() FA Rank
QB Dennis Dixon
RB Mewelde Moore
TE Matt Spaeth
OT Willie Colon (#17)
He was hurt all season in 2010, but this is the best pure run blocking right tackle in the league when healthy.
OT Jonathan Scott
OT Tony Hills
G Trai Essex
G Doug Legursky
NT Chris Hoke
3-4 DE Nick Eason
RLB LaMarr Woodley (#6)- franchised
Would he be as good without James Harrison across from him? Can he play a 4-3? We probably won’t find out the answer to either of those questions this offseason. The Steelers are expected to franchise Woodley, who has 35 sacks in 3 years as a starter.
MLB Keyaron Fox
CB Ike Taylor (#48)
Pittsburgh’s best cornerback had a much better 2010 than 2009, but he’s not the same when Troy Polamalu isn’t on the field and he’s had a ton of help from his front 7. He’s no more than a solid #2 cornerback.
CB William Gay
CB Anthony Madison
S Ryan Mundy
P Daniel Sepulveda
P Jeremy Kapinos
Offseason moves:
Franchised LaMarr Woodley
Steelers Draft Visits
OT Mike Adams (Ohio State)
G Kelvin Beachum (SMU)
RLB Andre Branch (Clemson)
G Brandon Brooks (Miami-OH)
WR Greg Childs (Arkansas)
WR Toney Clemons (Colorado)
TE Michael Egnew (Missouri)
NT Hebron Fangupo (BYU)
TE Ladarius Green (LA-Lafayette)
MLB Jerrell Harris (Alabama)
NT Akiem Hicks (Regina)
MLB Dont’a Hightower (Alabama)
WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)
WR T.Y. Hilton (Florida International)
3-4 DE John Hughes (Cincinnati)
RB LaMichael James (Oregon)
RLB Cam Johnson (Virginia)
CB Jeremy Jones (Wayne State)
MLB Mychal Kendricks (California)
WR Keshawn Martin (Michigan State)
OT Bobby Massie (Mississippi)
LS Zach Nolan (Stanford)
TE David Paulson (Oregon)
RB Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati)
RLB Nick Perry (USC)
NT Dontari Poe (Memphis)
TE Adrien Robinson (Cincinnati)
OT Mitchell Schwartz (California)
G Amini Silatolu (Midwestern State)
CB Keith Tandy (West Virginia)
RLB Olivier Vernon (Miami)
3-4 DE Derek Wolfe (Cincinnati)
Steelers Draft 2012
24. G David DeCastro A
Wow. This might have been the best pick of the 1st round. DeCastro was 12th on my board and deserved to be the highest guard drafted since Chris Naoele in 1997. And guard was a huge need for the Steelers. Once again, the rich get richer.
56. OT Mike Adams A-
I had a 3rd round grade on Mike Adams because of all of the off the field stuff: 2 suspensions, 1 arrest, 1 failed drug test, as well as documented concerns about his work ethic (solidified by a disappointing Combine) and his passion. He also was a general disappointment at Ohio State after being the #2 offensive tackle recruit between Tyron Smith and Matt Kalil (two top 10 picks). However, he has amazing upside. He might even have more upside than Matt Kalil and if anyone can get it out of him, it’s the Steelers (not they might not be able to). He also fills a need so I do like this pick.
86. MLB Sean Spence B+
I really liked Sean Spence. Other than his size, he was a complete prospect and one of the underrated players of this draft class. However, his size could hurt him in a 3-4. He was a better fit for a 4-3, but he does fill a need and the Steelers have had success with smaller linebackers in the past (Lawrence Timmons).
109. NT Alameda Ta’amu A
I’ve mocked Ta’amu to the Steelers in the late 2nd before and I was really surprised when he got out of the first 3 rounds. I had a 3rd round grade on him before I knew about his injury, but he should be fine for the season. He’s still a great value in the 4th round.
159. RB Chris Rainey B+
The Steelers needed another back behind Isaac Redman, who they are preparing to go forward with as the lead back in 2012 (anything they get from Rashard Mendenhall they are considering a bonus). Rainey is a great compliment for Redman, but this is a little early for him.
231. WR Toney Clemons A-
They needed a receiver with Hines Ward gone, especially a taller one like Clemons (6-2). They have enough shorter receivers (Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery). I just had Clemons outside of my top 250, but they had 4 7th round picks and that doesn’t matter much in the 7th.
240. TE David Paulson A
I actually mocked David Paulson to the Steelers in the 6th. They needed another tight end in the mix even after signing Leonard Pope and Paulson is a good value here.
