Merged: Where Are They Now? Steelers Edition

[Grapple Raven]

Such a slow news day, I was doing some reading and snooping, lol. There were some little tidbits of news today that I found interesting. Only the beginning I know, but it appears that they don't seem to be wasting any time.

I heard today on the NFL Channel that the Steelers offensive coordinator is retiring.

Aaron Wilson also tweeted that the Steelers sign former Ravens, 49ers, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith
[url="http://twitter.com/#!/RavensInsider/status/160443198811021312"]7 hours ago [/url]

Steelers tried out former Ravens QB Hunter Cantwell this week and WR Brandyn Harvey
[url="http://twitter.com/#!/RavensInsider/status/160489933885280256"]4 hours ago [/url]

Steelers also signed CB Walter McFadden, WR Tyler Beiler, WR David Gilreath, WR Derrick Williams and WR Jimmy Young.
[url="http://twitter.com/#!/RavensInsider/status/160446444191490048"]7 hours ago [/url]

Now it is early and I am not drawing any conclusions or anything, but just found it interesting that they were looking over alot of former Ravens QB's and signing alot of WR's, lol.

Your thoughts?

[Ravenslifer]

Thoughts? What the heck can anybody tell you about Cam Cameron's offense? That's actually, now that I think about it, the whole mad genius of it. Cam's players don't know what's going on half the time, so why should anyone else?

Besides, from the number of articles and stories that have surfaced in the past week explaining just how outdated and ridiculously simple our offensive scheme is, I'd actually be embarrassed to be the teams that lose to us.

[CalvinSmoke]

umm, lol it appears the Steelers realize that they need to invest into the future a little bit. But idk if this is the place to post this.

[Y2J]

Thats interesting but i know that their cap situation is real bad. They're going to look very different next year.

[Grapple Raven]

I agree, with the cap situation, I figured they would be early scroungers. It will be interesting to see how youth oriented they go.

[jaege]

I suspect that the Bengals may be vying with us for AFCN title next year, rather than the Steelers. I think the Steelers may be inconsequential for a couple of years. Cap issues and age may be their undoing.

[1/28/01]

Ha, bunch of no namers! Have fun, Pitt!

[Ravenslifer]

[quote name='jaege' timestamp='1327118633' post='960798']
I suspect that the Bengals may be vying with us for AFCN title next year, rather than the Steelers. I think the Steelers may be inconsequential for a couple of years. Cap issues and age may be their undoing.
[/quote]

I think it depends on Roethlisberger's health. He'll be 30 next year, and he seems to get injured, then play through his injuries, every single season. I don't think he's long for the league if he keeps it up, and without him, they can probably still beat bad teams, but not good ones.

[ThePurpleWall]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1327118714' post='960801']
Ha, bunch of no namers! Have fun, Pitt!
[/quote]


indeed sir

[PSU RAVEN]

"Aaron Wilson also tweeted that the Steelers sign former Ravens, 49ers, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith"

Maybe not a bad move by Pitt , since according to at least one league source*, Troy Smith should have been given the Ravens starting job 4 years ago.

*Troy Smith

In all seriousness there does seem to be at least some gamesmanship by signing Hunter Cantwell. Wasn't he our 3rd string/practice squad guy for what seems like the last couple years?

[ravens__]

[quote name='PSU RAVEN' timestamp='1327149660' post='960907']
"Aaron Wilson also tweeted that the Steelers sign former Ravens, 49ers, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith"

Maybe not a bad move by Pitt , since according to at least one league source*, Troy Smith should have been given the Ravens starting job 4 years ago.

*Troy Smith

[b]In all seriousness there does seem to be at least some gamesmanship by signing Hunter Cantwell. Wasn't he our 3rd string/practice squad guy for what seems like the last couple years?[/b]
[/quote]

Pretty much. He took over John Beck's role as the 3rd string/PS QB once we traded him to the Redskins.

