Steelers 20 Cardinals 10

Getting excited over a player's performance in a preseason game is the definition of "carried away." In a lot of ways, a preseason NFL game isn't even football. The playcalling is different, the coaching is different, and obviously, the players are different.

That said, it was damn good to watch the Steelers run out of the tunnell onto Heinz Field again. After spending the offeseason watching hockey every single day and baseball most evenings, it took a while to get used to the pace and nuances of a football game.

There are some things we can definitely learn from tonight and some evaulations will be made. But the most important thing isn't the guys who played well or that the Steelers even won the game. It's that football is back and we can all watch and talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers....onto the recap.

Grades

Ben Roethlisberger - B

The pocket presence is still jaw-dropping and he made a few nice reads. He also made some inaccurate throws and the offense never really got into a good rythm with Roethlisberger in the game.

Donovan Woods - A+

He looked like a competent linebacker and made form tackle after form tackle. LB depth is a question mark on this team and Woods' showing looked promising

Rashard Mendenhall - C

Mendenhall was the guy I was most looking forward to watching tonight and I came away pretty unimpressed. The first-team offensive line was terrible at run blocking and Mendenhall had no luck shedding tacklers in the backfield. His speed was good and he had a nice run or two, but overall he didn't look crisp, which could be expected after a long layoff.

Joe Burnett - A-

That was an awful big play to make in one's first ever NFL game.

Isaac Redman - B+

Anytime a guy from Bowie State scores a pair of TDs in an NFL game, it's a pretty big deal. Let's not get carried away here though.

Offensive line - D

First-team looked pretty terrible even though they didn't give up any sacks. The most disturbing thing about the game was the lack of a push by the big boys in the running game. The Cardinals have a couple decent lineman, but they shouldn't be able to consistently push the line of scrimmage back two yards off of the snap.

Limas Sweed/Mike Wallace - A+

Sweed still has a long way to go, but his performance tonight is Ex. A of why rookie receivers should never be evaluated after one season. WR is the hardest position outside of QB to learn in the NFL and plenty of guys find early struggles. Sweed looked like a dominant player at times tonight and it was great to see. Wallace also looked great for a rookie and may be able to chip in on some meaningful plays this year.

James Harrison/Lamarr Woodley - A

No tackle combination on the planet will be able to stop these guys for 60 minutes. Unblockable.

Pass interference. Defense.

Taking away a fantastic interception was one thing, but handing the Cardinals three points is bush league.

Cardinal we wish was a Steeler

This one is a no brainer - Steve Breaston. Not only is he a local kid, but he's turned into a great returner/slot WR. Breaston's speed would be a huge weapon alongside Holmes explosiveness and Ward's grit. Hopefully Mike Wallace can follow the same progression Breaston has throughout his career.

Jagoff comment of the game

"It looks like Michael Vick has found an NFL team." - Mike Tirico

There's nothing particular jagoff-ish about this comment, but the second ESPN heard about the signing, the Steelers/Cardinals telecast turned into a Mike Vick in Philadelphia special. I understand it's a big story, but Tirico & Co. went several plays without even talking about the game on the field as they rambled on about Vick.

The final word

This game means very, very little in the grand scheme of things, but such a dominant performance from the Steelers' rookies could be the start of something very, very big.

What are your thoughts on the first preseason game of the year? What did you think of our grades?

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