Questions and Answers: What To Make of the Steelers First Preseason Game

(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

The Steelers played their first preseason game last night, and the Super Bowl rematch produced a few answers and went on to present a few questions that will have to be answered.

What we learned

OK, so there were a few things that were able to be gleaned from the slow monotonous game played at Heinz Field last night.  And it all starts with the second year players.

Shortly after the draft last year many said the Steelers had the best draft in the league with Mendenhall, Sweed, Davis and Dixon topping the charts, but those same critics have come to anoint the 2008 draft class the worst in recent decades for the Steelers.

Not so fast my friends.  If you have taken a trip to Latrobe this summer or even if you just watched last night’s game the sophomores have something to say about their bad rap.

Limas Sweed is for real

Based on camp conversations and a look at the tall Receiver last night against the Cards, Limas Sweed is beginning to pull away in the competition for the team’s third Receiver position.

Shaun McDonald was brought in as the veteran Receiver that would challenge for the third spot, but really all he challenged last night was the defense’s hands and awareness.

Almost every ball caught by McDonald was caught on a second effort after letting the ball come out of his hands and then regaining control.  Had he been playing against Arizona’s starting secondary the outcome might have been different than the six catches he had.

What Sweed showed last night is that he is finally learning to use his height and reach as a weapon. A circus catch over Linebacker Karlos Dansby and a great adjustment on a 45-yard pass from Charlie Batch are both signs of improvement.

Last year Sweed was less than impressive when it came to adjusting for the ball, much less catching it. His ability to focus and make some of these tough plays coupled with the fact that he has bulked up a bit in the off-season is encouraging.

While he did make a few fantastic plays there is definitely room for improvement. Sweed is still a risky proposition until he learns to judge the ball a bit better.

On more than one occasion last night he misjudged a pass that in turn caused him to come back to the sideline without the catch. Among them was a drop that would have been a sure first down inside the red zone. 

Overall he played well and showed signs of being what the franchise thought he would be when they took him in the second round last year.

Dennis Dixon is ready for the next step

After dissecting the Quarterback situation over and over again it was great to finally get to see Batch and Dixon in a real game situation.

The Coaching staff decided to take a long look at second year Quarterback Dennis Dixon out of Oregon, and he gave them something to look at.

A little slow out of the gate in the second quarter, Dixon managed to lead the team to all of their points.

What might have been most impressive was the poise with which Dixon stood in the pocket and delivered pass after pass. Finishing the game 10/19 for 112 yards, Dixon looked impressive as he read the defense and delivered well-timed throws.

The most surprising stat however might be the zero he put up in the box score. Dixon did not run the ball once last night. Very surprising considering the pressure he was under several times. He found a way to move around the pocket and get a pass off. Whether or not Dixon was trying to prove he could pass from the pocket, he did.  

As he ages it will be interesting to see how he use his mobility as he learns to make better decisions.

One aspect of Dixon’s game that left some question marks was his arm strength. While he did make several great throws toward the sidelines last night his deep ball was found lacking.

Having burner Mike Wallace open deep twice last night, Dixon under-threw him. One of which would have been a sure touchdown. If Dixon can bulk up a bit and find a way to put some muscle on those deep balls, he could be a dangerous weapon in the future.    

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