“We Got Kicked In the Teeth”
After a 7-2 conclusion to last season and a seemingly strong preseason, the Steelers were completely underwhelming and thoroughly outplayed by the San Francisco 49ers in their 2023 opener at Heinz Field.
Shoved around on the inside, picked apart on the outside, and dominated all over the field, the Steelers suffered their worst home opener loss of the Tomlin era.
A sign of things to come? Or a non-conference loss to a Super Bowl contender?
Both?
We’ll see how quickly Mike Tomlin can get his group to recover -mentally and physically- as they have a long week ahead of a Monday night game against the Cleveland Browns up next. (A Browns team that just manhandled the division-favorite Cincinnati Bengals yesterday.)
Purdy’s Perky Ears
Earlier in the week, Steelers CB Patrick Peterson went on his podcast with his cousin, and former Steelers corner, Bryant McFadden, and claimed he had a bead on Niners QB Brock Purdy
Purdy, despite downplaying it when asked about Peterson’s comments in the run up to the game, seemed to get a little extra satisfaction out of beating Peterson for his two touchdown passes to Brandon Aiyuk.
Peterson was brought in not just for his skills, but supposedly for his ability to mentor and bring along a younger corner taken in the draft – in this case, Joey Porter, Jr.
But what if Peterson’s age -he turned 33 years old just before training camp- is starting to show? He’s playing a position where the aging effect does not take place gradually nor gracefully.
If Peterson’s skills are eroding, and he’s not the mentor type either because he’s teaching Porter the importance of gum-flapping on a podcast leading up to a game, then what value does he have?
It’s early. But Pat Pete has a lot to prove going forward.
All In His Phil-ings
There may be nothing I find more amusing in retrospect than the people who, a few years ago, were salivating at the idea of Phil Jurkovec coming back to Pittsburgh.
No, not to quarterback Pitt. There were people in the media legitimately making comparisons between Jurkovec and Ben Roethlisberger and talking about he’d be a great heir apparent when Roethlisberger’s career ended.
That seems laughable not just after the way Jurkovec performed on Saturday against Cincinnati, but the way he performed after the game.
A 23-year old who’s attended more colleges than most doctors, the Pine-Richland grad lamented the “grown-ass adults” who booed him on Saturday.
You wanna be in the arena, pal? Then suffer the slings and arrows. Especially if you’re not getting the job done. The fans aren’t a twitter account you can mute or a Facebook troll you can block. They’re the people who are quite literally, paying you to not suck. (How’s that juicy NIL deal, Phil? That ride still have the new car smell?) So when you do suck – and boy, did you suck on Saturday night – suck it up, buttercup. And get better.
Or, maybe you could transfer again?
Key Says Unlock the Robots
The Atlanta Braves are far and away the best team in all of Major League Baseball.
This weekend, the Pirates gave them just about all they could handle.
If you missed it, the weekend series at Truist Park in Atlanta reached its peak on Saturday when Ronald Acuna Jr. took exception to Johan Oviedo -*!GASP!*- throwing a fastball inside in the first inning.
Yet that wasn’t the most egregious event of the weekend to take place at home plate in Atlanta. (Which, regardless of the ballpark, is a crime scene for the Pirates organization. Sid Bream at Fulton County Stadium, Jerry Meals at Turner Field, etc.)
Ke’Bryan Hayes is ready for the robot umps.
And to be totally honest, who isn’t at this rate?
Home plate umpiring, specifically via bad ball and strike calls, has cost the Pirates innumerable plate appearances. Enough to take them from 66-77 to 77-66? Certainly not. But at the very least maybe we’d feel better about them having the 6th-highest K% in the NL in High Leverage situations.
And maybe the game would actually be more watchable.
Credit to MLB & Rob Manfred where it’s due: They made some massive changes this season that were wildly unpopular before they were actually implemented. But they worked.
So rather than sitting around and waiting because “that was a lot of change, and we feel the players and fans need to adjust,” get it done NOW. Bring in the automated strike zone next year.
Baseball can handle the change. In fact, baseball *needs* the change.