June 24, 2015
Morning Java: Jose, Kessel, Martavis vs. Markus
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC AND JOSH YOHE
Two guys randomly shooting the breeze amid a nice actual breeze on the pedestrian bridge near Herrs Island on the Allegheny River:
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pedro Alvarez is batting .196 in June, with one home run and three RBIs. -- GETTY
June 23, 2015
Tuesday 10 Qs: Branson, Brandon, bad safety
After rifling through the 100-plus questions submitted, I’ve got your Tuesday 10 Qs and, symmetrically enough, your Tuesday 10 As, too.
Thanks so much to everyone who participated!
bpn8pitt: I try not to be one of those fire-the-hitting-coach fans. But I do find it odd that Jeff Branson escapes all criticism. We gush and marvel at the genius of Ray Searage and Jim Benedict. Shouldn’t we hold the hitting side to a similar standard?
I know you will cite some successes in Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte, but I’m wondering if Pedro Alvarez, Jordy Mercer, Tony Sanchez, among others, were brought along properly. I’m also wondering if the same decision makers may have rushed along Gregory Polanco.
DK: Man, we really need a Recency Bias bell around here or something.
Was 2014 really all that long ago?
Was it a different Branson who was in charge then? Different players? Different manager overseeing it all? Different process being applied?
Keith Butler is the Steelers' defensive coordinator after 12 years as linebackers coach. -- GETTY
June 19, 2015
Friday Insider: Butler playbook back to basics
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
No, the Steelers’ new defensive playbook won’t fit on the front of an index card.
That’s why Cam Heyward, among others in the fold, have bristled when asked during offseason workouts if Keith Butler’s system will be simpler than that of his predecessor, Dick LeBeau, for the sake of the defense’s many youngsters. As Heyward put it during minicamp this week, “That would be pigeonholing the whole team. It’s up to the younger guys to study their playbook and grasp the concepts.”
Undoubtedly, that’s true.
But equally undoubtedly, the playbook will be smaller.
Ramon Foster and the Steelers' line stuck like glue through most of 2014. -- GETTY
June 18, 2015
Steelers minicamp: O-line seeks another level
BY DAN SCIFO
The Steelers’ offense ranked No. 2 in the NFL in 2014, but the line, not so long ago considered among the leakiest and most injury-prone in the league, has slowly transformed into one of the best, paving the way for Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and others to shine.
And now, as they head into the 2015 season?
“We had a good year, but there were a lot of things we could’ve done better,” Maurkice Pouncey was saying Thursday on the third and final day of minicamp on the South Side. “We’re just trying to grow. We have to keep working every day, staying humble and realizing the sky is the limit.”
Ryan Shazier acknowledges having plenty left to learn about life in the NFL. -- GETTY
June 17, 2015
Steelers minicamp: Learning the playbook
BY DAN SCIFO
It wasn’t easy to step into the Steelers’ defense and make an immediate impact under Dick LeBeau, and new defensive coordinator Keith Butler has made multiple changes to address that in hopes of simplifying Xs and Os for youngsters.
But he apparently isn’t going overboard in that regard.
“That would be pigeonholing the whole team,” Cam Heyward was saying Wednesday on the second day of minicamp on the South Side. “We want everybody to catch us. We want everybody to be on the same speed so we can all play fast. It’s up to the younger guys to study their playbook and grasp the concepts.”
Shamarko Thomas will start in 2015 despite limited playing time his first two NFL seasons. -- GETTY
June 16, 2015
Steelers minicamp: Wait’s over for Shamarko
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
“You know the one guy nobody’s talking about?” Vince Williams was asking Tuesday as the Steelers were about to take to the South Side fields for the opening of minicamp. “And I mean nobody. Not in here. Not anywhere.”
He silently motioned toward Shamarko Thomas.
“That guy, if you think about it, is taking the place of a living legend, he’s about to step right in, and you don’t read or hear a thing about it.”
Williams meant that in a good way.
“Oh, yeah, absolutely. It tells you the trust people have in him.”
June 24, 2015
Podcast: Full show on 105.9 the X
by Dejan Kovacevic • Podcasts • Penguins, Pirates, Steelers
Here are the podcasts, one for each of the three hours, of my full show today on 105.9 the X filling in for Mark Madden. We went back and forth between Pirates and Penguins, with unfortunate fake trades infiltrating far too much of it. Guests: Matt Gajtka, Brian Metzer.
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