How would you finish the rebuild

[ATL96Steeler]

Of the Steelers?

8-8 the last 2 seasons and at least imo I thought it was the best coaching job done by Tomlin since he's been in PIT.

Setting the table.

FA...see this info here...Steelers' 2014 free agent list

Draft...at present PIT has the 15th and 47th picks. The 3rd round pick (78 or 79 I think) goes to CLE to move up and get Shamarko Thomas. It's been reported the compensation pick for Wallace will be a 3rd rounder...likely after all 32 picks have been made, but still a top 100 pick if that is correct...Keenan Lewis possible a 5th and M'hall a 6th (and also assume we'll lose one of the 6th rd picks for the sideline BS by Tomlin.

Cap...projected to be $10 mil over the '14 cap...will need about 6 mil to sign a rookie class.

Salary cap cut candidates...Woodley, Taylor, Troy...Woodley's contract is toxic...would leave a lot of dead money into the '15 season when there reports indcate the cap ceiling will go up fairly significantly for the 1st time in several years. Taylor and Troy have cut friendly contracts.

Restructure candidates...A Brown, Timmons, Ben via extension.

Now...what would you do?

 

[ATL96Steeler]

My thoughts.

FA...sign Worilds, Valesco...make cap friendly offers to Dwyer, Cotchery, D.Johnson, Hood, Will Allen, Al Woods.

Release...Woodley, Levi Brown, Ike Taylor, Troy P. Letting Woodley go will be expensive, but I'm okay going into next season with Shamarko Thomas @ SS and Golden @ FS and keep Will Allen as a veteran and draft for depth/potential new starter @ FS in '15. Allen and Gay as the 1 & 2 corners with Green & Blake for nickel and depth...I know they are young, but so be it.

Draft...15 (top 6 board...Evans WR, Ebron TE, Dennard CB, Amaro TE, Hageman DT, Benjamin WR)

47...(top 5 board...Verrett CB, Fuller CB, Purifoy CB, Matthews WR, Adams WR (if I get Hageman with 15, these WRs go on this board), If I get one of the OFC players @ 15, Bailey FS, Pryor FS both move to my top 5 for the 2nd rd pick.

3rd round comp pick...Seantrel Henderson OT...I think he will compete for the RT job right away and could play LT in '15.

Restructures...none, but I look to extend Ben and lessen his '14 cap hit in the process.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

My thoughts.

FA...sign Worilds, Valesco...make cap friendly offers to Dwyer, Cotchery, D.Johnson, Hood, Will Allen, Al Woods.

Release...Woodley, Levi Brown, Ike Taylor, Troy P. Letting Woodley go will be expensive, but I'm okay going into next season with Shamarko Thomas @ SS and Golden @ FS and keep Will Allen as a veteran and draft for depth/potential new starter @ FS in '15. Allen and Gay as the 1 & 2 corners with Green & Blake for nickel and depth...I know they are young, but so be it.

Draft...15 (top 6 board...Evans WR, Ebron TE, Dennard CB, Amaro TE, Hageman DT, Benjamin WR)

47...(top 5 board...Verrett CB, Fuller CB, Purifoy CB, Matthews WR, Adams WR (if I get Hageman with 15, these WRs go on this board), If I get one of the OFC players @ 15, Bailey FS, Pryor FS both move to my top 5 for the 2nd rd pick.

3rd round comp pick...Seantrel Henderson OT...I think he will compete for the RT job right away and could play LT in '15.

Restructures...none, but I look to extend Ben and lessen his '14 cap hit in the process.

Initial reports are that despite filling in admirably they plan to let Velasco walk. At least Mr. Coolong @ BTSC seems to think so. Bringing back Pouncey with an extension looming will be a sour taste, but I think it is what needs to be done. You can't put a price on how well he leads that group, even when he's injured.

I think it will be important to bring back Cotchery, Woods & W. Allen. I would let Hood & Dwyer walk. (obviously Clark is gone). Signing Worilds should be a top priority!

Definitely release Woodley, L. Brown. I would also be alright with Allen & Gay @ CB, with Thomas & Golden @ SS & FS. DCS will provide a little depth at the S positions as well.

