What To Watch When the Pittsburgh Steelers Play The New York Giants

The Pittsburgh Steelers season is under way.

Well, the preseason anyway.

Teams don't necessarily look to win every preseason game. They look to find the best talent on the team to win the regular season games.

The first preseason game showed some good and bad for the Steelers. Here is what I would like to see in the second game against the New York Giants this saturday.

Dennis Dixon Getting First Team Reps.

Am I alone or does anyone else see Kordell Stewart since Dixon changed his number to 10?

However, Stewart was then, Dixon is now.

The former Oregon star put up solid numbers in the first preseason game against the Detroit Lions. He completed 6 out of 7 passes for 128 yards and ran 6 times for 31 yards.

However the most impressive thing was how he moved the offense downfield seemingly easy, albeit against 2nd and 3rd teamers.

I would like to see what he can do with the 1st teamers against 1st teamers against the Giants saturday. Meaning I want to see him get the start in this game, just to see.

However you still cant count Leftwich out for the count. He had almost no protection, so I still would like to see him start the 3rd preseason game where the starters get the most playing time, and they should have their chemistry down.

Maurkice Pouncey Start

Justin Hartwig generated absolutely no push on the defensive line in the first preseason game. Pouncey took over at center during the 4th series and took off from there.

The center is the captain of the line, and Pouncey handled the duties like a veteran.

He also helped propel Isaac Redman several times for big runs and screens.

Also, per the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pouncey has been splitting first team reps with Hartwig

While he does have plenty of room to grow, he would easily be an upgrade over Hartwig and should get the start against the Giants.

That would provide a nice test for the young man, going against a stout Giants defensive line.

Rookie WRs

While we all hate the thought of it, Hines Ward cant play forever.

Which means the Steelers need to find someone capable of starting on this team. Not so much to replace Ward, because that will never happen.

Enter Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.

Both are rookie speedsters that have been impressing in camp, and in the first preseason game.

Emmanuel Sanders only had one reception, but it was a nice 3rd down catch over the middle. He also commanded most of the double teams for the night.

Antonio Brown had the big night. Going one on one with Lions 3rd string CBs Eric King and Paul Pratt. Brown caught 3 passes for 84 yards. One of those receptions being a 68 yard touchdown where once he turned the corner he burned the defense. Another being a nice grab where he picked the ball right of the grass.

So in the game against the Giants, I would love to see these two young men get some more balls thrown their way.

Doug Worthington

I am routing on Mr. Worthington here based solely on the fact the beard reminds me of Mean Joe Greene.

Ok all kidding aside, he fits the 3-4 DE mold perfectly. He's 6'5 295 lbs, and as strong as an ox.

All game against the Lions, big ol' number 95 was in the backfield on almost every play. He also moved over to DT and took on double teams pretty well, helping free the linebackers to blitz.

This man has a non stop motor that doesnt stop until the whistle blows. This was most evident on a play where he created push into the backfield, and the Lions dumped off a screen. Worthington chased him down from 10 yards behind.

The future of this D-line could include Doug Worthington, and I would love to see him get more reps in the second preseason game.

Stevenson Sylvester

The MVP of the Poinsetta Bowl. Which Bob Pompeani felt the need to tell us he watched.

Anyone who reads my articles and comments knows my infatuation with Sylvester. He is very fast, surprisingly strong, and takes all the right routes to the ball.

He led the Steelers against the Lions with 7 tackles. He seemed to be around the ball on EVERY play.

While he did miss one tackle, he's a rookie. He'll learn. So i'm looking for him to come in to the game a little bit earlier inagainst the Giants to see what he can do against a high flying offense.

Ramon Foster & Tony Hills

Ramon Foster is a lock to make the team. He was an above average fill in last year when Kemoeatu got hurt and has the versatility to play both guard positions.

While being a stellar fill in, I would love to see Foster get some first team reps at RG. Not saying he will win a job, but I think he could possibly push Essex.

This may be Tony Hills last chance to show something. He has been somewhat of a bust since coming out of Texas. However anyone that watched that first game would think different. In the run game he imposed his will on the DE's. I look for him to get a lot of reps yet again against the Giants to see if he can continue his good play.

Cornerbacks

The nickle back situation is still up for grabs.

Joe Burnett seemed to have played the best against the Lions.

However, Keenan Lewis was the one impressing in camp and may have the hold on the 3rd cornerback position.

Then there's Crezdon Butler, who I felt played pretty good in his first NFL game.

William Gay seems to be the forgotten man here, but I still look for him to make a push. He was a good nickle back in 2008.

I look for these 4 players to battle it out in the upcoming preseason games, making it a close competition.

Backup Safety

As we all saw last year when Polamalu went down, our secondary becomes a wreck.

Will Allen was brought in to back up at safety and Ryan Mundy is expected to make strides.

But 2 players in the Lions game really impressed.

The first was Justin Thornton. While he didn't seem all that great in coverage, he was solid in the run. He layed a big hit on the Lions RB that cause a fumble in the red zone, one of the biggest plays in the game.

The one that stood out to me however was Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith.

Who?

Yeah, an undrafted rookie out of UTEP. He's big at 6'2 220 but still has speed to cover and hits like a train. He could possibly be here for a long time, even as a backup, if he shows a lot during the rest of the preseason.

Chemistry

I would like to see the offense, particularly the line, develop more of a chemistry.

It is typical for a team in its first preseason game to look out of tune, but I would still like to see the Steelers make a big stride in their second game.

It will be a big factor in the first 4 weeks of the season without Ben if the rest of the team can play along side each other, bringing out the best in each other.