Top 10 Steelers I'm Dying to See This Preseason

So I do this every year, but I don't think I ever keep it to just 10 guys. Last year I think I had like 30. But I really did my best this year! I had to make some tough cuts.


T-10. Shaquille Richardson and Antwon Blake - If one of these guys pleasantly surprises this year, it would go a long way to keeping us afloat while we transition away from Ike. I really don't see it happening, but there's no one else.

9. Martavis Bryant - He's got more athleticism than any other receiver on the roster. How tight is his head screwed on? Will he need a redshirt or will he be catching fades in the end zone?

8. Mike Adams - I think the stabbing and missed offseason is a legitimate excuse for a disappointing 2013. After staying healthy this offseason and headed into year 3, this is the season we'll find out if he's worth anything.

7. Markus Wheaton - It'd be crazy to expect an Antonio Brown-like leap in his second year, but I don't think it's crazy to hope for Wheaton to play like Emmanuel Sanders this year, and better than that next year.

6. Dri Archer - We all question if his body will be able to hold up over the course of time in this league. But more than that, I want to know if he can be used as a legitimate receiver running routes downfield, or if he'll be limited to more gimmicky stuff. To me, that will determine if he was worth that valuable 3rd round pick.

5. Troy Polamalu - I don't have any questions about Troy, but he won't be around forever and I cherish every snap he plays. We'll never see another one like him again.

4. Sean Spence - How awesome would it be if he picked up where he left off - or even better? He's been taking mental reps for 2 full years. I don't expect him to win a spot that sees much time on defense once the season starts, but I'm still excited just to see him run around out there.

3. Kelvin Beachum - I'm not 100% sold on Beachum like some other people are. He finished strong last year, but he had some Mike Adams-type moments himself. Can he hold down the fort permanently? I hope to see him tested a lot in pass protection, especially in our 3rd preseason game against Trent Cole and company.

2. Ryan Shazier - We know how fast he can run, but how fast can he pick up our defense? I think that's the question between this guy and DROY honors. I also think he lights a spark for us in the same manner as Troy Polamalu, and I don't remember ever thinking that about another draft pick.

1. Jarvis Jones - Did he do it? Did he add enough strength to add a bull rush to his arsenal? Has his technique improved? Will he be able to use his hands better? We know he'll be considerably better this year overall and probably have no issues in the running game or in coverage, but to be a success he has to get to the quarterback. Will he cause real concern for QBs in year 2? Will he show enough promise to give us hope for year 3?



Honorable Mention
Wesley Johnson - I just have a feeling about this guy. I think we got a good one, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him starting for us in a couple years, most likely at LG.


Who are your top 10(ish)?

 

tuitt, mclendon, heyward playing together.
arnfelt.
cam Thomas.
brown, moye, Bryant, DHB and Goodwin in a jumbo 5 WR package.
fullhouse backfield of bell, blount, archer.
o-line
getting the younger speed on the defensive backfield actually on the field.
a good punter
better ST's.
nasty.

 

Snack do you think that Adams and to a lesser extent Beachum would have been helped by simplifying their assignments. I have always maintained that the Vikings game was not a fair evaluation of his skills. First Jared Allen has made probowl tackles look bad and second at least two of the sacks that he had against him were not his fault. One he picked up the blitzing lB and Allen looked like he was dropping into coverage and then blitzed. In that scenario Adams only responsibility should have been block Allen even if he doesn't look like he is coming because all Jared Allen does well is get to the QB, the LB should have been picked up by the RB. The second one is the one where Adams blocks Allen clear around the outside until he is behind Ben and on the ground where he then scrambles towards Ben on his hands and knees. Adams did everything he could to prevent that sack and it was on Ben because he didn't get rid of the ball. Anyways I think if they gameplan for specific teams and give guys like Adams and Beachum specific duties that don't rely on changing conditions they could excel in pass blocking.

Also I am interested to see what Porter is teaching Jones and the other LB's since he talked about rushing the passer being a skill you have to work on every day at every practice not just once a week. So it will be interesting to see if Jones develops a variety of moves and not just a bull rush.

 

Well, I think Adams definitely got too much grief, and you're right that not everything was his fault... But he was still terrible in pass protection, and there's just no way around that. But I do think it's correctable. The offseason he had in 2013 was worse than bad and that's a legitimate partial excuse for being ill-prepared. The point I've tried to make is that Beachum looked just as bad as Adams when he first saw the field, but he worked it out over time. Adams could do the same thing. He might just need more time than Beachum, who seems like a quick learner. Adams is definitely a slow learner, but he sure has the tools. His size alone gives him potential to ultimately be the better player, if he can get his head wrapped around the game as well as Beachum has done.

Oh, a variety of moves would be awesome, but I'm willing to go one step at a time. Worilds didn't perfect that spin move overnight. And every edge rusher needs a decent bull rush. As long as Jones has at least one counter - anything besides the speed rush so LTs won't just be SO ready for it and ride him on past the pocket - I'll be happy. I'm hoping for 5-7 sacks this year, and double digits every year after that.

 

one thing I will say is beachum is smart. I've also seen some pictures of him at mini camp and this kid has put some strength on in his upper body. he's got that drive to succeed and the brains to know what he has to do it seems.

adams has a lot of problems to work on and I'm not sure will ever be the starter at LT or should he. I think he will however get better as a right tackle than gilbert. I think it's all about temperament with these two. maybe munch can change that but it's difficult to teach that. for the size of those two the old looks like tarzan plays like jane rings true so far.

