Javon Hargrave

This past week has been tough to talk Steelers and there has been a lot of negative talk....myself included. The one thing that has been going under the radar is the play of Hargrave the last few games. I think digger had been improving each week and looks to be getting more playing time. I have watched this kid play and see him pushing the center/guard straight back. With all due respect to Big Snack digger is looking a lot like him the last few games. Anyone notice this or have thoughts, I feel like he could be a big part of the answer to Brees and Brady coming up. I am liking what I have seen in this kid the last few games...........

 

I agree that he is playing well. He always seems to play better when either Tuitt or Heyward is out and he can take on some of their time in the sub packages. That ability to attack a little more seems to get him going and spill over to his snaps at nose tackle.

The guy is a 4-3 tackle who is gifted enough to handle the nose as well. I do wish the Steelers could find a way to effectively use Hargrave, Tuitt and Heyward together more often in the nickel and dime defenses. Hargrave is just a beast to block.

 

"GraveDigger" an elite nose tackle who can play the run and the pass; something not many nose tackles are capable of doing. He is part of a dying breed of interior lineman that do not have as much value as they once did. Sure, they are needed, but due to the sub package football nowadays, nose tackles are not as needed as much.


I just truly wish that, at some point, Pittsburgh just opts for the 4-3 base and use the nickel dime packages from that set the same. Doing so would unlock all of Hargrave's potential; Tuitt and Heyward doubly so. The current issue lies in the lack of personnel.

 

That is the problem. Their personnel doesn't fully fit either a 3-4 or a 4-3.

I think Heyward, Tuitt and Hargrave are all better suited to be defensive tackles in a 4-3. They just don't have even one 4-3 edge rusher to play with them. I think Watt and Dupree are better suited to a 3-4, though they could probably adjust. Bostic has started in both, though he's nothing special. There are some good 4-3 ends who will be free agents after this season, but the team just doesn't seem to be interested in making the switch.

 

What free agents

 

Patrick Peterson.

 

Trey Flowers and Demarcus Lawrence are just a couple of them. I caught a discussion of it on NFL Network and those were just a couple of the names that came up.

 

playing very well, why not every week?

 

Well I hope to see a lot of digger tonight cause with Walton out I don't want to see any of McCullers.........