246. CB Terrence Frederick A
The Steelers always add a cornerback through the draft at some point and they had room on the roster after losing William Gay. Frederick is a good value in the 7th and a good fit for their scheme.
248. G Kelvin Beachum B
I had Beachum outside of my top 250, but I guess they did need another offensive lineman.
Every year I always say during the draft that the “rich get richer.” Teams picking in the end of the first round always tend to draft much better (and grade out much better in my grades) than teams in the beginning of the first round. There’s a reason why some teams stay good for so long and the Steelers are one of those teams. They had yet another excellent draft this year.
David DeCastro might have been the best interior line prospect of the decade and Mike Adams is worth the risk in the end of the 2nd round for a team like the Steelers, who desperately need a bookend tackle opposite Marcus Gilbert and who I give a good chance of getting the most out of him. Spence isn’t an ideal fit in a 3-4 in the 3rd round, but the Steelers have done fine with smaller linebackers before though. Alameda Ta’amu looks like their nose tackle of the future in the 4th round. All of their late round selections were also very good. From start to finish, this was an excellent draft.
Grade: A
Steelers/Bucs Recap
By Sean Geddes
Charlie Batch willed a team to victory with shear guts and his smarts, a little luck helped too.
Rashard Mendenall ran hard and could have broken a few more than that great 34 yard TD.
Isaac Redman does the little things that help this team win; including a great block on Batch’s run.
Mike Wallace is extremely fast, and I don’t need to say anything more.
Hines Ward worked hard all day, and it didn’t show any more than on that TD catch.
Antwaan Randle El hadn’t made much noise until a clutch third down grab just before the two minute warning.
Heath Miller is too good of a player to only catch two passes.
Max Starks neutralized Tampa’s best pass rushers all day.
Chris Kemoeatu pulls around the line and no one will get in his way.
Maurkice Pouncey did a great job against three of the younger promising DT’s in football, and gets to the second level very quickly.
Doug Legursky proved he deserves another shot starting at RG, and Trai Essex might get Wally Pipp-ed.
Flozell Adams is a dominating run blocking force when he gets the chance to be.
Aaron Smith made two linemen look silly way too often; he’s really just that good.
Casey Hampton anchored the line against a running game who managed a total of 75 yards.
Brett Keisel runs extremely well for a 290 pounder if I do say so myself.
LaMarr Woodley didn’t register a sack for the first time in ten games, but is improving in the coverage department.
Lawrence Timmons looked less beast like, but got his first sack in what was still a very good game.
James Farrior played a good game again, and is proving he can still play at a high level despite his age.
Larry Foote not only made an appearance, but looked really good in the time he played.
James Harrison absolutely scares the bejeezus out of me… and several Buccaneers players I bet.
Ryan Clark showed impressive hand eye coordination on that quick fumble snag and run.
Troy Polamalu may have only played about a half, but still made plays on the sideline after a great performance on the field.
Ike Taylor still can’t catch a cold… or a gift wrapped over the shoulder pass.
Bryant McFadden again played great football, within this system he is a great corner.
William Gay proved that he is a much, much, much better nickel corner than he is a number two.
Jeff Reed continued kicking off well, and made every kick he lined up for.
Daniel Sepulveda had one punt and it bounced right for 62 yards.
Every single back up we had come in either made a play, or almost made an even bigger play trying.
This was by far the Steelers most impressive win, thanks in part to the great play of Charlie Batch, whose veteran savvy benefited the Steelers much more than Dixon’s athleticism proved to in week one and week two. Like I said, a little luck helped too, with one interception turning into a Mike Wallace touchdown, and one Mike Wallace touchdown that might have been an interception against a more aware (and non-rookie linebacker turned safety) safety in the ball game, but you definitely take TD’s that way too. We ran the ball for 200 yards, and didn’t allow a single sack, which was nice to see. Mendenhall looks like he’s about to break one every few runs, and is playing the way we all expected when he was drafted in the first round a few years ago.
Defensively we remain on an absolute terror. Constantly pressuring the QB, and making plays everywhere on the field; despite their sixth overall ranking defensively, it’s safe to say this is probably the best defense in the league right now. Our linebackers are ferocious, including Jason Worilds, who got his first career sack this past Sunday. Our line is controlling the trenches, and our corners and safeties are stopping their receivers and letting the splash plays come to them. This defense is a thing of true beauty right now.
