Questions abound for Steelers WR

I'm not worried in the least about the WR core and the defense - my biggest fears are the offensive line and the running backs, especially JC.

 

Perhaps.


However, Ben is not evading pass rushers. Nevermind that though, he is not under dress throwing those passes. Again, all assumptions.

 

I think every team is going to have a problem with WR depth this year with all the soft tissue injuries that are going to "plague" the NFL season this year.

Be curious to see if they will expand the rosters this year to protect all players on the practice squad.

 

I think Ben comes back strong. I really think he's going to be ready. Our running backs are more than adequate. WR's are talented enough to keep defenses honest. The real concerns are the offensive line and Ben's health. I don't see him making it through the entire season. I also don't see the OL protecting him well enough or creating sufficient running lanes to allow our offense to be dangerous. Until the OL improves, we have an above-average defense and a below-average offense. 10-6 is our ceiling in a muddy division. Our only saving grace for the playoffs is that neither Cleveland nor Cincy are going to be anything but Cleveland and Cincy. But if Ben goes down early, we'll have another lost season. There's a lot to be excited about and to be hopeful for. Fingers crossed.

 

I think the WR Corp will be fine. Lots of depth. I would think that even if Juju falters or Washington doesn't get better or Diontae's development is slower than expected, there's still Claypool and Ebron, and I doubt all of the top 3 will stumble.

The bigger question is who throws to these guys? A healthy Ben? A washed up Ben? An improving Mason? A bust Mason? Or none of the above? If it's not a healthy Ben, the depth is likely wasted.

 

Receivers/TE group looks good on paper. So did the pre-season world champs brownies last year.

 

I don't get the washed up Ben comments. Ben has always put himself on the line & always rebounded from questionable decision making. Big play Ben will always be the way I remember him. He is not the perfect QB but ranks with the best of them come crunch time.

 

Yep.


In fairness though, Freddie Kitchens is by far one of the worst Head Coaches in the past two decades. Even more so, Freddie Kitchens and the "Peter Principle" go hand in hand. Why the Browns did not opt for Gregg Williams is still something I will never know.

 

Doesn't it always seem like every year it's always reliant on Ben's health and Ben's play.

 

Hey bigbenhotness.

I hope all is well. IMO, this WR crew has treeeeeeee-mendous potential. They just lack chemistry. Out of the projected top four WR starters, two have no playing time with Ben. This would be Johnson and Claypool. Then Washington has but one year. That does not bode well for building chemistry as we throw on top the missing of Spring OTAs. Oh yeah. Throw in Ebron as well as a no-timer with Ben. Again, not good. On paper this "catching crew" really, really looks good. I am jacked-up I tell you. I was also watching Samuels taking passes out of the backfield from Ben the other day on highlights from two seasons ago. What a nice weapon he is as well!

I talked abut this several months ago. That if possible, Ben should be working with these guys someway somehow. Ideally face-face. However, take whatever is available. Mental reps through video and audio conferencing or whatever can be done as small as if may seem but do something to build chemistry. Take advantage as to what the advancements in tele-communications offer and use them.

These "catchers" are good folks. Very, very good. They just need time with their QB and that is a tall order to fill given the state of the World.


STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid

 

Williams isn't a HC, he's a DC, no other team wants him as HC.

 

Hence why I stated "why the Browns did not opt for Gregg Williams". Gregg Williams was a Head Coach for the Buffalo Bills back in 2001. Regardless of how long it has been, he does have experience being one.


Compare that to Freddie Kitchens who has never held that spot in the NFL ever.

 

Back to the Steelers wrs aql, I see you have projected Claypool with 8 TDS. Is he that capable of taking the top off? Asking because I haven't seen him play yet.

My gut says Ebron will be the deep threat that Ben has always wanted in a te. The very, very, very few times that L. Green lined up in his offense, Ben's passing attack was thunder & lightning.

 

Vance/ebron
Juju/claypool/washingnton/Johnson

receiving core looks pretty strong and beefy. Hope they can mesh with Ben

 

I like it. Hopefully Ben will remember the running game helps.

 

I’m kinda worried about our running game. Health of the backs and run blocking can be a weakness for us

 

We will be good at RB until Conner goes down. Not sure Snell fits Ben's offense so maybe the rookie sees some snaps.

 

I doubt McFarland plays very much early on. Conner / Snell helped by Watt is what I’d expect to see most often until after thanksgiving at the earliest. Of course an injury could change that.

Why does Snell not fit the offence? If he can develop as a reliable blocker I think he will play a lot actually.

 

Your probably right, they will be able to use Snell. I think of him as Bettis light so I guess I dream of him in the I formation.

 

Most people here are worried about the Receiving Corps. Others are worried about Ben's arm. Me, to this day, am worried about both. However, there is one more aspect to this equation; Left Tackle.


Nevermind the battle for the Right spot, the Left Tackle position is more shaky than it is given credit for. Big Al had his worst season as a Steeler in 2019. Keep in mind that, he is not getting any younger. Could the lower between Chuks and Banner fill that void?! Tough to say.

 

Do you think that blocking for a grasshopper like Mason as opposed to a battle hardened vet like Big Ben had an impact on Big Al's season?

 

Nope.


Big Al's regression can actually be traced to the beginning of the 2019 season. Even when Big Ben was in for the limited time he was available, players such as Deatrich Wise Jr. from the New England Patriots or Jadeveon Clowney from his time in Seattle showcased just how far Big AL had fallen. It really was not until that fateful November 14th in which that, to me, marked the beginning of the end for Big Al's Steeler Story.



Granted, to his credit, Myles Garrett makes just about any Left Tackle look silly. However, he humiliated Big Al in ways that I had not seen Big Al beaten down up to that point. Granted, what Myles did at the end was and is, inexcusable. That said, Big Al should have done better blocking Garrett.



Had that been the case, the Garrett incident does not happen.

 

AV’s performance at tackle is certainly a worry. I do think defences recognised Mason and Ducks difficulties under pressure and were running downhill at them last season, continually blitzing with no fear whatsoever of the pass. That made life difficult for the offensive line generally speaking. Also note Foster alongside him struggled mightily as well which didn’t help, albeit there is no doubt AV has declined.

I’d be hoping that AV’s play starts to come back to average but he will probably need help when facing the likes of Garrett, who I expect will be in the running for DPOY if he has a full season.