The final preseason game is tonight, vs. the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field. Last call for borderline prospects and hangers on (Orpheus Roye) vying for a spot on the roster.Not much drama, actually. Only a few spots bear watching: Will the fifth wide receiver be Willie Reid or Dallas Baker? Will the punter be Paul Ernster or Mitch Berger? Will the Steelers keep three tight ends? Will Roy Williams or Anthony Madison make the final cut in the secondary?
The biggest question, though, is whether superstar Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers will breeze past our turnstile offensive line and decapitate quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Probably not. The starters will play two series at most, and they probably won't go all out. Carolina's starters don't want to get hurt, either.
2 comments:
5th Wideout = Dallas Baker
Punter = Ernster (give Jeff Reed a break on kick offs)
3 Tight Ends = Nope (well, one on practice squad I guess)
Roy Lewis/Anthony Madison = I'd like both. But as I doubt we'll have room, I'm gonna say Madison on active "Special" Teams detail, Roy Lewis on practice squad.
And I say we sit everyone tonight. Just put Bob Ligashesky and Larry Zierling out there. No one will care if they get decapitated. In fact, I might be compelled to applaud.
/in hindsight that may have been a little harsh...
Last pre-season, I advocated cutting Reid, and mid-season as well. But to his credit, he's actually performed well this preseason as a receiver. IF he can return punts and/or kicks, that gives him a "position flexibility" advantage over Dallas Baker, who has looked good, too.
I like Ernster's ability to kick off, too, but coaches usually prefer veterans, and Mitch Berger is certainly that. It may be a toss-up, but I wonder how each compares in terms of hang time and wind-up time (i.e., propensity to have their kicks blocked).
I can't believe they'd be comfortable with Max Starks working the tight end position again. I like what I've seen of Dezmond Sherrod (Miss. State), for what it's worth.
Madision and Williams? Another toss-up. If Williams does well on special teams, where Madison has been outstanding, he might get the nod because of the position flexibility thing again -- Williams can also play safety.
Ligashsky and Zierlein might be serviceable as tackling dummies. They're not much good for anything else.
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