It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win in the National Football League. And the Steelers did, in fact, win Monday night over the rival Browns, even if the defense put more touchdowns on the scoreboard than did the offense. Now it's on to Vegas for the Steelers to play the Raiders, whom they have not beaten on the road since 1995.
WESA's All Things Considered host Jeremy Scott sat down again this week with Jim Wexell, who writes for Steel City Insider and has authored such books as "Steeler Nation," On the Clock: Pittsburgh Steelers," and "Polamalu."
Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Jeremy Scott: Jim, thanks, as always, for joining us.
Jim Wexell: Glad to be here, Jeremy. Thanks for having me.
Jeremy Scott: Jim, I mentioned it in my intro, but the defense was lights out Monday night — or at least the outside linebackers were — with an Alex Highsmith pick six to start the game off. And then Highsmith's strip sack, which T.J. Watt recovered and returned for a touchdown. The offense, meanwhile, mustered all of one touchdown, which came off a George Pickens catch-and-run from 71 yards out. All of this is to say the offense was anemic again and that culminated in a late fourth quarter chant to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Listen, Jim, you've covered this team through many polarizing offensive coordinators. How does the open vitriol, though, towards the current coordinator compare to the ones of the past?
Jim Wexell: This one is a new level. This one's a new high. I don't ever recall a stadium chanting to fire an offensive coordinator. I do believe — and I didn't cover the team back in the late 80s — Joe Walton, when he was the offensive coordinator, I believe 'Joe must go!' was a chant. That could have been the New York Jets fans when he was a head coach before he became a failed offensive coordinator for the Steelers. But I've never seen anything like that.
It's strange — the way you put those highlights — two defensive touchdowns, both were spectacular and a spectacular catch and run by George Pickens. And they beat the Browns, and yet the town feels like it almost feels like a loss with all the complaining and all the consternation about the offense.
Jeremy Scott: Now the offensive coordinator has to live and work in the same city he's so hated. And so from a human interest perspective, how does this affect not only his day to day doings in his life, but also, the lives of his family? Because they have to live here, too!
Jim Wexell: Well, you do feel bad for the man. He's, by all accounts, a nice guy. I've had good dealings with him. But yet it's a high pressure job. That offensive coordinator position anymore is the most difficult job in in pro football, which may make it the most difficult job in all of sports. And fans just blame the play caller. They don't blame the defensive coordinator and they do blame the head coach. But first they blame the offensive coordinator and next would be the head coach if this doesn't improve.
Jeremy Scott: Jim, I want to play the hypothetical game for just a moment. If — this is a big if — the Steelers were to make a coaching change mid-season, and that's uncharted territory for this franchise, as they just don't let coaches go mid-season. Who would replace Matt Canada?
Jim Wexell: That's a good question. I've heard knee jerk to the quarterback coach, [Mike] Sullivan. But, you know, the running backs coach has been there a while. Alfredo Roberts, the tight ends coach, the running backs coach. His name is Eddie Faulkner. He's been probably here the longest of the group, and Alfredo Roberts seems like a really great guy. Tight ends coaches, as we've seen with Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularkey, are interesting as offensive coordinators because they've had to take in both the running game and the passing game when they consider their game plans. So that's a possibility. But as you say, hypothetically, I don't see that happening.
Jeremy Scott: And if they went with Mike Sullivan, you'd have to wonder if this town was big enough for two Mike Sullivans coaching.
Jim Wexell: I'm not even sure the Steelers roster's got a lot of room for another Sullivan! They have Chandon Sullivan, too, so there's a lot of Sully's going on around here.
Jeremy Scott: Well, someone's got to pilot this plane, right?
Jim Wexell: Right. Right. Well, you know, we'll see. We'll see what Canada has. I think the quarterback has to play better. I know he played a little better this week than he did the first week, but I think the quarterback can play a lot better. And you know Matt Canada took accountability, but he remains strong. You know, he was he was sturdy this week. I was looking for that lack of confidence. You asked about that and his family. You worry about that. But he says, I have every confidence in the players and the coaches and this offense will improve.
So, I mean, you would hope he would be that way, but you never know. But he was that way. So that's why it's something now where everybody else, [like] the offensive line has to play better; quarterback has to play better. It's not going to be easy without Diontae Johnson as far as the receiving corps. And Pat Freiermuth is still banged up. But everybody has to dig in and play better.
Jeremy Scott: Let's talk a little bit more about the quarterback. Are you noticing regression of Kenny Pickett from his second half of the season surge last year, to what we're seeing so far this season?
