:10—Needless to say…me, you, “Smokin’ Jim” Frazier and every other football mind has offered an opinion on the Shedeur Sanders debacle. Fortunately for you, this is the only place to find “the truth…the whole truth…and nothing but the truth.” Herein lies the rarely seen but sometimes needed “TEN WITHIN THE TEN” reasons why! (I actually made that up, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?!)
Top ten reasons why Sanders got dissed: #1. Of course there was ownership collusion and don’t let anyone tell ya different. That was a clear shoutout as to who the boss is! #2. Promises made but not kept. People telling his dad what he wanted to hear, not what they really believed, just to stay on his good side. #3. To that point, absolutely too much “Prime Time” presence. Coach Prime, if your son is now a man, let him be his own man! #4. That goes for you too, LeBron James…and by the way, LBJ…can you win a playoff run? (Sorry, my bad…I digress!). #5 Yet, there is “0” reason for this young man to fall out of the first round given his skill set, talent level, projection and accomplishments as a major college player. #6. If Mel Kiper Jr. is the proclaimed Lord of the NFL Draft and says Shedeur should be in the top level of the draft class, then I go with Mel! #7. OK, OK, maybe he’s not your “top dog,” but you and I both know that not all five quarterbacks drafted ahead of Sanders are better than him…c’mon man! #8. All that being said, it doesn’t help your cause when you tell teams where you will not play!!! #9. Humility goes a long way, no matter who your father is. When you go to college pro day, break a sweat like everybody else!!! #10. Now the rest is up to you…show up and show out!
:09—Moving on, let’s take a look at our Pittsburgh Steelers Draft picks – 1. Derrick Harmon, Oregon, D-Line. With no second-round pick due to the D.K. Metcalf trade, we move to the third round. 3. Kaleb Johnson, Iowa, Running Back. 4. Jack Sawyer, Ohio State, Edge/OLB. 5. Yahya Black, Iowa, D-Line/Nose Tackle. 6. Will Howard, Ohio State, QB. 7. Carson Bruener, Washington, LB. 7. Donte Kent, Central Michigan, CB. As with all drafts, it’s a total crap shoot. Remember, every NFL team passed on Tom Brady five times, but I’m giving it an “A” rating because it seems like they did what they had to do and addressed their most glaring needs.
:08—In the last two meetings against the hated Ravens including the playoff drubbing, the Ravens ran up over 500 yards rushing against the Steelers. I don’t know about you, but I got real tired real fast looking at the back of Derrick Henry’s jersey as he raced into the secondary on seemingly every running play. By drafting the very highly-rated Derrick Harmon in the first round and the mammoth 6’5,” 340-pound Yahya Black in the fifth round, the Steelers have taken the necessary steps in shoring up what was the most glaring problem of the defense (and needless to say we want to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family for the passing of his beloved mother, who amazingly and unfortunately passed in the same hour that he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers). With the future Hall of Famer Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton, these two young men will no doubt be able to hold the line against the Ravens and any team trying to pound the rock against the middle of our line.
:07—Yeah, I was against not signing Najee Harris, the man never missed a game, rarely fumbled, ran for 1,000 yards every season behind a Swiss cheese offensive line and played with heart, grit and determination on every play. But the drafting of Kaleb Johnson, who won’t turn 22 until August, eases my mind a bit. Kaleb is very reminiscent of Najee, a tough, gritty, strong back not afraid of contact, but also seems to have a better hit-the-hole reaction and with a somewhat new O-Line, should be able to break a few more runs than Najee. I’m impressed with his 6.4 yards-per-carry average, his durability and the fact he ran for 1,500 yards against some very stout defenses last season at Iowa.
:06—Let’s stick with the offense and talk about round six pick QB Will Howard out of Ohio State. First, the man’s a stud—6’4” and 236 pounds of talent. Howard was initially the QB of Kansas State where he set season and career records in TD passes and led the Wildcats to the 2022 Big 12 Championship. After transferring to Ohio State, he led them to the national championship last season, completed 71 percent of his passes and in the run up to the title, threw for eight touchdowns. Jon Gruden said Howard is the QB coming out this year that will absolutely have the most success in the NFL and be a big time stud at QB. I believe Howard is the steal of the draft and will be the starter sooner rather than later.
:05—That brings us to our fourth-round selection, another Ohio State national championship team member, edge rusher and soon to be a Steelers outside linebacker, Jack Sawyer. If your mind needs refreshing, I know mine does from time to time, Sawyer was the guy with the strip sack and 83-yard TD rumble late in the Cotton Bowl against Texas to seal the deal and send Ohio State to the title game. At 6’4” and 260 pounds, Sawyer is the right size for a pass rushing, run stuffing outside linebacker in the Steelers defensive scheme. He’s got all the right intangibles to succeed in a big way and with mentors T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith, the sky’s the limit for Sawyer. That everyone in the organization and NFL pundits across the TV screen are praising this young man’s character, his knack for making big plays, his toughness, “Unbelievable across the board,” described by defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, it bodes well for Sawyer’s imminent success. Mark my words, boys and girls, Jack Sawyer has “Big Time” written all over his future in the NFL.
:04—As for the two seventh-round picks, Carson Bruener, son of former Steelers tight end Mark Bruener, linebacker out of Washington, and Donte Kent, cornerback out of Central Michigan, barring any catastrophic run of injuries at either of their positions, both young men will need to excel at special teams play, which Bruener is said to already be a demon on, to more than likely make the roster. The talk is already about putting Kent in as the slot corner and he does have some skill as a punt returner, so both should help him adjust to the NFL and also help him make the final roster.
:03—Your Pittsburgh Steelers come out of the draft looking pretty damn smart, no reach picks, no surprise picks, stayed pat with their positioning and picked situational players that addressed the problems they had last year. All the players chosen are quality character guys who will come in from Day 1 and work their tails off to achieve their lifetime dreams of playing in the NFL without idiotic distractions. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan are to be applauded for this draft and the men they chose to carry on the Pittsburgh Steelers legacy. Way to go, men.
:02—Before we move on, let’s give a moment to think on the Aaron Rodgers situation. He’s 41 and a prima donna. Okay, I’m good, how about you?
:01—We would be remiss not to mention our main guy from the Pirates, Paul Skenes. Friday night, April 25, against the $300 million dollar payroll L.A. Dodgers, Skenes pitched 6.1 innings, allowed 5 meaningless hits, zero (0), that’s right, zero (0) walks, 9 strikeouts and zero (0) runs, overwhelming the Dodgers with a dazzling display of power and pitching acumen. He is phenomenal. Period.
:00—GAME OVER.
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