PRESEASON THREAD

[55briggs]

how are the steelers looking this year? i havent really heard i know they have kept most of the starters in place. The biggest being Big Ben. the biggest loss seems like James Harrison.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I think because they are injured we can only add them to the "Waived/Injured List" which stipulates that if the player clears waivers after being added to this list, then they will be returned to the IR of the original team. So I think they will get paid by Pitt unless someone else picks them up off the waivers.

But this is a gray area for me. I thought I remembered someone getting placed on the IR and then just waived after this offseason? I think it was the CB Justin King? But I could have just misread it and he could have been added to the Waived/Injured List as well.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

how are the steelers looking this year? i havent really heard i know they have kept most of the starters in place. The biggest being Big Ben. the biggest loss seems like James Harrison.

They are looking a lot more promising than they did last year! The key being that all of the starters are healthy (minus Bell & Miller).

The Offense has a very young and talented O-line, with lots of room to grow but needs to gain more experience. The WR's seem to have matured more, which is good. But as anyone knows, this offense revolves around the franchise QB. The only problem areas are RB & TE (injuries). I guess you could add O-line to a worrisome category since it is severely lacking in depth.

The Defense is in the process of getting younger. Harrison was a big loss, but they have a very talented beast of a rookie in Jarvis Jones who just may win the starting position. Plus, Pitt has a very DEEP LB corps at all positions. They have a bunch of young guys that are making a name for themselves. The secondary just received a huge boost with the return of Cortez Allen. Depth is a little worrisome for the CB position, but as long as everyone stays healthy, then the secondary will be great. The D-line is a little suspect since a few of the starters are unproven or a first time starter (McLendon).

Like I said, the key here is Health. Pitt can be VERY dangerous if the starters stay on the field.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Here is a stupid question. For the players the Steelers picked up in the off season for one year and are now injured (i.e. Speight, Burress, etc.) can they be cut and would they still get paid?

Spaeth's contract would pay $137.5k x 2yrs if cut I think (might all accelerate to 1 yr)...but his $850k base for '13 is not guaranteed. With Plax...$65k.

 

[MISKO]

Jones to get majority of the work at QB

 

[bsanko]

Jones to get majority of the work at QB

This is great news. I can't wait to see how well he does. I am also hearing Heath is doing well and could return soon.

 

[MISKO]

I read that about heath also .. I am liking that moye kid too , he could be heath one day

 

[MISKO]

i do like seeing them grooming landry jones I just hope he doesnt have to be thrown into the fire this year .. that ruins young QB's in my opinion

 

[Ghoonsquad]

i do like seeing them grooming landry jones I just hope he doesnt have to be thrown into the fire this year .. that ruins young QB's in my opinion

I know it was horrible for Ben, RG3, Wilson, etc......

 

[MISKO]

Okay maybe not all of them.. But I still feel it's better to groom them along before you throw them to the wolfs

 

[ATL96Steeler]

i do like seeing them grooming landry jones I just hope he doesnt have to be thrown into the fire this year .. that ruins young QB's in my opinion

Agreed...Gradkowski is a solid back up...just not consistent enough to be an every week starter...feel much better about the QB situation this year...at least we can say we might have the QB of the future on the roster.

 

[Ghoonsquad]

Okay maybe not all of them.. But I still feel it's better to groom them along before you throw them to the wolfs

Just busting your chops a little bit nothing personnel. That said I think there is no difference between waiting and grooming or playing right away. The game has changed and so have the players comming in the league. That doesn't mean every QB drafted needs to be ready to play right away. There will always be "project" players. But those guys go in late rounds not early rounds. If your taken early I think you better be NFL ready because of the investment that is being made.

 

[MISKO]

Just busting your chops a little bit nothing personnel. That said I think there is no difference between waiting and grooming or playing right away. The game has changed and so have the players comming in the league. That doesn't mean every QB drafted needs to be ready to play right away. There will always be "project" players. But those guys go in late rounds not early rounds. If your taken early I think you better be NFL ready because of the investment that is being made.

its all good dude ... I see your point

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Anyone here watching the game?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Man we sure got a steal out of UDFA Arnfelt! He's a stud!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

MOYE!!!!! What a catch and run!

 

[bsanko]

Anyone here watching the game?

Unfortunately not. I have to wait for the re-run on the NFL network.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Watch it live online... Here it is

Nutjob.eu: NFL TV 8

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I can't believe I just watched that! Paulson hurdled a safety!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

My thoughts on the 1st game:

QB's... Ben looked great. Gradkowski looked awful. Missed multiple golden opportunities to score, as well as multiple open receivers. Landry had a rough night, but not mainly his fault. The 2nd string O-line was god awful (more on that in a bit), which gave Jones little to no time to get the ball out. But when he did get the ball out, the 2nd/3rd string WR's dropped just about everything. He missed a wide open David Paulsen down the seam a few times, but that's because his pocket collapsed before it ever formed.