Game Ball- Offense: Mike Wallace (solid tip of the cap to Charlie Batch)- Those two log TD’s were what you would expect from a guy who can outrun just about everybody and almost every pass too/
Game Ball- Defense: Brett Keisel– I’m not sure how you can’t give it to the Beard after that return TD
Opponents who Stood Out– Josh Freeman, who played as good of a game as you would expect from a young guy facing Dick LeBeau’s defense for the first time. LeGarrette Blount runs hard, and fights hard for every yard. Ronde Barber is ageless.
This Sunday… The Ravens. Get ready for a fight.
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/
Steelers/Bills
By Steve Janis
Wait, the Buffalo Bills have an interesting game at the end of November at the Ralph? Well, sorta. Obviously the Bills are out of it and the Steelers basically have a playoff birth wrapped up. But, this game is still going to be interesting.
I would rather them lose out and get back into the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. That probably won’t happen with perhaps 3 more winnable games left on the schedule. So lets evaluate Ryan Fitzmagic against a good to great defense in the National Football League in a game actually played in Buffalo elements.
People are jumping on the Fitzpatrick bandwagon faster than Jim’s tacos flying out of mine system after consuming them. He has played awful teams, has put up stats, and has made a ton of mistakes exposing his talent level.
If he can play adequate to even decently good Sunday against this Steelers team perhaps I would consider him as a near term option at the quarterback position. Right now Fitzpatrick has not done enough to warrant another season as the “franchise quarterback”. He is a player that does some great things, some good things and enough awful things to have serious reservations about his long term prospects of being a starting QB.
Sunday will be a gigantic litmus test for Fitz and just about every other player on this team. If he puts up points and stats (not in garbage time) and keeps the team in it for 50+ minutes or even wins outright my opinion will have to change. For now, he is still a good story, a nice player, and a good back for a playoff team.
I may even stay soberish enough in drive 5 to remember it.
http://wnywatercooler.blogspot.com
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Steelers Beat Falcons
By Sean Geddes
The Steelers start the season with a win, but it was certainly hard fought.
Mike Tomlin told Dennis Dixon the whole playbook was open to him, and the element the Steelers lacked in many a fan’s eye was back in the Steelers overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons. That missing factor was the run, something Bruce Arians has shied away from in his tenure as offensive coordinator. What was known as “Steeler Football” seemed to have vanished as the run pass ratio crept more and more towards the latter. But 31 runs, as compared to 29 passes attempted is more familiar to most fans of the Black and Gold.
The conservative play calling early on was a welcome change. Watching Rashard Mendenhall pound the rock, while being spelled successfully on short yardage by Isaac Redman was what most fans expected from the offense early as Dennis Dixon made his second career start for the suspended Ben Roethlisberger. The first drive resulted in a 52 yard field goal, which is only one yard short of the longest ever made at Heinz Field, notorious for swirling winds off the river and hills.
The defense came out ready for the power running game from Michael Turner. He never really got going early, and never got going late, and didn’t look that great in between. No other ball carrier fared any better, as the Falcons ran the ball 25 times for a total of 58 yards, 42 of which came from Turner’s 19 carries (his longest was only seven yards), the defense really looked good holding the former 1700(ish) yard rusher to just 2.2 yards a carry.
Matt Ryan’s passing attack was slightly more successful as Coach LeBeau’s “bend but don’t break” pass defense philosophy did just what it was designed to do. Ryan was able to complete 27 of 44 passes, for 247 yards and no touchdowns. Roddy White was the recipient of almost half of Ryan’s tosses, catching 13 balls for 111 yards. His 13 receptions tied the record for most catches by an opposing player in Steelers history. Speaking of history, tightend Tony Gonzalez caught his 1000th pass in the NFL, most ever by a tightend, and only the seventh player ever to accomplish the feat.
Dixon played well, known primarily for his ability to run, he remained fairly pocket conscious as he was spied on most plays, the Falcons clearly expecting the scramble. Through the air, Dennis looked nervous and maybe a little shaky early, as the Steelers tried to keep it short to middle, asking him to time his throws while mixing in the run. Dixon finished 18 of 26 with one interception, but could have thrown another one or two, as a few of his throws lacked the touch or placement to get them in through the crowd. He did however, make enough plays to get the Steelers into scoring range on several drives, despite not getting the ball into the endzone.
This was a battle of kickers, with Matt Bryant nailing 3 of 4, while Jeff Reed knocked home three field goals, but missed two. After the 52 yard boot, he tried a 55 yarder that was long enough but knocked off the upright and fell no good.
