by Bo Marchionte
Pittsburgh – The Steelers played their final preseason game against Detroit. Pittsburgh defeated the Lions 19-9.
“It’s good to win,” Mike Tomlin said.
He addressed the ups and downs of the game but refused to comment on naming a quarterback in the postgame press conference.
“You guys aren’t going to have it today,” Tomlin said in response to getting the million-dollar question answered. “We are not going to make knee jerk reactions and statements following the performance. We will go through our proper and professional procedure. We will evaluate the game and meet with our front office people.
“We will have discussions. We will talk internally. We will talk external possibilities. We will go through our normal procedure this time of the year. We will disclose it to you at our leisure to honest.”
Mitchell Trubisky played the entire first half of the game and ended the half with a 92-yard touchdown drive. It was the signature moment for Trubisky in his bid to supplant rookie Kenny Pickett as the starting quarterback Week 1.
“Getting Mitch (Trubisky) and that group an opportunity to execute two-minute was a major component,” Tomlin said of the scoring drive. “I was going to leave him in there until I got a level of comfort.”
While all signs point to Trubisky to start Week 1, barring any setbacks physically the Steelers offense is a work in progress with roughly two weeks to go until they face the defending AFC North champion Bengals in Cincinnati.
The victory is pointless but the final four quarters of play might have helped cement roster spots that coincide with Pittsburgh erasing 27 names from their current 80-man roster by this upcoming Tuesday, August 30th.
“We will meet tomorrow and go from there,” Tomlin said regarding getting to compliance on the roster limit. “We will do what’s appropriate and professional.”
Usually, teams release their players early in time to help facilitate the possibility of resigning with their current team or finding a new home in another city that houses an NFL squad.
FINAL PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Magic Mitchell – Mitchell Trubisky has carried himself as the leader of the offense since OTA’s and that carried over in the final minutes of the Steelers last drive of the first half.
“I feel confident,” Trubisky said. “I’m excited to see where we go from here.”
Trubisky took the offense 92-yards in 1:20 minutes, ending in a six-yard touchdown pass to receiver Steven Sims. His overall preseason performance has kept him ahead of rookie Kenny Pickett who has already became the fan favorite.
Going 15-for-19 for 160 passing yards along with his lone touchdown pass, did nothing to dispel Trubisky from being named the starting quarterback when the team heads to Cincinnati to take on the defending AFC North champion Bengals.
“I think it was important to establish a rhythm and score points,” Trubisky said. “I think we – the plan was going to the half and we wanted to come away with more touchdowns early but settled for field goals.”
His overall performance had a mixed bag of results. A deep 38-yard pass to Diontae Johnson was on target while he didn’t lead rookie George Pickens enough on one pass that led to an incompletion rather than a touchdown.
The final two-minute drive was huge.
Pickens Continues to Impress – Last year rookies Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth were all the rage. This year those honors belong to George Pickens. He finished the final preseason game as the most targeted receiver and tied for the team lead with three catches. His ability of getting open and secure the ball has earned the trust trio of Steelers quarterbacks vying for the starting job. Expect Pickens to continue to grow into a fixture of the Steelers offensive attack.
Offensive Line Coming Together – It appears to be a different theme surrounding the Steelers unit each week this preseason. The first drive tonight resulted in two sacks on Mitchell Trubisky. The unit did not allow another sack for the rest of the game.
The running game was a bit off key with the team finishing with just 57 yards on 20 carries for a lousy 2.9 per carry. It will be imperative to get that going to give franchise running back Najee Harris and ability to exploit defenses consistently.
“I think as a whole the group responded to our call to action,”J.C. Hassenauer said. The challenge that Coach C (Matt Canada) presented to us last Tuesday or Wednesday. I think we did a good job with that.”
Their penchant for getting flagged for a variety of penalties bogged down a drive on the Lions 6-yard line. Two holding calls by Dan Moore Jr. and one false start by Kevin Dotson cost Pittsburgh 25-yards of real estate. The result was a 45-yard field goal by Chris Boswell. A lack of a preseason running game along with some self-inflicted wounds leave a lot to be desired by a unit the Steelers invested heavy into this offseason.
“We got to eliminate the penalties,” said Hassenauer. We got to lock in and focus. There is always room for improvement. I do feel like we took another step since last week.”
The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants – Make no mistake, this is Kenny Pickett’s team even though he is currently sitting backup to veteran Mitchell Trubisky. His preseason play has been impressive and tonight his outside shoulder completion to Miles Boykin sent Twitter into a slight frenzy. Chants of “Kenny, Kenny, Kenny” where heard at Acrisure Stadium, revealing the fan bases infatuation with the rookie first-round pick.
Mark Robinson – “My mama told me not to be,” Robinson laughed after I asked if he is chatty on the field. Watching his ferocious hits and jarring tackles, it would be easy to think Robinson is hurricane of a personality. It could not be farther from that notion. He is a quiet soft-spoken individual who packs a punch.
“Let my efforts speak for itself,” Robinson said. “My hunger is why I go out and play that way.”
The seventh-round selection out of Mississippi has been a wrecking ball for the Steelers on defense and special teams. His play of late has helped put him in consideration for the 53-man roster.
“Just looking forward to getting back to work in the building,” Robinson said. “Get home tonight access the film. Break it down and get better. The process is just beginning baby.”
Jaylen Warren – Warren spent time working with first team offense in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter as well in the preseason finally.
“It felt good just being out there balling,” Warren said. The last preseason game it felt good. It always feels good playing football.”
Warren said he did not know he was going to be getting first team reps in the game.
“Nah, I just got to be ready,” Warren said.
“It was unreal. It’s unreal still putting on the Steelers uniform. I just try to take advantage of it. I try to make it seem like it’s a normal moment and be calm in it.”
He led the team with seven carries for 11-yards. Not exactly eye-popping statistics for the undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma State. It is a significant outcome that Coach Tomlin elected to see Warren in both the first and final quarter of the team’s final preseason game.
Photo Credit Frank Haytt