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(HugeSnack walks into garage, gets gun, walks out to field...) [gunshot]

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by HugeSnack, May 17, 2016.

  1. blountforcetrauma

    blountforcetrauma Well-Known Member

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    Oct 23, 2011
    Well then sign me up because if he brings it then I guess I can too.
     
  2. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    Oct 22, 2011
    DJ's contract was a 1 year vet minimum. 760,000 but only 600,000 counts towards the cap. no signing bonus. a very cap friendly deal that won't affect our compensatory picks next year either. :cool:
     
  3. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    Oct 26, 2011
    Cost nothing. No downside. Apparently they saw something that may fit. A blip on the screen.
     
  4. Thigpen82

    Thigpen82 Bitter optimist

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    Oct 17, 2011
    The fact that it's David Johnson is downside enough.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. CK 13

    CK 13 Well-Known Member

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    Nov 5, 2011
    Wow, I guess some need something to complain about right?! Gunshot? Are you suicidal over a Steelers signing? :lolol:
     
  6. SteelerGlenn

    SteelerGlenn

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    Was it suicide? I thought they wanted to shoot players?
     
  7. Chainmover1

    Chainmover1 Well-Known Member

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    Okay, I'll call it a tossup.

    Not sure where you're at on the TE guy but would you be averse to a spectacular twofer shot?
     
    • Like Like x 1
  8. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Oct 17, 2011
    Someday I hope he reaches that level of success. My take on him is:

    In-line blocking TE: average
    Special teamer: below average
    Receiver: below average
    Runner: well below average (0 carries in 4 years here)
    Lead blocker (his most important and most frequent role): well below average
     
  9. turtle

    turtle

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    oh boy what a great signing!! can't wait to see DJ on the field again. I know green is the sarcastic font but what is the empty your bowels font? dirty yellow, fine then call me "Jacks messy canvas on porcelain white".

    Vet minimum ok thanks, what exactly is the difference between vet min and UDFA or PS player. Probably not much dollar wise. Wonder what the coaches feel when they bring back these guys under the guise of "knows the system" and "vet leadership" or whatever. Maybe they think the powers that be don't believe they can coach some younger guys up. I guess I just don't understand the clinging on to unproductive vets just because they have experience.
     
  10. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Oct 17, 2011
    Here are his grades from when I graded every Steeler in 2011. For my money, they're better than anything you'll find at PFF. They're just as subjective, of course, but I think my criteria is better and more fair. I never graded anything that had a question mark by it (if I couldn't be certain of an assignment, for example), and I don't factor in erroneous stats ("the Steelers average only 3 yards per attempt rushing up the middle, so therefore Pouncey is overrated.") I also only assigned any grade at all if a play was distinctly positive or negative. Anything in the middle simply didn't receive a grade.

    How to interpret the grades:

    The Overall Scores on the left measure his overall effect on each game. As you can see, by the end of the year his positive and negative grades add up to 0. But unlike PFF, that doesn't mean "average." Keep looking and you'll understand why. If you'll take a look at the Frequency columns, you'll see he actually had 10 more positively graded plays than negatively. So is that above average? Well, it means he basically did a good job 55 times, and a bad job 45 times. Is that good? If you have that success rate swinging a baseball bat, you're a Hall of Famer. What if you're a an offensive tackle, and you allow 45 sacks for every 55 good blocks? You'd be the worst player in sports history.

    As a lead blocker you're somewhere in between, but much closer to the offensive tackle. It's simply not okay to fail 45 out of 100 times. A lead blocking failure ends a play. When you're a fullback, you're telegraphing the play. That's not good, but you get away with it when your fullback makes a good block. If he doesn't, the play ends fast, and often disastrously.

    Keep in mind, factored into those 55 positively graded plays are all of his successful blocks as an in-line tight end. His lead blocking grade was even worse.

    Then you have the Splash Factor and Stink Factor. Granted, it's hard for a fullback to make a splash play, so I don't judge him for the goose egg there. But his main role is to protect the team from disaster, and he clearly didn't. He's in the game, he tells the defense where the play is going, the RB is counting on him to make a block, he whiffs, the RB has nowhere to go. The Super Bowl-losing fumble by Mendenhall is the most famous example, but what you may not remember is that it happened all the time with DJ. That play wasn't just bad, it was representative of his performance with the team.

    upload_2016-5-22_14-8-44.png

    Comments


    1 (Bal) -Lone satisfactory block was highlight of his day. Doesn't know what he's doing. Has no technique. Looks lost regularly.

    2 (Sea) -Spent some time on the LOS and looked a little better, but still not worth a roster spot.

    4 (Hou) -When he strung a couple of good blocks together in the 3rd, the Steelers marched right down the field. Seems to highlight the importance of good lead blocking. The rest of the game he was total crap. He must have been confused on the field goal block, because he did not even attempt to block his guy. It seems simple to me, but he did not block anyone and let his dude run right through. That's bad.

