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Young Steelers experience victory

The fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers came from behind to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 17-13 Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh was nice, but it was just a preseason game.

What is important is the game experience that the younger players picked up, so that eventually the fast pace of the game actually slows down in their minds, enabling them to display their abilities.

As has been their custom, the Pittsburgh Steelers held some first-line players out of action, most notably quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Rookie quarterback Joshua Dobbs made his second consecutive start of the preseason and experienced more ups than downs. As the game wore on, Dobbs became more and more comfortable with his reads and progressions on pass plays.

In three quarters of action, the Steelers’ fourth-round draft choice completed 10 of 19 passes for 70 yards, with just one interception. His longest pass completion was 23 yards to Martavis Bryant early in the second quarter. Tight end David Johnson picked up 15 yards on another completion as the remainder of Dobbs’ completions were short passes to receivers out in the flats.

Dobbs’ only major mistake came on his final pass of the day. Running a bootleg to his left, Dobbs was hit and threw the ball while falling down. Atlanta rookie Quincy Maugar pulled in Dobbs’ errant aerial at the Steelers’ 32-yard line. Steelers safety Jordan Dangerfield’s interception on the very next play averted any problems for the Steelers. Dangerfield played well, intercepting two passes.

“A whole bunch of thoughts went through my head on that play,” said Dobbs in describing his miscue. “Originally, I was going to run for it. I had the guy in the flat, but then they covered him. I didn’t think I was going to get tackled and then I was tripping. So, I have to do a better job of protecting the football in that situation.”

In assessing his progression, Dobbs said, “The biggest thing is to remind yourself that it is still football. So, you go out and play the game that you know you’ve been playing for a while. You just trust in your habits in practice, that the coaching points will come out and you’ll execute effectively.”

Rookie Bart Houston took over for Dobbs in the final seconds of the third quarter and played the entire fourth quarter, displaying a strong throwing arm. His six-yard scoring pass to Joshua Hunter proved to be the game winner. If Houston doesn’t stick with the Steelers, he will undoubtedly be picked up by some team for their practice squad.

Constant Conner

Rookie running back James Conner rebounded from a rather mediocre first half (five carries for 18 yards and one dropped pass) to rush for 80 yards on 15 rushes after intermission. In the second half, Conner started displaying his “running downhill” style that enabled him to rush for 1,092 yards at Pitt last fall. That type of ballcarrier comes in very handy in cold weather games late in the season and also in games where teams are trying to eat up the clock.

“The coaches were calling the plays that they believe will work. So it is our job, not just me, but the line and the tight ends, to run the play and bring it back,” said Conner when asked about his second half play. “I had great blocking. I was just running hard.”

Conner brought up the subject of the dropped third-down pass, saying, “I’m definitely going to get on the JUGS machine after practice and make sure that my hands are ready for the next game.”

A JUGS machine is used to fire pass after pass to a receiver to help improve their ability to catch the ball.

Steelers shorts

Outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo looked good taking people on at the line of scrimmage and also dropping off into pass coverage. Chickillo and T.J. Watt switched sides midway through the first quarter as the Falcons were lining their tight end up in front of Watt, giving Watt some trouble. Watt is better at being on the open side and Chickillo does better over top of the tight end.

Backup right defensive end Tyson Alualo did a good job of using his hands to keep the offensive linemen off of him.

Backup right guard Matt Feiler was impressive with his downfield blocking, especially considering that he weighs 330 pounds. Feiler is able to get out and move.

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