respected until he retired. Heard all sorts of good things about Darryl Drake as a leader before he passed away. Then Tomlin fires Hilliard after 2 seasons and now who knows with Jackson....But I would say early returns are not great. 

[MOSteelers56]

I think Pickens and Pickett will develop a strong rapport during the off-season. I'd say if Kenny gets a little extra leash and he starts fully trusting Pickens, we'll see a lot more tight window throws. I'm not super worried about this. 

[Dcash4]

1 hour ago, MOSteelers56 said:

I'm not super worried about this. 

As a one off I wouldn't be worried about it, but when I think of the total picture of what this wide receiver room has been they feel like they are on a lawless island of mischief. A rookie with a shaky history who can't get open is visually frustrated about not getting the ball and Diontae couldn't buy a ticket into the doghouse like it's a Taylor Swift concert and Mike Tomlin is ticketmaster. 

A connection to Mike Tomlin's "I'd rather say whoa than sic' em" is "it's easier to loosen up than it is to tighten up". Things like this are fine until they aren't, then it's hard to put the genie back in the bottle. 

I agree that Pickens and Pickett should be setting up that relationship of trust moving forward, but your receiver screaming "throw me the f*** ball" coming off the sideline isn't a great bridge to wanting to work with someone.