The play of regulation was definitely the Troy Polamalu interception, which followed a short lived drive by the Steelers after Matt Bryant’s third field goal, which tied the game at nine. The Steelers drive that started with just under 3:30 left on the clock, and lasted just a minute and a half, and made some fans (this fan) think about what could have been, with a clutch Ben Roethlisberger under center. But before we could really even delve deeper into that thought, on the first play from scrimmage with under two minutes to play, Troy Polamalu jumped the out route that Matt Ryan and Roddy White made look as simple as Unitas to Berry all game. It reminded everyone watching why he was so dearly missed last season, and gave everyone hope for a thrilling win late in the game.
After another short lived drive, this time only lasting three plays and just over a minute, Jeff Reed lined up for a game winning forty yard field goal. The kick sailed right, and the Steelers took the game to oh-so familiar territory versus the Falcons, overtime.
The defense held firm, and with some assistance from a holding call on third down, gave the ball back to the offense after a punt to the fifty. And that is when Dixon handed off to Rashard Mendenhall, who had a quietly solid performance already that night. He broke right through a hole cleared by Flozell Adams and Trai Essex, with some help from Hines Ward and Heath Miller, and a great two man eliminating block from David Johnson, Rashard rushed hard, stumbling but regaining his stride all the way to the game winning touchdown.
Another tight, chair gripping, nail biting, make your heart race win for the Steelers. This is how this team seems to like to win, although I’d bet anyone in that locker room would have taken a 42-3 beat down, a win is a win, is a win.
Of Special Note: Hines Ward caught his 900th pass in the NFL, all with the Steelers. He extends his franchise record to 901 pulling in six catches against the Falcons. With his 108 receiving yards he also crossed 11,000 yard plataeu; he is only the 24th player to have ever done that in the NFL.
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/
Steelers
2010 Record: 12-4
Draft Position: 31
2010 Season Recap: Click Here
Offseason Needs: Click Here
Free Agents/Team Transactions: Click Here
Draft Grades: Click Here
Key Offseason Moves: None
Steelers Blogger: Sean Geddes
2010 Posts:
After His Worst Season As a Pro, Jeff Reed Has Been Waived, Steelers vs. Patriots- An Interesting Battle of Philosophy, Sometimes A Close Win Still Contains Some Losses…Again, Steelers vs. Bengals- Who, What, Where, When, Why, Sometimes A Close Win Still Contains A Loss, Ben’s Return- The Longest Offseason, Steelers/Ravens Recap, Steelers/Ravens: Who, What, Where, When, Why, Steelers/Bucs Recap, The Curse of Big Ben?, Steelers Titans Review, Steelers 15 Falcons 9 (OT), Steelers vs. Panthers- Who, What, Where, When, Why, Pittsburgh Steelers Season Preview
Stanford/Washington
Spotlight #1: Stanford G David DeCastro
Spotlight #2: Washington WR Jermaine Kearse
1st quarter
13:47: DeCastro with good speed and hand use on a pull block.
8:57: Kearse can’t quite catch a pass over the middle against tough coverage.
8:18: DeCastro allows a man to beat him, defensive lineman can’t get pressure it’s a roll out.
5:49: Kearse takes a dump off for a few, but Stanford’s swarming defense does a good job of containing him.
3:00: Chris Polk, who had been bottled up to this point in the game, with a long touchdown run, breaking a few tackles along the way. He’s impressed me tonight getting a few yards on plays with awful blocking and then, of course, here on this long run. He’s in the running for the #2 back behind Trent Richardson. I was also impressed with him against Nebraska, a tough defense. He wasn’t tackled for a loss that entire game.
2:50: DeCastro with a nice pull block.
1:59: DeCastro helps open a big hole, but the running back doesn’t see it and runs right into a pile for a gain of no more than a yard.
1:17: DeCastro with an awesome run block to open up a long run. 30 yards.
2nd quarter
14:54: DeCastro can pass block too. Nice job.
13:34: Polk with a 61 yard touchdown. Very impressive back.
13:22: Led by DeCastro, Stanford gets a huge touchdown run by Stepfan Taylor. 70 yards.
12:01: Kearse catches a quick slant against bad coverage. Able to get a few afterwards with decent straight line speed.
11:31: Kearse drops an accurate ball after a nice route. That could have been a sizeable gain. Terrible.
6:42: DeCastro with a nice 2nd level block. Very mobile.
3rd quarter
12:12: DeCastro pushes two guys off the play on separate 2nd level blocks.
11:45: DeCastro with a nice 2nd level block on a 30 yard run.
11:16: DeCastro on a nice 2nd level block on a rushing touchdown.
11:06: Chase Thomas takes down Chris Polk by himself for a loss. That doesn’t happen very often.
10:20: Thomas in on another tackle for loss on Polk. He had help this time. Stanford is manhandling a terrible Washington offensive line.
