OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Super Bowl 50

[Coastal Kev]

At what point do we start to put some pressure on either Ben or Haley for the Offense to perform better. They crapped the bed against the Ravens last year. They could have buried the Bengals in the first half last week and by doing so neither injury would have occurred. And yesterday once again they couldn't finish drives.

If we had scored 16 points with Landry, that would have made sense to me. But an elite qb???? I expect more. A lot more!

 

[JTG]

This team really isn't that far away. If you were to tell me that we would go into a game without Pouncey, Beachum, Brown, and Bell, and have a chance to win until late in the 1st quarter, I would have called you crazy.

Big props to Villanueva and Wallace this season. This season could have been shot with those injuries, and they were very solid stop gaps. I thought Jarvis Jones has begun to turn a corner lately. He had a fantastic game against Denver. Hopefully he continues to make strides and turns into a serviceable rusher.

I'd like to see us go hard after some secondary help in free agency, and put together a draft that sees us bring in another corner/safety or two, some depth at LB, and an athletic pass catching TE would be nice.

 

[Ziggyjoe21]

If Toussant hadn't fumbled the Steelers more than likely win the game. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be.

I'm impressed the Steelers got this far without 3 all pro players in AB, Bell, Pouncey, plus one of the better LT's in Beachum. Not to mention that horrid secondary. Definitely can't complain about this season given the circumstances.

At the draft I think that pass rushers and DBs are the top priority. Followed by NT, TE, RB.


To the guy who thinks the Steelers should've tanked, you're an idiot. Seriously. If you want to watch a team obtain high draft picks every year go watch the Browns.

 

[The Old Master]

At what point do we start to put some pressure on either Ben or Haley for the Offense to perform better. They crapped the bed against the Ravens last year. They could have buried the Bengals in the first half last week and by doing so neither injury would have occurred. And yesterday once again they couldn't finish drives.

If we had scored 16 points with Landry, that would have made sense to me. But an elite qb???? I expect more. A lot more!

read the post below yours............ben is headed to the hf and haley is headed to be our next head coach.

 

[The Old Master]

If Toussant hadn't fumbled the Steelers more than likely win the game. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be.

I'm impressed the Steelers got this far without 3 all pro players in AB, Bell, Pouncey, plus one of the better LT's in Beachum. Not to mention that horrid secondary. Definitely can't complain about this season given the circumstances.

At the draft I think that pass rushers and DBs are the top priority. Followed by NT, TE, RB.


To the guy who thinks the Steelers should've tanked, you're an idiot. Seriously. If you want to watch a team obtain high draft picks every year go watch the Browns.

at some point we are going to need to draft our next qb.......and I don't think we can get one in the later rounds

 

[Ziggyjoe21]

Come on, there is 1 SB Champ. Steelers had a good run here, beat those tugs in Cincy and put in a hell of a fight in Denver. Plenty of fans of teams that are drafting high would have switched places with the Steelers

Not to mention the draft position has almost nothing to do with your team's success. Good teams are not built on high draft picks. It's built on depth. The Steeler's best players who aren't 1st round picks are AB, Bell, Bryant, Beachum, Gilbert.

Anyone can draft a good player in the first round (except Cleveland).

 

[Ziggyjoe21]

at some point we are going to need to draft our next qb.......and I don't think we can get one in the later rounds

They just gave Ben a $100m contract. They're going to play him until his arm falls off. I don't see them using a high pick on a QB this year.

 

[The Old Master]

They just gave Ben a $100m contract. They're going to play him until his arm falls off. I don't see them using a high pick on a QB this year.

and if/when he go's down, we have just wasted what we pay everyone else. we do need a better back up, and I would not like to waste a lower round pick on just a back up.

 

[Ziggyjoe21]

and if/when he go's down, we have just wasted what we pay everyone else. we do need a better back up.

They went 2-2 with Jones and Vick. There aren't many backups better than Gradkowski. I'm not sure what you expect from a backup QB but if you want a competent QB to fill in when Ben gets injured, those guys are almost always veterans.

 

[The Old Master]

They went 2-2 with Jones and Vick. There aren't many backups better than Gradkowski. I'm not sure what you expect from a backup QB but if you want a competent QB to fill in when Ben gets injured, those guys are almost always veterans.

not happy about the way our back ups played, but you are right about back ups being vets.

