Good, Bad & Ugly: Philly preseason
Super quick stream-of-conciousness postgame thoughts with a wholly unoriginal blog post title ...
GOOD
Ben Roethlisberger was tack-sharp in limited action, starting the game seven-for-seven throwing to six receivers (Issac Redman, David Johnson, Antonio Brown, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Sanders) on a range of routes, before finishing 7 for 8 for 49 yards on an opening drive that resulted in a field goal.
Roethlisberger took sacks, but mostly dished the ball off quickly and stepped up in the pocket in the face of pressure to complete passes, rather than the play extending, impromptu roll outs that while other-worldly when they work (see: Bowl XLIII, Super) more often than not saddled the Steelers offense with terrible field position.
Lots of people expecting big things from Emmanuel Sanders (above right) this season, no one more than himself. A nice start with a TD, if only in preseason.
Jonathan Dwyer had a beauty of a 33-yard run that set up the Steelers second TD, but can he stay healthy?
Was that Casey Hampton back in the lineup? No, it was Steve McLendon living up to his preseason hype as a 'beast' with a strong bull-rushing sack of Michael Vick.
Chris Rainey's 52-yard touchdown reception -- nearly all running after a short pass from Byron Leftwich -- showed why the management is so excited about him. Haven't seen that kind of backfield speed since Willie Parker.
BAD
Players often talk about their "Welcome to the NFL moments" where they realize just how fast, strong and hard-hitting the game, is and Mike Adams got his in spades last night, making Phillip Hunt look like Mark Gastineau circa1984, giving up two sacks to him and another half a sack to to Daryll Tapp.
That would be a lot for a game, let alone a quarter. Nonetheless, you'd expect a rookie right tackle to struggle initially, so it's hard to dog Adams too much.
One of the training camp battles we've heard about is the trio battling for the corner spot across from Ike Taylor. Well, Curtis Brown (above right) made easier on fellow challengers Cortez Allen and Keenan Lewis. Brown was picked on several times, including a pass to former Pitt Panthers nemesis, Marty Gilyard.
UGLY
Last night was exhibit A for why preseason games are terrible for everyone involved except for NFL accountants. Mike Adams left the game with a knee injury (he should be OK), Jonathan Dwyer sustained an AC sprain (he should be ok) and David Johnson (below) saw his season end already with a severe knee injury. Not good new for the Steelers, but even worse for a young guy who was having a good camp and figured to be an important part of the new offensive look.
