Sep 25, 2016 4 min read

For a number of years, rookies just didn’t play in Pittsburgh’s defense.

Fans gnashed their teeth about it year after year. And the veterans would tell you it was because the defense was so tough to learn.

That certainly was part of it. But another issue is that young players are prone to mistakes.

We’re seeing that play out with Artie Burns and Sean Davis to be sure thus far this season.

It’s not that those two are making assignment mistakes. But they are both having issues getting guys onto the ground.

This is the NFL and the receivers are bigger and strong than any they faced in college football. The running backs are faster and more elusive.

For better or worse, however, the Steelers have to keep running the young guys out there and hoping they improve by season’s end.

But the tackling has got to get better.

That’s not to say they were the only guys missing tackles. Everyone misses one here or there. But they have had issues consistently with it.

@ Even when the Steelers did something right in this game, it backfired on them.

That was never more apparent than in the third quarter when Stephon Tuitt got a good pass rush on Carson Wentz, forcing an errant pass as he hit the rookie just after he released the ball.

But Tuitt was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play, apparently for his hand getting up into Wentz’ face as Tuitt was dragged to the ground by a blocker.

It was that kind of day.

William Gay also had call go against him for a facemask after a nice tackle for a short gain. Replay showed he didn’t really grab the facemask as much as the helmet,

Again, it was that kind of day.

@ All those people saying DeAngelo Williams instead of Le’Veon Bell moving forward need only look at the replays of this game for a reminder why this team needs Bell on the field.

Antonio Brown caught 12 passes for 140 yards in this game. Williams was the second-leading receiver with 23 yards on four catches.

In a game such as this, Bell would have feasted in the passing game.

He’ll be back next week and has 13 games remaining. It says here he’ll be the team’s second-leading receiver behind Brown by season’s end.

Like Brown, Bell is a special kind of receiver.

Ben Roethlisberger needs a No. 2 receiver since none of the other guys have really emerged. Bell can be that guy.

@ Carson Wentz is good. He’d give Cleveland its best quarterback since, well, maybe Bernie Kosar.

But he’s much better off in Philadelphia than he would have been with the Browns. The Eagles aren’t asking him to do a lot in the passing game. He throws a ton of screens and other stuff in the short passing game.

Philadelphia has enough playmakers on offense to make that work. He wouldn’t have had that luxury in Cleveland, where he’d have been asked to do pretty much everything.

@ The Steelers’ offensive line is good. I know this to be true.

But they had issues up front for the second consecutive game with big defensive tackles.

Again, Bell and his speed will help that issue.

@ Through three games, the Steelers have one sack. Sunday, they were credited with hitting Wentz three times, two by James Harrison and once by Anthony Chickillo when he came in unblocked.

Tuitt had a hit on him but it was negated by the penalty.

The Steelers just aren’t getting there and I looked at Tuitt and Cam Heyward, a pair of guys who were No. 1 and 2 on the team in sacks last season, as a big reason.

They aren’t getting enough pressure right now. Both would tell you that’s the case. They need to be more disruptive or this defense doesn’t work.

@ The outside zone runs of the Eagles gave the Steelers some problems. You can expect to see more of that moving forward.

Rookie Javon Hargrave has been something of a disappointment thus far as well.

@ Markus Wheaton had a tough game. He’s better than what he showed in this game, much like the team as a whole.

@ Not that it would have mattered, but Darrius Heyward-Bey should have been awarded a touchdown late in this game. Replay clearly showed him coming down with a ball in the end zone before Rodney McLeod wrestled it away from him on the ground.