[T-ray]

Eh, who cares?? Not only are these guys no namers, but we have a [u][b]Super Bowl to win[/b][/u]

[GrimCoconut]

Hunter Cantwell is so bad, I feel bad that they even signed him. That guy should just hang up the cleats. Troy Smith...I'm glad he's not our QB. Think about it. Troy Smith throws a touchdown to Torrey Smith! That's just too confusing. Maybe they will convert Troy Smith to a running back or make him into Tebow2.

Or maybe he will wash their terrible towels.

[AsianRice]

I think the Stealers are doing great right now; they will go undefeated next year and win SB cuz Walter McFadden, WR Tyler Beiler, WR David Gilreath, WR Derrick Williams and WR Jimmy Young, Troy Smith, and Hunter Cantwell will make the Stealers' dream come true.


Such a good move by the Stealers.......

[BloodRaven]

QB Ben Roethlisberger: Turning 30, struggled with some leg injuries, coming of his 6th best statistical season and his second Pro Bowl appearance. Backups are 37yo Charlie Batch and Troy Smith.

HB Rashard Mendenhall: Big, fast, talented, but for some reason there are Steeler fans that don't like him, calling him trade bait, soft and/or unspectacular and prefer 2nd stringer Issac Redman who is a powerful runner but much slower. 3rd string John Clay is also known for his power and lack of speed.

WR Wallace/Brown/Sanders: This trio is the most explosive WR corps in the league, fast, talented and clutch this unit is poised for big things, the only thing they lack is size. This points to 14 year veteran Hines Ward probably looking for another team.

TE Heath Miller: Also hits 30 and comes off a pedestrian season where he was asked to do a lot of blocking.

OL This unit remains a real weakness, rookie RT Marcus Gilbert is seen as one of the bright spots on the team. Sophomore C Maurkice Pouncey remains a popular point of contention and gets his second Pro-Bowl appearance.

NT Reports say 34yo NT Casey Hampton was showing major signs of decline before his injury and could be another salary cap casualty, backup Steve McClendon has been solid in his place but is small for a two gapping NT at 280lb and will likely be a stopgap or future DE.

DE Brett Keisel had a career year but will be turning 34 next season and Aaron Smith will likely be retiring or looking for a new team to end his career. Former 1st round pick Ziggy Hood is considered a disappointment and probable bust after his third season. The team also invested their 2011 first round pick in DE Cameron Smith.

OLB James Harrison is a monster pass rusher but he will be 34 next season and injuries are starting to affect his game, Lamarr Woodley is young talented pass rusher but isn't nearly as good as Harrison, he also missed a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury. The jury is still out on backup Jason Worilds.

ILB James Farrior is still officially 1st string on the depth chart but he's way past his prime at 37 and could be on his way out, Lawrence Timmons is an All-pro type talent but had some struggles this season with coverage and changing positions.

CB Ike Taylor will be 32 and comes off a great season but also managed the worst game for any corner in recent memory giving up over 300 yards to Tim Tebow. There aren't a lot of kind words for the rest of the Steelers corners.

S Troy Polamalu will be 31 and like Reed is being slowed by injuries, Ryan Clark is 32 and has missed games due to sickle cell disease.

[IMissMattStover]

I really hope we see a different Steelers team next year. A 5-11 season would sure calm the fans down. I am delighted to see that they are searching for a QB. I cant wait for the day when Roethlessburglar retires, as I believe he is the only reason their team wins as many games as they do. D is strong, yes, but he makes running and passing plays well.

[bauer77]

Since we were talking about the steelers, i figured i'd put this here. We may not be able to sign some of our FA's but at least we can bring a few back, whereas the steelers will probably not be able to bring back ANY of theirs. They are $25 million over the cap, and will probably have to cut 4-5 starters from there defense, and thats just a start.

[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/41271/hokes-retirement-will-start-transition"]http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/41271/hokes-retirement-will-start-transition[/url]

[cursona pirate]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww steelers!!!

