OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: 2022 Handball season has arrived!

[Pens1566]

So predictable. And with a TE like Freiermuth??? Just wow.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Steelers run game has been ass for years, so I'll never blame them for getting the top back in the draft.

Not focusing on the O-line with premium picks has definitely been an issue.

However, Tomlin is now on his third O-line coach in as many years, and they have all taught different techniques - which means the O-line is constantly being taught new ways to block every season, which is a much bigger problem than most people realize.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

This is my biggest issue with saying they should have taken OL instead of Harris. Like you said, it requires a little bit of hindsight.

We’ve seen them take a position just to take a position and the result was Artie Burns.

It does not take hindsight. I firmly believe that taking a RB in the 1st round is a wasted pick, and data shows that it is a wasted pick. And many of the leading analysts feel the same way. And most teams feel the same way.

I firmly stated at the time of the draft that drafting Harris was a mistake.

 

[xlm34]

It does not take hindsight. I firmly believe that taking a RB in the 1st round is a wasted pick, and data shows that it is a wasted pick. And many of the leading analysts feel the same way. And most teams feel the same way.

I firmly stated at the time of the draft that drafting Harris was a mistake.

I’m not really talking about not taking a RB in round one. I get that argument.

It’s the “we should have taken an OL over anything else in round one.” You don’t take a position just to take a position.

 

[cookthebooks]

oops

 

[ChaosAgent]

I’m not really talking about not taking a RB in round one. I get that argument.

It’s the “we should have taken an OL over anything else in round one.” You don’t take a position just to take a position.

Okay sure, but it seems like we actually did that with a RB. No position is more replaceable.

I know our line sucks -many across the league do- but running the ball with Harris has been amazingly inefficient since he has been here. When I watch him I see him making the wrong decision a lot. I'm impressed with the physical ability and the character. Not all that impressed with the total package of the player, here.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

I’m not really talking about not taking a RB in round one. I get that argument.

It’s the “we should have taken an OL over anything else in round one.” You don’t take a position just to take a position.

Gotcha. Totally agree. Best player available for the most part but drafting for position is fine as long you aren't over drafting a player.

Edit: In the first round this does come with some caveats, for me, no RB, FB, P, K.

 

[Pens1566]

Gotcha. Totally agree. Best player available for the most part but drafting for position is fine as long you aren't over drafting a player.

Edit: In the first round this does come with some caveats, for me, no RB, FB, P, K.

I'd add TE to that list as well. Would take a freak for me to break that part of the rule. Even more so than RB.

 

[xlm34]

Okay sure, but it seems like we actually did that with a RB. No position is more replaceable.

I know our line sucks -many across the league do- but running the ball with Harris has been amazingly inefficient since he has been here. When I watch him I see him making the wrong decision a lot. I'm impressed with the physical ability and the character. Not all that impressed with the total package of the player, here.

The difference I see is that Harris really wasn’t a reach. I get your opinion on drafting running backs, but do you really think he would have made it out of round one? So yes they seemingly focused in on a position but it wasn’t a reach in my eyes.

The offensive linemen would have been at the time. At least in my opinion. I remember Darrisaw went a pick before the Steelers selected. I definitely could have gotten behind the OL over Harris had he been available

Gotcha. Totally agree. Best player available for the most part but drafting for position is fine as long you aren't over drafting a player.

Edit: In the first round this does come with some caveats, for me, no RB, FB, P, K.

You weren’t a fan of the Raiders taking Janikowski in round one?

But yeah I definitely get what you’re saying.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I love Najee but RB in round 1 is frowned upon for a reason.

Best case it hits and you have to pay a guy in his late 20s after 5 years of 300+ touches at that position?

You better have a complete, contending team to make that pick.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I was told that it was Ben who doesn't like to throw the middle of the field by all the keyboard experts here.
Was I informed incorrectly?

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I was told that it was Ben who doesn't like to throw the middle of the field by all the keyboard experts here.
Was I informed incorrectly?

Roth was old and should have retired but I’ll always believe Canada was the main source of their historically inept offense.

Roth haters had to come up with excuses why the offense actually moved the ball when he was calling the plays.

Now MT is screaming this week for them to push the ball down the field…. curious.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Roth was old and should have retired but I’ll always believe Canada was the main source of their historically inept offense.

Roth haters had to come up with excuses why the offense actually moved the ball when he was calling the plays.

Now MT is screaming this week for them to push the ball down the field…. curious.

I hate that it's come to having yet another year of an inept offense, but there looks to be proof that it wasn't "Ben doesn't throw middle of the field". So hopefully everyone can come off of that bullshit

This is their offense… what they want to run, how they want it run. This is over multiple OCs…one head coach. The U isn’t new.

