Steelers Preseason Broadcaster Bob Pompeani Offers His 3 Intriguing Things To Watch Against The Buffalo Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers are finished with training camp at Saint Vincent College and are getting ready to host the Buffalo Bills in the team's second preseason game of 2023. Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott announced that the starters for Buffalo will see about a quarter and a half of playing time minimum. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin also indicated that starters will get some playing time on Saturday night, but was less direct than his counterpart on how much. 

Bob Pompeani is the preseason play-by-play voice for the team on KDKA. He joined The PM Team on Thursday afternoon to break down some of his observations at the close of training camp and what he will be watching for on Saturday when the Bills march into Acrisure Stadium. 

While not necessarily one of the key things he's got his eye on, he mentioned Joey Porter Jr. potentially going up against the likes of Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, depending on how much they play. After missing the preseason opener with an ankle injury, Porter's play in the game against Buffalo and the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons will go a long way in determining whether he's ready to be a starter in the NFL.

Steelers To Watch In Preseason Game Number 2

The first thing that Pompeani mentioned when he was asked about storylines that could keep fans engaged long after the starters for both teams exit the field is in the return game for Pittsburgh. Tomlin announced on Thursday that Anthony McFarland will be handling kickoff return duty and speedy wide receiver Calvin Austin III will take the punt return job on Saturday night. 

Pompeani wonders if the two young guys have success against the Bills, if it spells the end of former All-Pro returner, Gunner Olszewski. He was getting first-team reps earlier in training camp, but after a horrendous first season in Pittsburgh where he lost his job to Steven Sims, his spot on the team could be in jeopardy.    

The next player that Pompeani said will be one to watch throughout the exhibition contest will be Darnell Washington. The monster tight end, at 6 feet, 7 inches and 264 pounds, figures to be a piece to help the offensive line get a bigger push as a blocker, but Pompeani wants to see in the preseason what he can do as a receiver. He had just one catch against the Buccaneers and Pompeani said that's not enough. 

The Steelers' only holdover from 2022 at inside linebacker is second-year player, Mark Robinson. Robinson remains a project piece as a converted running back. According to Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin, the team hopes he can really start to compete for starting job in 2024. Even if he remains behind veteran free agent additions Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander for the season, Pompeani thinks he'll have a significant role, especially in the second half on Saturday. 

The time to get Robinson involved and play some significant snaps is in the preseason. If the team plans on keeping him on the roster as a potential injury replacement for one of the aforementioned starters, they need to see how much he has grown since the limited snaps he played at the end of 2022 against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. If he can continually show improvement, maybe he becomes a rotational piece the team uses similarly to last year against some of the run-heavy teams. 

Overall, Pompeani doesn't think that starters on offense or defense get too much of a long leash. He pondered that the first-team offense might get a longer run if they don't succeed right away. Mostly his focus will be on young guys developing with something potentially to prove. 

Who will you be watching on Saturday? Is there anyone specific that Pompeani didn't mention who you're excited to see what they can do? Comment below!

#SteelerNation