The Official Steelers Training Camp Thread 2026 the new era begins

Then why even ask in the 1st place.
I also believe they will try it, again, but I believe they will go back to what works , again.

 

I asked a question, got the answer I was looking for and moved on. Neither one of us are going to present any new information at this time so it's not worth arguing over.

 

Is that why camp has been such a bore for fans and media .

 

Camp cupcake! Hate it.

 

You could be right in the end. But the downside is that we have to hope that last season was just an off year for Watt. Otherwise, we are probably looking at a slow slide into mediocrity. It will happen eventually, just wish it didn't happen while paying the guy $40M.

 

Just my preference, nothing more nothing less.Have you ever played organized football?

 

What's frustrating is that so many here are trying to call McCarthy a failure before we even see a meaningful snap. I don't understand the thinking of people.

I was not a fan of the McCarthy hiring, but I understand the approach with the emphasis on developing a quarterback and installing an upgraded offensive system into an organization that has a recent history of horrible offense, horrible offensive systems, bad quarterbacks with little to no development or improvement, and poor game planning in playoff games.

I can't wait to see what McCarthy turns this team into. I have no idea if it will transform the team into Super Bowl winners. What I do know is that it was time for a schematic and philosophical change on both sides of the ball.

I like Graham as the defensive coordinator. I believe he may be able to get some extra stops with scheme alone, and not have to wait for TJ Watt to defeat three blockers to get to a quarterback. It's wonderful if you have a bunch of dominant players and you can just line up and beat the man in front of you all over the field, but that scenario simply doesn't happen very often in the NFL. Scheme and creativity matter. You can't overcome everything if you don't have some talent, but deception by moving pieces as the play clock is winding down, disguising what defense you're in with how you line up, and showing one look pre-snap and moving to something else post-snap can help a defense win a few plays simply by fooling the offense and getting a couple extra stops a game and getting the offenses off the field.

I also like the idea of being flexible with 3-4 and 4-3 assignments and moving people around. Not for the sake of moving people just to move them. Moving TJ Watt to the other side of the line doesn't really accomplish anything or fool anyone. The offensive line or quarterback just makes one call for a protection change and motions a tight end or back to his side and any schematic threat has been negated. But if you have Watt come out of his stance with 5 seconds on the play clock, multiple players move along the line and he is popping from gap to gap with the OL having no idea what shoulder or gap he is attacking and the play clock running out? That's a problem for offenses and for quarterbacks as they have to assign blocking responsibilities for the play with almost no time to do it.

That can lead to pre-snap penalties, forced timeouts, more tackles for loss, more sacks, more pressures, more sacks, and not just by Watt. The confusion in blocking assignments can lead to more opportunities for others to blow up plays.

I also won't be calling for anybody's head after a few possessions, a few games, or even a full season. Mike Tomlin had 19 seasons here. No coach can fully implement a plan in one season. I am going to be patient and wait to see life beyond a 42-year-old quarterback and the development of young quarterbacks.

This is a process. I don't know that it will work, but I am going to give it the proper amount of time to develop before I call for the whole thing to be blown up again. Every coach deserves that chance. Especially a guy that has had success before and is walking into a situation with a one-year plan with the current quarterback. He needs to be given time.

 

I got Eli to win.