2014 Staring D Line

Well ziggy was given a real nice shot in the packers game and ultimately disappointed. That being said, what will/do you hope our dline looks like next year.

I personally trust Al Woods at NT. to me he has the body an strength to play it. I love McClendon but I think he is a better build for DE.
With the needs in the backside defense I see us changing our mold and going D again in the first. I wouldn't want to use another 1st on DLine we need a starter in the first. I see it much easier to plug and play a corner then anything else in this defense.
Question being. DDo We move forward with heyward woods McClendon? I think we should.

For those that watch that sloppy football we all call college football. Picking at 17 or so, will it give us the CB I think is needed I would hate to go Dline even though we don't have our starters starting right now together

 

Wouldn't surprise me either, but he definitely has not lived up to the billing of a first round pick. If he decides to play hardball, the Steelers need to tell him to hit the road jack! He has NO leverage!

 

Its a business and he WILL want to get payed. We just won't pay him. We all know he will e gone. That's why I ask.

Who is as comfortable ad me with the heyward woods McClendon d line?

 

LOL!

I'm fine with him leaving unless he's willing to sign a cap friendly deal. With the players we currently gave and a couple of the young guys who have shown some promise, I don't think Hood is a must re-sign.

 

Rooney should do the same thing when Colbert wants to talk. His drafts of late have not been stellar.

 

woods, heyward, mclendon, arnfelt, Williams. I would feel comfortable with this going into the season next year. we could bring in several UDFA's after the draft at NT and DE for the PS.

 

I really have a lot of concerns with our d line because I'm just not sure if we have playmakerS. I DO think Heyward has stepped up BIG time and I'm looking forward to seeing what he turns in to going forward. I really hope MCLendon can step in and play great for us because we REALLY need a run stuffer like Casey was. I just don't know if we have a lot of guys with high ceilings right now on our roster but I also think Ziggy doesn't deserve a big pay day. He has just been OK at best during his time here as far as I'm concerned. Maybe his agent should try to find him a team with deep pockets that run a 4-3 and see what kind of deal he can get there. What if Ziggy's agent walked in there Dr. Evil style and put his pinky to his mouth and said "you must pay us one milllllion dollars..."?

 

i have been doing some scouting on louis nix...i really think he can be another wilfork/hampton type player in the draft...if he is there at our pick I would take him... have him work in behind mclendon ...

 

its a meniscus surgery...it shouldn't hurt him too much...he should be ready to go...

Although I had ACL surgery in june from a tear and they told me I was lucky I just tore my ACL and not my ACL and meniscus, because with the meniscus sucks to rehab... don't get me wrong the ACL sucked too but it would have been twice as bad...

 

First, there is no way I take Nix with the first pick.

Second, I think the path forward is pretty simple. Heyward, McLendon, and Woods I think for sure will all be back. After that, I think the FO will explore resigning Keisel for one more year at a vet minimum. They will see if they can get Hood back under contract. Fangupo will get a shot to stick. Nic Williams and Arnfelt will both get a shot to make the 53 even if they don't get a shirt on game day weekly. I would be really REALLY surprised if we draft someone at all in the draft as we have to many other positions of need.

Third, I have said this as the areas of need, in no particular order:

1. WR
2. TE
3. OL depth - maybe depending on who we can get resigned we don't take someone. Wallace and Velasco have both been good finds and Adams and Whimper would be decent depth at the T position.
3. OLB - if we cut Woodley...we have no choice.
4. ILB - if we are happy with Garvin and Williams and the potential of Spence coming back...we could pass here.
5. CB - This one 2x
6. S - If Allen leaves, if Troy gets cut and doesn't come back, and Clark doesn't come back.

Don't forget we have no 3rd round pick.

 

interested to hear your reasons why you would not take nix?

We will be getting a 3rd rd comp pick for mike wallace---almost assured of that

agree on most of these, but the run D is #22 in the league...people wonder why our pass D is struggling...3rd and 2 or 3rd and 3 for the offense really hinders a Ds ability ... A run stuffing NT is the Anchor to a 3-4...and putting teams in 3rd and long is how to win games

 

i like woods at nt , if fangupo doesn't develope we can sign someone to be a backup in later rounds , we are set a de with mclendon heiward arnfelt and n.williams .hood is gone kiesel could come back at vet min

 

I like woods too.

Not sure who said iit but there is 0 reason to draft a WR in the first round. As I said in a different post a TE to stretch the middle is needed not a WR.

We need more athletes on D. Our LBs are you and will get a chance. Our Dline is young and will also. We have no depth in the backside.
I can nname youth everywhere but the secondary aside from "headache" and he still needs time.

We need a plug and play secondary. It comes easiest with a corner.

 

A younger TE that can block. Maybe a receiver that can block as well. It's taking the receivers too long to develop blocking skills in this Offense. Wheaton didn't get a ton of playing time and Sanders sometimes got it and sometimes not.

 

I suppose the problem with Kiesel back at vet minimum is the same as Ward, Farrior or Hampton coming back at vet minimum - can they still produce?

Kiesel still has a motor, though, and is clearly still the starter, so I'm not writing him off yet.

 

This. I would go with Al Woods at the NT. I believe that Mclendon would be a force on the outside and Heyward is bringing back memories with his play to the Steel Curtain days. Nasty! This D needs some nasty!

Hood had flashes but as indicated, was a disappointment for a 1st rounder. He will bolt for greener pastures. A long line of ex Steelers disappearing...

 

THIS POST RIGHT HERE!!!
Yes, I would yell this.
Too bad Omar Khan isn't a player evaluator.....

 

I'm not thrilled about it, but Hood might be playing himself into a 2nd contract with the Steelers. Ziggy has no leverage to get a big deal anywhere, unlike Worlids.

I think Keisel would take a pay cut to be here. The question is should we? He is always hurt.

Normally I would say keep McClendon at NT, but man, Woods was stout, really impressive. McClendon would make a good DE.

Not sure why people are saying CB in the first round. Steelers do not invest in the CB position, all they really want is a guy who can tackle, ball skills are not a priority for them. Why would it be any different now?

 

I think for me it is about the changing game. Last week versus the Packers we had 78 defensive snaps. Of those the NT was on the field for 33 plays (this assumes that neither Woods nor McLendon took any snaps at DE). The ILB position currently occupied by Williams/Garvin was on the field for 28 snaps.

I look at that game and see some trends which make me think a Dlineman in round #1 may not be so smart. We have 10 guys take over 50 snaps on defense. We had 1 defensive lineman who played over 50 snaps. We had 6 defensive backs play over 50 snaps. The other 3 were linebackers. I don't see a trend which says that top end talent, even the difference maker that I believe Nix could become, is worth that much.

To me Woods and McLendon are capable, not spectacular but capable. I don't think you draft to replace capable guys in the first round, you draft to fill a gaping hole. That hole either exists in the coming year or is expected to be here soon as was the case with Jarvis Jones.

To me the most gaping hole on this team is at CB, without any doubt. Ike is getting old. Allen was tried as a starter early on and looked like a 3rd CB not a starter, and William Gay is solid depth but far from a shutdown guy.