Steelers Central

Ricky Turner

Where to get the latest on everything new and upcoming with the Black and Yellow. Biweekly up until trading camp starts, then weekly up until the season ends. Contact me @realdebater on Instagram Twitter and Tik Tok for any ideas and recommendations.

  1. 6D AGO

    Looming Decision at OLB

    On this episode of Steelers Central, it's time to handout grades to the defensive side of the ball. Tune in to see which position groups disappointed most, and why it was hard grading the defensive line that saw individually have good season, but together, they struggled to stop the run. Also, which group has the most potential to be great under Patrick Graham, and which room needs an overhaul after 2025. Next, with the news of Nick Herbig wanting to be a starter even if that means not in Pittsburgh, the Steelers will have a looming decision in their EDGE rushing room. TJ Watt's 3-year $123 million extension kicks in this year while Alex Highsmith is in the middle of his 4-year $68 million extension. I said it last offseason, and I will say it again, giving TJ Watt that much money was a mistake, and they should look to get the best offer for him. Nick Herbig should be untouchable, while the Steelers should explore offers for both Highsmith and Watt even though Watt would garner more return. Lastly, I give my thoughts on the new hires of Mike McCarthy in the last coaching update as the team officially has a new OC that could bring some new ideas to McCarthy's traditional West Coast scheme while adding a secondary coach that had his group totaling 176 INTs over nine years, a former DT in the AFC North, and a BIG 12 OLB Coach that has three notable draft prospects coming into this year 0:00-26:09 Steelers Defensive Grades 26:10-39:28 Time to trade Watt? 39:29-47:39 Rounding out the Staff

    48 min
  2. JAN 17

    Turning the Page After Tomlin

    In a wild week of Steelers news, the Steelers will do something they haven't done in 19 years: find a new head coach. This comes after the team's 30-6 defeat on Monday night against the Texans, becoming the nail in the coffin for Tomlin to step down. This episode we'll break down the legacy of Mike Tomlin, his 19-year tenure, what went wrong down the stretch run if his career, and why I thought they were five years too late in letting Tomlin keep his job. Next, it's time to look back at what went wrong in the Divisional Round game, and what went wrong to give Tomlin his seventh straight playoff loss to tie Marvin Lewis for longest all time. Despite getting three TOs and multiple short field opportunities, the Steelers scored just six points and had under 200 total yards. This game was close for a majority of the game until things broke down late in the 4th quarter. There weren't many bright spots aside from Joey Porter Jr. and Corliss Waitman pinning the Texans inside the 20 four times, but plenty of pitfalls including 3rd downs, run defense, OT play, Brandon Echols, and Arthur Smith. At Art Rooney's press conference, we saw that not even Rooney saw Tomlin stepping down as an option. He was prepared to even give Tomlin another shot. Instead, the Steelers will look for another captivating personality to lead the team like their three previous HCs. The HC will also have full control over roster-building and coaching staff, which is really telling and shows you how much control Tomlin had as well. Lastly, we'll look at some of the names that Pittsburgh has mentioned so far with seven candidates on the board. 0:00-16:24 Tomlin Stepping Down 16:25-30:50 Steelers vs Texans Game Recap 30:51-44:54 Art Rooney's Presser 44:55-53:05 Steelers HC Candidates

    53 min
  3. JAN 10

    The Drought Ends Here

    On this episode of Steelers Central, it's time to preview the Steelers' Wild matchup vs. the Texans to cap off the first weekend of playoff football. This game will be a defensive, low-scoring slugfest where points will be a premium. The keys to deciding this game will be turnovers and the play of both teams in the trenches to control the clock. Speaking of the trenches, the Steelers OTs vs the Texans EDGEs will be the biggest matchup of the game. If the Steelers want to avoid this, they will need to win on the interior against the Texans' DTs. For the Texans, despite not allowing sacks, they rank 30th in pass block win rate, and face the 6th-ranked defense in sacks, and have seven players with over three sacks. They must give Stroud time to throw, as they are not a running football team. Nico Collins and JPJ will be a matchup to watch all game long, as the last time these two faced off, Collins had 168 yards and two TDs, although Porter Jr. was not a starter. The results of this game hinge on all of those matchups above, as well as some unfortunate streaks and results for both teams. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since 2016, but have won 23 straight home MNF games. The Texans have never won a road playoff game, and dome teams are 1-14 in games where the kickoff temperature is below 40 degrees, but they have won nine straight games. I'll tell you which team's streaks will end and why. If the Steelers do lose, just how much danger is Mike Tomlin's job in? Spoiler, he'll be the HC for at least next season, but I will tell you my reasoning on why next year could be his last. 0:00-11:52 Steelers vs Texans: Keys to the Game 11:53-26:53 Steelers vs Texans: Matchups to Watch 26:54-33:25 Steelers Game Prediction 33:26-44:49 Mike Tomlin's Job Safety

    45 min

About

Where to get the latest on everything new and upcoming with the Black and Yellow. Biweekly up until trading camp starts, then weekly up until the season ends. Contact me @realdebater on Instagram Twitter and Tik Tok for any ideas and recommendations.