There's 1 common denominator: Tomlin

 

[Richard]

Ah ----

You can't throw in the middle of the field if you constantly have pressure coming up the middle because your offensive line blows. Also, timing patterns are much safer against the sideline than middle when your line blows.

You'll see this team throw again in the middle of the field when they have a quality interior line. Their center is horrendous and guards cannot block. They have average tackles.

It is, truly, a mess.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I hate that it's come to having yet another year of an inept offense, but there looks to be proof that it wasn't "Ben doesn't throw middle of the field". So hopefully everyone can come off of that bullshit

This is their offense… what they want to run, how they want it run. This is over multiple OCs…one head coach. The U isn’t new.

There's 1 common denominator: Tomlin

One thing I like about Tomlin is he wasn’t afraid to open the offense up, unlike Cowher.

I can’t imagine he will keep letting the O sputter along like this.

I hate how Tomlin has run this franchise into the ground, but I don’t think he’s stupid or the worst coach of all time and shit.

 

[JTG]

This is my biggest issue with saying they should have taken OL instead of Harris. Like you said, it requires a little bit of hindsight.

We’ve seen them take a position just to take a position and the result was Artie Burns.

So here is what I would say, Humphrey and Freiermuth were neck and neck in terms of where they should be drafted. I cannot knock the team for taking Muth in what was a deep draft for linemen. That being said, Quinn Meinerz, IMO, was a FAR superior lineman to Green then and he is now. The issue was Meinerz probably isn't the guy you want in a Canada offense, because Green could move much better. They thought they could coach him up, and you can't coach a guy who just isn't good at football. Humphrey also probably isn't a great fit in Canada's offense. Without Canada, and having a more throwback style of offense, that draft could have seen the Steelers take two devastating interior linemen and a 250 pound back, and that would have been awesome.

Dickerson is an animal. Dickerson also has shredded knees. I guess he's starting in Philly, and he's a decent starter, but that is a prospect I wouldn't personally ever draft, ESPECIALLY a lineman, and aside from Javonte Williams (also a RB) I probably would have taken Najee.

That draft was used to set up for this season - a bell cow RB and a sure handed TE are a QBs best friend. I cannot possibly hate the first two picks. Green was the only pick I really took an exception to because I think Meinerz was so far and away better, and I am of the mindset that I can make a big strong guy thinner and more flexible v. trying to make a small guy bigger.

Linderbaum in Baltimore has the ability to shift my mindset on that, but I just can't see a sub-300 pound lineman being able to stand up in the AFC North.

Sigh

 

[JTG]

It does not take hindsight. I firmly believe that taking a RB in the 1st round is a wasted pick, and data shows that it is a wasted pick. And many of the leading analysts feel the same way. And most teams feel the same way.

I firmly stated at the time of the draft that drafting Harris was a mistake.

You can twist data to show it's a wasted pick to take any position in the first round. I am a believer that you rate guys based on how impactful you think they can be. If you set up your draft board and you think a RB is going to be the most impactful guy on the field, then that's what it is.

The sweet spot for RBs is somewhere between 20-50. Most of the top rushers last year were picked in that area. If it's a down year for RBs, you'll probably see them around 20. If it's not, you'll probably see them around 50. There weren't many good backs in Najee's draft. If there were, he'd almost certainly be a 2nd round pick.

You can't remove the external elements to the pick also. Tomlin has been effusive about Najee's temperament, personality, and leadership ability, both for the team and in the community. He was picked for reasons outside of football, which is something a pro sports organization has to think about, but a fan doesn't necessarily have to. Tomlin pegged him as the post-Ben face of the organization.

I love Najee but RB in round 1 is frowned upon for a reason.

Best case it hits and you have to pay a guy in his late 20s after 5 years of 300+ touches at that position?

You better have a complete, contending team to make that pick.

This is logic I can get behind. There is a time and place to draft a RB in the 1st round, and that is when you have a solid roster top to bottom (like when we drafted Mendenhall), or you have a young QB (like when we drafted Najee). So where I disagree is that the timing to draft Najee was the correct time, along with Freiermuth. Without those two, Mitch would be an undoubted failure. With them, he stands a chance.

I have no problem with the team paying RBs and creatively restructuring every single year. Colbert and Khan kicked the can down the road cap wise for like 20 years. There is going to come a time when the chickens come home to roost, but when that time comes, the team typically has a ton of cap to play with anyway.

