The title says it all. You're reading the blog of a brand new member of AARP. Let the discounts begin! I signed up for a 5-year contract which included an insulated trunk organizer where I can place refrigerated or frozen grocery items. My contract runs slightly longer than the one T.J. Watt just signed with the Steelers, and I had to pay $60 instead of receiving $108 million. Otherwise, it's almost exactly the same.
In the last two months, I had two people ask if I plan on retiring soon. The first was my dentist of nearly 25 years though I think this was a set-up for me to ask her the same question. Her youngest child recently graduated from college, and she said that she will probably retire in 2027. While I appreciate the notice, I don't want to look for a new dentist. We have an excellent relationship, and I don't want a new dentist criticizing me for not flossing.
Last month, I saw a former board member of my organization for the first time in nearly 15 years. He also asked about possible retirement. In both conversations, I mentioned that my youngest is about to start 3rd grade, so retiring is still many, many years away.
Finally, I'm terrible about getting new shoes. I wear my shoes out well beyond their life expectancy. My primary tennis shoes (basically the shoes I wear when not wearing "dress" shoes) have seen better days. I went to two stores, and shared several pictures with my wife to get her opinion. One shoe was completely black, and she replied that old men wear those shoes.
While I didn't buy them, I think I'm starting to meet that profile and demographic!
I often post recaps after Pirates, Steelers, and even Penguins drafts. They are generally unique with random comments and facts about players' names and backgrounds. While I'll get to some of that momentarily regarding the newest members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, we have to discuss the Steelers quarterback situation. Prior to the draft, the Steelers had two quarterbacks on the roster, Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Rudolph was the Steelers' 3rd round pick in 2018. He has a career 14-14-1 record with 28 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, and 4,615 yards in 29 games. He is an average NFL QB though he gets bonus points for previously dating former Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard.
I like Rudolph. He can win games in the NFL, but he's not at the same level as other AFC quarterbacks like Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Burrow, and Herbert. Thompson was Miami's 7th round draft pick in 2022 and seems to be early in his career as an NFL journeyman. You wouldn't be surprised to see Thompson as the 3rd quarterback on someone's roster in 2030. You would be surprised seeing him start more than 1 NFL game in 2025. With all of this, the expectation was that the Steelers would draft a QB. And they did in Will Howard in the 6th round. As an Ohio State graduate, I love this pick, but this doesn't solve the Steelers QB situation this season.
All of this leads to the assumption that the Steelers will sign 41 year-old Aaron Rodgers, a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer. I am not a fan of Rodgers. Everything seems to be all about him. So much drama surrounds him. That's fine when you're the league MVP. It's annoying when you're close to 42 and have been a league average QB at best the last few years. Rodgers seems to love the attention and the mystery. Does he want to sign with the Steelers? Would he rather retire? Will he go on another darkness retreat to decide?
Those Steelers fans who want Rodgers point to the end of the 2024 season for some type of resurgence. Looking a little closer, the Jets scored 9 points against the Rams in week 15 and lost 40-14 to the Bills in week 16 where Rodgers had 112 passing yards and 2 interceptions. Rodgers had good games in week 14 against the terrible Jaguars and week 17 against the already eliminated Dolphins. Not impressed. I don't want to deal with headlines about Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood all season (which is an insult to Fred Rogers). I'm resigned to the fact that the Steelers will probably sign Rodgers at some point, but that probably won't happen until Rodgers can get the most possible press. At this point in his career, is he that much of an upgrade over Rudolph? Probably not. There has only been one NFL quarterback over 40 to have any success, and I don't think Rodgers is going to be the second. I'm not looking forward to rooting for Rodgers this year, and I don't think he's going to be very good. I also have a feeling I'm going to use this quote about Rodgers a lot this year.
Okay, enough of that. Let's let to my usual random draft notes. Here's are the 2025 Steelers' draft picks
Round 1: Derrick Harmon, Defensive Tackle, Oregon
Round 3: Kaleb Johnson, Running Back, Iowa
Round 4: Jack Sawyer, Edge, Ohio State
Round 5: Yahya Black, Defensive Tackle, Iowa
Round 6: Will Howard, Quarterback, Ohio State
Round 7: Carson Bruener, Linebacker, Washington
Round 7: Donte Kent, Cornerback, Central Michigan
* Even though I still don't truly acknowledge Oregon and Washington as being in the Big 10, it's pretty remarkable that every selection until Kent is from that conference.
* I feel like Jack Sawyer's parents were really big fans of the TV show Lost
* I see a red door, and I want it painted Yahya Black!
* Fun fact: Carson Bruener is the son of long-time Steelers TE Mark Bruener. Another fun fact: Carson probably can't catch as well as Mark or he would have played on offense.
