The other day I was thinking about my time writing about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout my career doing so, I’ve essentially done it all.

Commentary, news, breaking stories, features and even took a stab at simple film room breakdowns.

The one thing I’ve never done is work on just a random thought type format.

I can’t speak for you, the reader, but I am always thinking about writing and the Steelers. Thinking about different aspects of the team and game. Thanks to reading Myron Cope’s biography I decided to put a unique spin on this type of feature.

Now, for the name of the article, anyone who is familiar with the Styx song “Renegade” should know where it came from. If not, this is where it came from…

The jig is up, the news is out
They finally found me
The renegade who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty
Nevermore to go astray
This’ll be the end today of the wanted man

The jig is up…time for some randomness.

Offensive Line Revolving Door

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line has certainly been a narrative this season, and most would dub it an issue for the team. However, in their defense, it isn’t as if there has been a solid group which is now banking on four weeks of work together. No, it’s been a different lineup every week.

Take a look:

Week 1: Moore/Anderson/Frazier/Daniels/Jones
Week 2: Moore/Anderson/Frazier/Daniels/Fautanu and Jones
Week 3: Moore/Anderson/Frazier/Daniels/Jones
Week 4: Moore/McCormick/Frazier/Daniels and Anderson/Jones
Week 5: Moore/Seumalo?/Frazier/McCormick or Anderson/Jones

Assuming Seumalo returns in Week 5, the unit they put out there, and hopefully stays healthy, will have a shot at being a group which could have something no other offensive line configuration can say they have, continuity. Once the offensive line gets that, you can start to see some actual production from this offense.

Cris Collinsworth Talk

Whenever the Steelers play on Sunday Night Football you can prepare yourself for some Cris Collinsworth hate being spewed in every direction. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t mind Collinsworth. Can he go overboard with his praise for some players, namely Patrick Mahomes? Yes, but he isn’t alone in that regard. It is rare to hear a color commentator who actually calls it down the middle. While some hear Collinsworth and compare it to nails on a chalkboard, I don’t mind Collinsworth as much as most. In terms of commentators I don’t like, of all-time, no one will ever top Phil Simms when he was doing the job.

Rule of 20

To give you a little background on myself, I was a High School Varsity Boys lacrosse coach in the state of Maryland for 13 years. The game of lacrosse can be a high scoring game, with final scores being in the double-digits. When I coached I used to always have a rule with my team called the “Rule of 10”. The premise of this rule was simple: If we score 10 goals, and the defense keeps the opposition off 10 goals, we win.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, I feel the rule could correlate, but it should be the “Rule of 20”. The Steelers defense should be able to keep the opponent 20 points or under, and the offense should be able to score 20 points. If that happens, the Steelers win.

It’s crazy to think there was a time not so long ago where the Steelers scoring 20 points seemed like a dream, but if this offense can continue to figure it out on the fly this team is going to be tough to beat. Just have to follow the “Rule of 20”.

Official Assignment

This is the third installment of this article, and a staple of this feature is me looking at the upcoming official assignments for the Steelers game. It’s Shawn Hochuli’s crew who has the Steelers vs. Cowboys in prime time this week. Let’s look at these individuals.

Another week and another person labeled as “teacher”. I said it last week, that feels like a rudderless ship when it comes to the education realm. As for Terry Killens, I wonder if he has had any run-ins with some players on the field as a campus security specialist? It doesn’t state what campus he works for, but if it was his alma mater of Penn State, Pat Freiermuth and Joey Porter Jr. might want to watch their backs if they had any issues with campus security when they were in Happy Valley.

Early Returns

The Steelers were active in free agency this past offseason, and with four games down you have to take a look at the early returns from those players.

Cameron Johnston – The prized punter was lost for the year after just two games, and it was a disappointing early end to his first season in Pittsburgh.

DeShon Elliott – Elliott has been phenomenal so far, and he has been one of the bright spots for the Steelers throughout the early portions of this season. Elliott brings a new, and dynamic, element to the team.

Patrick Queen – Okay, let’s be honest, Queen hasn’t been what we thought he’d be for the Steelers so far in 2024. I’m not about to suggest he was a waste of money, or his time will be short in Pittsburgh, but we all expected more out of Queen in the early portions of the season. Him wearing the green dot is something he didn’t have in Baltimore, and might take some time to get adjusted. Let’s hope that adjustment happens soon.

Cordarrelle Patterson – I openly questioned if Patterson’s spot on the team was solidified if touchbacks were predominant with kickoffs with this new “dynamic” kickoff. However, Patterson has provided some tremendous value for the Steelers offense, and has been an early bright spot on the team.

Russell Wilson – What is there to say? No one has seen anything from Wilson outside of media interviews and him standing on the sideline in full uniform as the emergency QB3? Availability is your best ability.

Justin Fields – While we haven’t seen Wilson, we’ve seen plenty of Justin Fields. Fields has been a tremendous bright spot for the Steelers offense, and has proven he is capable of winning games at the NFL level. Can he be the next Steelers quarterback for the future? That has yet to be decided, but I think it’s safe to say he is on that track.

Dean Lowry – Lowry has played minimal snaps this season, and has been a serviceable back-up.

Kyle Allen – Like Wilson, we haven’t had to see Allen as the QB2 on the roster, and that isn’t a bad thing.

All-in-all, not a bad crop of free agents after the quarter pole of the season.

Is a WR a need, not a want?

The Steelers have had a lot of rumors swirling around trades involving a wide receiver dating back to the draft. It’s clear the Steelers are looking to add to their wide receiver room, but is it a need or a want?

I’m assuming Roman Wilson will get a helmet this week, based on the injury status of someone like Cordarrelle Patterson, and he is the last player to see to decide if it is nothing more than a want, not a need.

If Wilson goes out and plays well, and looks like a playmaker, maybe the Steelers don’t need another wide receiver. But if Wilson doesn’t look up to the challenge at this stage of his career, then we all know the answer to that initial question.

Blueprint provided by the Colts?

After surrendering 27 points to the Indianapolis Colts, many are wondering if the Colts have provided a blueprint on how to beat the Steelers defense. Shane Steichen has gotten the better of the Steelers the last three times his offenses have played the Steelers. During that stretch, have the Steelers been torched in a similar way by other offenses?

No.

That tells me Steichen has built an offense, with a lot of depth at certain positions, which have matched up well against the Steelers. If teams have that same type of offense, which most don’t, I don’t think any blueprint has been delivered to the rest of the league.

Don’t forget to enjoy it

This week our Steelers family lost one of our own when Dave Schofield’s mother passed away last Saturday. Life is short, and it’s important to remember to enjoy it.

Enjoy the tocuhdowns.

Enjoy the wins.

Heck, just enjoy watching the Steelers play.

Don’t forget, this is entertainment. Allow yourself to be entertained, enjoy these moments, and don’t pass up an opportunity to watch a game with people you love.

That does it…the jig is up, they’ve finally found me. This renegade is outta here…be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Cowboys Sunday night.