    5 (Ten) -Best game ever! I believe there are four reasons for his high score: He spent much more time than usual lined up at TE, not FB, and he is better when blocking in-line. He also had tons of opportunity in a game where we ran it a lot. Also, Tennessee looked pretty bad, as the rest of our linemen had good scores too (see Legursky). Lastly, he really did do much better than normal when lead blocking! Not great, but I'll say it was good! And that's a massive change from what I've seen so far. Credit where credit is due.

    6 (Jac) -Aaaaaaaand we're back. Made some decent blocks, as evidenced by his 6 positive plays, but his downside outweighs anything positive he does by a ridiculous margin. He gets tossed aside by linebackers he has 30 pounds on, and he doesn't even slow them down. He has no technique, he just slams into guys and hopes for the best. Sometimes it works, but mostly he is harming the team by sabotaging his own ball carriers.

    7 (Ari) -Not used much at fullback today. I may have figured him out: his success depends on what defender wants to do. Johnson doesn't often get driven straight back when defender tries to plow through him, but he's easily shed or moved around when defender uses his hands in any way, including swim moves, rips, or just throwing him to the side. This happens even with defenders smaller than him. Most defenders know what to do, and so any block Johnson gets on them at all doesn't last long enough. When I look at his best blocks, the defender just crashed right into him like Johnson must have been hoping. Arizona did lots of crashing into, which favors him, so he had a good day except for the two false starts.

    8 (NE) -Barely used at fullback at all. Maybe one or two plays near the end. Saw some time at tight end and I the house didn't fall down. Made a catch at the end identical to the one he'll drop next week.

    9 (Bal) -Surprising catch/run early, brutal drop that helped us lose the game late. Blocking sub-50%.

    10 (Cin) -Being used less and less at fullback. He's a half-decent inline blocking TE, but as no threat to do anything else, what's the point?

    13 (Cin) -Again, less action at fullback compared to earlier in the year. Doesn't make the most of opportunities when he gets them.

    16 (StL) -Another great game for DJ's standards. He's really not a bad blocker when he's lined up at tight end. Not great, but he holds his own there. It's coming out of the backfield where he can't be trusted.

    17 (Cle) -Where was he? Barely used as a FB at all, and also barely used at TE. On the bench for most of the game, and got hurt in the 4th quarter. By the pattern of slowly removing him from FB, it looks like the coaching staff has finally caught on.

    WC (Den) -Doesn't have the talent, or the desire to make up for it. Poor execution in every phase of game.

    Summary

    -From week 7: "I may have figured him out: his success depends on what defender wants to do. Johnson doesn't often get driven straight back when defender tries to plow through him, but he's easily shed or moved around when defender uses his hands in any way, including swim moves, rips, or just throwing him to the side. This happens even with defenders smaller than him. Most defenders know what to do, and so any block Johnson gets on them at all doesn't last long enough. When I look at his best blocks, the defender just crashed right into him like Johnson must have been hoping."

    -From week 6: "...his downside outweighs anything positive he does by a ridiculous margin. He gets tossed aside by linebackers he has 30 pounds on, and he doesn't even slow them down. He has no technique, he just slams into guys and hopes for the best. Sometimes it works, but mostly he is harming the team by sabotaging his own ball carriers."



    And for (okay, an unfair) comparison, here are Heath's grades:

    upload_2016-5-22_14-30-15.png
     
  11. Thigpen82

    Thigpen82 Bitter optimist

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    Oct 17, 2011
    Perhaps they may actually train him how to be a FB this time - I seem to remember that Arians used to keep him out of those drills, so he basically didn't know what he was doing.

    I can't find the source, but I do remember that coming out at one time - am certain it was DJ who said it.
     
  12. blackandgoldpatrol

    blackandgoldpatrol Well-Known Member

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    Dec 5, 2011

    We may need deadpool for a shot of that type, but it shouldn't be necessary......
    Green , the outlaw jessie James and Spaeth will round out the depth chart..... DJ is nothing more than camp fodder
     
  13. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Oct 17, 2011
    That sounds like Arians. Arians was the one who insisted DJ wasn't a fullback, and that the Steelers had no fullback. He probably is also the one that pulled the strings to make sure DJ got a TE's number.

    Then he went on to play DJ at FB for the majority of his snaps. It's only logical he'd refuse to let him practice at fullback. Using BA logic, that is.

    I don't care how many Coach of the Year awards he wins, I'm glad he's not our OC anymore.

    For the record, I don't blame DJ. He can't help stinking, especially if he's not getting the coaching he needs. But that doesn't change the fact that he stunk, and really hurt us.
     
  14. cajunyankee

    cajunyankee Well-Known Member

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    Oct 27, 2011
    I was never a big fan... I liked spaeth and wil Johnson better....

    Having said that I'm ok with his signing, he's older and smarter and is just a backup to spaeth and nix in case of injury ..... He'll be inactive if there's not an injury and is cap friendly and finally who's to say he won't get beat out??? Did anyone see Nix making the roster last year at this time??

    Cajun
     

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