* How did Donte Kent go to a MAC school that wasn't Kent State? Missed opportunity.
* Lots of questions about the new Steelers QB. Will Howard have a chance at the starting QB job? When Will Howard sign a contract and start learning the playbook? Will Howard be the Steelers QB of the future? Will Howard like that his first name is the same as a question or is he used to it?
The Steelers also signed the following undrafted free agents:
Sebastian Castro, Safety, Iowa J.J. Galbreath, Tight End, South Dakota Ben Sauls, Kicker, Pittsburgh Roc Taylor, Wide Receiver, Memphis DJ Thomas-Jones, Fullback, South Alabama Aiden Williams, Offensive Guard, Minnesota-Duluth Ke'Shawn Williams, Wide Receiver, Indiana
* I definitely want DJ Thomas-Jones or if he goes by DJ TJ to provide music for a party! Maybe Thomas-Jones will team up with T.J. Watt and they can be DJs TJs!
* Roc is a great name for a wide receiver. Of course, I thought Dwight Stone was also a great name for a WR, and that had mixed results.
* Fun fact: The Steelers didn't draft or sign anyone from an SEC school. South Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, and Central Michigan, but no Alabama, or LSU, or Georgia.
As seen everywhere on Pittsburgh Steelers fan sites and social media, quarterback Kenny Pickett got married over the weekend. Congratulations to Kenny and his bride Amy! Kenny Pickett signed a contract for $14 million including a $7 million signing bonus, so money probably wasn't an issue for his nuptials and reception. For the sake of this blog post though, let’s say that the Picketts had a generous though not unlimited budget. So who in the Steelers organization makes the guest list? Full disclosure: It’s very possible that the wedding guest list was posted online, but I haven’t seen it and don’t plan on searching for it. This post is all about speculation.
A starting NFL quarterback is generally considered the leader of the team. As a team leader, Pickett may have wanted to include as many members of the team at the wedding as possible. I think it would have made perfect sense to invite the entire Steelers offensive line. You want them to be on your good side. However, did Pickett include offensive tackle Broderick Jones, the first round draft pick from the University of Georgia who just signed his rookie contract last week? Probably not since invitations likely went out before the April 2023 NFL draft. What about the coaching staff? I feel like it would be a big deal if Pickett didn't invite coach Mike Tomlin or offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
What about the rest of the team? Maybe Pickett decided that he would only invite veteran offensive players. If that's the case, do you have to invite both sets of Watt and Heyward brothers? Seems like you would want to have Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt at your wedding, but if you invite them, you have to include Minkah Fitzpatrick, Tyson Alualu, etc. The numbers on this guest list are going to add up quickly.
So who would you include or who misses the cut?
Photo by John Bacolo - Gabelli Studio and shared in People Magazine. (The money from People Magazine to have access to these pictures could likely pay for several additional tables at the wedding!)
Every once in a while, I like to get back to my Pittsburgh sports blogging roots. So I said to myself, if the Steelers go 9-0, I'm definitely going to write a blog post about the team. Amazingly, I said this to myself immediately after the Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday to go 9-0 for the first time in franchise history. Let's get the negative out of the way first. The Steelers running game is struggling. They are ranked 25th in rushing offense (out of 32 NFL teams), and the entire offense is only 24th in total yards per game. The Steelers seem to start slow as they trailed Baltimore 17-7 at halftime two weeks ago and 13-9 to the Cowboys at the half last week. Starting linebacker and emerging star Devin Bush is out for the year, a major loss to the team's defense. Plus, they "haven't played anyone." The Steelers are 15th of 16 AFC teams in strength of schedule. (Meanwhile, Kansas City is 16th of 16, yet I haven't heard anyone say that the Chiefs haven't played anyone.)
So everything that I wrote is true. You know what else is true? The Steelers are tied for 4th in points per game averaging 30.1 points in its 9 games. That's more than the Tampa Bay Bucs, Arizona Cardinals, and Buffalo Bills who all seem to get lauded for their dynamic offenses. The team's defense is 6th in yards per game, and more importantly, 3rd in points allowed per game. The Steelers are +9 in turnover differential, good for 2nd in the league, and they lead the lead for sacks. The team is even 3rd in punt returns. All of this is why the team has the second best odds to win the Super Bowl according to this site.
The Steelers are so much fun to watch this year. With JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool, the Steelers may have the best group of wide receivers in the league. At a minimum, they have the best and most exciting group of young wide receivers with the three aforementioned players along with James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud all being under 25. Meanwhile, if you like seeing defense pressure, T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Stephon Tuitt, and company regularly hit and sack opposing quarterbacks. Then, you get playmakers like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Sutton, and Steven Nelson making "splash" plays on the back end. The Bengals went 0-for-13 on 3rd down conversions on Sunday. When have you ever seen a professional team not convert one third down in a game?
