By Tim Clark / / Column, Tim's Two Cents, Football
Two

When the ball was placed down with just over a minute to play in the game, there was 60 yards and 18 and a half feet of space between the goalposts separating the Steelers from an embarrassing opening day loss to the hapless Jets and a stirring come from behind victory.

It seemed improbable —especially after the Steelers called three idiotic plays that actually lost a couple yards— for victory to be had with a 60 yard field goal.

Except the Steelers have “The Boz”.

 

The kick would have been good from Times Square.

The rest was a mixed bag

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Steelers made a lot of changes this offseason, but the game plan and results were eerily similar.

The last we saw the Steelers defense, the Ravens were carving them up, mainly with the run. Sunday, the Jets used the same game plan and got similar results. The interior of the Steelers defensive line resembled Swiss cheese. Whether rookie first round pick Derek Harmon will fix the problem when he returns remains to be seen. Not waiting until the second half to work rookie Yahya Black, a human road block, into the game probably would have been smart. Teryl Austin doesn’t do smart. Mike Tomlin continues to employ Austin.

There also were no blitzes employed until —allegedly— a player vehemently suggested that change at halftime. The blitzes helped and new Steeler, Jalen Ramsey, took control in the second half including this beauty to end the game.

 


Ramsey brings experience and a winning attitude to a defense that certainly can use more of the latter. More splash plays will be needed and certainly massive improvement will be needed up the middle of the defense.

Oh, yea, Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback.

 Rodgers is the most professional quarterback the Steelers have played with since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Rodgers can dissect a defense and get the ball to the correct receiver. He got lots of people involved, and had to do a lot more than he should because the rushing  attack was nonexistent. Sound familiar?

The Steelers needed all four of Rodgers touchdown passes to survive the Jets upset bid. A little luck was needed as well.

 

 

DK Metcalf is a star receiver who won’t be a problem child. Calvin Austin is becoming a really solid NFL receiver. The tight end room is stacked. If the Steelers can get a little bit from the other receivers the passing game should flourish. That is if Arthur Smith will allow it to flourish.

That offensive line, particularly the tackles needs quick improvement. In week one Broderick Jones made me yearn for Dan “Turnstile” Moore. Right tackle Troy Fauntanu needs reps after missing all of last year.

It was far, far from perfect. After all, they could have held a high powered offense to 7 total yards in the second half, but miss an extra point to lose by one. But nobody aspires to be the Browns.

The Steelers have a lot to work on before the hard luck Seahawks invade Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. For now, enjoy being 1-0.

In Boz we trust.

What else caught my eye in week one:
  • Justin Herbert looked good for the Chargers.
  • Mike McDaniel should get his bags packed in Miami. Tua can focus on the Presidential Fitness Committee because his days as a starting NFL QB are numbered.
  • Good for Pete Carroll. A week away from turning 74. Amazing.
  • Surely Russell Wilson won’t start another game. Right?
  • Joe Burrow is going to get killed. Bengals management should be held liable.
  • I thought Michael Pennix was going to be a good NFL QB. I think I am going to be right.
  • Brock Purdy will never earn all that money, but he is luckier than the average QB.
  • Detroit’s offensive line is already making me regret picking the Lions in the NFC.
  • Baltimore/Buffalo may be the ga,e of the year in week one.
  • Josh Allen makes the Bills way better. Lamar Jackson does amazing things, but he has so much more around him starting with a rather impressive offensive line. My point is Allen>Lamar.

Tweet of the Week

Hawk Tuah girl may live on forever. This tweet was funny as hell considering the Dak Prescott/Jalen Carter spit off.


The Weekly Shiny Penny

I had the privilege of interviewing Lanny Frattare on my old Two Guys Talking podcast, and it was a blast. Lanny was the best and I grew up listening to his “Go Ball” and “NoooooDoubt about it” calls on Pirates broadcasts. This honor was earned and overdue.

 


A Penny For My Final Thought…

Wouldn’t it have been a pleasure to follow up the great matchups in week one of college football with more of the same in week two?

No such luck.

Here is a partial list of the week two matchups:

  • Ohio St. vs Grambling
  • Penn St. vs Florida International
  • LSU vs Louisiana Tech
  • Georgia vs Austin Peay
  • Miami vs Bethune Cookman
  • Texas vs San Jose St.
  • Alabama vs Louisiana Monroe
  • Florida State vs East Texas A&M

East Texas A&M? I had no idea there were directional Texas A&M teams.

The other matchups weren’t much better. After Michigan/Oklahoma, the next best games were Illinois/Duke and Arizona State/Mississippi St.

This week’s slate of games is a bit better mainly because conference games start kicking in. Other than Texas A&M(no directional this time) vs Notre Dame, the intersectional games are bad.

This is going to become a real problem for college football. More and more teams are afraid to schedule tough out of conference games because of the expanded leagues and not wanting an extra loss when it comes to getting into the playoffs.

Nobody wants to see these trash games. It has been awhile since I saw that many empty seats at Beaver Stadium. The ask from athletics departments to season ticket holders is already huge. The least they could do is give those loyal fans some decent games to watch.

It is simple, really. College basketball teams get rewarded for playing good competition. The selection committee —at least usually— rewards teams for being willing to schedule tough games. The CFP committee will need to do more than say they will look at schedule strength.

They should have a point system that rewards teams for a good schedule. Obviously you have to win some of those games, but there needs to be an obvious and tangible reward. Every team’s goal is making the playoffs. There needs to be a reason to show the willingness to schedule tough teams.

Nobody benefits from games against Missouri State, Villanova, or whoever the heck East Texas A&M is, most of all the fans.

Just my two cents…