Steelers Open Preseason Saturday Vs Eli And The Giants

By Tyler Sweet

The wait is almost over! In what may be the most anticipated preseasons since Mike Tomlin took over the team in 2007, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play host to the New York Giants at Heinz Field on Saturday night. After an 8-8 record last year in a season plagued with injuries to key players, the Steelers have a lot of questions that will need to be addressed in the upcoming weeks. Saturday night will be the first time fans will get a chance to see the new look Steelers without some familiar names. With the departure of Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace, Keenan Lewis, James Harrison, and Casey Hampton, it would be easy to use that dreaded phrase, “rebuilding year”.

In years past, the Steelers have had success at Mike Tomlins “next man up” attitude whenever a player was lost to injury or let go in the offseason. Only time will tell if the current roster has the playmakers needed to step up in some of those open slots and minimize any weak spots on both sides of the ball. Saturday nights preseason matchup with the Giants will be a great opportunity away from Latrobe for rookies and other young players to win a roster spot and potentially a starting role.

With James Harrison in Cincinnati, Jason Worilds and Jarvis Jones will continue to battle it out for that right outside linebacker position. Although it appears Worilds will be the guy, a lot can happen between now and the season opener against the Titans. Jarvis Jones has been impressing a lot of people at camp as of late and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Jones, a rookie out of Georgia spent his collegiate career in a 3-4 defensive scheme which has played to his advantage in terms of already knowing much of the basic technical skills as a stand up pass rusher. Look for Jones to make a statement this preseason as he closes the gap with Jason Worilds in their position battle.

Many Steeler fans will be watching to see how the offensive line will perform together Saturday night as well. With injuries to the offensive line last year, this preseason will be a great chance for the guys up front to work together in a game-like setting. Talent appears to be there, but consistency and health issues will once again be one of the biggest questions going into the regular season.

Benefitting from a healthy and consistent offensive line will be rookie runningback Le’Veon Bell as he looks to prove his case as the feature back in second year offensive coordinator Todd Haleys offense. Mike Tomlin announced Thursday that Bell will get his opportunity early in the game Saturday with the starting offensive unit. Bell will need to come out strong and have a big preseason to prove he deserves to be the starter.

Troy Polamalu will also be taking the field against the Giants Saturday. When healthy, Polamalu has established himself as one of the biggest playmaking safety in all of football. Getting back onto the field will be a huge relief for his teammates and Steeler Nation. With Heath Miller still recovering from a torn ACL, and Matt Spaeth rehabing an injury of his own, newly aquired Michael Palmer should get some reps in throughout the game.

For the Giants, first round draft pick Justin Pugh suffered a concussion last week and most likely will sit out. Also likely to sit out is veteran pass rusher Justin Tuck who has missed the past couple practices with a sore back. Missing the playoffs three out of the past four years, the Giants will be looking to make a statement this season that they are on track to once again make a run for the playoffs and solidify themselves as one of the elite teams in the NFC. Eli Manning will play the first series or two while the other 3 back up quarterbacks will also be taking snaps throughout the game.

With so many areas of concern for the Steelers heading into Saturday, fans can look forward to seeing a great exhibition against a respectable opponent. Like almost all preseason matchups, the stage will be set for the young players to make a name for themselves and earn their spot on the team. For the Steelers, this is no exception. This may be a meaningless preseason matchup, but for the guys out on the field, it is an opportunity to prove why they deserve to wear the Steeler black and gold and rise up to be “the next man up”.