I sure hope that munchaks Johnson has the drive and temperament to do what it takes to succeed. it wouldn't surprise me in the next two to three years to see Johnson take over at LT and beachum move inside to fosters spot, pouncey, DD and adams as our starters. they all need to lean down some and pack on some muscle and they could be a strong, mobile, nasty bunch down the road. lean mean blocking machines. it's going to take work and brains. oh, and munch.

 

I agree it will take munch munch more to solidify our o-line

I just hope Pounce is all in

 

I agree.

all of them have to be all in.

 

the biggest problem I see with adams is that he's absolutely horrible with his hands... he tries to use far to much shoulder when he blocks and without that good hand work, he's too slow to recover when initially beat... beachum is much more technically sound and that will only get better with munchak coaching him..... it's going to be at least another 2 seasons before adams catches up, if at all

 

I'm eager to see what kind of progress Landry Jones makes from year one to year two. I'm rooting for him to improve significantly if for no other reason but to see Myron eat a little crow.

 

All of the above that are returning to see how they have progressed.

But mainly want to see all the new faces that have come in. All of the draft choices of course. Also those FA pickups Mitchell, Moats, Thomas and others if any to see how they fit in.

 

I still abhor the Jarvis Jones pick.

 

If year two is no better than year one, I think a lot of us may be abhorring that pick!

 

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a similar situation as 2013. Starter to begin the season and second team after a few weeks.

 

I think fixing some of the problems around him will have to help. having heyward and Timmons around him will have to lead to better play.

i'll give the kid one thing, he was making some plays, but just not the sacks and I think he was just overwhelmed at times. too much to have to learn about that position with the steelers. he has more responsibility here than he ever had at Georgia. technique has to be taught as well as assignment football in DL's system. oh and some strength had to be added. that's usually a 3rd year thing, when those thick NFL muscles are near completion. I think he'll be alright down the road.

 

I'll be shocked if JJ is ever dominant as an OLB in the NFL.

 

Kendrell Bell

 

True, but that's still going back a bit.

JJ would have to suck badly for me to write him off after 2 seasons. 3 or 4, maybe. But I fully expect to see improvements to his game, and as mac says all the pieces around him should also help out. I expect to see our sack numbers go up, but be more widely distributed.

 

I'm not giving up on JJ yet and believe he can still be a very good OLB, but all we heard last year was that he's a "plug and play 3-4 OLB who won't have as much trouble adjusting to an NFL 3-4 scheme because that's what he grew up in in the SEC". I would have thought that with all of the opportunities he got to rush the QB last year that he would have won a few one on one battles with the LT and he would have managed more than one sack for the entire season.

 

Not that I agree or disagree with you Strummer but who do you see as a player replacing him? The cupboard is bare. They have Shazier penciled in at ILB they aren't moving him. That leaves Moats, Carter, Zumwalt and the others that are camp fodder. None of them inspires me and frankly even if he hasn't improved leaving Jones in there would offer more than the other three. I would like to see them flip flop Worilds and Jones on drives just to maybe get Jones a taste for both sides.

 

James Harrison.

 

There were more quotes to the debate than just this, but these were the easiest two to pull. My thoughts:

1. Jarvis Jones is coming from a 3-4 and will have an easier time transitioning. "Plug and play."

2. Dick LeBeau's defense is crazy hard to learn and rookies almost never thrive immediately (you have to go back more than a decade to find one! The SEC is miles from Dick LeBeau).

3. Jarvis Jones plays better than expected in some ways, but worse than expected than others. We are simultaneously relieved and underwhelmed.

...Why are you all even debating? Isn't the way it happened the most logical of all outcomes? Like an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Jones was relatively pro-ready, and LeBeau is quicksand to rookies. The result was an okay season. Disappointing rushing the passer, but surprisingly good against the run. Seems predictable and regular to me.

4. (upcoming season) Jarvis Jones was undoubtedly slowed by his rookie status, and will undoubtedly play faster, stronger, and with more confidence in 2014. I understand there is room to debate how much he will have improved, but what's happened so far and whether we can expect improvement or not seems really straightforward to me.

He didn't get to the QB as much as we expected, and that's a legitimate cause for concern. But he does seem like a good kid with a decent work ethic, and he didn't seem completely lost out there. He's said all the right things. He said he worked to get stronger this year. He's listening to Porter and the other coaches. Yes, he disappointed compared to Aldon Smith and Von Miller, but put it into perspective... How do our defensive rookies normally do?

Cameron Heyward
Curtis Brown
Jason Worilds
Ziggy Hood
Bruce Davis
Lawrence Timmons
LaMarr Woodley

That's all of our defensive draft picks in rounds 1-3 since Tomlin's arrival. Only one of those guys performed better than Jones as a rookie, and that was Woodley, who came down with 4 sacks despite not starting a single game. And even in his case, it's not clear win over Jones. Woodley had obvious talent, but he still couldn't get past Clark Haggans on the depth chart, because they didn't feel comfortable enough to put him in the game. You have to do more than rush the passer.

Jones got himself onto the field, and played alright. That sounds disappointing in some light, but I think if you put it into context it's actually somewhat successful, and more importantly, a reason for hope.