Steelers' Inferior Offensive Results On Day 2 In Pads Could Be The Result Of 2023 Camp Crowd Reactions According To Mark Kaboly

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in pads at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. The spectators were treated to another day of full contact practice on Wednesday. According to some, the crowd was rewarded with the offense’s worst performance so far in training camp. It was not quite a comedy of errors for Matt Canada’s offense because there is nothing funny about it.

Mark Kaboly covers the Steelers for The Athletic and he observed practice on Wednesday. He took to social media to share his thoughts and was not impressed with the results. He wasn’t ambiguous in his assessment of the offense, either.

Pittsburgh's offense was the talk of social media on Tuesday. SteelerNation's Brandon Wallace captured George Pickens's amazing catch against Joey Porter Jr. and posted it to social media. The post went viral and the video was used by ESPN's SportsCenter to showcase another amazing catch by Pickens. 

The news that rookie Darnell Washington had been effective against TJ Watt in a one-on-one matchup was widely reported. Cam Heyward was shut down by Isaac Seumalo and Broderick Jones did well enough to earn first team reps on Tuesday. It might have given the perception the defense had a bad day. The highlights and attention went to the offense on Day 1. 

Steelers Center Mason Cole Struggles Snapping The Ball Over The Weekend

Day 2 in pads was a different story as Cole had no issues. The Steelers had issues snapping the ball in the weather on Saturday before the Steelers donned the pads. Mason Cole's struggle to deliver the ball has to be corrected immediately because the Steelers' current backup plan at center does not involve an attractive option. 

The struggles were not limited to Cole. Turnovers and penalties sound exactly like the nightmares on offense that led to a 2-6 start in 2022. Training camp practice is about knocking off the rust. The Steelers offense is facing one of the best defenses in the NFL daily, so they were bound to struggle at some point. Kaboly posited an interesting theory why the defense might have had such a strong day. 

The Steelers success has been built on the foundation of a suffocating defense since 1969. Chuck Noll and Joe Greene started it and Mike Tomlin and Watt are following in their footsteps. An offensive touchdown is nice in most NFL stadiums, but a big play by the Pittsburgh defense gets an equal, if not greater roar from fans. They don't play Renegade when the offense is on the field. 

Heyward, who can occasionally get carried away on the football field, might have passed the word on defense to keep the offensive-minded fans quiet today. It is pure conjecture, but Watt and Heyward are proud men. They are also bona fide NFL superstars and might be feeling some kind of way about the crowd sentiment. 

Training camp is about give and take on a daily basis. If the young Steelers offense was continuously beating what is supposed to be one of the NFL's best defenses in 2023, it would be cause for concern. Kenny Pickett is showing he has taken a step forward, but it takes an elite quarterback to dissect the Steelers consistently. He is not there just yet.

Iron sharpens iron is a favorite Tomlinism. Hopefully, the results on Wednesday were just a reminder to a very young offense that consistent effort play in and play out is required at the professional level. It certainly was a message that was delivered and met with thundering silence to the crowd in Latrobe, PA. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is the offense struggling against a top tier defense just a blip on the training camp radar? Let me know what you think. Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq. 

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