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Big Ben not pleased with current Steelers tight end situation

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by Rhys Lightning 63, Aug 11, 2016.

  1. Rhys Lightning 63

    Rhys Lightning 63 Well-Known Member

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    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ed-with-current-steelers-tight-end-situation/

    New Steelers tight end Ladarius Green remains on the physically unable to perform list, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won’t sayhow close Green is to returning.

    Per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shrugged his shoulders when he was asked about Green’s status and is clearly concerned with the state of the tight end position.

    “I don’t want to jump to any conclusions yet because I see flashes from all of them at times with really great stuff,” Roethlisberger said of the Steelers tight ends who have been practicing. “And then you see some stuff that is just [like], man, come on there’s got to be more.”

    Heath Miller’s retirement led to the Steelers signing Green away from the Chargers in March. He had ankle surgery last January and is yet to practice with his new team.

    That leaves second-year player Jesse James and David Johnson, a fullback/tight end combo who’s back with the Steelers after two seasons with the Chargers, as the team’s top tight ends for now. Otherwise the Steelers have gone through camp with a collection of former practice squad players and undrafted rookies.

    Johnson has 24 career catches, six in the last three seasons. James, who’s just 22, caught eight passes as a rookie.

    The Steelers still have time — many of their regulars aren’t playing in the team’s preseason opener, anyway — and still have weapons. But the Steelers figure they’re going to throw a lot and score a lot, and they signed Green thinking he’d be a part of that.

    “We have options,” Roethlisberger said. “We’ll wait to make any crazy decisions on [schemes] until we get a little further on, and each week may dictate some different groupings, some different schemes, things like that.”

    Green, 26, has played in 47 career games and has 77 career receptions. He caught a career-best four touchdown passes last season.
     
  2. Rhys Lightning 63

    Rhys Lightning 63 Well-Known Member

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    Am I the only one that thinks James should be the #1 Tight End to start the season? I know he didn;t get much play last season, but from what I saw, I think this kid is gonna be great
     
  3. SteelerGlenn

    SteelerGlenn

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    If Green is healthy he'll be the starter. While I believe James is going to be a good player I just don't see him beating out a Green.
     
  4. blountforcetrauma

    blountforcetrauma Well-Known Member

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    James very well might turn out to be good but I don't see any scenario where they don't start Green given that they paid pretty good money to get him. My Charger fan buddy told me that he always liked Green but felt like it was pretty crazy that he could never beat Gates out of the job since Gates was getting much older. He said he was an injury risk and that was his biggest drawback.
     
  5. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    they have been giving grimble the chance and he needs to step up and take hold of this opportunity. he's probably got the best mix of size and pass catching ability of any of them, but the blocking part has to come with it. heath is a hard act to follow. he could do it all.:cool:
     
  6. defva

    defva Well-Known Member

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    I do see Jessie "bang bang" James seizing the opportunity. He didn't let me down as a rookie and I think he was able to be 2nd to Heeeeath. He only experienced one season behind Heath but he learned the steelers way. I still believe that we would beat Seattle last year if Ben didn't try to force feed Brown and would've hit a wide opened James down the right side line for a td
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  7. Diamond

    Diamond Well-Known Member

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    I don't know why greens ankle surgery is such a big secret, but you cant find any report that explains what procedure was used on his ankle that would require him to be unavailable now going on 8 months, I wonder if we would have signed him if we thought he was going to be out this long, I'm beginning to believe he wont be back until sometime during the regular season, and then after missing all of the OTAs and training camp, how long will it take him to get up to speed and in football shape to contribute in this offense??????????
     
  8. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    not to mention ben doesn't seem to throw much to guys he's not familiar and comfortable with. all this time missed by green can't help this scenario. :cool:
     
  9. Diamond

    Diamond Well-Known Member

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    Here is a good read on how bad we need a TE to step up to the plate, signing a 20 mill deal knowing green was going to have surgery and would not be available seems pretty stupid to me, reminds me of the Levi Brown fiasco:

    With Ladarius Green still unable to play, Steelers' tight end situation murky at best
    August 10, 2016 4:28 PM
    • [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
    Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

    Steelers coach Mike Tomlin talks with tight end Ladarius Green Aug. 1 in Latrobe.


    By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


    The Steelers think they may have the best offense in the NFL, but they still have one big hole to fill at tight end, and the player they signed to fill it remains out with no expressed optimism he will return any time soon.

    Ladarius Green signed a four-year, $20 million contract in March as the Steelers’ premier free agent for 2016, coming from San Diego. Yet he has not practiced a down with them yet. He had surgery on an injured ankle in January, did not participate in any spring practices with his new team and opened training camp nearly two weeks ago on the physically unable to perform list, where he remains.

    Mike Tomlin, asked Wednesday if Green were coming along, replied simply, “He’s on PUP.”

    As time marches on, and Green runs alone on another field while his teammates practice at Saint Vincent College, the question looms: Did the Steelers bungle their top free agent signing?

    Tomlin affirmed early in training camp that they knew what they were getting when they signed Green. But never before have the Steelers signed a top free agent who could not practice in camp because of an injury or surgery that occurred before they signed him.

    It is reminiscent of Chuck Noll’s worst trade when he dealt productive wide receiver Frank Lewis to Buffalo in 1978 in exchange for tight end Paul Seymour. Seymour failed the Steelers’ physical because unbeknownst to them he had had surgery on his foot. They sent him back to the Bills. However, there was no contingency in the trade. The Steelers were left empty handed and the Bills kept Lewis, who went on to have six more good years in Buffalo. Seymour never played another game.

