Boykin, Shazier and Allen injured

When they say guys are not ready I take it as they are sugar coating it . If they really told it like it is it would go more like this ....Me and Colbert have failed to be aggressive enough in recent drafts when it comes to DB'S. We have took our chances drafting guys with barely enough talent to play the position in the NFL much less ever be a star at said position...With that said if these guys would learn to be the smartest Football players on the field this would help make up for their lack of talent and could make them valuable NFL Players.....

 

I have to believe it is some reluctance on the coaching staff in playing the younger DBs, rather than coaching or football IQ. I'm not sure what the mind block is but I hope they try out some different combinations until a group can be found.

Maybe they don't want to make the worst part of the defense even more of a gamble by playing rookies or the new guys in Cockrell and Boykin. I don't agree but my mindset is - let's see what they got.

 

Might be time to look at Carnell Lake.

 

Thank you Mac.

 

I suggested this last year and a few people lost their minds. Lake was one of my favorite players but I'll say this: HE HAS BEEN A FAILURE AS A SECONDARY COACH!

 

I used to subscribe to the "anything would be an improvement on this, so stick the young guys in", back when I wanted to see Golden on the field more. I don't follow it now, though (not generally, anyway). In part from seeing what Golden did when he was on the field.

Perhaps it's a bit like in Formula One racing - if you've got one driver doing badly, you wouldn't just stick anyone in the car and say "well, they know how to drive, so anything must be better than this!" You still want your replacements to have a reasonable prospect of doing better than the first guy, if only for damage limitation.

I think the whole "learning the system" problem has some merit. If a rookie comes from a programme that plays a similar defense to the NFL team he joins, then of course he'll be able to step in and do reasonably well. If the defense is quite different, then it will take some time. If that rookie then has injuries, it may slow his integration down. If that rookie turns out to actually not be that good, then he'll struggle to make the field anyways; but it will only be after a few years that this becomes apparent.

One of the reasons we've seen more rookie starters on offense in the NFL compared to the past is because college offenses have run similar schemes. My suspicion is that the reverse of this is one of the main problems with our rookies, and the secondary in particular. Probably coupled with the fact that our secondary has been built around a specific skill-set in the players we used to have, which we don't anymore. After all, the decline of our secondary almost step for step matched the decline of Troy and Ike.

 

thig that's a good theory but here's some other things to think about. most college's don't run pro style offenses. that's why they are talking about qb's not being ready when coming out of read option systems. there are still route trees run in those systems and looks in those systems of two TE's 3 wr's and so on. i don't buy into the fact that these corners and safeties haven't seen a lot of what they see on pro fields. the speed is quite different but major college programs are coached for the most part by ex-nfl minds and coordinators.

these are major programs that see many different looks and styles throughout there college careers. fundamentals don't normally change that much in either instance. when it is said we had to dummy it down tells me guys that have been here 3-4-5 years are not getting it is concerning.

a formula one race team that has a driver that still drives like he's fresh off the road after 3-4-5 seasons and a driver that has gotten his feet wet in a lower class still should be able to step in and do a better job than a guy out of the stands.

my real concern about not getting these young guys involved in any way keeps leading us to what we are looking at right now. what happens when gay and boykin are possibly lost to free agency next year? what happens when will allen is just to old to play anymore? what happens when mike mitchell is in his last season and he's the guy we have to depend on? next year we will again look like guys that have to have the system dummy'd down. next year we have an over paid 6th year corner that still doesn't get it nor has confidence. next year is another year closer to ben retiring. there are some serious problems that we really can't let just go this year without having a few guys in the pipeline.

 

I also was a Cockrell fan thinking he would be a nice pick in round 3-4 for us but that didn't work out and what do you know here is is a couple years later. Let's see what he has and why not give Grant a shot? We have had this secondary problem now for a few years we have nothing to lose.
I don't get why is this day and age of a passing NFL we are carrying 2 FB's.....especially since they couldn't get the job done on short and goal!!!! Not sure why Boykin wasn't on the field last week, I could give a rat's ass about the whole draft pick thing cause it don't matter to the Steelers if they picked a guy(Grant) in the 4th to just cut him. If a 4th round pick was that important to them they wouldn't have just let him go, JMO! Get Shazier healthy and give some reps to Grant, Boykin and Cockrell and I think this D improves greatly..............only can go up from here.

 

I see your point, but at least you know what you have so you can plan accordingly next offseason in the draft/FA. ST29 is a good example. Do they like him or not? No one knows because they haven't played him. They did nothing this past offseason to address the safety position which would leads you to believe they liked what they had in Thomas and Mitchell.

But they didn't play him in week 1 which leads you to believe they don't trust him in year 3. The lingering questions are doing more harm than putting him in for a couple games so you know for sure.

 

Yeah I figured he would be when he was seen with his knee wrapped on friday. Well looks like we will see what Boykin or Cokrell have.

 

Cockrell says he's ready.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...y-for-his-pittsburgh-steelers-debut-sunday-vs

 

I like it.....HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!!!!!