Good game. I missed the 4th quarter, but my observations from the first three:
McClendon is it. Great push, stays committed to his lanes and eats anything coming to him.
Ziggy not so much. how is a 350 pound guy so easily blocked by a tight end off the edge? Good pass rush skills but he has a hard time holding the POA.
Alameda Ta'amu looked like BJ Raji, but at least Raji is being blown off the line by first teamers. Dude needs a lot of work.
Dwyer was fantastic today. This line is starting to make runners look good...
...unless your name is Baron Batch. Caught in a tough place - too small to be a bruiser, to big to be a speedster. Batch gets 3 yards and was stopped every play.
We saw the downside of Rainey today. Goes down easy, especially when bigger guys get their hands on him. I highly doubt he didn't have a concussion there, that was a vicious hit.
Chris Carter is evolving at just the right time - I doubt we'll see Harrison healthy for the majority of the season, so it's good to know he can step in. great penetration. Gets caught overpursuing too much though.
Sean Spence. Again, great in space, not so much when rushing. I think the Steelers realize this as they were backing him off most of his time on the field. His height will be a liability against Tight Ends - he would have had an easy interception if he was 1-2 inches taller.
Decastro was solid again. Great blocking, good push to the second level. Some great pull blocking in the beginning of the game.
Ditto Colon. This is his natural position. I really think he'll be a bruiser at LG.
Adams looked better, but he's giving too much off the line. defenders make him kick out then rush inside and beat him easily.
Gilreath. Tomlin said he was looking for Gilreath to show him something, and I think he got that message loud and clear. Great game from him.
One thing I noticed is that when the starters went off Luck started carving us up immediately. I think part of it was him settling down but I also think it's because our depth is shot, especially down the middle. If we start getting major injuries to our defense it could be a LOOONG season.