11 things 'I think I think' heading into Steelers bye week

PITTSBURGH — 1.    I think the bye week is happening at the perfect time for the Steelers, who have saved their season for now and need the extra time to heal up several starters for the final 10 games of the regular season. Outside of Ben Roethlisberger, Stephon Tuitt and Jaylen Samuels, just about everyone else should be available Oct. 28 versus the Dolphins.

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2.    I think Mike Tomlin is making the right decision to declare Mason Rudolph the starter; however, I am a bit apprehensive based on, well, facts. When Rudolph took over during the Seattle game until the time he was knocked out of the Ravens game, the offense turned 10 takeaways into a measly 25 points. That's terrible. They're third in the NFL in starting drives in opponents' territory (New England & San Francisco are No. 1 and No. 2) and continually come up short. The only touchdown they scored, with Rudolph at quarterback, was against Seattle when Devin Bush's fumble recovery put the offense on the 3-yard line.

3.    I think Mason Rudolph shouldn’t lose his job due to injury, and so I get why Tomlin will go back to him against the Dolphins. I will say he was perhaps the best version of himself before getting knocked out against Baltimore. My concern is his inability or unwillingness to let the ball fly and him getting happy feet when the massive humans are coming at him full speed ahead.

4.    I think Devlin Hodges was brilliant against the Chargers. He didn’t wow you with his arm because he didn’t need to. His decision-making was brilliant, and that’s the most important attribute I want in my quarterback. I’d like to see more of Duck in a game setting, but at the very least, the Steelers know they have a guy who can come in and get a win.

5.    I think there’s zero excuse to not get more of what James Conner showed Sunday night. The Steelers are 2-0 this season when he gets over 100 scrimmage yards. I understand there’s more to go into a win, but he’s crucial to the team’s success and has been since the start of 2018. Find ways to get him into advantageous situations and hope and pray he stays healthy.

6.    I think the receiver position is in a bad, bad way. As a unit they had five catches for 30 yards against the Chargers. JuJu had one catch. That won’t win games on a weekly basis. Several time,s I saw lazy routes by them all. Several times, I saw Hodges go to the check down because it’s what the defense was giving him. I think we can agree there need to be more intermediate routes to get the extra man out of the box, which will do nothing but help the running game. It’s just not good enough through six weeks.

7.    I think Devin Bush is the best decision the Steelers have made in the draft in years. The rookie earned his first AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after a massive game Sunday night. He had a fumble recovery scoop-n-score, interception and a team-leading seven tackles in the win. The more he plays, the better he’ll get, and he’s already pretty darn good.

8.    I think the defense has to continue its high level of play, and that means they need to keep creating takeaways but also keep putting points on the board. It’s realistically the only way this team can stay in the mix for the AFC North while they figure out what works for a Mason Rudolph-led offense.

9.    I think the Tomlin to the Redskins chatter is real. I was told this past week the Steelers fully expect the Redskins to make an offer for Tomlin in the offseason, but I also believe it won't be enough for them to pull the trigger. We just saw Jalen Ramsey command two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick, so anything is possible. Don't sweep these rumors under the rug, because they appear to have some legitimacy to them.

10.    I think Tomlin has done a commendable job with the circumstances faced in this injury-riddled season. For him and his staff to devise a game plan and go to the West Coast, where they’ve traditionally been terrible, and win with an undrafted rookie quarterback is quite impressive. Sure, he has his flaws, but let's give him credit when he deserves it, too. He’s a really darn good coach.

11.    I think the bye week will do us all some good. It gives us in the media, the fans, everyone concerned with the Steelers a chance to sit back and relax for a few days. The final 10 weeks of the season are going to be fast and furious and, yes, could result in a run to the playoffs.

Sports. Anything is possible.

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