RB's... Bell looks like he is an aged vet back there. He showed that rookie burst & quickness while still having the smarts to get the yardage where it's given. Didn't see a lot from Blount because his runs were in short yardage situations, but he did alright. Archer is the real deal. He showed lightning quickness and great open field vision on a quick WR bubble screen route and almost took it to the house. Surprised the safety caught him, but he must have taken a gigantic angle to get to him. Little known RB Tauren Poole had an impressive first game. He only had a few runs of decent yardage, but his eye opening plays were mainly on special teams. He caused the fumble on the Giants' PR. Poole, Maysonet, Hall & Harris all struggled to find any sort of daylight behind that porous 2nd/3rd team O-line. Archer was able to find it only due to his quickness, and also he was handed the ball on draw plays which helped.

WR's... Everyone had a decent day, except for Bryant. Martavis had a night to forget. His only highlights were drawing 2 PI calls. Two muffed punts, few dropped passes and a fumble later... I've already been hearing references to Sweed 2.0! Yikes! I think he'll rebound in the next game. Justin Brown didn't see a whole lot of action, but he caught everything thrown his way, even a terrible throw by Bruce behind him. Wheaton had a great catch and run on a 3rd down that showed he is definitely up to the task of the X-receiver.

TE's... Not sure how Bruce managed to overthrow the tallest TE on the roster in Spaeth. Miller had a good night. Not a lot of exposure for the TE's last night because they were mainly kept in the box to block. Blanchflower struggled on a few plays, but he looked about as good as Paulson ever did in blocking situations.

O-line... 1st unit looked good. Only a few missed blocks to report, 1 by Foster who got crossed up by leading with the wrong foot, and another by someone that I can't remember right now? Maybe it will come to me at some point. But all in all, the 1's had a great couple of series. Beachum handled JPP on the outside quite nicely. The depth is where the real issue is. I didn't see many positives on the 2nd or 3rd team. Wallace was about the only player that looked like he knew what he was doing. Adams should be done... Stick a fork in him. Munchak has a lot of work to do.

D-line... I was impressed with how well Tuitt played. He made a few rook mistakes, but his ability to hold the edge and/or penetrate was there. He needs to refine some technique and he will be all pro before we know it. Heyward got caught out of position on the 73 yard scamper. Looked like a stunt blitz, but he wasn't the only one to blame (see S's). There is definitely a fortitude of talent on the D-line. Josh Mauro had a great night, as did Nick Williams & Brian Arnfelt. I think Fangupo is the only player that didn't shine. McCullers showed his beastliness by eating up multiple blockers and still finding his way into the backfield. Scary amounts of potential with that kid.

OLB's... Jarvis Jones showed great promise with 1 recorded sack, and 1 other that should have been a sack if it wasn't for a penalty on the play. He had great hand technique and burst. Worilds got eaten alive on a few run plays, but alltogether he had a decent outing. He had a few QB pressures. Chris Carter displayed a great shoulder dip and blazed past the OT for a sack. Vic So'oto showed great awareness and athleticism. Caused a broken up lateral (fumble). Howard Johnson had a great game! Mainly on special teams, he got multiple tackles on KR's. He had a great heads up play on the So'oto fumble where he realized that it was a live ball and pick it up for a scoop & score.

ILBs... The story of the night had to be Spence. All eyes were on him in a very emotional re-debut. And he did not disappoint. He was all over the place! Showed great hitting power and great awareness. Lebeau is going to have a very difficult time keeping that kid off the field. Some people were quick to blame Timmons on the 73 yard scamper because it was his hole, but he was clearly held on the play. I even yelled at the TV screen during that play that it was a blatant hold. Even one of the announcers questioned it. Vince Williams is definitely someone I would go into battle with. He played with a fire that nobody else did, almost a wreckless nature about his play. He was firing through the gaps and putting it all out on the field. This kid is a starter on almost every NFL team. Tough decisions lie ahead for Butler & Lebeau. Shazier sat this one out, so all eyes will likely be on him in his first debut next weekend (if he plays). Can't forget about Garvin either. He showed great coverage ability on a few plays. Even Dan Molls found himself atop the tackles list! The LBer corps alltogether had a great night.

CB's... Strong start to the preseason for this group. Outside of Isaiah Green, everyone had a decent night. If a 3rd string backup QB by the name of Curtis Painter is "exposing" you in coverage, then you are not going to make an NFL team. Sorry Green! Blake & McCain both showed excellent coverage ability. Richardson could find himself on the PS in a hurry if those 2 continue to have good showings.

S's... Polamalu sat the night out, even though he suited up. Mitchell had a few great hits (reminiscent of Clark), but then found himself out of position on the 73 yard scamper and took an awful angle at the RB. Hopefully just a hiccup, but we should expect some growing pains in the preseason with a newcomer. Highlight of this group had to be Jordan Dangerfield. Anyone that can terminate "the Terminator" (FB John Conner) has to be worthy of a roster position. He put a hit on that big man that caused Conner to get a bit wobbly after standing up. Shamarko had a great outing as well. Showed great speed on a punishing hit on a dump pass to the RB in the backfield.

ST... Wing showed some great hangtime on punts. He only had one really bad punt, but the rest were golden. Suishi missed a 38 yarder which had me scratching my head. I'll chalk it up to a fluke lol.

Might as well stir up this old thread... I posted this in the game thread.