My thoughts on preseason wk 1

i dont put too much stock in arm strength. Joe Montana had average arm strength and alternatively guys like Jeff George had the greatest arm strength but George is never mentioned as a great or even good Qb. Hopefully Allar has the drive and determination to get better. Looks like he has the right HC and staff to support him.

 

Wait, what? How did we go from Allar will sit for 2026 to Allar could start by mid season after just one half of a preseason game? And it was the back half of a preseason game.

 

I agree.
This is one season where I might be glad for two more preseason games. We’ll need them to better evaluate the QBs.

 

i didn't think the o-line or d-line looked that good. they had moments but there was a lot of moving parts as well. not too worried yet, i do believe we have good players but as a unit it's early.

penalties need fixing.

i'd be all for nichols making it as the 3rd RB. homer didn't show me much this game. i know ST's and all but having nichols for the future would mean more i think. similar to the QB situation for the future. he's quite good.

 

" How to watch preseason football:

Ted Nguyen:

"You’re seeing the most vanilla schemes on both sides of the ball, so look for transferable skills and growth. For young quarterbacks, you want them to handle the pre-snap operation, make throws in rhythm and not rely on second-reaction play. These games are parts of a larger arc of development, and it’s easy to lose sight of that at times. Carson Beck looked great in the Hall of Fame game, but Beck’s been inconsistent at practice, based on beat reports."

Jake Ciely:

"I'm more interested in snap counts in different formations and with starting units, especially if there has been an offensive coordinator or scheme change."

Dave Helman:

"The most useful tip I can give for watching preseason football is simple: Look for the rookies. It’s hard to gauge preseason playing time for almost anyone else on an NFL roster, but rookies will play a lot of snaps these next two weeks, and some of them will be stars in short order.""


The reference to Beck sounds a lot like Allar.

 

The o-line needs to work as a unit .... that's still a work in progress... individually, no one is getting overpowered.... as a pr-season game there are lines to look between..

As far as the D-line is concerned, I loved what I saw..... the front 7 got consistent pressure and overall, and the biggest seller for me was the 160 total yds the packers were held to.... the turnovers will come, but a quick 3 and out is just as important, and i'm pretty sure that's something the coaches are emphasizing

 

It would be.

However, Allars issues are from a mechanics and fundamentals standpoint. More specifically, if Allar could show serious signs of growth potential there from OTAs to the Preseason. So far so good. One game down and two remaining.


Becks issues stem from inconsistencies based on being too aggressive. Too many forced throws he doesn't need to make. Cannot say on how Beck is doing exactly at Cardinals Practice but expecting a Rookie to get NFL Grade Pre Snap Rhythm down is silly. The fact that Beck was already good at this at Miami told me that it was going to be a matter of time for him. Everything else I personally liked about him was on display at the HOF Game.



Overall, I had both graded as the only two QBs I would have drafted for Pittsburgh. Both have proven me correct thus far. Hopefully for both, they get developed well.

 

the first series or two it didn't look great. i'm not even sure they have the top 5 starters in place quite yet. time will tell and it may take a while to gel.

d-line the same, not sure they have a starting group quite yet. a good group but it needs to gel as well. lots of moving parts on both sides of the ball. many good individuals playing well, just need them to play well together. they have time yet.

 

Im not, what Im doing in that post is showing Allar, and Pickett are totally different guys

 

My biggest concern is the penalties, and the 39 second field goal drive they gave up.
You can lose a lot of games with both of those things happening, but it was the 1st preseason game so I don't want to make too much out of it

 

I agree, but I was just showing the difference between the twos preseason performance.

 

Cool the engines
It was one half of a preseason game
The second half at that
Yes
Allar looked good
How would’ve he looked with playing against the other team starters?
Me for one not promoting the reindeer
But
He does got what Allar n Howard doesn’t have
Experience
Letting 2 rookies determine your season is high risk high reward
I am definitely down with a change
In fact
Why keep bashing our backup?
When we got a 89yr old starting qb?
Who talks to trees
Lives in a cave
Eats magic mushrooms like candy?
Guess nothing wrong with Arot?!
Chances are
Arot is going to get hurt playing behind this OL

 

Getting either one of the young QBs some experience in the playoffs would be huge going in to next year.

 

You really think the playoffs are out of the question for this year's team?

 

Nah, I was just messing around in the prediction thread I have them going 10-7.

 

I didn't do a prediction but that's right about where I think they'll be as well.