The first preseason game is in the rearview mirror. The tape has been dissected and discussed. Opinions have varied wildly among the fan base on the results of play and coaching. Now it’s time to look ahead at the upcoming exhibition game against Buffalo.

The game last week put down plenty of tape to work on and improve, both at an individual and team level. It also showed some promising new aspects for the upcoming year. Coming from a fan’s perspective, what are some things I will be hoping to see Saturday night?

Zach Frazier: Due to injury, Zach Frazier should be getting an opportunity to start against the Bills. Just going by the eye test, the offensive line suddenly became the aggressive road grading unit that the team has been selling us all offseason when he came in on the third series. Mike Tomlin is always hesitant to start rookies, but if this unit is going to avoid the typical slow start of previous years, the young players need to cut their teeth against first teamers now when it doesn’t count. Zach has earned that chance in my humble opinion.

The offensive line unit: Continuing with this theme, reports out of training camp point to players still spending valuable time playing at different positions. I understand that these guys must have flexibility and step in if injuries happen. However, it’s time to fish or cut bait on who the starters will be, and where they are lining up. Lately, it’s been the middle of the season before the offensive line has gelled. The team does not have the luxury of dropping games they should technically win early in the schedule this year. Of all the units, the offensive line needs cohesiveness and a sense of brotherhood. The more time they get together as one in the preseason, the better prepared they will be for a very underestimated defensive front the Falcons will be bringing to the party in week one. Our line is young, and mistakes will be made. Better to have them before September in order to identify and improve.

D-Line flexibility: As much movement and position switching happens for the offensive line, what about having Keeanu Benton slide over and play the end position and see what kind of havoc he can create? Montravious Adams has been having a great camp and stood out in the first preseason game. Seeing him play the nose with Benton at the end could let the Dancing Bear get a few one on one matchups, and that would be advantage Steelers all day. Pre-season is the time to try such things, and let’s face it, Larry Ogunjobi doesn’t give maximum effort down in and down out. The nose tackle in a 3-4 defense is asked to take on double teams and sacrifice big plays for the good of the team. Benton has too much talent to be the pawn on the chess board. Let him be a Knight and go slay some dragons.

Special Teams: There was nothing special about this unit during their first outing. For too long now, I watch every punt and kick coverage through my fingers as I want to cover my eyes. Other than the new punter, every single aspect of Danny Smith and crew needs to improve. If they make the same mistakes on Saturday, that could indicate real trouble to come. This group needs to focus on fundamentals and clean play more than any other coming out of week one. Forget big plays, focus on making routine ones. At this point, the goal should be “don’t be the reason” the team loses a game.

Darnell Washington: When the team first drafted Darnell, my immediate thought was that the poor guy will never get the ball thrown to him again. Matt Canada did not disappoint in that department. Reports out of training camp have him making big catches across the middle and in goal line situations. At the minimum, the Steelers need to make defenses at least think he might be an option to catch a pass. I understand that Arthur Smith doesn’t want to put everything on tape for other teams to prepare against, but a couple of passes his way posting up against a tiny DB would be a welcome sight.

Russell Wilson: The reason Sean Payton is footing the bill for Wilson to be the Steelers quarterback had nothing to do with accuracy or age. It was because Russ held onto the ball and improvised on almost every play, and Payton is a control freak that wants every play to run exactly as it was drawn up. As with all things, the reality lies somewhere in the middle. It will be a good sign if the offense runs smoothly, and Russ is hitting his drop and releasing the ball on time. There are many factors that determine if a play is on time…receivers have to run the correct routes, the line has to block, and the QB has to see the field. It’s been a long, long time since fans of the Black and Gold have witnessed that, and it would be a welcome sight.

Joey Porter Jr: JPJ had a fantastic rookie year, and I am a fan. However, once a DB gets a reputation of grabby hands, refs are going to be throwing flags even when they should not. Joey is in danger of getting that reputation. In the first preseason game, he was step for step with his man, yet still had fistfuls of the wrong jersey for no reason. I would challenge Joey in this preseason game to play a clean game. Jam off the line, sure, but then just play the man straight up without touching him again. It’s preseason, completions do not matter. Joey needs to show the growth of a second year vet that understands how to hold only when needed to duplicate the success of last year.

Second game growth: The first preseason game is always ugly. The HOF game is practically unwatchable, no matter who is playing. The Texans had a game under their belt, and it was obvious. Now, the Steelers need to show they can clean up the mistakes and overall play in their mulligan game. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it is still preseason. They just need to show improvement and not repeat the mistakes of the first game. In Navy boot camp, the instructors constantly drilled into us recruits “Lack of attention to detail will get you and your shipmates killed” and then would show us graphic video evidence of that actually happening. It was a highly effective way to focus our efforts. Thankfully, football does not require such extremes, but the sentiment is the same. Lack of attention to detail will cost the team games, and in preseason, it can be the difference between a career or turning in a playbook. Focus on the fundamentals, pay attention to detail, execute the play. Acknowledge mistakes and learn from them.

There are still many aspects from last week that I am not able to cover in one article. What players or team goals will you be looking for in this upcoming game? Is there a young player vying for more playing time that you are hoping to see get some in-stadium work? The season is coming up fast, and attention to detail now will pay dividends in the fall. Remember, the score doesn’t matter so don’t watch it like it’s a regular season game. Look for the attention to detail, and if the mistakes from last week have been cleaned up. That will go a long way in showing if this team is ready for September. If not, Danny Smith might just end up with lockjaw and no one wants to see that.