burningmetal

Nothing happened last night that really changed my outlook. I've said all along that we can score 25 a game, but with this offensive line, they won't have many games where they explode for much more than that. The first team offense was good and bad last night, and they are not running their entire offense in a preseason game. So I'm not looking at the points (or lack thereof) in these games. I'm just looking at how those guys up front are doing, who's catching the ball, who isn't. What I've seen tells me this is pretty much the same offense from last year. It's got some new and interesting skill players, but they will all be limited by the amount of time and space our QB and RB's get.

Defensively, they're going to be better than they were last year. They haven't shown a pass rush, but that usually is the case in preseason. They will have a lot to prove there. In coverage, there were two big plays that should have been broken up. On the TD to Antonio Brown, Harris had perfect position, but for some reason never looked for the ball. The same thing happened on a long pass down the sideline against P.J Williams. This has been a pattern for years. Our corners DO NOT look for the ball. I have no idea why... It's like they're being instructed not to look. If you can't find the ball, it doesn't matter where you are, the ball will get caught right over your head.

Those things are correctable, but they HAVE to correct it. It was the big plays that killed them in the first half. Pittsburgh couldn't run it, and when they threw short, for the most part, the Saints tackled well.

So it's really just a matter of putting pressure on the QB and getting our DB's to find the ball. We won't know until the season starts how that will all turn out, and we all knew going into camp that the whole season would hinge on both lines doing a better job.

So last night just reminded me of those things. This team has plenty of talent, but there are a lot of moving parts on that defense right now, and I'm just not sure this is their year, but do believe that they will be more competitive overall. I'm hopeful but very unsure of where this team will finish.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.