“Hell Yeah” = “Mojo”
On Sunday afternoon, Mike Tomlin once again gave those of us in the media and the fanbase what he thought we wanted.
He gave us what he would colloquially call “popcorn.” What William Shakespeare, via MacBeth, would refer to as “sound and fury signifying nothing.”
He gave us another night or two with that girl ‘Mojo’ we met in Panama City, who won that wet t-shirt contest and made us feel like an adult film star for 10 glorious minutes during spring break 2000.
He gave us “Hell yeah, we gotta make some changes.”
And in the end, it meant as much as “mojo” meant two weeks earlier: Nothing.
Oh sure, Tomlin will try to convince us that Broderick Jones taking over for Dan Moore Jr. and Darnell Washington taking over for Pat Freiermuth – even though both are due to injury – and maybe a few more snaps for Joey Porter Jr. are the kind of seismic changes that will turn things around.
Or maybe a padded practice – which Tomlin is only permitted to hold once per week – will turn things around.
Maybe he thinks we’re dumb. Maybe he thinks he can eke out a victory over Baltimore, slink into the bye week 3-2 and somehow in 1st place in a battered AFC North, and come out on the other side with a trip to L.A. and a win over the Rams and all will be right with the world, and you’ll be there waving your towel and singing ‘Renegade’ like it’s 2008 all over again.
Soft Reset
One substitution that should definitely take place due to injury is giving Kenny Pickett the week off, as much for the mental side of things as the physical.
Coming off of a bone bruise in his knee, Pickett will undoubtedly still be in some pain and discomfort.
For a quarterback who’s already playing scared -and has already been concussed by the team he’s facing- playing him at less-than-100% isn’t going to improve his decision-making or processing. In fact, it will most likely only serve to harm those things.
Pickett needs confidence. He needs to play decisively, as he did down the stretch last season.
That’s simply not going to happen if you let him play hurt.
Let Pickett heal up, rest, and hopefully prepare himself mentally for his next start sometime following the bye week.
For the Birds
Lamar Jackson does not have a productive track record against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If fans are looking for something hopeful to cling to for this Sunday, perhaps that’ll do.
Not for me.
This version of Jackson has not come in to Pittsburgh before. This is 2019, MVP-level Jackson right now. Louisville Lamar-level Jackson.
Yes, the worst game of Jackson’s 2019 MVP season was at Heinz Field. However, he then bounced back several weeks later and went on a quarterbacking clinic in his final eight starts of that season that led to a 130+ QB rating, 25 passing TDs (another four on the ground), and just ONE interception.
That’s the way Jackson played last week against Cleveland: 15-of-19, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a QB Rating north of 142, and an extra 27 yards and another two touchdowns on the ground.
There’s always a chance Jackson comes in and plays like he seemingly always does against the Steelers, the only team in the NFL he has more interceptions than TDs against, the only NFL team he has more losses than wins against, and the only team in the NFL he’s played against at least four times without scoring a rushing TD.
There’s also a chance an efficient Lamar shows up. The same Lamar from last week. A Lamar that looks similar to what C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy have looked like this year against the Steelers.
And that would be for the Birds.
Guentzel Gives It a Go
With just two full practices and two games left in the preseason, just a week ahead of their opener vs. Chicago, Jake Guentzel hit the ice at Penguins practice yesterday without a non-contact jersey on.
His recovery from ankle surgery in early August is seemingly ahead of schedule, even if he won’t admit it, and it can’t be entirely ruled out of possibility that he could be in the lineup on Opening Night.
Is that what the power play needs to start finding some chemistry and productivity? And what will it mean for the shuffling of spots at the bottom of the roster? We have a few days left to get those answers before next Tuesday.