end of season grades and next yrs. outlook............ d-line

The d-line appears to be on the upswing... the season started with a lot of growing pains and finished as arguably the defenses best unit.
The d-line went from allowing pedestrian runners to look like all pros to bottling up the likes of Jamaal Charles.. A few things can be attributed to the line's improvement. The resurgence of Bret Keisel. The health of Steve McClendon. And finally, the rise of Stephon Tuitt when Keisel went down... Of course, a certain benching also looms large, and i'll get into that one individually... also, the development of a certain sky scraper of a NT will loom large (pun definitely intended) next season..
This is a unit on the rise.... look for some late rd. depth in the draft, and maybe one F.A. signee.. We are witnessing a return to dominance up front..... Remember this prediction.... WE WILL LEAD THE LEAGUE IN RUN DEFENSE ONCE AGAIN NEXT SEASON!!!!!!
and now for the individual

DE:

1. Cam Heyward: A star in the making. The only one on the line that had no question marks from the beginning to end, and he's still getting better. Plays with a mean streak, and is quickly becoming an intimidator. This may seem lofty, but I see double figure sack figures for heyward next season.... no, he's not JJ Watt, but he is a star and will be recognized as one next season.
Final grade: A

2. Stephon Tuitt: Mark my words... you read it here first. Tuitt will be better then Heyward in 2 yrs... Highly athletic and active. It's no coincidence that the d-line played best as a unit when Tuitt found his way to the starting line up. Considering the way the line played during the 1st half of the season, it makes me wonder if the coaches should've put him in earlier and let him learn on the job. He certainly couldn't have been worse than the next guy on this list. This will be the best DE pairing in the nfl in short order.
Final grade: A

3. Cam Thomas: I was highly skeptical when we signed this guy, and over the course of the season, he did nothing to change my mind. The coaches found out what the chargers already new... Thomas is just not an effective lineman.. I believe he had exactly 2 good games all season... He came to us with the coaches saying he can play every position on the line... we all quickly learned that playing all 3 spots and playing them well are 2 different things.... with any luck, we will move on from this atrocity next yr... If he stays, then God forbid we have an injury to a starter.
Final grade: D+

4. Brett Keisel: One more Yr.... This needs to be airbrushed on a t-shirt somewhere underneath his picture and spread all over the burgh...
Keisel returned to us and it looked like he had found the fountain of youth. He wasn't supposed to be playing starter minutes, but due to the ineffectiveness of Thomas and the coaches refusal to throw Tuitt into the fire, he found himself on the field much more than he should have.
I can imagine him next yr. actually playing 15-20 snaps a game. At this stage of his career, he would be unstoppable with that small snap count... Keisel's passion for the game and leadership went a long way towards the development of Tuitt and Heyward.. This guy still has gas in the tank, but I totally understand if he choses to hang it up, or if the coaches don't bring him back... In either case, this is a player I will celebrate.
Final grade: B

5. Clifton Geathers: Didn't really make an impact on the field, but certainly made one coming in... His practice habits were just what we needed.. His presence brought an edge to our practices, which i'm sure translated to the field. I do believe that he should be brought back next season for a much longer look, or even to push Thomas out the door.
Final grade: inc.

DT:
1. Steve McClendon: Rebounded well from a sub par 1st season as the full time starter, and showed what I was looking for from the start. McClendon showed that he could control the middle and command double teams... what he hasn't shown is the ability to stay healthy... This is where the problem is, because if you are not available, the ability just doesn't matter.... A true workout warrior, so I look for him to work on his problem areas and come back healthier and more available..
Final grade: B

2. Dan McCullers: The mountain showed up pretty well when placed on the field... He was a lot more active than I personally expected, and showed more than enough to be excited about the rotation in the middle next season.... as with any rookie, he had his lapses, but over all he made positive contributions when called on.. His size rarely worked against him in the leverage battle, which showed me that his work ethic is there and he was actively listening to instruction.... If the coaches stand pat, I have no problem with the current rotation, and look forward to his continued development
Final grade: B-

Next up TE's

 

Steelers need to draft 1 DLine who can play both positions on the dline..

 

If the NT can be upgraded in the draft I think Steelers MUST do it.

Look at what Haloti Ngata and Brandon Williams did on Saturday. I get it ... Mclendon is solid he does everything well, but he does not collapse pockets.

 

thanks you for posting this..i agree

 

McClendon is solid, but he isn't a game changer like nHGHata.

 

A guy who can play both positions is the same guy who can't play either position. We need a true NT. Baltimore was running the ball right up the middle.

 

let's not forget hemmer and joe kruger in the mix too. we could end up in decent shape with this group. mac has to hold up and stay on the field.

 

McClendon is Casey Hampton's Chris Hoke. Solid player, but we still need a Casey Hampton in there.

 

Great write-up! Love the idea of Kiesel coming back to provide 10-15 snaps rotationally.

 

i give cam thomas an F and since he was the reason we lost mauro a G

 

Nice write up and pretty much agree all around except for I don't see any of our DE's getting double digit sacks number given what their role is in this defense. Now if LeBeau finally steps down you could be on to something.

 

You're too easy a grader...would you mind submitting my work performance review? I agree with the assessments, but grading someone an A suggests there's no improving. Heyward was #1 at B+. love Tuitt's potential, but as a part time starter, no way an A, maybe B-. McClendon played well, but needs to be deducted due to missed games, C-.

 

First off Blackngold, nicely done assessment.

I agree with DsteelerCT.
McClendon was not the player we needed him to be. right, wrong or indifferent- He wasn't that player.

He was pushed around A lot. You can't fault him for being hurt but you can fault him for not playing to the other players potential around him.

 

I recall a smartass sarcastic comment during the game Saturday asking if anyone still thought we still need a NT....yes, yes I do! Like another person mentioned, McLendon is solid, but he is not Casey Hampton!

 

need I point out that despite the de's role in lebeau's defense, heyward still was tied for the team lead in sacks this yr.

 

if you think i'm too easy a grader, just wait until I get to the secondary

 

Just save your time and give that group a F and move on .

 

Overall grading play in and play out I say no way . Even the games where Gay got pick 6's he got burnt at least 3 or 4 times and missed 3 or 4 tackles .

My grading would be plus 10 for pass Int . plus 5 for pass defended . plus 5 for solid tackle.
Minus 10 for getting burned. minus 5 for passes given up. Minus 5 for missed tackles .minus 5 for PI or illegal contact .

Grade it on that scale and I can't see 1 of them getting to an 80 .

 

#1 - Ravens/Steelers gamethread...I'm not going back to look for it. It's there if you want to look
#2 - Wish I knew that answer...

 

Cam and Cam't.