Steelers Morning Huddle 5/29/14

OTA’s are underway and the NFL season is less than 100 days away, so buckle up and get ready for some football.  As summer comes news is becoming more plentiful and here is your one stop shop for all of the must read Pittsburgh Steelers articles.

Never Too Early For Steelers

Dejan Kovacevic seems to nail his articles out of the park every time he writes about the Steelers, and this one is no different.  “Because when a team goes 8-8 in back-to-back seasons, the standard that’s become the standard is one of mediocrity.   And the only way to break free from that is to do more, to give that little extra”, is one of the article’s opening paragraphs and it couldn’t be more on point.  If the Steelers hope to succeed this season they have to go the extra mile that some teams won’t.  Antonio Brown and Lawrence Timmons are the two veterans who are displaying this mindset day in and day out at OTA’s.  On the other hand, Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor have not been seen yet at OTA’s.  Two ends of the spectrum, and that’s the problem.  Again I will say, if they want to succeed they all have to be on the same page.  Let’s hope they all choose to go that extra mile.

6 Breakout Candidates

Chris Gazze of Bleacher Report has decided to enlighten us with his predictions for 6 possible breakout stars in Pittsburgh this year.  Let’s hope that all of the players listed can break out, but I think the most likely candidate is Cortez Allen.  He has all of the tools and he is a great situation.  He has had multiple years to learn behind great players in Keenan Lewis and, a few years ago, Ike Taylor.  Gazze defends his point like this, “Between his production and combination of size and speed, Allen had everything the Steelers could ask for in a cornerback… Once he settles into his role, Allen has the potential for a big season in pass coverage”.  All of this is true.  On top of everything, the team needs him to succeed.  I he doesn’t step up, then it will be a very long year in the Steel City.