Jim Wexell: I'm noticing a regression from the preseason and from training camp. I thought he had made strides from last season. I still wonder about him getting his head bounced off the turf. Before the NFL took such concern about concussions, a quarterback would leave a game with a concussion, and next week I always felt that they were still concussed or dizzy or whatever it was. They performed poorly. So if Kenny did have his head bounced off the turf, nobody noticed it at the time. He didn't complain about anything. But if there was some kind of bell ringing, it could have lingered into the next week, too. I tell you, this week, good practices, [and] looks better. He looks more decisive now. So, I can't let that go.
What I saw in the first series [against the 49ers], the first sack when his head bounced off the ground, I keep that in mind. I think he's going to play a lot better this week.
Jeremy Scott: I'm not trying to stir controversy and I'm not trying to get you to stick your foot in your mouth with what I'm about to ask you. But I do want your honest opinion. Do you think that where there is smoke, there is fire in this case? Because I remember Mike Tomlin's press conference last Tuesday, he was specifically asked about that first series against San Francisco, and he kind of gave a very long answer that really kind of said nothing about whether or not Kenny Pickett was, in fact, in protocol.
Jim Wexell: Well, he wasn't in protocol, and that's what that was. At this point, Kenny had no complaints. The medical staff saw nothing. And so nothing passed by Mike Tomlin. And I think that was the point he was stressing. And and I tell you, it really has died down and perhaps I'm a smoke alarm maybe, and perhaps unjustly so, but I just can't help it. He was so bad against San Francisco and I hadn't seen anything like that. And he improved last week, but he was still wasn't the Kenny Pickett who finished last season or who quarterbacked in the preseason.
I understand that preseason defenses don't gameplan to play much zone defense and he's had a problem reading zones, but he still was much more accurate. You're either accurate or you're not. And he seems to have lost that to a degree.
Jeremy Scott: Well, let's talk a little bit more about the guys whose job it is to protect the franchise quarterback. They made an upgrade, or at least someone they thought was an upgrade in Isaac Seumalo at left guard over Kevin Dotson who started last season. Then they shipped Kevin Dotson off to the Rams. Are they happy so far? They satisfied with what they've been getting out of Seumalo?
Jim Wexell: Well, they can't be. It's very, again, very astute by you to notice that really nobody up front has played all that well. But I expect Seumalo to recover and I expect the line to play better this week.
The Raiders defensive front isn't, you know, San Francisco. Look what San Francisco did last night, and also Cleveland. Cleveland has a strong front with really good cover corners, so it was difficult for the receivers to get open. So those were two pretty good defenses or two very good defenses. One great one. Very good. The Raiders do have a great pass rusher. So I would expect Seumalo to bounce back. But to your point, I did look up how old was Alan Faneca when they let him go in free agency and he was 31. Seumalo is 30. I looked, I said, "boy, that's not a Kevin Colbert type move. They don't sign 30 year old free agents and some of the other guys they signed were injured. They don't sign injured players, either." Omar Khan did it differently.
So we loved the big names and we as fans and media were excited by the big names. But is this a case of Alan Faneca when he's over the hill with similar or about the same age, 30 years old? It just hasn't been a Steeler type move and makes you wonder if taking these risks in free agency while getting the fan base all excited is coming with the bills are coming paid due perhaps now? I don't know what. Just watch it develop.
Jeremy Scott: You mentioned the fact that the Raiders overall, as a whole, are not a great defense, but they do have the pass rusher. You mentioned the Steelers faced two All-Pro defensive ends in Joey Bosa week one, then Myles Garrett this past week. You can make the argument they will face the next best guy in the league at the position after the two aforementioned ones this Sunday night, in Maxx Crosby. That's the guy you're talking about. Whose job will it be to neutralize Crosby?
Jim Wexell: Crosby was lining up over Chuks Okorafor. And from what I could tell, and I'm sure he switches sides, but Broderick Jones was a left tackle drafted. They wanted him to learn left tackle. They didn't want to get a rookie confused by giving him two positions because that third tackle has to be able to play either side. So what they did in pre-season was, they would would put Broderick at left tackle and move Dan Moore over to right tackle when Chuks was hurt. Well Broderick has been practicing some at right tackle so I think that's your problem area first. Broderick Jones wears the same number. Marvel Smith wore 77, and Marvel Smith was a great Steelers left tackle at the turn of the century and he moved to left tackle after his first year at right tackle. I think Broderick Jones is now the backup right tackle and left tackle, so Broderick Jones is probably the only move they could make and I think he's their right tackle of the future.
Jeremy Scott: And speaking of protectors, because you brought up Broderick Jones, the other guy that the fan base was excited about and the media was excited about is the guy they call Mount Washington, Darnell Washington, the big tight end out of Georgia. We have not heard his name called much as a pass receiver, but more so as a run blocker. And that's what people were so excited about.