    That may not be the case with Green, who will at least miss their first preseason game Friday against Detroit. Perhaps he will join his new teammates on the practice field next week and begin his climb toward replacing the great Heath Miller at tight end.

    But the expectations are sinking so low that when Ben Roethlisberger talked about the tight end situation Tuesday, he did not mention Green. Asked how Green was coming along, Roethlisberger answered with a two-shoulder shrug.

    The quarterback who had built such a rapport with Miller for the past 11 seasons is taking a wait-and-see approach to the entire group of tight ends.

    “The hard part about it is, the guy you had here before wasn’t exactly an average guy,” Roethlisberger said of Miller, No. 2 on the franchise reception list with 592. “That has been my message to those guys, ‘Don’t try to be Heath.’

    “I don’t want to jump to any conclusions yet because I see flashes from all of them at times with really great stuff, and then you see some stuff that is just, man, come on there’s got to be more.”

    Roethlisberger noted that they not only lost Miller but also veteran Matt Spaeth, who “was a heck of a blocker.”

    The tight end group after Green is, well, mostly green. Jesse James caught eight passes as a rookie last season. Xavier Grimble never has played an NFL game; he spent last season on the Steelers’ practice squad and 2014 on those of the 49ers and Patriots. Michael Cooper, signed last week, and Paul Lang are undrafted rookies.

    David Johnson, an H-back, has the most experience of them all but he’s mostly a blocker. He spent five years with the Steelers and the past two in San Diego before returning as a free agent.

    “We count on and ask the tight end to do a lot in this offense — blocking in the run, pass game, do a lot of catching,’’ Roethlisberger noted. “I think right now they’re trying too hard and putting a lot of pressure on themselves.”

    If they do not find the right fit at tight end, the Steelers could deploy more wide receivers, spread out halfback Le’Veon Bell and use fullback Roosevelt Nix to block more as alternative schemes.

    “I think it’s still early for that,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t want to jump to that conclusion yet. The good thing is if we do need to do some stuff where it’s four wide receivers, or you keep two tight ends in and put Le’Veon out and don’t ask him to block in the pass.

    “We have options. We’ll wait to make any crazy decisions on that until we get a little further on, and each week may dictate some different groupings, some different schemes, things like that.”
     
  10. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    grimble and james should get a lot of looks in the lions game.:cool:
     
  11. Steelhammer92

    Steelhammer92 Well-Known Member

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    I like James, but he's still young and won't provide the veteran consistency we had in Miller, and hopefully Green. I had really high hopes for Green this year. The loss of Bryant is going to sting if Green can't get it going this year. At this point, even if he returns during the regular season, there's no way he will be able to just come right in and play well. He's had zero reps with the offense. Missing training camp is going to hurt.
     
  12. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    yep thats just so tough to try to make up during the season. let's face it green isn't the blocker heath was either and he needed the work there too. will j is being missed right now too. nix coming along gives us some ways to turn though. jesse will be ok as well i think. :cool:
     
  13. Fugitive60

    Fugitive60 Well-Known Member

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    • Agree Agree x 1
  14. troybellringer55

    troybellringer55 Well-Known Member

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    Jesse James can be a good tight end. He has the size, and he doesn't move bad for as big as he is. His biggest problem is catching ability, he did well when thrown to last year, he struggled in the pre-season very badly. Be he might be the main man going forward. Hopefully, there is another surprise young guy in the mix behind him.
     
  15. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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  16. defva

    defva Well-Known Member

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    Are the headaches from previous concussions?
     
  17. JAD

    JAD Well-Known Member

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    OH boy, this not good. No wonder Ben and even Tomlin seem a little upset with the tight end situation.
     
  18. Blitz

    Blitz Well-Known Member

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    This will be a hell of a story at Grimble's HOF enshrinement.
     
  19. steelersrule6

    steelersrule6 Well-Known Member

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    That's what is being reported by NFL Network.
     
  20. turtle

    turtle

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    Just a hunch, but I think Grimble is more of a game player and not practice guy. Not ready to sign him off as the next guy in line, but I bet he makes some plays in the preseason games. I have confidence in Jesse James as well. If Green has some knoggin issues, I think the offense can compensate until the young guys come around. Not ideal, but do-able.
     
  21. PWP

    PWP Well-Known Member

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    There is a few bright things to look at even though I had high hopes for Green...At least the other TE"S are getting a lot more reps and we do have a lot of talent at WR so maybe this will allow more practice time in our multiple WR sets...I actually thought we went 2 TE sets to much last year,I know that Haley really likes to run out of those so maybe he will develop a better running game from multiple WR sets as well...
     
  22. SteelerJJ

    SteelerJJ Well-Known Member

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  23. Wardismvp

    Wardismvp Well-Known Member

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    I agree, it is not looking good Green will be ready to play. This is terrible blow for the Steelers, TE is very important to Todd Haley's offense.
     
  24. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    Safe to say the tight end position will be a highlight starting tonight.
     
  25. darcrav

    darcrav Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]


    HONK!!!!
    HONK!!!!!!
    sometimes you have to find just the right breast and it'll make the headaches just go away....






    lean forward.
    NOW CHOKE YOURSELF



    i'm gonna take my hand and go in your cranium and remove all the pain.
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1

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