Mathew Thomas

It’s because he’s not as good as the guys in front of him.

 

Whatever the reaso I'm sure it wasn't because he just learned the defense

 

I think Watt and Edmunds and Samuels destroy your argument.

Cajun

 

He looked pretty damn good to me. C'mon Glenn just like in real life it's not always that cut and dry .There are politics involved in everything.

 

He did look good. Sometimes it takes a while. Doesn’t necessarily mean he should have been playing all along.

 

Also doesn't mean he shouldn't have been. Sometimes all a guy who some say isn't smart enough or isn't good enough needs is a chance

 

In your line of work you have never come across someone in a higher position than you who isn't as good as you. I'm pretty sure you have. Most time it's not what you know it's who you know.

 

And most times you’re called on when you’re the better option and you’re ready.
Show me the list of these guys that got a raw deal that went on to flourish elsewhere.

 

how many lately? I mean that used to be a bread and butter thing for the steelers. Guys like Keisel and Harrison, now not so much. They find these guys and then nothing.

 

The Raiders put a rookie out there against the Steelers and he showed more fundamental understanding of defense then Vince Williams has after 4 years.

 

Villanueva, Dangerfield, Foster, Chick,

 

Those are drafted guys earning the starter role when given the opportunity. The undrafted free agents that have really made a splash the last few years and forced themselves into the conversation can we say that they have been given those opportunities?

 

Hilton, B. J. Finney, Fieler, Fort, V. Williams.

 

To be fair you used Kiesel as an example. He was drafted.
If we’re getting down to the truth of the matter it’s basically people getting upset that their underdog didn’t make it. The the nonsense about them not getting a fair shot.

 

What are we talking about here because I feel like two separate but similar topics. Several of the guys being named here were draft picks that were late rounders that have flourished when given opportunities. In some cases they went from backup backups to staters roles and shined in them.

What I'm talking about are these guys that are mostly thought of as camp fodder and who completely took advantage of that opportunity and forced the team to say yeah we want them on the 53 and then just disappeared due to lack of opportunity and not because of poor practice or not getting it. Hilton was a great example after a guy who forced his way onto the team and then blew up from there. For other guys that hasn't happened.

 

There is something to guys not getting playing time though due to nothing more than greater importance placed on how comfortable Tomlin feels with a veteran known quantities rather than an unknown guy. That is the track record.

 

I think that is hard to judge. Other teams have a better track record for developing players than the Steelers do a certain positions. Thomas unfortunately was 5th on the depth chart of inside linebackers when the team needed a roster spot. He was battling a 3rd yr ST guy and what is Fort in his 4th or 5th year guy who plays ST? It was an uphill battle but he showed atheletic ability and desire in the preseason but need development. It's unfortunate that the opportunity to get serious reps was so small. I like Matakavich but he does have limits and I would have rather let Thomas get playing time just to see what's there.

 

I wanted Thomas over Dirty Red too, but I’m basing that off of my own evaluation and that’s limited to what I see on TV and what I read on the web.
Truthfully that’s not a great argument for me to pick him over another player. The coaches see them in practice daily.

If Thomas was tearing it up I’m sure his position coach would fight for him as well as the DC to get playing time.

 

I also don't think it's a fair and accurate example to look at guys we may have cut and say that they haven't moved on and flourished somewhere else as proof that we wer right in our evaluation. There are a limited amount of roster spots including PS compared to the available talent pool. Way more often than not teams will go with the players they have scouted ,developed and spent resources on rather than replace them with a player they haven't done a thorough evaluation of themselves. Teams including us are much more likely to stick with what they have and know. I'm sure there are lots of talented players that have fell through the cracks and were just victims of the numbers game. Harrison and Hilton are examples of guys who bounced around before finally sticking somewhere. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of succes and failure in that department.

 

I’ve got a couple of thoughts on this, but I don’t want to get long winded.

I think a big issue is the CBA and how Tomlin approaches in season practice.

limited practice time during the season I think plays a role in who Tomlin trusts to perform in game. If a guy doesn’t pick up the playbook in August, he’s not likely to play in December.

For me, some guys are gamers (perform well under the lights) and some guys are showers (practice well because of comfort level). With so much at stake every game the coaches will trust the guys that show well during the week.

But when the regulars struggle in game, why not throw another guy in? Especially if they “flash”.

 

Nix, hilton, eli,feiler, finney, ola, grimble.

 

Exactly. But just because we aren't playing Thomas we're doing it all wrong?

 

no but we saw him play well in preseason. we heard the coaches say he was going to see the field in certain situations. the guys in front of him were not that good. we also don't have a wide array of players at that position that have shown promise and have the physical tools to work with that he had. we could use the help. look at harrison and vrabel. we didn't have room for them either but when they got their chance to play it was quite good. if a player shows promise and your starters don't, you try something different. vince is nowhere near as good as some make him out to be. fort outplayed them in preseason and so did thomas. fort finally got the chance and continued to play better than the others. i think thomas would have done the same. we had already jumped the gun and gave vince more money so to save face he played, and not very well i might add. it's just a shame at our defensive talent evaluation around here. butler has always not put talent on the field in a timely fashion because they didn't do it all perfect in practice. he is the height of the he's not ready yet crew. it's a shame we let upside like this kid walk. size, speed and instincts were there. coach up the rest.

 

You’re leaving a lot to the imagination. We seen him in what a few preseason games hardly enough to be saying he deserves to play over long time starters.

 

these guys are not long time starters. the coaches also said he earned playing time and would be used in certain situations. it's not imagination at all. it's another chapter in the coaching staffs failure.