Welcome Minkah Fitzpatrick

What?

Are you saying that even if Rudolph craps the bed this year that drafting a potential successor to Ben would not be a priority? They've spent two picks in the last three years on QB's with a healthy Ben. Now they've got a 38 year old Ben coming off elbow surgery and you think that even if Rudolph proves not to be the answer that they won't be thinking QB? Ok, then.

 

Speaking of the CBA. I read a short article about players telling teammates to save their money because a lockout may be coming in 2020. Anyone know how that effects players contracts? Signing bonuses? Salary cap?

 

Couldn't bolstering the defense also be seen as mitigating the risk of Rudolph failing? You protect the QB by improving the pieces around him, asking him to do less, and developing him slowly.

Also you're not factoring in the possibility of Ben making a return at some point next season. I have my reservations given his age, but if he does you have your franchise QB back with a better defense, strengthening your position for a final run or two during his final years.

 

Doesn't matter who's on the bus, its the driver(s). You could have 11 1st rounders on defense and with the same driver(s), this bus is going to the same place. We have pathetic coaching, in all phases of the game, so adding more talent will not solve our problems. IMO>

 

Then why did the FO draft a QB in the third in 2018 and one in the fourth in 2017? According to your logic those are completely wasted picks. They had a window with a healthy Ben and they chose to draft QBs. Twice.

 

IMHO, I think it's great the Steelers are being aggressive for once. Other successful teams have been aggressive in trading, draft moves and free agency with good results. See the team near Boston for reference.

 

You hit the nail on the head regarding his age. If he was 28 I'd agree with you, but he's not. He's 38 and going to be 39 coming off an arm injury. Even without the elbow injury there was some question as to how effective he would continue to be. QB's can lose it quickly. Now coming off elbow surgery that question is magnified. Even if deemed healthy who knows if he'll be effective. Look, if Ben had not blown out his elbow I'd like this deal. As it is now, I don't.

(Can anyone provide an example of a 35+ QB who came back as good as before from an arm injury? Asking in all seriousness, because I don't know.)

The team has a big glaring question mark at the most important position, by far, of any on the field. That's the A number one with a bullet and exclamation point issue that has to be dealt with going forward. Do we have a franchise QB?

a) Mason Rudolph - don't know
b) Ben - don't know

With that much uncertainty you would like to have an option c if the answer to a and b end being "no" and "not any longer". The FO severely limited their chances at having a viable option c yesterday by trading away a #1. Even if you don't like the QBs for 2020, you could at least trade that for a #1 in '21 or whatever. It gave you flexibility you no longer have. They better be right on Rudolph and/or Ben or else this team could find itself in a tough bind.

 

2015 broncos. Better coordinators though but the QB sucked

 

Because Ben (seemingly out of no where) told the media he was contemplating retirement. Why they didn't draft one in an earlier round, I don't know. Drafting Dobbs didn't make much sense. Drafting Mason, who they considered a 1st rd talent, made sense.

 

Is the best safety in the league more valuable than lets say the 10th best QB in the league? In no way am I saying if we kept our 1st we would have taken a QB, let alone end up with a QB who is the 10th best in the league, just trying to draw comparisons. Teams simply don't win in todays NFL without a top QB. With Ben going down, plus getting up there in age, and with the possibility of us having a really bad season, I viewed our 1st as insurance. We could have been in a position to draft a QB in the 1st if MR shows he can't get the job done.

I do have faith in MR from what I've read and what little I've seen, but the transition from college to the NFL is tough and most don't pan out

 

That worries me more than anything. It doesn't seem to matter who we put out there, the coaching is what's holding us back

 

Of course saying that the team should make a big move doesn't mean that making any big move is a good thing.

 

This assumes that Ben won't be back next year, that Mason will fail despite the team believing in him, that the idiots who thought Mason would be good would have actually used the first round pick on a good QB who won't fail, that the pick will be high in the first round, that the only way to get a good QB is to pick them high in the first round, and that nothing matters except the QB. Yeah, if all of that is true then the Steelers screwed themselves by picking up a guy who seems to address the overwhelmingly glaring need on defense.

 

1st round QB drafted in 2019: don't know but is apparently a much better bet than Rudolph despite being picked by the same freaking people that think Rudolph is the future.

 

I get it, but sarcasm is used to make a point.

And no, it really doesn't mean that at all. If the Steelers had traded their first-round pick for Ryan Fitzpatrick, that could be considered a big move, but it wouldn't be a good thing. Of course, I'm using an extreme example to make my point.

You are also ignoring that circumstances have changed. It is one thing to argue that a Steelers team that looks like a contender should move up to get a key component on draft day. This move was made in-season after the team lost its first two games and lost Roethlisberger for the season, making them far less likely to contend.

 

C'mon man. No one ever said that, implied that, or thinks that.

It's about managing risk. You have a better shot at finding your next franchise QB with Rudolph and a first round pick then with just Rudolph alone. If Rudolph proves to be that guy this year, great. If not, then well, you've got a problem.

Guess I'd rather make sure the QB situation is under control before using up options to fill shortcomings in less important areas. Yes, safety is less important than QB, believe it or not.

 

This post needs framed. Well done!!

 

Trevor Lawrence is Jesus!!! You should know better!!


Duh!!

 

Thank you usually it's hard for me to post such great material with my thought processes.

 

It's all a fair point. My only issue with the trade is if Fitzpatrick can't or won't adapt to free safety. In that case, they would have still failed to address the need. They don't really need a slot cornerback.

I'm cautiously optimistic. The Bush trade was the one I questioned because the price seemed high.

I'm not saying you can't make strong arguments for both deals. I'm saying that it is absolutely fair to say the team should be more aggressive, but also question whether a particular deal they do make is a good one or not. As I pointed out, either the circumstances could change or it could simply be a bad deal. Asking the team to be more aggressive isn't the same as asking the team to do something stupid.

The fans talking about moving up were doing that during previous drafts, especially 2018, when the Steelers waited and took a player who seemed to be a reach. To this point, that player has not panned out.

That was a very different set of circumstances from where the Steelers are now, 0-2 and facing the rest of the season without Roethlisberger.

 

I asked the same question.