Home field advantage is key for Steelers

“Yeah, but how does this help them beat the Patriots.”
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen that in the past few days on social media, I’d have, well, a whole lot of nickels.
That seems to be the recurring theme among Steelers fans with everything the team has done this offseason.
But it’s a silly refrain.
First off, the Steelers don’t have to worry about beating the Patriots – until they do.
New England is only on the schedule once during the regular season in 2017. And that game is at Heinz Field.
The Steelers gave the Patriots everything they could handle last season at Heinz Field with Landry Jones at quarterback.
Who knows if the two teams will actually play again after that?
And if they do, is a fifth or sixth-round player going to make the difference? Even if that player is a long-snapper?
Really?
If the Steelers are going to get past the Patriots, their best bet is to win as many games as possible – including that matchup at Heinz Field against New England – and make sure that when the playoffs begin, the road to the Super Bowl runs through Pittsburgh.
Winning enough games to secure home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs is the key.
Win 12 or 13 games – 14 if you can – and let the rest sort itself out.
@ While all of the other offseason acquisitions by NFL teams have been well documented, the biggest will be returning to Pittsburgh soon enough.
If there is a team out there that has added a player as explosive as Martavis Bryant, I haven’t seen it.
Yes, New England got Brandin Cooks, who is a good football player. Cooks has 20 touchdowns in 42 career games with Drew Brees throwing him the ball.
Bryant has 15 career touchdowns in 21 games.
@ If you haven’t seen the ESPN special on new Steelers running back James Conner, which documents his journey back from Hodgkins lymphoma, you’re missing something special.
Conner’s jersey sales are going to go through the roof when his number is officially announced later this week. We can assume he’ll get 24 since nobody else has it right now.
Not that I’m into giving away other people’s money, but it would be a nice gesture if some of the proceeds from the sale of Conner’s jerseys went toward cancer research – especially children’s cancer research.
@ If I were a betting man, I would say the Steelers rookie who will make the biggest impact this season will be third-round draft pick Cameron Sutton.
Sutton was a four-year starter at cornerback at Tennessee. I expect him to make a push to get on the field early for the Steelers.
That doesn’t mean that Senquez Golson won’t have a spot on this team, as well.
That might be the most interesting battle of training camp.
@ Those who thought the Steelers might look to the draft for competition for Vince Williams at inside linebacker because the team had a flirtation with Donta’ Hightower are missing the big picture.
Yes, the Steelers were interested in Hightower because they thought he would be an upgrade over Williams.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t comfortable with Williams as a starter. They are.
They did not, however, see any other inside linebackers as a significant upgrade over Williams. Nor did they see a pressing need to replace Williams with a draft pick.
@ The Steelers had an interest in Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers.
They liked his leadership skills and his athleticism.
But, in my opinion, it would have been a mistake for them to select him in the draft.
Peppers is a player without a position at this point. Is he a safety? Is he a running back? Is he a corner? Is he simply a return guy?
Cleveland has the kind of roster where they can try Peppers out at different positions until they find one that fits.
If, however, Peppers turns out to be a strong safety – which is what I think he’ll be – the Steelers would have had to figure out what to do with both Peppers and Sean Davis.
T.J. Watt was the better pick for the Steelers.
And I believe if both had been on the board when the Steelers picked at 30, they still would have taken Watt.
@ The Steelers have gotten a lot of grief for selecting a long snapper in the sixth round of the draft.
But if Colin Holba holds down the team’s long snapper position for the next decade or so, was the pick worth it? In my eyes, sure.