[TheChin]

[quote name='IMissMattStover' timestamp='1327167303' post='961131']
I really hope we see a different Steelers team next year. A 5-11 season would sure calm the fans down. I am delighted to see that they are searching for a QB. I cant wait for the day when Roethlessburglar retires, as I believe he is the only reason their team wins as many games as they do. D is strong, yes, but he makes running and passing plays well.
[/quote]

1) The Steelers haven't gone 5-11 since 1988, so the odds of that happening aren't too great.

2) We are not searching for a QB. Ben happens to be the only QB on our roster as all our backups are FA's. We likely will not sign any backups until June, so we need the bodies. Troy Smith, however, may compete for the backup job.

3) You could say the QB is the only reason that almost every good team wins a lot of games. How would the Pats be without Brady, or the Saints without Brees? The QB is the key position for all offensive strategy. How much better did the Ravens get when Flacco became your starter? You would not be in the playoffs every year with Kyle Boller at the helm.

[TheChin]

[quote name='bauer77' timestamp='1327527080' post='973092']
Since we were talking about the steelers, i figured i'd put this here. We may not be able to sign some of our FA's but at least we can bring a few back, whereas the steelers will probably not be able to bring back ANY of theirs. They are $25 million over the cap, and will probably have to cut 4-5 starters from there defense, and thats just a start.

[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/41271/hokes-retirement-will-start-transition"]http://espn.go.com/b...tart-transition[/url]
[/quote]

Wishful thinking. The only starters that may not be Steelers next year are Casey Hampton, Farrior or Foote (one of them), Aaron Smith.

Hampton is only in on our base defensive packages, thus plays less than half the snaps. Farrior or Foote have been rotated at ILB so either one will not be a huge drop-off. Aaron Smith has been injured for much of the last 2 seasons thus Ziggy Hood has been starting at DE so no drop-off there.

Also William Gay is listed as LCB1 but Keenan Lewis has played there as well. Other cuts to our D will be Bryant McFadden and Anthony Madison type guys that will not make a difference.

The Steelers have had a certain philosophy over the years when drafting and that is take the best available player rather than concentrating on team need. The Ravens have copied this strategy recently and have been very successful with it. Therefore teams like us (Ravens and Steelers) are not likely to have a 4-12 or 5-11 type season, as there is often a very good player to replace the last one. We will be contenders in 2012 and beyond.

[Clutch Ravens]

[quote name='TheChin' timestamp='1328368094' post='984670']

Wishful thinking. The only starters that may not be Steelers next year are Casey Hampton, Farrior or Foote (one of them), Aaron Smith.

Hampton is only in on our base defensive packages, thus plays less than half the snaps. Farrior or Foote have been rotated at ILB so either one will not be a huge drop-off. Aaron Smith has been injured for much of the last 2 seasons thus[b] Ziggy Hood[/b] has been starting at DE so no drop-off there.

Also William Gay is listed as LCB1 but Keenan Lewis has played there as well. Other cuts to our D will be Bryant McFadden and Anthony Madison type guys that will not make a difference.

The Steelers have had a certain philosophy over the years when drafting and that is take the best available player rather than concentrating on team need. The [b]Ravens have copied this strategy recently[/b] and have been very successful with it. Therefore teams like us (Ravens and Steelers) are not likely to have a 4-12 or 5-11 type season, as there is often a very good player to replace the last one. We will be contenders in 2012 and beyond.
[/quote]

I'm going to disagree here. We've primarily been BPA, but have reached a couple of years for need.

Pretty sure Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis were the BPAs of the entire 1996 draft, whereas Boller was a reach for need in the 2003 draft. We kind of reached for Clayton too, which is probably why we go BPA almost every time now.

I thought Ziggy Hood was considered a bust, or bordering on it? He's been bad every time I've seen him.

[BloodRaven]

They argue a lot about wether Ziggy is a bust or not.

