Does Dexter Lawrence Understand ‘America’s Team’ Hype?
SEPT 30 HYPE! Surely Dexter Lawrence isn't just now coming to the realization that when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys , maybe even "scouts'' give into the hype?
Dallas rookie center Cooper Beebe is being lauded by PFF ... but Giants' Pro Bowl defensive tackle Lawrence isn't buying it.
According to PFF, Beebe allowed zero pressures on 22 pass blocking snaps. Is that right, Dex?
"Don't hype this,'' Lawrence said. "He knows how the game went.''
Probably true. But Dex surely knows by now how this "America's Team'' thing goes, too, right?
o the credit of Najee Harris, he is standing up for Steelers teammate Justin Fields after Sunday's loss to the Indianapolis Colts by a 27-24 score.
Was quarterback Fields "too sloppy,'' as coach Mike Tomlin put it? Yes. At the same time, Fields threw for 312 yards and a touchdown and ran 55 yards on 10 attempts for another two TDs.
But Najee made his point after the game when he was asked about Fields.
"You always keep putting it on one person," Harris snapped back. " It's a whole team, all 11 of us. Stop making it one player. You all keep saying Justin, if like he's the one that is throwing, catching and running. Come on bro, it's all of us."
SEPT 29 GREATEST Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin thinks quarterback Justin Fields, who did throw for 312 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss at the Colts, was "too sloppy.''
But ex coach Rex Ryan, now trying to shock-jock his way through a TV career, leans heavily the other way.
Said Ryan before the game: "This might go down as one of the greatest trades in the history of the National Football League. They got him for a sixth-round pick. You got a future franchise quarterback for a sixth-round pick ...''
To us, Fields remains a "prospect.'' Most NFL people we talk to feel the same way.
Is Ryan that poor at talent evaluation? That poor at TV? What is this?
he Pittsburgh Steelers drafted third-round pick Roman Wilson from Michigan with big plans. He was "Hines Ward Jr.'', remember?
Suddenly, that seems like a while ago ... as we are entering NFL Week 4 and he hasn'rt played a snap. Injuries have been a part of this. But on a receiver-needy team ... what's up?
"He just gotta keep working," coach Mike Tomlin said. "It is very difficult to get on a moving train."
The Steelers are undefeated. ... and Wilson's been dinged up. Eventually, though ...
"My advice to him is to keep working and take that opportunity when that door is left ajar and to be ready when it is," said Tomlin.
ustin Herbert came into this Week 3 game with a high ankle sprain ... but he played in the 20-10 Chargers loss at Pittsburgh.
And now coach Jim Harbaugh's prized player is exiting this week 3 game ... in a protective walking boot.
"As soon as I saw Justin got up, first sign of any limp he was coming out of the game,'' Harbaugh said, "I took him out."
The coach did do that ... which won't absolve him from criticism centering on the question of whether Herbert should've been playing at all.
He left in a boot.SEPT 19 THE HOLE The Steelers are 2-0 and sitting atop the AFC North ... and could use some help this weekend in order to stay there.
The Bengals and the Ravens are both 0-2. While the Steelers are at home with their own challenge (the visiting Chargers are 2-0), they'll be keeping an eye out for the Ravens at Cowboys ... a tough task ...
And the Washington Commanders playing prime-time football against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night .
Washington has no shot here, right? Their new coach, Dan Quinn, has another view.
"I wanted them to enjoy the buildup and knowing there's a routine that goes into place for a night game," Quinn said . "But just going through that process, having the younger players lean into the older guys onto that, it's a big deal and yeah, we're really excited for it."
Can that excitement lead to a win at Cincy? The Steelers will be watching.
SEPT 16 X-RAYS IN Justin Herbert, the Chargers quarterback, injured his lower right leg during a 26-3 win over Carolina on Sunday, but played through the game to help seal the victory.
On Monday, though, the Chargers confirmed that Herbert avoided a serious issue as X-rays on Herbert's leg came back negative.
The 2-0 Chargers have opened the season with a pair of lopsided victories and in NFL Week 3 play the 2-0 Steelers.
SEPT 10 RUST? The Falcons lost in Kirk Cousins' Atlanta debut, 18-10 loss at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, because of what they are calling QB "rust.'' And indeed, Cousins played his first game since suffering a torn Achilles last season with the Minnesota Vikings.
But the Steelers have another view of what happened here, and Atlanta's $180 million QB really has nothing to do with it.
Pittsburgh was playing with a backup QB and didn't score a TD ... and yet kept control of a Falcons offense featuring Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
"I was disappointed," Cousins said after the defeat. "Certainly disappointed. You always go out there with an expectation that you're going to play at a high level, and we didn't play up to our standard today."
That's one angle. A better one? The Steelers defense played up to its standard.
This story was originally published September 30, 2024, 5:22 PM.