 

[xlm34]

So here is what I would say, Humphrey and Freiermuth were neck and neck in terms of where they should be drafted. I cannot knock the team for taking Muth in what was a deep draft for linemen. That being said, Quinn Meinerz, IMO, was a FAR superior lineman to Green then and he is now. The issue was Meinerz probably isn't the guy you want in a Canada offense, because Green could move much better. They thought they could coach him up, and you can't coach a guy who just isn't good at football. Humphrey also probably isn't a great fit in Canada's offense. Without Canada, and having a more throwback style of offense, that draft could have seen the Steelers take two devastating interior linemen and a 250 pound back, and that would have been awesome.

Dickerson is an animal. Dickerson also has shredded knees. I guess he's starting in Philly, and he's a decent starter, but that is a prospect I wouldn't personally ever draft, ESPECIALLY a lineman, and aside from Javonte Williams (also a RB) I probably would have taken Najee.

That draft was used to set up for this season - a bell cow RB and a sure handed TE are a QBs best friend. I cannot possibly hate the first two picks. Green was the only pick I really took an exception to because I think Meinerz was so far and away better, and I am of the mindset that I can make a big strong guy thinner and more flexible v. trying to make a small guy bigger.

Linderbaum in Baltimore has the ability to shift my mindset on that, but I just can't see a sub-300 pound lineman being able to stand up in the AFC North.

Sigh

Man I was convinced that the second pick would be either Humphrey or Meinerz. When he fell to the third, it seemed like the Steelers played things perfectly. Oops

 

[Factorial]

lol

Don’t be surprised if Mason Rudolph sues our classless Steelers. We have labor laws, and I believe the Steelers are in violation. Talk about a hostile work environment; their conduct has been atrocious.

They sat back and did nothing while their insecure QB alienated the teammates against Rudolph from the day they drafted him. They benched Rudolph for Duck Hodges. Really? Last season, they re-signed him while telling him he would be given the opportunity to start. Did the Steelers bargain in good faith? I don’t think so. They sign Mitch Trubisky (who flamed out in Chicago) and draft Kenny Pickett, stating there will be a competition for QB. Trubisky was designated QB1 from Day 1. By most accounts, Rudolph outplayed both in camp despite receiving few first team reps. Clearly a rigged competition.

Rudolph knows the offense better than either. Tomlin commends the fans who booed Rudolph for entering the preseason game. The final indignity came when they listed Rudolph at QB2 only to cave in to social media, where people preferred Pickett. A clerical error was cited, but why didn’t they correct it immediately? No equal opportunity here. Once again, Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers say one thing and do another.

Do tell me why Tomlin and the Steelers were so afraid of a true quarterback competition that they stooped to this level. They’re costing the superior quarterback (Rudolph) millions of dollars and jeopardizing his career. They should pay in a court of law. Like the other two, judge Rudolph on the player he is today.

Rob DiSanti

Letter to the editor: Mason Rudolph should sue Steelers

Don’t be surprised if Mason Rudolph sues our classless Steelers. We have labor laws, and I believe the Steelers are in violation. Talk about a hostile work environment; their conduct has been atrocious. They sat back and did nothing while their insecure QB alienated the teammates against Rudolph...

triblive.com

 

[Al Smith]

lol

Letter to the editor: Mason Rudolph should sue Steelers

Don’t be surprised if Mason Rudolph sues our classless Steelers. We have labor laws, and I believe the Steelers are in violation. Talk about a hostile work environment; their conduct has been atrocious. They sat back and did nothing while their insecure QB alienated the teammates against Rudolph...

triblive.com

That laugher offsets Owen Pickering being hurt before his first day of training camp.

I guess I get to watch the Chargers-Chiefs on real tv instead of a wonky stream since I just learned that we have Amazon Prime.

 

[Andy99]

When you watch teams like the Chiefs and Chargers, and then you watch the Steelers offense, I don’t know how Art Rooney can make a case for Tomlin to stay employed…Tomlin plays not to lose instead of to win games…the team needs someone who will empower the players to make plays, not live in their fears…the way Tomlin wants the offense to play is gutless

 

[Al Smith]

Chargers defense looks gassed and demoralized after that really bad pick-6.

Edit - But they held. Interesting to watch Reid's adjustments after halftime. Steelers don't always do that.

 

[JTG]

Karlaftis is going to be a really good pass rusher.

 

[JTG]

Man I was convinced that the second pick would be either Humphrey or Meinerz. When he fell to the third, it seemed like the Steelers played things perfectly. Oops

Both are the type of linemen that embody Steelers. It would have been a good time to have both of them, paired with Dotson. That'd be one of the youngest, stoutest IOLs in the league.

 

[lastcupever75]

Interesting that the guys drafted right before and after Kendrick green were already waived by the original team drafting them.

Wyatt Davis and trey sermon