It feels great to have football back, doesn’t it? Surely being able to read game previews online is as fun as it is to write them. Don’t worry, we know that it’s only preseason, but there is still a ton to watch for. Results on the scoreboard don’t matter this time of year, but individual results on the field do. The Buffalo Bills will be playing in their third preseason game thus far, with a 1-1 record, and face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers dropped their opening game against the New York Giants but had some positive progressions. Pittsburgh has had Buffalo’s number for quite some time now, winning nine of the last ten meetings dating back to 1993.
Steelers 2014 Draft Class Looking Marvelous
Pittsburgh is looking like it hit a gold mine back in April with the rookies on the field as of right now. First-round pick Ryan Shazier has already won the starting job. Second-round pick Stephen Tuitt is looking like he is ready to start and make an immediate impact as well. Even Dick LaBeau thinks so, who said that Tuitt will, “Play an awful lot of snaps” this year. Third-round pick Dri Archer rocked the Giants defense last week with 50 yards on two catches. And even their fourth-round pick, Martavis Bryant is could turn into a “Big time receiver,” according to Scott Brown of ESPN.
Shazier did settle a big of a setback this past week, with a minor knee injury. While he hasn’t regressed, and still looks every part of a top-15 pick, the reps that he missed is worth noting. Rookies need every training camp repetition they can get, especially a first-round linebacker for a Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Sean Spence is the guy to look out for this game is Shazier struggles.
Bills Offense Needs to Click...Now
C.J. Spiller, nothing. Fred Jackson, nothing. Mike Williams, nothing. Sammy Watkins, nothing. So far this preseason, Buffalo’s first team offense has laid one big egg. Carrying the offense is guys like Chris Hogan and Bryce Brown along with Robert Woods. Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand that the first team isn’t playing nearly as much. But when Watkins and Williams have five total catches in the first two games, something isn’t working out right. With this being the Bills third preseason game, the starters could see a very nice chunk of time. What needs to happen for Buffalo’s offense is, a nice long sustained drive of seven to ten plays, capped off by a red zone touchdown.
Look, we know how much of this season is dependent on Manuel. I won’t even bother to bore you with that part, because quite frankly, it’s getting boring to write about. Regardless, this offense needs some serious confidence and momentum heading into the regular season, and this is the time to start. Maybe getting Sammy more touches would be good too, considering the whole “We gave up a 2015 first for you” deal.
Joint Practices Lead to a Great Game
On Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the game this weekend, the Bills and Steelers will be taking part in joint practices. These types of practices have become widespread across the NFL as a way to grade progression of players against other opponents, in a non-game atmosphere. But, just because they aren’t on live television doesn’t mean they aren’t beating the hell out of eachother like it was a game. The Raiders and Cowboys got into it a little bit to much in their practice, and a pretty big brawl broke out between the two teams. That fight has lead to teams like the Steelers enhancing security with on-field police officers. Atlanta Falcon’s coach Mike Smith has even said that if his players get into a fight during these practices, they will be fined. All is fair in love and war, except when the franchise looks bad, like it did for Oakland and Dallas.
Even without a brawl, the practices will surely be physical, “Being able to see a different change of pace is really good. The dynamic of Fred and CJ, compared to Blount and Bell, it’s a lot different,” said Arthur Moats. The game will be somewhat intriguing to watch, with a little more chippiness than usual, considering they’ll be sick of seeing each other come Saturday night.