Last night, all of SteelerNation got just a little glimpse into what exactly the 2021 season could look like. Although much of the play calling was the simpler aspects of both the offensive and defensive schemes, there was a good amount of tape on each of these young players to gauge a real vision on how they fit with this organization. Thursday night's preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys was an opportunity for some guys who may be on the roster "bubble" if you will, to essentially audition for a roster spot, no matter what the role at hand will be.
Now, it is only one singular game. I don’t think this one game’s tape is quite enough to truly get the best vision of each player, but it is, at least, a start. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces making their first appearance in the black and gold last night on both sides of the ball. Whether that be rookies trying to make their mark, or veteran players still trying to prove they have what it takes. Although this Steelers team is in prime position to win football games now, rather than preparing for the future, there are still holes on this football team these “bubble” guys are trying to fill.
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One name in my opinion that might have shown a little bit more than most last night was running back, Kalen Ballage. As stated before, although it was a very small sample size, what Ballage was able to do with the ball in his hands really caught my eye. In a game with many suitors touching the ball, Ballage wound up with 5 carries for 19 yards and scored the first official touchdown of the Steelers 2021 season. As expected, rookie running back Najee Harris was the team's leading rusher with 22 yards on 7 carries, averaging about 3 yards per attempt. The second leading rusher was Ballage himself averaging 2.6 yards per rush.
In a season where the main goal of the offense is to establish the rushing game, last night's performance should give you a tad bit of excitement. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was quoted after the game saying “high energy big men are going to catalyst this running game” and that's exactly how Ballage was playing. He seemed to be the most active player on the offensive side of the ball, showing the ability to not only beat the linebackers to the outside hash, but also be used in goal line situations, to fight for an extra yard, or even a touchdown. It was noted in the post game press conferences that Ballage did suffer a lower body injury and he will be evaluated by the medical staff. Going off last night's performance, we can only hope to be able to see his full potential before the regular season begins.
It is believed that Harris will be playing in all four preseason games prior to the full length regular season schedule, which would mean as more games happen, the more carries Harris will be getting. What Ballage’s, as well as all the other running backs, jobs are to prove they deserve those carries that are not going Harris’s way. A small sample size for sure, but Ballage’s performance did leave me wanting to see more of what he can actually do, which would mean he did his job, right?
Would you like to see more of Kalen Ballage this preseason? Comment below!
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