I would talk Taylor & Troy into restructuring, and if not then cut ties. They both have already reported that they are open to taking paycuts.

Draft @ 15... Top priorities are DL, DB & WR/TE. Hageman, Nix & Tuitt will probably be my huckleberries this offseason.

@47... Whichever priority they don't get in the 1st round, same with the 3rd round comp pick.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I'm still pretty shocked that they fired Bicknell. Not finding any reasoning to it! The line finished strong and both the run & pass game was doing well. Makes me think that something problematic may surface this offseason.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Offensive line coach candidate Ray Brown worked with Sean Kugler in Buffalo - Behind the Steel Curtain

If Ray Brown can do half of what Kugler did, then he will be a great fit.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Initial reports are that despite filling in admirably they plan to let Velasco walk. At least Mr. Coolong @ BTSC seems to think so. Bringing back Pouncey with an extension looming will be a sour taste, but I think it is what needs to be done. You can't put a price on how well he leads that group, even when he's injured.

I think it will be important to bring back Cotchery, Woods & W. Allen. I would let Hood & Dwyer walk. (obviously Clark is gone). Signing Worilds should be a top priority!

Definitely release Woodley, L. Brown. I would also be alright with Allen & Gay @ CB, with Thomas & Golden @ SS & FS. DCS will provide a little depth at the S positions as well.

I would talk Taylor & Troy into restructuring, and if not then cut ties. They both have already reported that they are open to taking paycuts.

Draft @ 15... Top priorities are DL, DB & WR/TE. Hageman, Nix & Tuitt will probably be my huckleberries this offseason.

@47... Whichever priority they don't get in the 1st round, same with the 3rd round comp pick.

Valesco...I figured that...he will be too expensive after this performance. Pouncey...I let him play out his deal to see if he can come through without injury before I even consider talking about another contract...C will be one of later picks. Pouncey is proven as a player, but not proven to be reliable.

Hood...I hear you...but he will be cheap, and with you and I wanting to cut Woodley, and sign Worilds, we have to keep some cheap players...he lines up every week...depth player type contract, but I've heard coach Mitchell likes Nick Williams. If Hageman is my #1 pick, and Williams still looks good maybe I let him walk.

Ike & Troy...I've heard that as well...I'm not against it, but the number needs to work for the Steelers...2 slow back 4 defenders vs 3 this season is not much of an improvement. The more I think about it the more I'm ready to move on...but I would like to have seen those guys go out with a better team.

Draft...I'm starting to think QBs are going to fly early...I would not be surprised to see Manziel go to TN in the 1st to take 4 QBs off the board before the Steelers pick so we should get an impact player....I'm a little more limited on DEF guys @ 15...the reports I've read on Hageman just seems to be a natural fit at DE...Tuitt did play in a 3-4 @ ND. I can see him...I probably would not go NT unless they felt he could be at least a 2 down player.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Bicknell...I know they abandoned the zone blocking scheme early in the season...bye week I want to say...maybe they just didn't see the scheme working with those players and ZBS is supposed to be Bicknell's forte.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Bicknell...I know they abandoned the zone blocking scheme early in the season...bye week I want to say...maybe they just didn't see the scheme working with those players and ZBS is supposed to be Bicknell's forte.

From my understanding they only abandoned it because of the injuries along the O-line. After they got Heath (and eventually Spaeth) they got rid of the tackle-eligible set which opened the ZBS back up. They didn't use it much, but still implemented a few stretch run plays off ZBS into the gameplan so it definitely wasn't completely abandoned. But you are probably right, they must have thought since they didn't use it much and Bell was still successful that they should get rid of it.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

From my understanding they only abandoned it because of the injuries along the O-line. After they got Heath (and eventually Spaeth) they got rid of the tackle-eligible set which opened the ZBS back up. They didn't use it much, but still implemented a few stretch run plays off ZBS into the gameplan so it definitely wasn't completely abandoned. But you are probably right, they must have thought since they didn't use it much and Bell was still successful that they should get rid of it.

Bleacher report states that Tomlin wasn't pleased with the lack of progress from Adams and I'm adding having to go through all of the gyrations of getting Levi Brown, etc...but the production of Bell without using it much probably was the biggest factor.

