Easing In the Rookies
As we all continue to watch to see when first round pick Broderick Jones will take over at left tackle from Dan Moore Jr., the progression of rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
has been interesting to watch as well.
Mike DeFabo of The Athletic floated the idea yesterday morning that he may get the kid gloves/ease-into the-lineup treatment Jones has been getting as well.
While Porter wasn’t all the way back during Monday’s practice, he was on the field a great deal, including breaking up a Kenny Pickett-to-George Pickens pass at the goal line in the team’s Seven Shots drill.
As for Jones, Audacy NFL Insider Brian Baldinger thinks there’s still work to be done.
So not only does Jones have work to do, but we still have yet to see Dan Moore, Jr. do anything to cost him the starting left tackle job.
Maybe Jones really won’t take over before October?
Communication Breakdown
One interesting byproduct of the multiple absences in the secondary over the past week is that there’s a chance, with all of the moving parts in nickel and dime situations, that communication could be an issue early on.
Veteran safety Keanu Neal, who has experience working in a pair of different secondaries with Demontae Kazee, said it’s something the group has been very actively working against in practice and meetings.
“We’ve been doing it in the meeting room for sure, going over the film,” said Neal.
“But there’s nothing like going out on the field and doing it. That’s the biggest piece we gotta get back, is getting all the guys out there and getting that chemistry built.”
The focus on communication is one Porter is dialed in on as well.
“Everyday we’re trying to be vocal. As a vocal defense, that’s how you get wins and get stops, so that’s what we’re always trying to hustle for.”
And for the secondary’s sake, with all the moving pieces, Neal hopes it happens sooner rather than later so as to keep opponents off balance.
“There are a lot of opportunities to do different things, to disguise, and really confuse the quarterback,” he said Monday morning.
“We haven’t really got a full chance to really go into it with the injuries and everything, but we got time now, so we’ll get it going.”
With two preseason games left, he believes there’s still more time to iron out the details.
“We’ve definitely got time to get going and get things right, for sure.”
Goodbye Priester, Hello Skenes
While the two moves happened at nearly opposite levels of the organizational spectrum, it was notable that on the same day Paul Skenes made his first A-level start for the Bradenton Marauders, Quinn Priester was sent back to AAA Indianapolis by the Pirates.
I argued yesterday that if you’re going to find out what Priester is, it’s not in Indianapolis. We’ve seen this story too many times where Pirates starters struggle in the bigs, go down to AAA, seemingly fix things, and then come back up and have the very same problems.
What’s going to make Priester any different?
If the organization was going to let Priester work on things, it should have happened here in Pittsburgh. And if it didn’t work, ok. You move on and have a clearer picture of who may or may not fit in to your rotation next spring.
For what it’s worth, it’s getting more and more difficult with every outing to not see Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh next April.
His Bradenton debut involved triple-digit heat, a nasty breaking ball, and no reason to think he can’t continue his late summer climb through the system.
Put ‘Em .. uh, Down?
What in the name of Eddie Shore is going on around here?!?
In a move announced over the weekend, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has decided to ban fighting beginning with the 2023-24 season.
In a league -the QMJHL- and at a level -Canadian juniors- where so many former NHLers tell of how they made a name for themselves through their willingness to drop the gloves and get bloody, it’s a major shift.
How long will it take for the trend to work it’s way up from juniors through the minors and into the NHL, though?
It’s not hard to imagine a world where the NHL hands out similar bans for fighting before Sidney Crosby even hangs his skates up.
And in a league that likes to talk about how invested they are in brain safety and preventing head injuries wherever possible, wouldn’t that be some ironic timing?