8:53: DeCastro with another great pull block.
0:13: Kearse with a nice catch over the middle.
4th quarter
14:33: Kearse catches it short, nice job of fending off a few tacklers to get a few. Fumbles out of bounds.
13:26: Kearse bobbles and drops a fade in the end zone.
9:19: DeCastro with a nice 2nd level block on a sizable touchdown run.
0:00: DeCastro, simply put, had a dominant game, especially against the run. He blocks in the 2nd level extremely well and he pull blocks extremely well. He’s best fit as a zone blocking player at the next level because of his mobility, but he’ll work in whatever scheme. He wasn’t a bad pass protector either. He’s part of a Stanford line that has allowed 2 sacks all season. He had a pretty perfect game here as Stanford ran for 446 yards on the night. Stanford has had a terrific running game all season and DeCastro’s dominant blocking of all forms has been a big part of the reason. He is still a guard, however, so I can’t rate him too high. He also hasn’t had a particularly tough schedule.
Washington doesn’t have a bad defensive line, however. Defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu is a potential first round pick from Washington, but he had a terrible game tonight as Stanford’s offensive line manhandled him, especially against the run, which is supposed to be the 330 pounder’s strength. He wasn’t even matched up with DeCastro on most plays, though when he was, DeCastro dominated him.
The two other first rounders on Stanford’s offense are Jonathan Martin and, of course, Andrew Luck. Luck was 16 of 21 for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. This game doesn’t affect his stock in anyway because he didn’t have to do anything to win. Martin was part of Stanford’s strong run blocking line and once again didn’t allow any sacks. He’ll be tested for the first time all season next week against USC’s Nick Perry.
Washington’s Chris Polk is in the running to be the 2nd running back off the board behind Trent Richardson. Polk rushed for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries despite the fact that Stanford was manhandling Washington’s awful offensive front. When Washington blocked well, Polk was able to pick up huge chunks of yardage. When they didn’t, Polk did a very good job of getting something. He wasn’t tackled for a loss at all against Nebraska the last time I watched him and tonight, when he was, it was very rare and because of how well Stanford was playing. There was only one play where he was solo tackled for a loss and that was by Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas.
Thomas was the standout on Stanford’s impressive front 7. Thomas plays 3-4 rush linebacker for Stanford. He has 5.5 sacks on the season and could be getting day 2 consideration if he keeps this up, though he was hardly going against a strong offensive line this week. We’ll see how he does against USC next week. At 239 pounds, he is a bit undersized to be a 3-4 rush linebacker.
The other spotlight in this game was Jermaine Kearse. Kearse caught 4 passes for 52 yards, but he didn’t stand out much. He was only his team’s 3rd leading receiver and he dropped a couple of passes, including a touchdown. Drops have been an issue for him all season. Kearse has been playing better of late, but he’s having a disappointing senior season. After 63 catches for 1005 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2009, he has just 27 catches for 336 yards and 6 touchdowns in 7 games in 2010. He’s not his team’s leader in yards and he’s barely his team’s leader in receptions. He seems to miss Jake Locker. He’s athletic enough at 6-2 210 to get some mid round consideration, but I don’t know how good this guy can be at the next level. He’s not productive and he has problems with drops.
Stanford Routt Raiders
That 4.3 40 Routt ran a few years ago is still paying off. First it got him drafted in the 2nd, multiple rounds too high. Now it gets him 31.5 million dollars over 3 years. Despite having an amazing pass rush and Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders still ranked 19th against the pass last year and this guy was a huge part of the reason why. Now they’ve chosen to resign him for way more than anyone else would offer him and in the process have essentially eliminated the possibility that they will have enough money to resign Nnamdi Asomugha. They also have to worry about longterm deals for Jason Campbell and Kamerion Wimbley, both of whom become free agents after next season.
Update:
Routt signed a 3 years 31.5 million dollar deal earlier this offseason. He had to restructured that deal for the Raiders to get under the cap. His restructured deal significantly reduces his cap number for 2011, but ends up paying him 54.5 million over 5 years, meaning he gets 5.5 million dollars less over 5 years than Nnamdi Asomugha. Ridiculous.
Grade: F
Stanford Routt Chiefs
Stanford Routt isn’t a very good cornerback. He may have allowed a mere 51.1% completion percentage last year, but he led the league with 17 penalties committed and 9 touchdowns allowed. 3 years 18 million with only 6 million guaranteed is fair for him, but the Chiefs have more cap space than any team in the league. I would have liked them to at least try to resign Brandon Carr, rather than signing a cheaper, inferior replacement so quickly.
Grade: C
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