Beachum is probably best in the role of a swing guy, but I would like to see him at LG over Foster...and somebody else @ LT.

 

[element1286]

I really haven't analyzed the cap situation, but seems like the Steelers should be looking at some lower tier free agents, a la what they got in Cotchery and Will Allen to fill out some spots, especially on defense.

Any opinion if they could find a placeholder UFA to play NT, and move McLendon to DE? Or like was suggested do you stick with Ziggy and keep McLendon at nose?

 

[Midnightangel]

Am I the only one that thinks we need a NT?

We were 21st in rushing defense this year.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Anyone else glad that Butler shot down Whiz's invite to become the DC in TEN?

@Midnight: Yes we definitely need a NT. McLendon would be better suited at DE rather than DT/NT. I think Heyward & McLendon would be a pretty nasty duo. Woods, Hood (should they resign him), & Arnfelt can hold down the interior. This is why I think they need to draft Hageman if he is on the board at 15. He is has position flexibility in that he can play DE & DT. He would be a great fit to PIT's scheme.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

We definitely need a NT, but not so much to take one @ 15.

Face is at the home games so I'm sure he sees the player exchange better than we do on TV, but NT is probably a 1st down guy, or 3rd and short, goal line package...maybe on the field a 3rd of the total DEF snaps...I want to watch this kid Carreuthers (sp) from Ark St. @ the combine...one of the Bleacher guys mocked him to us so I researched him and he might be a later round guy.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Butler, has to know is time is close in PIT to pass on a DC job with a decent talent base.

Happy he's staying as well.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

We definitely need a NT, but not so much to take one @ 15.

Face is at the home games so I'm sure he sees the player exchange better than we do on TV, but NT is probably a 1st down guy, or 3rd and short, goal line package...maybe on the field a 3rd of the total DEF snaps...I want to watch this kid Carreuthers (sp) from Ark St. @ the combine...one of the Bleacher guys mocked him to us so I researched him and he might be a later round guy.

Yes and no! As we all know Lebeau is a mastermind and he is constantly switching up his schemes. It's almost too frustrating to decipher the "code". But I think we can all agree that this year was different. Lebeau was in nickle or dime on probably 70% of the snaps (maybe more), because of having to compensate for a porous secondary. That meant the NT wasn't on the field much, which isn't what Lebeau wants to do (as far as history is concerned).

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Yes and no! As we all know Lebeau is a mastermind and he is constantly switching up his schemes. It's almost too frustrating to decipher the "code". But I think we can all agree that this year was different. Lebeau was in nickle or dime on probably 70% of the snaps (maybe more), because of having to compensate for a porous secondary. That meant the NT wasn't on the field much, which isn't what Lebeau wants to do (as far as history is concerned).

Yep...and on TV you can't always see the sub pkgs changing....I thought even in Hamptons last 2 good yrs he was coming off the field on 2nd a lot...still we all know what we have at NT prevents him from playing the aggressive ballhawking style....a lot more 4 man rush the last 2 seasons.

 

[Midnightangel]

We definitely need a NT, but not so much to take one @ 15.

Face is at the home games so I'm sure he sees the player exchange better than we do on TV, but NT is probably a 1st down guy, or 3rd and short, goal line package...maybe on the field a 3rd of the total DEF snaps...I want to watch this kid Carreuthers (sp) from Ark St. @ the combine...one of the Bleacher guys mocked him to us so I researched him and he might be a later round guy.

We're missing that big Coke machine at DT.

 

[element1286]

Looking at Free Agent Pass Rushers - Over the Cap

Never heard of this site before, but I found this interesting on FA pass rushers. They have Worilds pretty high. I don't know much about advanced football metrics, but seems like some interesting stuff.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

It'll be interesting to see how PIT decides to handle Worilds...I agree with the article on him having a bit of buyer beware tag, but but he's not played a ton of football, at least not in PIT so he's not as nicked up as he could be.

I think he'll be made an offer in the $30 to $35 mil range and he'll probably get an offer higher than that and I have to assume he'll take it.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

NFL Trade Rumors - 2014 NFL Free Agents NFL Trade Rumors - -

I scanned this list, and Terrence Cody's name kinda jumped out...NT, he never really worked out in BAL, but they run a little different scheme...a thought.