:10—We have reached the halfway point of the season for your Pittsburgh Steelers and I thought it appropriate to give them a grade for their efforts so far. Yeah, it’s been quite a letdown from preseason expectations and the intrigue of if and/or when QB Kenny Pickett would assume the mantle of running the offense from Mitch Trubisky, especially in a season where parity has reared its ugly head and really laid waste to the league as a whole. Does anyone really think the Eagles will even reach the Super Bowl this season? And about the coronation of the Buffalo Bills as the best team in the AFC? Did you watch their game Sunday afternoon against the now 6-3 N.Y. Jets and then follow up with the K.C. Chiefs’ overtime winner against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night, Nov. 6? Or the Joe Burrow-led Cincy Bengals thrashing the inept Carolina Panthers? It seems as if almost anyone could go to the Super Bowl and win this year. Almost anyone.
:09—Let’s start with the defensive line. What may have been thought of as a strength before T.J. Watt went down with an injury and Stephon Tuitt retired right before training camp has sunk to a weakness. The Steelers’ D ranks 17th against the run and sacks and pressures have virtually disappeared from their scorecard. Cam Heyward can’t do it alone and his play thus far has shown that to be true. DeMarvin Leal gets an “Incomplete” due to playing time but the likes of Larry Ogunjobi, Chris Wormley and the rest receive a generous “D.”
:08—The linebacking corps minus T.J. have done some admirable work with Myles Jack seemingly all over the field making tackles and Devin Bush performing at a better level than last year. Alex Highsmith has 6.5 sacks, ranking him tied for 11th place right now but his presence has not been felt much beyond the first few games of the season. I’ll go with a solid “C” for these men so far. Hey, I’m just saying, could be much worse.
:07—The defensive backfield. Hmmm. Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety are asked to do so much it’s truly hard to judge their real value. Minkah makes a lot of tackles for a safety and Terrell has had some stellar moments, especially the Tampa Bay game that I’m throwing a “B” up there for them. The cornerbacks and the other safeties? Are any of them capable of catching an interception? Or stripping a ball from a receiver or running back? Let’s see what William Jackson III can bring to the table but for now the rest of the secondary gets a “D.”
:06—The offense has scored 120 points, dead last in the NFL. They do nothing well and most things poorly. The offensive line is penalty-riddled, poor at run-blocking and Kenny Pickett is constantly having to scramble to avoid a sack. They average 204 yards passing a game, 23rd in the NFL and are 27th in rushing with 94 yards per game, placing them 28th in total offense. The line gets a “D-” with no upside on the horizon.
:05—Let’s group our rushing and receiving corps together to make things easier. First off, it seems that Najee Harris is still injured rendering him inefficient and Jaylen Warren has only 18 carries across the last 5 games for 99 yards, not a huge body of evidence to judge him by. Another “D” at best. The receivers, now minus Chase Claypool, are hamstrung by the play-calling and the weakness of the O-Line play. George Pickens is a superstar with at least half of the rest of the league but here he’s an afterthought on most passing plays. C’mon, man, the ability is there, utilize it. Diontae Johnson has shown flashes of greatness along with flashes of Dwight “Hands of” Stone. And Pat Freiermuth has proven he can make the tough catch and gain yards after catch so he’s a keeper. “B” for all things considered.
:04—Finally, we wrap up our scorecard with the QB position. Coming into the Tampa Bay game cold after Kenny Pickett went down with a concussion, Mitch Trubisky looked like the QB the team had been waiting for, completing 9 of 12 passes for 144 yards, a nifty 12 yards per pass, with 1 TD and a passer rating that sizzled, 142.4. It looked as if maybe things would move forward, the play calling would be a little more wide open and the offense would begin to gather steam with each subsequent game. Wait, what? Did anyone really think that? With their head and not their heart? First and foremost, Matt Canada is not an offensive coordinator except in name only. Unimaginative, dull, monotonous play-calling has stymied the players at every turn. The QBs get a combined “C-.” And those sportswriters and sportscasters burying Kenny Pickett or heaping backhanded praise on him, did you watch Malik Willis from the Titans on Sunday night? It’s not that easy for a rookie QB and he has Derrick Henry to hand off to every game. Patrick Mahomes attempted 35 passes his first season. For the entire season. So get a grip, people. And remember the old adage—Be careful what you wish for, for you will surely get it….when you think about all the people calling for Big Ben to retire after last season.
:03—The Penguins are “Terrible” right now with a deserved capital “T.” They’ve lost their last 7 games and look worse than the Pirates or the Steelers. Yeah, hard to imagine the team that has three Stanley Cup titles in the last 13 years is the worst team in the city but man, they’re bad. At 35 and in his 18th season I will never say anything bad about Sidney Crosby but 7 straight losses is a tough pill to swallow. I’m the glass half full guy so I say they turn it around quickly and make the playoffs for the 17th straight year. And I am the hockey guru of this town and don’t you forget it.
:02—The Houston Astros have won the World Series for the second time in 6 years, this time without any scandal and I was happy to see Dusty Baker win his first title as a manager at the young age of 73 and Justin Verlander win his second ring at 39 years old. Here’s to the old school guys.
:01—The Lakers are 2-7. The only team worse than the Lakers is the Houston Rockets at 1-9. LeBron will pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history sometime this season and there are those who will tell you in a whisper in a smoky, loud room that he’s the greatest player in NBA history. Feel free to pretend you didn’t hear them. Or know them.
:00—GAME OVER.
YOUNG GHOSTS AND GOBLINS from the Homewood community came out to the third-annual Trunk and Treat sponsored by the Elite Corvette Club of Pittsburgh. The kids went from car to car to get their candy. It was a big hit, a safe event, and the parents were directly involved. A great time for all!
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