In the NFL http://www.steelerscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-bud-dupree-jersey , times may have changed but it’s still the same game In the comment section of a recent piece I wrote, an argument broke out. Weird, huh? I don’t know the answer to that question, but what interested me was the difficulty of trying to envision such an encounter. Various points were made about the way the game has changed, which rule book we’d use and how that would impact the outcome. Others pointed out the physical differences in the players from differing eras. Players are bigger, faster and stronger than they were back in the day. Don’t forget that Jack Lambert, in his rookie year, weighed less as our middle linebacker than Chris Collinsworth weighed his rookie year as a wide receiver.Then our illustrious editor posted an account of Big Ben’s learning curve on the RPO and its part in the evolution of the game. And of course, we’ve seen countless takes on the impact on the new rules designed to better protect the heads of players. That’s a great deal of change in not such a long time. But the good news is — the game is still the game. I consider myself a purist and a traditionalist. Like a charter member of the Flat-earth Society, I’m not only deeply irked by the mere existence of designated hitters in baseball, but I pull out what’s left of my hair over inter-league games. At the end of the day, even with sub-packages and specialists for this and for that Cheap T. J. Watt Jersey , the object of the game of football is still to get the ball to pay-dirt and to keep the enemy from doing the same. It’s still two armies seeking to impose their will on each other. And it’s still the best spectator sport in the world.Also, we shouldn’t forget that spectating has evolved. The Steelers’ first playoff victory, capped off by the Immaculate Reception, wasn’t even telecast live in the Pittsburgh market because the game hadn’t sold out. That, I believe, was the last time this ever happened. Living 60 miles from former Three Rivers Stadium, I watched the games on a 19-inch console equipped with rabbit ears — no NFL Ticket, no Gamepass, no smartphones, and no 60-inch, high-def televisions. There were no 24-hour sports channels, let alone an NFL network. There were no VCRs or DVRs to time-shift our experience of the game. You watched it when it aired or not at all. There was also no Internet, and you waited until Monday morning to read any analysis in the newspaper, devouring Vito Stellino Cheap Maurkice Pouncey Jersey , Bob Musick and John Steigerwald.I don’t miss the paucity of information we had back then, but I’m grateful that, at its core, it’s still the same game, and I get to see more of it, more often and more clearly. I’m grateful that the “Stillers” are still the “Stillers,” still under the Rooney family’s control and still winning. I don’t know who would win a battle between the Steelers of yore and the Patriots of today. My hope is that the Steelers of today will do well enough to face them in the post-season, and win — plus finishing the season with a victory in an inter-league game. The Tennessee Titans remain winless through three preseason games with a brand-new coaching staff busy trying to fix issues on offense and defense.Quarterback Marcus Mariota and his No. 1 wide receiver Corey Davis had trouble connecting on not one, but two third downs.
Both Mariota and Davis tried to take the blame for the miscommunication in a 16-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.On Sunday, first-year head coach Mike Vrabel tried to absolve both Mariota and Davis by taking the blame himself."Up until this point, I haven't done a good enough job making sure that both those guys know where each other's going to be on every single route," Vrabel said."And I'll make sure that that happens because the guy throwing the ball and the guy catching the ball those are the only two guys that really at that point in time matter."Mariota had driven the Titans to touchdowns on two of their first three drives this preseason.Yet both the quarterback and the Titans offense managed just 52 yards in the first half with Mariota sacked twice and intercepted once. Mariota finished 5 of 8 for 43 yards.Davis, the fifth overall pick in 2017 and first wide receiver drafted , has yet to catch a pass in a preseason game. A hamstring injury kept him out of the preseason last year http://www.steelerscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-xavier-grimble-jersey , and he has not caught a pass in his two games this preseason.The Titans are installing a new offense, Mariota's third going into his fourth NFL season. They had a chance for a big play on the opening drive on third-and-8 when Davis ran toward the end zone based on coverage with Mariota throwing to where the quarterback had expected his receiver to be. Mariota overthrew Davis on third-and-6 across the middle on their second drive.Vrabel said the Titans will be relying heavily on both Mariota and Davis this season. Vrabel called it unfortunate that there was some uncertainty when Davis was uncovered."It's important that Corey and Marcus are on the same page," Vrabel said.Along with trust, the Titans need much more consistency. Mariota hit Tajae Sharpe with an 11-yard pass on third-and-10 to keep the first drive moving. Derrick Henry converted a third-and-1 on the same drive that ended in a punt.The Titans went three-and-out on the next two drives before Mariota threw across his body and was intercepted to end his fourth and final drive."Consistency is going to be something that's important," Vrabel said.The Titans also have issues to clean up on defense where cornerback Adoree Jackson was beaten on the Steelers' lone touchdown, a 32-yard pass. Linebacker Jayon Brown was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver, though Vrabel has asked the NFL to clarify the penalty he thought was lowering-the-head-to-initiate contact.Penalties remain an issue with Tennessee flagged nine times for 51 yards, improvement from a week ago when the Titans were penalized 11 times for 134 yards in a loss to Tampa Bay.The Titans wrap up the preseason Thursday night by hosting Minnesota (2-1). Vrabel's focus is on fixing issues while trying to continue healing as many players as possible before opening the season Sept. 9 at Miami. A total of 12 Titans didn't play in Pittsburgh, including six starters."We just got to find out who's going to be ready for us on a short week," Vrabel said.Follow Teresa M. Walker at teresamwalker