Running It Back
Two big name running backs found new homes on Monday, as Dalvin Cook signed with the New York Jets and Ezekiel Elliott landed with the New England Patriots.
Whether it’s the four-time Pro Bowler in Cook or the two-time rushing champion in Elliott, they are both perfect examples of the devaluation of the running back position over the past half decade, and excellent case studies for Steelers fans in the pros and cons of committing to a running back at an average annual salary of $12.5-15 million as the Vikings and Cowboys did to Cook and Elliott, respectively.
Something to keep in mind if Najee Harris should start pay off on his first round pedigree.
What Is Priester?
With every outing and each passing inning of work, it becomes harder and hard to see the projectable top of the rotation starter Former Pirates General Manager Neil Huntington thought he was getting with Quinn Priester as the 18th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
An ERA of 9.10 and a fastball that resembles beach balls to most hitters is not what was expected, I’m sure. Six starts in to his Major League career, Priester has yet to get through a sixth inning, and is working on a WHIP near 2.00.
Already behind four other starting pitchers in the Pirates’ top prospect rankings -all of whom are below him in the organization- it’s not hard to see Priester on the outside looking in and fighting for a rotation spot next spring.
And that’s ok.
Some people will tell you that it’s important to let young pitchers work through their issues, possibly even going up-and-down in the system a couple of times, refining themselves to find the best version of themselves. It requires a strong system, a prospect with mental fortitude, and most of all, time and patience.
The Pirates may have the former two, but the latter two – time and patience – are not something they are blessed with if they really believe they can compete in 2024.
So while there will be shouts to send Priester back down to Indianapolis, I’m here to argue that the best place for him right now, at least from the organization’s perspective, should be at the Major League level so they can figure out whether they have anything in Priester or not heading in to next spring.
AP Preseason Top 25
If this were baseball, the AP would be in the Hall of Fame. After all, they hit at a .400 rate last season.
Yes, as in 40% of the teams they had in the Preseason Top 25 actually finished in the Top 25.
Sadly, this isn’t baseball, and only 10 of the teams in last year’s AP Preseason Top 25 finished the season in the Top 25, and teams #3, and #6-11 at the end of the year weren’t ranked to start the season.
For what it’s worth, Pitt was ranked 17th to start the 2022 season and finished 22nd, Penn State was unranked but finished 7th, and West Virginia… ummm… if somebody could wake Neal Brown up, maybe he could let us know