Steelers @ Panthers Pregame Thoughts - Jalen Ramsey Should Play
The NFL’s third and final week of preseason games starts off with a Thursday Night matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers. This will be the last opportunity we get to see the Steelers against another uniform before they take next week off and begin preparations for their first regular season matchup on September 7th.
In Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference ahead of this matchup, he quickly ruled out Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, DK Metcalf, and Cam Heyward. He said that everyone else is “under consideration, adding “they’re preparing as if they’re going to play.” Surely, we’re all used to the vague language that Mike Tomlin often uses; at least I am. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s not willing to elaborate on division of labor.
Thankfully, he spoke specifically about being eager to see the starters in the secondary get some reps together in an effort to aid in their “cohesion” and “communication”. Assuming nothing happens to derail that, we should get our first look at JPJ, Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and DeShon Elliot together in a game-like setting. I’ve spent a lot of my day today just thinking about the confidence that group has displayed this summer, and I’m absolutely ecstatic to see what that looks like in a stadium.
If you’ve been following the Steelers with me this summer, then you know what I think Jalen Ramsey can bring to this defense. On the field, we’re talking about one of the best all-around CBs of the last decade; maybe the best tackling corner of all time. But, even more than that, he is a Super Bowl Champion, and he brings a demeanor to this secondary that I think was sorely missed. Don’t get me wrong, I remember that Bengals game to start the 2022 season. Real ones know. Minkah is that m-f’n DUDE, and at his best he was literally putting the team on his back. That game is proof. But, the stark contrast in the two’s personality types is quite apparent, and I can’t lie to yinz…Jalen Ramsey oozes a confidence that’s infectious to me from my couch. I can only imagine what this summer has been like for some of these young cats like Joey Porter Jr., Cory Trice Jr., Donte Kent; even some of the receivers…specifically Calvin Austin III. Make no mistake about it: Jalen Ramsey is exactly the kind of guy you go out and acquire if you’re serious about contending for Super Bowls. I’m not calling their path to the Super Bowl now. As much as I want to believe, and I’ll be cheering passionately for it, I think this team is a couple of years away. But THAT guy with THAT pedigree has to play a significant role in order for that to happen, in the form of, both, production and aiding in the development of others.
Thursday Night will be the first time we get to see Jalen Ramsey play a football game in the black and gold, and if that’s not reason enough for you to tune in, then I’m surprised you found your way to this post. The word “communication” has been thrown around regarding this secondary all summer long, and rightfully so considering it’s completely revamped. These guys are going to take some time to become a cohesive unit, like Coach highlighted earlier; it might even be in our best interest to expect some occasional early season struggles from this group. That’s why I think every full-speed rep you can get these guys together is exceptionally important, and I wish we had let them get their feet wet in the first couple weeks of the preseason, but I digress.
Coach Tomlin went on to basically imply that division of labor would be largely reflective of the Carolina Panthers’ division of labor. This will be the last opportunity for a lot of guys to show what they’ve got, so I wouldn’t expect to see too many of the first-or-second-team guys beyond the first quarter. Like EVERY SINGLE preseason game, I just want to see a clean operation, and most importantly, NO INJURIES. After this, we’re off to New York.
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