 

[Captain Hook]

It just wasn't our year with all the injuries. Proud of the way the team fought through all the adversity though. I thought they may get blown out yesterday but they were in position to win the game up until the fumble. I guess being down to your 3rd or 4th RB was bound to bite them in ass at some point.

The future looks bright though. Big Ben still has a few big years left in him, tons of talent at WR, some good young defenders in Tuitt, Shazier, Heyward etc. They just need to find some secondary help. Maybe they'll finally bite the bullet and nab a DB in round one. A healthy Senquez Golson should help too.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

and if/when he go's down, we have just wasted what we pay everyone else. we do need a better back up, and I would not like to waste a lower round pick on just a back up.

The biggest problem there is that we have a very capable back-up...he just missed the entire season.

I expect that we'll spend another mid-round pick on a QB because the writing is on the wall for Landry Jones, but yeah...as long as we still have legitimate needs on the roster a young QB is nothing but a high risk luxury.


We'll need an heir apparent to Ben eventually, but I'll keep singing the same old tune until I see otherwise - Ben has a ton of gas in the tank and any high caliber QB we draft right now is going to demand playing time/a trade by the time Ben has to be scraped off the field.

On that note...the options better than Landry Jones in 2013 are looking rather minimal 3 years out. Of the guys drafted above Landry...
1.16 EJ Manuel - Now a back-up...not a terrible surprise in my book. Never cared for him.
2.39 Geno Smith - LOL
3.73 Mike Glennon - Wound up starting 14 games as a rookie...and didn't take a snap this season. Back-up caliber.
4.98 Matt Barkley - Don't blame the Eagles for rolling the dice on him given that he was a projected 1st overall pick earlier in his collegiate career...but now he's a Cardinals back-up, acquired for the pittance of a conditional 7th round pick.
4.110 Ryan Nassib - Probably my favorite QB in the draft, but that wasn't saying much. Hasn't really had a chance to show anything behind Eli Manning, though.
4.112 Tyler Wilson - SEC QB, aka he didn't even make the Raiders out of camp and has been out of the league entirely since a brief pre-season cameo for the Bengals last year.
4.115 Landry Jones - Well...he's won a game as a starting QB in the NFL...that's sadly something in this draft class.
And then there wasn't anyone picked until the 7th round, where 4 practice squad caliber players went.

Yikes. Awful year for QBs.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

They just need to find some secondary help. Maybe they'll finally bite the bullet and nab a DB in round one. A healthy Senquez Golson should help too.

Totally agree about Golson. He was a ball hawk cover corner in college and he should be an upgrade over Blake (who am I kidding anybody would be) and Cockrell. As far as drafting a CB in the first round. This year doesn't look like a good year for RD1 cornerbacks. I hope the Steelers don't reach for one. I don't think they will so look at 2nd and 3rd round for help. Plus Safety is a big concern as well. Someone like Darian Thompson from Boise or Vonn Bell from Ohio State could be make a big difference as well.

If I'm not mistaken the cap goes up greatly next season. Like 30-40 mil. Could be perfect timing for the Steelers to sign a free agent or two. And If I'm the Steelers I call up Cleveland and ask what they want for Andy Lee. I wouldn't be opposed to sending a 5-7 pick their way for him. The new coach and GM will probably be looking to get picks to build their team. Jordon Berry was horrible yesterday and a key reason why they lost the game.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Tired of the injury excuse. WE should have scored more against Cincy and we didn't. Our injuries in that game didn't occur to the 4th quarter.

Ben has to be more productive in big games. 15 points against Cincy??? 13 points against Denver (both totals before gifted fg's). Sorry, that is what kind of production I would expect out of Landry Jones. But Ben is supposed to be a top 5 qb that makes 22 million a year. I expect more.

Last year against the Ravens we scored a grand total of 9 points until gifted 8 in the dying moments.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Injuries aren't a tired excuse when you're missing the best receiver in the game, a top 2-3 running back, an All-Pro center, a high-end LT, your back-up RB, your back-up QB, your QB is hurt, blah blah blah.

Your expectations are out of whack given the circumstances. The injury excuse is crap when you're missing a normal amount of players. If we were just missing the offensive linemen, quality as they are, it'd be a crap excuse. When you're missing 4 All-Pro caliber players winning a playoff game becomes impressive.

Every team has a long IR list at this point of the season, but having that quality of names on the list is a rarity...and that's without Brown & Williams being on it.


