a couple of days

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/ ... 4b4fa1d3e8

only a couple of days left til they report guys and gals. this is off the front page.

 

Good link, Mac, I thought about posting it myself, only because I so strongly agreed with about the fourth paragraph,
where, the author was talking about how, with the weapons we had, there was no excuse for ranking 21st in the league, in scoring,
and, IF, Haley does his job right, we can tailor this offense, to attack a specific opponent, on a certain week, in a specific way, and then change it up, to attack a different opponent`s weaknesses, in a different way, the next week.
I believe this is where the root of the FBAI crowd`s frustrations were!(I was one of them, even if I knew we wouldn`t get rid of him, mid-season).
I also, remember a press conference, I think from pre-season, of last year, where Tomlin said "We want to be all-inclusive, have multiple identities, if you will, be able to run the ball when neccessary, and throw, when neccessary", kinda emulate the Colts with Manning, and the ground n pound, of a running oriented team, like ourselves.
I am paraphrasing what he said, but that was his basic point...
We want to be able to beat you however we choose to, thru the air, or on the ground, and I am optimistic, that he found the right man for the job, with Haley...
I can`t wait to see if we can do that as well as I am hoping, but I am sure it will be better than what we had under "Air Arians"!!!
Other good points were made in your link, too... But I am really surprised at what a "wet blanket", he threw on our secondary runningbacks.
Sure, I know they aren`t well-proven, but he sure took the "glass-is-half empty" point of view, in that article.
I think there are a lotta teams that would be happy to have those players, as their back up rb`s.
(Just My Opinion
GO STEELERS!!!

 

He did paint a cloudy picture of our running back position, however, I think it might be a little more spot-on that we would like to admit. Here, again, is a situation where I would love to be wrong. I really, really hope that Redman comes out and tears it up out there. I would love for the guy to make me forget Mendy's name but I don't think it is going to happen, atleast not that well. On a side note, I thought Starks was going to be ready to go, or, was that just him hoping for the best?

 

Not sure why Labriola expects Starks to open the season on I.R.
I was assuming he was going to be good competition for Adams to beat at tackle, in camp, but maybe I read things wrong?
I know he`s coming off an injury, but I did forget it was an A.C.L.
At worst, he can help Adams learn what it take to succeed at this level.
I expect to not be let down by Redman.
My expectations are not that high. I know he doesn`t have Mendy`s speed, or "Juking", ability, but I firmly DO believe he will get the most forward yardage possible out of the opportunities given.
He will never be a "home run" threat, but he will be damn hard to stop from getting forward yardage, when that`s all we need.

 

first off all our RB's were very good in college. i like clay. i think he may be more motivated then dwyer in his preparation this year. he seems hungry. i like that in a back. i really don't think we will have a hard time running the ball, but catching it out of the backfield is a different story. i think haley likes using his backs like that. rainey can, but he has to be able to block first or they won't put him back there. we have seen that in the past with players. this is where redman and mendy have differed also. this will be the biggest wait and see for my eyes.

no max isn't ready, but what do i know? if that was a current picture i saw of max, he's lost weight. that's a good thing. alot depends if he can keep it off when he's sitting on the bench. they need to give adams every opportunity to play. i really don't see max any better then adams ever. again what do i know? never liked the move and still don't but he's here.

my biggest concern is WR right now if wallace holds out. sanders has to stay healthy if wallace does.

if this team is ever going to be like the teams of the 70's they will have to be able to play a different game when needed. thats what made them so good. if they needed to pass they could, and if they needed to run they could. if haley brings some structure to the offense, and ben, we should improve. remember as of right now, the two guys that scored half of our TD's last year are not here and working. somebody has to make that up.

 

the contract was hung by the chimney with care , in hopes that he signs it soon to be there.

 

Can't wait, I'll be there on Friday!!! I plan on taking many pics while on the field during practice. I will make sure I share and post a few during the weekend. So pumped up that the most wonderful time of the year is almost upon us!!!

 

Mac, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I'm not a big Dwyer fan to begin with but, as I always say, I hope he proves me wrong. I have mixed feelings about Max. I want Adams to be the man because, I'm hoping that, he has a higher ceiling than Max. I think the reason I like Max being brought back in is because of what he has done. Even if he wasn't the best he was still out there for the team I love. In the same breath, I hope he never sees the field again! Again, I really, really hope the RB's surprise me. I don't think we will have a problem moving the ball on the ground either but I always like to have a guy that is a threat to take it to the house, once in a while.

 

one thing i do like about the line is we have gotten some intelligence. i'm not as worried about a big play guy at RB with smart players up front. we can keep other offenses off the field with long drives. we have the horses at RB to do this and linemen that should be smart enough to not kill drives with stupid mistakes. if we can keep ben from getting antsy and wanting big plays we can be a very efficient offense. haley will have alot to keep in check , but having smarter players has to help. it doesn't hurt if they are smart and talented either.