Formidable #2s

2019 has been the perfect storm. Brown and Bell are gone and good riddance imo. While not as talented as their predecessors I don’t think we can say that juju and Conner are inadequate replacements because both have struggled with injuries all year and their HOF quarterback got injured too.

I like Conner, look at what he did v the Chargers, won the game almost on his own, he is a good back when healthy (more about this in a minute). Juju had had no QB all year really after Ben got injured and I suspect he has been playing injured himself. It has been an absolute dumpster fire on offence all season and it is a miracle that the team is in contention for a WC spot.

I think they need to get a feature back in the next draft because Conner is injury prone and I can’t see that changing. If Conner will take a team friendly deal that accounts for his availability id love to keep him around as RB2 , I don’t expect there will be a big market for him In any case. I like the wide receivers with a stable QB.

 

Hey TheTerribleOwl.

I initially was in the JuJu camp with the exodus of AB. However, it has not worked out that way, at least not yet. JuJu IMO was the beneficiary of AB. Given that, JuJu is going to have to learn to adjust to life without AB and in part Bell. Also, at least for this season he is also going to have to learn how to adjust to life without Ben. I have confidence that he will figure it out.

STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid

 

Hey 2019 has been the perfect storm. Brown and Bell are gone and good riddance imo. While not as talented as their predecessors I don’t think we can say that juju and Conner are inadequate replacements because both have struggled with injuries all year and their HOF quarterback got injured too.

Hey steel machine.

Thank you. I try to post things that get the cognitive juices flowing. I am excited about these three but just do not know if they can pull it together this season. JuJu has been injured with one thing or another which has helped get reps to the other WRs. However, I want to see all three together at the same time on the field. Combined with a healthy Connor and full utilization of the TEs.

STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid

 

Hey Steel Hog.

Yes, I do not want to put too much pressure on Duck but that is pretty much the way it is. The team will probably roll with the play of the QB. The QB is the "Main Cog" to our success. He just has to play smart. I know some people do not like the term "Game Manager". However, what else do we call it? He has to play smart, minimize risks (throw it away, not take sacks, etc.). Given that, all phases of the team, "O", "D", "STs" have to do their jobs to support this young man to the tilt. Also, the coaches have to put him in the most advantageous situations possible. In other words....Coach!

STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid

 

Hey BBH.

Yes, nothing like a strong running game to be the best friend of a young QB. Too bad Connor is constantly hurt. I hate to say it but as time rolls on he seems to be more and more undependable. I personally really like Whyte. I get infatuated with speed and he has it. Given that, we have different RBs with different skill-sets that the coaches have to know when and where to tap into. If Connor is not going to be dependable, and unfortunately it seems like it, then the RB facet of the game, plan even more now than ever, has to be figured out as far as its implementation and what each RB brings to the table.

STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid

 

Edelman is a legit No. 1 and better than anybody the Steelers have right now by a significant margin.

 

Hey Formerscribe.

Edelman may be a "legit No. 1" but he has way more time under his belt at this point in his career. Not knocking the man. I just want to see where our "New Three" are with a little more seasoning before I agree or disagree with that conclusion.

STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid

 

Kudos for getting this one in before jeh or mojave did.

And yes, I only opened this thread to make the same comment.

 

Yep.

It's the age old myth that Edelman must be no good because the Patriots win with "Brady and nobodies." Drives me mad.

Edelman is a legit no. 1, and that's all the more obvious now that they really do have "nobodies" at the other receiver positions, and Brady is getting mad.

 

To be fair I don’t think anybody said Edelman is no good. Everyone knows he is one of the most productive players in the league. I suppose the reason many discount him as a truly elite receiver is that he is a slot guy that lacks a lot of the traits you’d associate with other elite receiver like Evans, AB, Julio etc.

If we disregard his age would you be comfortable with the Steelers trading for him and give him WR1 money, say $16m +? I’m not sure I’d trust him to replicate his production with Brady tbh. JMO

I do agree that in terms of production he has been amazing for NE

 

That's a good question, and a little difficult to answer as I'd not be up for trading for a no.1 WR in general, as I'm not sure how successful that kind of transplant would be in the Steelers offense.

In the abstract, though, I'd take him as a no.1 with some speedsters at 2 and 3. I'd probably trade for a different no.1, mind, but I'd still say he's a no.1 receiver.

 

There was never any question of him getting WR1 money in NE though, they always gave that to Gronk and as soon as he left they brought in AB to be that WR1 even though it didn’t work out.

I see Edelman as an exceptional chain mover and one of the best WR2’s in the league. We are probably not far apart in our views on him.

 

I'm not talking about who these guys are going to be when you evaluate them at the ends of their careers. I'm talking about who they are right now. At this moment, there is not a receiver on the Steelers who is anywhere close to Edelman.

 

Gronkowski is in the discussion for best tight end in NFL history, so that's a bit of an anomaly. Edelman is the No. 1 receiver in that offense and has been for a long time. He seems to always be open and he can make things happen after the catch. He may not look like a No. 1, but he absolutely is one.

 

I think Edelman only works as #1 in New England's system, he's not the traditional #1, he works mainly in the slot and isn't a outside WR.

 

I'm not sure any of these guys has what it takes to be a #1 WR.

 

Of course he is the best receiver on the Pats, that does not make him elite. My point above was that the Pats never cared to offer Edelman the kind of money a top end receiver commands, and afaik the player himself never made much of a fuss about that because he knows what he is, a vital cog in their offence that gets important conversions from the slot and keeps the offence ticking over. He doesn’t do splash plays often and doesn’t have the big play abilities of other top receivers. That’s not a sleight on him, he has had a phenomenal career and may be the most value for money player on any team over the past decade.

If they really believed he was a WR1 they wouldn’t have brought in AB earlier in the year, there were other receivers out there without his price tag or baggage that could have complemented a genuine WR1.

We will agree to disagree. Edelman is a tier below AB, Jones, Evans, Green etc for me but he is a brilliant player that has produced over and over and that is all that really matters

 

Edelman's production is what makes him elite.

Look at what the Patriots have around him at receiver. None of them are particularly good. They were even willing to keep rolling the dice on Gordon for a while to try to find a consistent outside threat. They brought in Brown because they needed more than one quality target, not because they didn't have a No. 1.

To me, one of the aspects of a No. 1 is he can get open and make plays no matter what is around him. Edelman does that. Brown did that. Smith-Schuster, so far, cannot.

 

Ultimately I think the Steelers should opt for a game manager type QB to try to keep their defense together. I mean like a Flacco type or an Alex Smith/Neil O'Donnel esque QB. That way we aren't spending all our money on QB like we are now and hope that the defense can carry us through.