Do you expect to see him chipping in more against a guy like Maxx Crosby now that he's played a couple of games, he's kind of eased into the reps and whatnot? Do you expect to see more Darnell Washington moving forward?
Jim Wexell: Absolutely. I expect to see more out of him as a blocker. I'm not so sure as a receiver yet. You know, he's he's limping around the locker room, too. For a guy who dropped in the draft because of medical concerns about his knee and then vowed to us he's never missed a practice with a knee issue, here he is limping around with a left knee issue. And so, again, the medical concerns that were ignored by the Steelers this offseason that Kevin Colbert doesn't normally ignore, you have to wonder. And after two poor games, I think it's fair for us to wonder about all aspects of the franchise right now.
Jeremy Scott: It sounds to me, Jim, and again, not trying to get you to stick your foot in your mouth, but it sounds to me like you are kind of a skeptic of Omar Khan and Andy Weidl.
Jim Wexell: Well, I hope I'm wrong, but after these two poor games and you see Cole Holcomb finally played a good second half, the middle linebacker that they brought in, who was the the number one defensive free agent and Patrick Peterson. Patrick Peterson, of course, is 33. Patrick Peterson is getting a lot of blowback for giving up some receptions, but I don't think he's been a big problem. I think he's still athletic. But again, a 33 year old cornerback, that's not Steeler like. That's not Kevin Colbert like. So after two poor games, I can't help but wonder. I mean, all these guys could turn it around and Patrick Peterson's playing better. Seumalo has to play better. He's a 30-year-old. Cole Holcomb played well in the second half last week, finally started showing some signs that he could be that guy that they've needed in the middle. So, I can't help but be skeptical. I hope I'm wrong.
Jeremy Scott: Levi Wallace, outside starting defensive back, got torched multiple times against Amari Cooper, especially, against Cleveland on Monday night. Do you think that we might be seeing more Joey Porter, Jr. in the game and in more situations than just obvious passing downs?
Jim Wexell: No, he's still just the dime corner. And when he comes in, Patrick Peterson moves into the middle of the field. They wanted Patrick to assume the role of Cam Sutton from last year. And they have that plan and that's what they're going to do. I agree that Joey Porter, Jr. should be taking reps from Levi Wallace.
And I tell you, if Dick LeBeau is still the defensive coordinator, he'd probably be in right now because he can tackle. And two of Levi Wallace's biggest gaffes this year were on those two long runs, especially last week. Look, I can't question his motivation, but it looked like he slowed down. That was a back with 20 pounds on a cornerback running away from him. So, Levi Wallace has not been able to tackle and that was Dick LeBeau's big thing. He loved those cornerbacks that could get the guy on the ground. I always quizzed him. He would take those big cover three zone corners that played back and gave up the short stuff.
If you recall, Tom Brady always picked them apart, but boy, they were always physical and they could always tackle and I think he'd have Joey Porter in there by now. But that's a different era. And Joey Porter is still the dime. And they doubled his reps, his snap count last week from 7 to 14. So you can look for that to continue. They just have to tackle him first down so that they can get their dime defense on the field in long passing situations.
Jeremy Scott: This will be the first time the Steelers have played the Raiders in Vegas. Oakland was not a kind venue for the Steelers, having not won against the silver and black on the road since the Clinton administration. Does lady luck favor the Steelers this Sunday, in your humble opinion?
Jim Wexell: This old reporter that's helping you out here, that was my first year. I was at that game in Oakland. It's a good thing they're out of that stadium. What a rat hole. But I tell you, I don't know if lady luck is going to help them. The Raiders opened the week as one point underdogs and have been banged up. The line has moved to the Raiders minus two and a half, and the Raiders were shellacked last week while the Steelers beat the Browns.
I think the gambling houses in Las Vegas watching their team and watching the Steelers have a little better insight. So I'm not so sure Lady Luck is going to favor the Steelers, because trends and all of that stuff seem to be slipping away from the Steelers. It seems to favor the Raiders. But again, as I wrote today in my column, the Steelers have practiced this week as if they were coming off a loss. And that was one of the one of the first things I wanted to watch this week was, what was their attitude? What was their demeanor? Were they going to act like they were coming off a loss because they kind of looked like they did lose that game? And I think they're feeling like they did and they know they have to improve. So that was an important aspect mentally that they are not fat, sassy, and spoiled [like] this team is not coming off a win. They know they didn't play well.
Jeremy Scott: It's the black and gold at the silver and black this Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. Steelers at the Las Vegas Raiders. Jim Wexell is publisher and author at SteelCityInsider.com and 24/7 Sports.
