What is the biggest upgrade needed: FS or SS

I have gone back and forth so many times I'm getting sick. FS or SS???

Mitchell stinks at FS and is in the final yr of his contract.

Davis stinks at SS, I mean putrid stinks!!! And in his second yr he got worse!!

Cajun

 

Free Safety.

 

Both safties tbh but id rather have a new fs and keep Davis where he's at

 

If anybody watched the whole season, Mitchell most of the time wasn't even in the picture and played so far back because of his lack of speed. At least Davis was in the picture some times then just did't make enough of plays. Mitchell just never made plays.

 

Draft both FS and SS, I would draft a FS first and no later than the second round.....

 

OLB coach and DB coach.

Oh, and Mike Mitchell needs to be kicked to the curb!

 

I think in all honesty Davis as a SS is a misfit. He needs to move back to the FS position. If we draft say a guy like Ronnie Harrison out of Alabama, you move Davis to FS and hope he had the Sophomore slump and rebounds when placed in a better position fit. That all being said, we probably need to do multiple things. We have zero depth at either position that can actually or should actually ever play in a game. We need to find some options in the draft and probably in the free agency pool.

 

Draft both they need depth at the position anyways.

 

I say CB and LB so to speak. A CB to convert to FS that way he has more experience in coverage when we go man. A smaller LB who can convert to a SS so when he is asked to tackle he likes doing it and is good at it.

 

Can he improve and will he?

Not only is his coverage skills bad but his tackling is also awful. Getting considerably worse is year two is an indicator of poor coaching/learning.

Cajun

 

CB to FS.....I think Brian Allen would be a great candidate, he is a former WR as well. Has the size and speed and should have above average ball skills....

 

FS Earl Thomas type.

 

Preferably a Strong Safety for me.


I am in the minority to believe that, among the many issues Sean Davis has had in his sophomore season, he now has the range to play the Free Safety position.

Realistically though, depth is needed for both.

 

I do think Davis can play FS and so can Allen. I'd prefer if we go to the Nickle or dime hybrid with 3 safeties and Hilton and Sutton. We didn't have the safeties to do that last year and I think it could help against the run. I'm also for LBs that can run or big SS that can play some LB.

 

A FS can make up for some errors by a SS. Not usually the other way around. If the goal is to stop the big plays, then a FS.

 

Actually Harrison is such a ball hawk and he is also tall and lanky at 6-3 that he can play both safety spots, but start him at FS and let him rove that back field where he is a natural, even if we have to trade up to get him it's worth it..........

 

As long as Mitchell isn't in Black & Gold it would already be an upgrade...

Davis can and I believe will improve. I feel he will stay at the SS position, so a FS is in order. But if a switch is made, i'm for it.

Plus Ask made a good point, both of the safeties need depth. Our draft should be heavy defensively unless Bell is gone in which I feel they will take a running back in the first 3 rounds.

But that's where the extra 1st round pick would come in handy for the non exclusive tag if Bell gets a contract. The Jets 1st would be nice this year...and next...

 

I don't like Davis at SS.... He's willing @ run support but just not good enough and being a former CB makes me wonder why he struggles in coverage. The fact he struggles in coverage negates any notion of moving him to FS....

Mitchell really wants to be That FS Thumper.... But the league is changing away from the big hits plus he's out of position far too often.

Cajun

 

I’d like to have a new Ferrari 456, but you have to have a budget for it and I don’t, and the Steelers don’t either. Hopefully we can find a FS in the draft because our phones will be disconnected during free agency.

 

Maybe I'm wrong but it's always been my perception that the FS is more involved in pass coverage and SS is expected to support both the run and the pass. historical SS's were very good at tackling and speedy but not strong enough to be a LB , not fast enough to be a corner. FS's historically have been more involved in coverage... deep pass support, double coverage, down the middle zone coverage. Basically a slower corner but with ball skills. I'm sure that has evolved to be much more complicated depending on the defense. What made Troy so awesome was his ability to be a shut down corner and a stud LB all in one. His speed, quickness, ball skills, and power made him a truly special safety.

Mitchell used to be a pretty good tackler and excelled in the middle of the field. He's since lost a step and doesn't tackle like he used to. That was his entire game so he's now a liability because he's not fast enough to get to the outside or recover when beaten. Mitchel used to also play zones pretty well...now it seems like he's making a lot of mental errors and he's not athletic enough to recover from any hesitation.

I'm not sure what Davis's actual issue is. My initial thought is his biggest issue is mental. He's often out of position, he takes poor angles, struggles in coverage, and seems to over react because of his weaknesses. Meaning he can easily get drawn out of position and takes poor angles... he's often late to the play because he bit on something that wasn't' there. His awareness seems to be horrible. This has really hurt his confidence which only makes matters worse. You would expect him to be much better at run support then he is... he usually shows up when the runner is 5-10 yards down the field and looks out of control when trying to make a tackle... not sure if he's always late in run support because he's so easily beaten deep or if he just plan sucks at tackling and getting off blocks. I feel like he has decent athleticism but he's beating him self with poor technique and horrible awareness. He's always late to the party and has terrible ball awareness. Which makes me think maybe he'd be a better FS if he could just focus on pass support and think less.


We are in a bad situation because IMO we need to have a good SS for our defense to be good BUT Mitchell is done and has to be replaced. Davis is still young enough to improve his game. We NEED to upgrade both but FS is probably more urgent.

 

Yea but MM celebrates when he makes a tackle after RB goes for 15 yards and a 1st down, so he has that going for himself. The Steelers need to grow a pair and fire the dirt bags, regardless if they have a year left on contract or not.

 

All I can say is there any wonder MD didn't know where to play him? You can have all the physical skills in the world but if you lack instincts you can't play any of the DB positions. Remember Scott Shields? Big and fast but sucked doo doo.

 

Free safety for sure. Easier to find a good strong safety.

 

Needs in order

FS
ILB
SS
DT
For defense