- William Gay rose above his name once again (I saw that he was given credit for the 77 yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter at one point, but Jovon Johnson - whoever the hell that is - actually picked the ball up and scored the ball and scored the touchdown. So, Gay got his hand on the ball, popped it up to Johnson, and Johnson scooped the ball and scored. Good thing we got that straight.)
- A win is a win and damnit, we won.
Other than that, Arians still didn't open up the offense (we haven't seen the full extent of it yet, which is pretty scary considering that he's already done a lot of things that go against what the Steelers have been about for the past 38 years or so). We still sucked in the red zone. I'm willing to concede that fumble by Fast Willie, by the way. In an actual game, either they would've whistled the play dead or Tomlin would've challenged it. I mean, the Eagles still would've gotten the ball in all likelihood, but it just would have played out differently.
And, the mistakes of last year are still holding us back. We outgained them 297-89 in the first half and still were clinging to a 13-3 lead. Turnovers and inefficiency in the red zone. It killed us last year, it's killing us now. I just hope that the "secret" part of the offense that Arians has yet to show us is the plays that actually work inside the 20. That'd be awesome. Highly unlikely, but it would be awesome.
The defense, once again, showed up ready to play. I'd still like to see how they stack up to a team that comes onto the field with a full gameplan and the intent to play their starters for all 60 minutes, but they have looked damn good. I also stand by my assertion that the early intensity we're seeing will eventually flame out later in the game or later in the season and that we're going to be in for a lot of 31-24 games this year.
But... they have looked damn good so far, haven't they?
Especially William Gay. He's been all over the field this pre-season, having forced a fumble last night that clinched the game and intercepting a pass against Washington that clinched the game. Granted, since he's seeing a lot of action in the 4th quarter thus far, we're probably not going to see him in the starting line-up during the regular season. But, he'll make the roster. He might just be a nickel or dime guy while he's getting the hang of things, but I'm looking forward to the future. I'm looking forward to people struggling with whether or not to buy a Gay jersey.
As of this moment, it's up to either him or Randall Gay of the Patriots to do well enough that people will actually consider buying a jersey with the word "gay" on it. I still don't think you'll ever see them in stores, but it'd be interesting to see how online sales do.
(Randall Gay also plays cornerback. He covers wide receivers. Sometimes, he'll be on the other team's tight end. I couldn't remember his first name, so I Googled, "Patriots roster," because I didn't want to Google, "Gay Patriots" and accidentally find out that Paul Revere liked to dress in drag. Let's move on.)
The biggest news, though, from last night's game is that there's no news (or, at least no decision) on who the starting five are for the offensive line. Starks came out with the first team, then was replaced by Colon, then Starks came back in. It looks as though every position on the line is set, though, with Smith, Faneca, Mahan, and Simmons having locked up their positions. I suggest that Coach Tomlin makes a decision before the game against the Panthers.
Whatever he sees in the game on Thursday will not have any effect on who starts and who doesn't. I have the feeling that he has already made up his mind, but he refuses to let us in on it.
So... shit or get off the pot already. I've gotta figure out whether or not to draft Fast Willie and Ben and that's really holding things up.
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