As for the draft...poor CB grades in general right now mean that we'd probably be taking a reach in the 1st round for one...and we drafted guys in the 2nd & 4th round, the earlier of which, shockingly, missed all season due to an injury. I have serious doubts about Golson being anything but a package specialist, but I digress.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Nope...

WE crapped the bed against Baltimore in week 16 and we had everybody on offense. Our O-line was above the line so you can't point to those to those two injuries.

We made the playoffs because the Jets crapped the bed. I keep hearing about our GREAT offense and it did not deliver in last years playoffs against the Ravens. Did not deliver against the Ravens in week 16, did not deliver in either playoff game.

And before you point to the loss of Bell as an excuse, the 2010 Packers lost I believe their top 3 RB's and Rodgers delivered all of the way to the Super Bowl.

I expect better from a "franchise QB"... Tell me where I'm wrong.

 

[DanielPlainview]

They don't need to go big in FA to upgrade over the worst CB in the league (Blake), and they don't really need a Richard Sherman type with a Top 5 pass rush. They may have one or two good young CBs in Golson and Grant anyway. We'll see. They could also use a safety.

 

[Shockmaster]

The yinzers that want to run off the franchise QB are usually the same yinzers that whine and complain when the Steelers don't have one.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I was leading the 'what the **** was that' brigade around here after the week 16 Baltimore game. That was pathetic and everyone should be ashamed of themselves for it, but we played good football in the two playoff games.

We were the first team to ever play a playoff game without their #1 WR & #1 RB dressed, though, so don't act like this is something that happens frequently.

The yinzers that want to run off the franchise QB are usually the same yinzers that whine and complain when the Steelers don't have one.

No kidding. What was the quote, something along the lines of "the franchise QB contract is always ugly until you don't have one." My first Steelers memories involve Bubby Brister as the QB...I'm not about to throw mud at a banged-up Ben because Miller & Wheaton dropped a couple passes.

 

[Coastal Kev]

The yinzers that want to run off the franchise QB are usually the same yinzers that whine and complain when the Steelers don't have one.

Such a great response. Is that what I said...of course not, but this is the typical slanderous moronic HF response. I listed 4 games in the last two years where our season was on the line and our GREAT offense crapped the bed. Could it be Haley? Could it be Ben?? Could it be a combo of both??

But to think their isn't a discussion to be had here says more about your lack of football knowledge than it does mine.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

If you're expecting power house numbers from an offense missing that much talent then there's nothing to say because you're asking for something that I don't see as realistic in any way, shape, or form...especially against Denver's #1 ranked defense.

There are a ton of moving parts on a football team, you're not just going to win because your QB makes a ton of money...and even then, the Broncos only allowed 1 QB all season to throw for 300 yards in a game, and Ben did it twice.

 

[Asuna]

So the Steelers pick 25th this draft. What's their major need? I say cornerback.

 

[TNT87]

Tired of the injury excuse. WE should have scored more against Cincy and we didn't. Our injuries in that game didn't occur to the 4th quarter.

Ben has to be more productive in big games. 15 points against Cincy??? 13 points against Denver (both totals before gifted fg's). Sorry, that is what kind of production I would expect out of Landry Jones. But Ben is supposed to be a top 5 qb that makes 22 million a year. I expect more.

Last year against the Ravens we scored a grand total of 9 points until gifted 8 in the dying moments.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Cincinnati had the second best scoring defense in the league while the Broncos were the fourth best. The Bengals were just .1 point off from being the top scoring defense in the league. It's not like they faced swiss cheese defenses. How many points did you expect in a driving rain storm with Ben playing three quarters? Ben still passed for over 300 yards against Denver. Still the only QB to do that this season, like Big mentioned, with a bum shoulder and the best WR in the game not playing and no running game. I can't find fault with his performance this postseason.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

If a high powered QB falls into your lap at the bottom of the first round I could see it. And it has happened, but not that often. But generally you get them in the range of the top ten picks. Like we did with Rothlisberger. So when Ben finally calls it a day that likely is the time to groom his successor, because the Steelers likely go through a few painful years.

 

[Gold Diamond]

Such a great response. Is that what I said...of course not, but this is the typical slanderous moronic HF response. I listed 4 games in the last two years where our season was on the line and our GREAT offense crapped the bed. Could it be Haley? Could it be Ben?? Could it be a combo of both??

But to think their isn't a discussion to be had here says more about your lack of football knowledge than it does mine.

Just stop.