While the Steelers have exceeded all expectations so far (I doubt even the players thought they would be 9-0 before the season started), they aren't going to finish undefeated. There are still difficult games against Baltimore, Indianapolis and at Buffalo and Cleveland. Still, I'm excited that the team is 9-0 and already close to clinching a playoff spot before Thanksgiving. Plus, Derek Lutz from the movie "Back to School" is fired up!
Photos by Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports and Keith Srakocic/AP.
Although my sports focus right now is on the Penguins-Capitals series, the NFL draft took place last week, so I thought I would share my thoughts about the Steelers draft picks. Please note that this isn't exactly an in-depth, analytic blog post. It's slightly different.
1st round: T.J. Watt, Linebacker, University of Wisconsin
Watt is probably best known for being the little brother of J.J. Watt, the all-pro linebacker for the Houston Texans. Little known fact...there is also an A.J., B.J., C.J., D.J., E.J., and a U.J. in the Watt family. If T.J. has any success in the NFL this season (let's say 10 sacks), you can guarantee that there will be some JJ/TJ commercials in our future. The Watts could be the new Mannings.
2nd round: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Wide Receiver, University of Southern California
I could go the easy route and write that JuJu is the first Jew(Jew) on the Steelers since Randy Grossman and Josh Miller, but Antonio Brown already represented the Jewish community proudly. Instead, I'd like to think that the Steelers drafted JuJu to keep one of the team's biggest fans, Snoop Dogg, happy. JuJu played in the Snoop Youth Football League and attended his favorite college, USC. Snoop definitely approved!
3rd round: Cam Sutton, Cornerback, University of Tennessee
Last season, the team's best defensive player, Cam Heyward, was lost for the season in early November due to a pectoral injury. For some Cam insurance, the Steelers decided to draft another Cam to make sure there is always a Cam on the field. (Alternatively, perhaps the Steelers staff has been spending a lot of time watching Modern Family reruns and decided they wanted another Cam on the team based on Eric Stonestreet's character who is also a football coach.)
3rd round: James Conner, Running Back, University of Pittsburgh
No attempts at jokes here. James Conner is a cancer survivor and probably the second best running back in University of Pittsburgh history (after Tony Dorsett) which says a lot since Curtis Martin, LeSean McCoy, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, and Dion Lewis all played at Pitt. Plus, from everything that I've read and heard, Conner is a great person. To paraphrase, Silver Linings Playbook, James Conner is the man.
4th round: Joshua Dobbs, Quarterback, University of Tennessee
Dobbs is an aerospace engineering graduate and is smarter than all of us, particularly the unrelated Lou Dobbs. He also knows pi to at least 48 digits.
My favorite parts of this video are the host wanting no part of being involved in the bet (but being told that she has to do it) and the guy executing the pie smashing. I wonder what is going through his mind during with his stone cold expression.
5th round: Brian Allen, Cornerback, University of Utah
Just to be clear, the Steelers did not draft Byron Allen, the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of the U.S. television production company Entertainment Studios. This is Brian Allen...or is it?
6th round: Colin Holba, Long Snapper, University of Louisville
“Being a specialist, very rarely do guys get drafted,” said Holba. “Just for this to happen, it’s beyond my wildest imagination. I can’t wait to get to Pittsburgh and start working. I know (the Steelers) have Greg Warren. He has been there a while. He is one of the best in the business. I can’t wait to soak up all of the information he has to offer and do all that the coaches tell me to do and work my butt off.
“The Steelers have some of the best special teams in the NFL. I can’t wait to learn and soak up all the information (special teams coordinator Danny Smith) has to offer.”
Holba also wants to be around Sheryl Crow so that he can soak up the sun. Meanwhile, he's going to steal your girlfriend (in this scenario, "girlfriend" means Greg Warren's job).
7th round: Keion Adams, Defensive End, Western Michigan University
Did you know that Western Michigan University, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is only approximately 30 miles away from Three Rivers, Michigan? Based on its proximity to Three Rivers, you would think that the Steelers, who play near the confluence of the Alleghany, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, would draft players from Western Michigan University more often!
For more of my amazing draft recaps of Pittsburgh sports teams, feel free to click here for the archives.
Welcome to Sean's Ramblings! If you're looking for thoughts on pop culture, music, fun and informative links, random DC and Pittsburgh info, sports (particularly Pittsburgh sports), and just what's going on in my life, then you're come to the right place.
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