[TheChin]

[quote name='Clutch Ravens' timestamp='1328369088' post='984683']

I'm going to disagree here. We've primarily been BPA, but have reached a couple of years for need.

Pretty sure Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis were the BPAs of the entire 1996 draft, whereas Boller was a reach for need in the 2003 draft. We kind of reached for Clayton too, which is probably why we go BPA almost every time now.

I thought Ziggy Hood was considered a bust, or bordering on it? He's been bad every time I've seen him.
[/quote]


Well he played very well last season for Aaron Smith and exceeded expectations as a second year player. This year he did not show a huge improvement and in some ways regressed, especially against the run. On top of that rookie Cam Heyward played very well this year in rotation and made Hood, by contrast, look worse.

So I would say the jury is still out on Hood. In my opinion he may improve with time and be a sufficient starter, but may never be a pro bowl DE.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='BloodRaven' timestamp='1327167140' post='961130']
HB Rashard Mendenhall: Big, fast, talented, but for some reason there are Steeler fans that don't like him, calling him trade bait, soft and/or unspectacular and prefer 2nd stringer Issac Redman who is a powerful runner but much slower. 3rd string John Clay is also known for his power and lack of speed.
.
[/quote]
That's because Mendenhall is soft. He doesn't hit the hole hard on a consistent basis or try to run over anyone remotely close to his own size. Ray scarred him for life his rookie season.

[IMissMattStover]

[quote name='TheChin' timestamp='1328366725' post='984659']

1) The Steelers haven't gone 5-11 since 1988, so the odds of that happening aren't too great.

2) We are not searching for a QB. Ben happens to be the only QB on our roster as all our backups are FA's. We likely will not sign any backups until June, so we need the bodies. Troy Smith, however, may compete for the backup job.

3) You could say the QB is the only reason that almost every good team wins a lot of games. How would the Pats be without Brady, or the Saints without Brees? The QB is the key position for all offensive strategy. How much better did the Ravens get when Flacco became your starter? You would not be in the playoffs every year with Kyle Boller at the helm.
[/quote]

First, there is a time for everything. Never say a team wont have a bad season just because they havent had one in a long time. Second, Of course the QB is the reason most good teams are good. I agree completely, the pats would suck and so would the Saints. Thats what my whole point was. Without Roethlessburglar it would be a much less dangerous Steelers team to play against. And also, NO team would be in the playoffs every year with Kyle Boller at the helm.

[BloodRaven]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1328386484' post='984848']
That's because Mendenhall is soft. He doesn't hit the hole hard on a consistent basis or try to run over anyone remotely close to his own size. Ray scarred him for life his rookie season.
[/quote]

I respect Redman's style as there aren't many HB's who run harder, but he's still slower than Andy Reids metabolism.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='BloodRaven' timestamp='1328408888' post='985201']

I respect Redman's style as there aren't many HB's who run harder, but he's still slower than Andy Reids metabolism.
[/quote]
I'm not arguing that no, while Mendenhall is far more talented than Redman is, I really wonder if Redman could put up the same numbers while being better in blitz pick up than Mendenhall now.

[gabefergy]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1328386484' post='984848']
That's because Mendenhall is soft. He doesn't hit the hole hard on a consistent basis or try to run over anyone remotely close to his own size. Ray scarred him for life his rookie season.
[/quote]
I think this might actually be true, I always see him try to bounce outside to fast. He also has to come back from a torn ACL which is always an uphill climb.

[redrum52]

[quote name='TheChin' timestamp='1328366725' post='984659']

3) You could say the QB is the only reason that almost every good team wins a lot of games. How would the Pats be without Brady, or the Saints without Brees? The QB is the key position for all offensive strategy. How much better did the Ravens get when Flacco became your starter? You would not be in the playoffs every year with Kyle Boller at the helm.
[/quote]

Funny a Steelers fan notices this but many of our own don't acknowledge that as good as our defense was we were never this consistently good though offense has its moments.