by Bill Neal, For New Pittsburgh Courier
:10—Well, well, well. I guess the sinking ship ain’t exactly the Titanic after all, is it? At 3-7 you all, and you know who you are, were set to cast aside your Pittsburgh Steelers season and get ready for a high draft pick. “They can’t win with Pickett yet, he’s just a rookie who throws too many interceptions.” 1) As a work in progress, Kenny Pickett has won 3 of his last 4 games, thrown 0, yes, zero interceptions, and, with a less-than-stellar coordinator, taken some serious steps forward. Watching on Sunday, Dec. 4, he is now going through his receiver progressions instead of concentrating on just one receiver. He is less likely to try and force a pass into coverage. He’s finally figured out a pass out of bounds is OK, as is taking a sack instead of trying to force something to happen. He had a few errant passes on Sunday, especially on open receivers 25-plus yards downfield but that will come with more game action. Relax, he will be terrific next season, and remember where you heard it first. 2) The Falcons aren’t good, and neither is their QB Marcus Mariota. The Steelers should have beaten them and they did. Instead of folding as many teams would have, Coach Mike Tomlin has his group of men focused and playing 100 percent every play. Connor Heyward caught Pickett’s TD pass as if he’s caught 50 in his career. Connor Heyward…are you kidding me?!?! Kudos to Coach Tomlin for keeping the team together which ain’t easy when the W’s aren’t stacking.
:09—Minkah Fitzpatrick is worth every dime they’re paying him. Not only did he make the game-ending interception, he also, again, led the team in tackles. He is money and he should be First Team All-Pro again. I’m just saying.
:08—Najee Harris rushed for a team-high 86 yards on 17 carries for a 5.1 yard-per-carry average. He seems to finally be over whatever was ailing him earlier in the season and his brute force, bludgeoning running style is really paying dividends. The better you run the ball the more it opens up the passing game goes the old adage, and from the looks of Najee throwing defenders to the ground, it’s only a matter of time.
:07—Which brings us to George Pickens, one catch for two yards. We all saw George coming off the field after what we first thought was a fumble by Diontae Johnson but turned out to be just another routine drop by him, yelling for the ball…aaah, shall we say loudly to anyone listening. And I agree, far too many times on Sunday it seemed the play-calling was favored to Diontae in order to placate his ego. Hey, Diontae, catch the ball!!! George Pickens is a singular talent able to stretch the field and make the tough, in double coverage catch. Throw him the ball! Design more plays that focus on him! Throw him the ball!!! Throw him the ball!!! Throw him the ball!!!
:06—Big shoutout to Pat Freiermuth and the tremendous effort on his 57-yard catch and run. Well done, sir. He seems to be developing into a very, very, very good tight end with added strength this year and a heart beating pure black and gold. He may never put up the eye-popping stats of Travis Kelce but his value will be measured like our great TE Heath Miller, in clutch receptions, in spot-on blocking and pass protection and in the intangibles that made Heath the consummate teammate.
:05—With Lamar Jackson injured and definitely out for this upcoming Sunday, Dec. 11, there is no reason the Steelers can’t continue the “stacking” and beat the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. It may take another four-field goal performance like Matthew Wright had against Atlanta, his stock rising with every weekend performance, but I’m sure he’s ready to repeat the show if necessary. Great pick-up and signing by the front office, Wright has been a very pleasant surprise.
:04—Have you heard the one about the star player who’s disgruntled by the owner of the Pirates and wants out of here as fast as most beautiful women say “No” to me? Wait, what? Bryan Reynolds has asked for a trade and his agent has made it crystal clear they mean now, not later. Next in a long line of talent let go for “prospects” that never pan out, Reynolds has had to play through a team that in his four years has a winning percentage of .386, including back-to-back 100-loss seasons. With salaries skyrocketing across MLB and the Pirates always trying to lock in talent on the cheap, it’s no wonder Reynolds wants to leave. Shortstop Trea Turner just signed an 11-year, $300 million deal with the Phillies. Seriously. With significant interest in the switch-hitting former All-Star, especially from the New York Yankees as per reports out of the Winter Meetings, don’t be shocked if Reynolds is moved quickly for a pair of batting gloves game worn by Aaron Judge, 12 scuffed outfield balls and a slightly creased 1982 Oscar Gamble Yankees baseball card.
:03—Baker Mayfield was released by the Carolina Panthers. The 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick of the Cleveland Browns was 1-5 as the Panthers’ starting QB and by almost all measures was pretty dreadful. Never liked him, never liked his commercials, never liked his cocky attitude, never liked him.
:02—The Penguins are back in playoff position, led by Sidney Crosby, ninth in scoring this season and an early MVP candidate, and, hopefully with the quick return of Kris Letang from his second stroke, the Pens should be good enough to once again make the playoffs. That’s it, a quick update, nothing more to see here, keep moving people, it’s not January yet.
:01—The World Cup continues without the United States’ perpetually undermanned team, and with that continues not a whiff of interest from me and you, either.
:00—GAME OVER.
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