Cooper: Initial Thoughts: Preseason Game 1

Posted on August 14, 2010 by JJ

Here are some quick thoughts on tonight’s Steelers-Lions preseason opener.

• Preseason sucks.

• Gretz may dry out by next Thursday.

• Flozell Adams’ debut didn’t go as he would have hoped. Cliff Avril ran right past him for a first quarter sack. However, Mike Florio’s suggestion at PFT that the Steelers could cut Adams is insane–Pittsburgh doesn’t have any other options.

Related: Adam’s View from 522 | Ryan’s Recap

• Wide receiver Antonio Brown has some speed. His catch and run on a 68-yard touchdown was a thing of beauty. That’s the kind of play that helps ensure you make a team. He added to his case even more with a nice diving catch late in the game.

• Dennis Dixon was solid, but if you just look at his stats, you may think he was better than he was. He had two long passes and both of them were short/intermediate passes with a whole lot of yards after the catch. That being said, you can’t knock 6-for-7 with no awful passes.

• Also when Dixon tucks the ball and runs, it’s fitting he’s wearing No. 10 this year–he’s Pittsburgh’s best running threat at quarterback since Kordell Stewart.

• Crezdon Butler made a nice break on a ball for a pass broken up.

• It may not mean anything, but the Steelers gave Isaac Redman a long, long look with plenty of carries. Overall he looked pretty good, reminding everyone that he runs hard.

• The NFL.com stats are very helpful, but I feel confident that the tackle stats aren’t completely accurate. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play, so it’s highly unlikely that he recorded a tackle.

Related posts:

  1. Steelers vs. Lions: Preseason Game 1 (and Daily Thread)
  2. Tomlin Talks Personnel Leading Up to Lions Game
  3. Mike Wallace Doesn’t Lack Confidence
  4. Over/Under: 70 Receptions for Heath Miller
  5. Steelers Try To Fix Tackle Hole, Sign Flozell Adams
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  • Randy Steele

    Flozell was beaten at least twice by my count, which was disheartening. Kemo played as confused and cross-eyed as ever. Mendenhall has contracted another case of the fumble flu.

    And Leftwich looked almost mummified at times, but even if he was a mummy, at least he got out of that game alive.

    In fact, the best news is that there was no news of any real injuries to the Steelers.

  • Cols714

    I was firmly in the Leftwich should just be named the starter, but now I’m unsure. At the very least, if he is getting beat up because of the line, Dixon should be called on sooner rather than later.

    Is there a reason that Redman and Dwyer can’t both make the team? This seems like the way to go. Dwyer gets the benefit of the doubt and Redman just looks tough. He can also catch as he showed on that nice screen play.

  • RedStick

    – Lewis and Burnett seem to have improved from last year. As a result, the position that looked to be among the weakest on the team may actually be a strength. Or at least not a major liability.
    - Tony Hills played better than I’d been led to believe by Ed Bouchette, meaning that I didn’t notice any obvious screw-ups.
    - Stevenson Sylvester seemed to be around the ball a lot. Granted, he was competing against third-teamers on the Detroit Lions, but he looked a lot better than Thaddeus Gibson.
    - I now understand why Dwyer lasted until the 6th round, and why he might have been a reach. At this point I’ll take Justin Vincent over that useless tub-o-lard.
    - Good luck with your next career, Mr. Urbik.

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