oldest on defense

we are still the oldest team on defense as projected starters again. good read. http://www.steelersdepot.com/2013/05/steelers-defense-still-oldest-in-nfl-in-2013/

 

at 29.2 years of age I think that's pretty good. We are slowly getting younger but you don't want to be to young because you will see a bunch of blown coverages and people not where they are suppose to be. I think we are at a good spot.
I think we have the right mixture right now with the release of Harrison, Hampton and the rest of the bunch a year ago.

 

yea, and nowhere near done yet. as the article states, several guys are on the verge of ending their careers. troy,clark,ike,keisel,foote. i did see clark is trying to get extended. he and troy may go out at the same time. that is a big loss of two great players and alot of vet knowledge to lose all at once. we are very young on offense now.

 

Something like 3rd youngest offensive team.

 

these were for projected starters they said, so i'm not sure if heath is projected in this with his injury.

 

The media sure likes to latch on to certain numbers and then uses them to conclude...heck if I know. In recent years, I have noticed WAR (wins above replacement) and run differential being beaten like a drum amongst baseball writers. In football, it has now become average age. There are four reasons why the average age issue is ridiculous:

1. Age is more important at some positions than others.
2. The assumption is that all 11 guys will play every down, all 16 games.
3. Age = experience. Right?
4. Median age is probably a better number than average. In other words, if you listed all eleven starters based on age, from oldest to youngest, what is the age of player #6? If you deal with average, you could have 9 players who are under 27 and then two who are 37, and the average age is skewed.

 

I tried to have the discussion about age as it relates to a players individual performance in several of the free agent runningback threads but the general attitudes in that regard just baffle the heck out of me. Yes it is widely known that after 30 a RB starts to break down but to what degree is specific to the individual. While at the same time fans will say how Ben has six or more good years left playing at a high level when he is 30+ and has taken more abuse than any QB in the league for the last five years and probably more than half the RB's as well so that is just baffling. The pundits look at the age of the defense and seem to say while after x amount of years in the league and the players age they should be slowing down and become less effective. Why? I guy could be 40 and if he didn't break into regular starts until his mid 30's does he have more wear and tear than a 25 year old rookie just coming off an injury riddled college career? I'm with you 12to88, sometimes the media latches on to things and uses them to back some starnge conclusions.

 

29.2 really isn't that bad heck we are under 30, that just tells me we have some veteran leadership. The next few years we will get very young in a hurry, so hopefully the vet's rub some knowledge off on the rookies for them to teach in the future.