Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Things to Look for in Second Preseason Game

5 Things to Look for in Second Preseason Game

After witnessing their first preseason game of the year, the Pittsburgh Steelers definitely have a lot of things to fix before the start of Week 1 of the regular season. Unfortunately, the Steelers also have some other concerns in addition to the things that they need to improve on as well.

In Pittsburgh’s loss to the New York Giants last week, there were a number of penalties in all three phases of the game that could have been avoided. There were also some lack of production from certain players that resulted in surrendering big plays.

As for other issues being handled, some of the Steelers’ players are dealing with injuries that have occurred during camp. These untimely injuries could prevent these players from participating in Pittsburgh’s second preseason game. However, the silver lining around this storm cloud is that this game will be played on Monday night, which gives more time to recuperate so they’ll be ready come game time.

Regardless of whether the team’s current health status plays a part, there are quite a few things that deserves a lot of attention when the Steelers go on the road to face the Washington Redskins on Monday night. The obvious thing to focus on for any team at this point of the preseason is who will and won’t make the first cut. But for Pittsburgh, there are a few other things that are more worthy of attention.

Here are my five things to look for in the Steelers’ second preseason game.

Special Teams

Last week, the special teams were flagged for three penalties, including an illegal-man-downfield penalty which was followed by a surrendered blocked punt in the first quarter of the loss to the Giants. Also, returner David Gilreath botched a punt, which resulted in a turnover, and fielded a punt on the three-yard line. The special teams unit must improve from such a horrible first preseason game.

Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert

Pittsburgh’s coaching staff made a bold move by flip-flopping offensive tackles Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert. Adams struggled a bit on the left side of the offensive line last year, then was moved to the right tackle when Gilbert went down with an injury. The success of the O-line will depend upon the performance of Adams and Gilbert at left tackle and right tackle respectively.

Isaac Redman and Le'Veon Bell

Both Isaac Redman and rookie Le’Veon Bell went down this week with injuries during camp. Bell aggravated a sore knee in non-contact drills, while Redman was sidelined with a pinched nerve. Since Thursday, both backs did return to practice. Assuming that both are cleared to play on Monday night, all eyes should be on Pittsburgh’s co-starters in the backfield.

William Gay

William Gay stepped in for the injured Cortez Allen last week, and was burned for a 57-yard touchdown. The likelihood of Allen playing against the Redskins is slim. Therefore, Gay will have a chance to redeem himself and keep his hopes of being a starter for the regular season alive.

Jarvis Jones and Jason Worilds

Round two for the battle of the starting position of right outside linebacker will once again be the main attraction of the Steelers. We’ll see if Jason Worilds can play smarter than he did in Pittsburgh’s first game, and if Jarvis Jones can get a leg up over Worilds.

Clyde A. Speller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClydeASpeller, or add him to your network on Google+