how many starters do we need?

with all the departures this off-season, how many starters do we need to draft? I dont think farrior's replacement is on the roster. I know some people like sylvester, but I can't get it in my head that he is a starting middle linebacker. foote could fill in but I dont think he is a long term solution. if gay leaves are we comfortable with lewis starting. can brown or allen be a starter? that leads me to the oline. I feel like we need 2 starters out of this draft. we need 2 guards that can play. I am sick of seeing no movement on the oline. so I think we need 3 to 4 starters out of this draft. is that to much to ask for?

 

I think people might have jumped to the conclusion that Sylvester isn't the future starter too quickly. I would say give it one more year.

I think Brown and Allen could certainly compete for a starting spot.

We definitely need to draft a guard early in this draft, and we have 3 guys on the roster who have all started at guard before. If something happens though and someone gets hurt I think Kemo gets a call back though...

 

just because last year they were not starter material, doesn't mean this year they can't do it either. players get better and stronger and alot more familiar with what they are being asked to do. why people want to base the last couple of years as the way a player will always be is really misguided. ivy showed flashes of making plays in preseason. his year here will at least have him alot more familiar with the defense. he's got some talent. foster has been at least a partime starter for 3 years now. he didn't play bad and can still improve at the position, so i don't think he has to be replaced as a need. i think lewis is more than capable as a starter and allen shows me enough that he's not intimidated at making some plays. year two for him should improve quite a bit. we also brought in brandon hicks as an ilb. sly is in year 3 and should be pretty well set in to knowing the defense now. brown should make some leaps in his play also. we also have alot of young talent on the D-line if they step up and show their stuff early on. all these guys were pretty good at some major college programs. woods , bryant, weston,blanc. i also think cromartie-smith could see more action this year. he was showing some flashes. all this is more possitive then negatives for this team. the coaches know what these guys are capable of and i don't think they are disappointed in what some of these guys have shown them.

 

I would say only a starting LG is needed...and personally I would like a FB and a new K. Thats about it as far as starters needed right now. Eventual starters that they could get would be at NT, ILB and S.

 

Ideally, 3 1/2.

LG, ILB, FB, and replacement for Casey at NT to be worked in and take over full time next year.

I think Foster can hold down RG for now. If we had no other needs I might try to replace him. I'd like to get a mid-round prospect to compete for the spot, if possible. If not, waiting another year is okay with me. I'm also open to getting a LT and switching Gilbert to LG. Of course, finding a LT in the draft that can start day 1 isn't easy. Unless you like Mike Adams, which I don't.

 

A guard for sure if drafted early could start I think even they drafted Hightower at ILB Foote would still start the beginning of the season. Timmons didn't start as a rookie so I don't see any rookies starting on defense.

 

We need two starting positions from th draft and/or free agency. Guard and ILB. We can always use a new corner, but not as big of a need as the others. I really wish they would sign someone worth while in free agency. We haven't had this many needs in a while. I hate going into the draft with so many needs.

 

Maybe I'm a pessimist, but I think we need 4 and I'm sure everyone will think I'm crazy. I want 5, but that is crazy crazy. We can get by with 2 though...

Will get 2 = Guard & ILB
Need = Guard, ILB, Nose Tackle, D-back,
Really need = Guard, ILB, Nose Tackle, D-back, PLUS a 2nd new guard, safety, fullback, tight end, punter kicker solid back-up QB. (basically, every vet position that is suspected or confirmed gone except Ward)

 

I must be missing something about ILB.
We`ve had Farrior/Foote there for a long time, right?
Or, maybe Foote subbed for Farrior, who is now gone, but...
Don`t Timmons and Woodley both play ILB?
Maybe one is an OLB. I`m not positive, but I thought they were both inside.
And I don`t know what we have in Stevenson Sylvester, yet, but I believe he seems to be a potentially capable ILB, Right?
Do we still have Keyaron Fox(sp)? Same position, same potential?
With the way we build our team, always picking low in the draft, I see any year one starter as a bonus.
Pouncey, being a notable exception, and Ben(only because of the injury to Maddox), but even Troy P., didn`t see much time his rookie year.
Just sayin...
If we could come up with a starting O-lineman, I would be thrilled.
I would also be surprised.
A cornerback, wold be nice, but given our complex defense, I have to believe one of the guys we have here, already, would probably do better than a rookie.
Same with Nosetackle. We4 definitely need one for the future, but THIS year, Hampton/McClendon, will most likely be better than any rookie we could get.
I think we need a backup/possible future qb, badly, but that wouldn`t technically be a "starter".
So, other than O-linemen, I just don`t see which veterans, need to be IMMEDIATELY replaced.
Not sure what we have at kicker/punter...
Is Sepulveda coming back/ can he stay healthy?
And could we draft better than Suisham? And would that be a "waste" of a draft pick, even if we could?
I guess my answer would be, one or two O-linemen, but that is next to impossible, and what we currently have, might not be so bad, with better playcalling...
I just hope we keep drafting good players, that can step into their roles in the future, when needed, as we have been doing.

 

Is this a joke? lol

No, Woodley does not play ILB, but Timmons does... and we start 2 of them in our defense, so we need another one.

 

So, Foote will start beside Timmons, at ILB, but we NEED a starting ILB, in this years draft?!?!
Even given their backups?
Yeah, Foote has some age on him, too... But I don`t think he is a "NEED" to be replaced.
Linebackers are a glaring weakness, on this team, really? That`s a joke, right?

 

is it just me or are Steelers fans spoiled thinking we will get that many STARTERS out of one daft and be starting the year they are dafted? lol your lucky to just get one or two starters out of a daft besides our HOF daft in the 70s name another daft that had alot of starters?

 

I honstly like our team this year. Im worried about a leader on defense. I honestly would like to sign porter back on a one year deal. Im not sold on carter and really think he could provide some much needed depth after last season olb injuries showed what the heart and soul of turnovers on our defense is. Porter could show carter how to use some moves since harrison just does the dip and gets under everybody and wood has a huge bullrush something carter cant do. Also i just really want porter to retire a steeler so i can pull the jersey out forever. Like i said i really like where we are and i think allen is going to be a great corner and i think brown will puxh lewis for the nickel. Offense guard worries me but if colon is healthy i think even if we dont get a ztarter right away we will still be fine. Our line isnt going to need to open huge holes for red and dwyer amd i think haley is going to look at the pats game and say this needs to be our passing offense short and quick. I dont see why with wbat we have know before the draft why we cant still make a run. Ive become numb to a bad oline. Even when we won with cowher we didnt have a good oline. They were good but injuries stopped that. I think if stapleton healthy our oline would be pretty good right now. Read an awesome story on him an!d he still loves the steelers and he said he still is a steelers fan and every sunday is steelers sunday and he locks himself in the basement. He is coaching amd said he would love to work his way back to pittsburgh i guess he is like a football geniuses

 

I wounlnt say spoiled. I think that guard is a position that a rookie can come in and start right away. Hightower played a 3-4 at bama so i think he could come in and start. the corner position will be hard for a rookie but guys we need to quit plugging in sub par guys as stop gaps. I am sorry ike is not an elite corner. brown and allan show promise and I hope they pan out. we have drafted starters in the past and I think with the positions of need we can do it this year. as far as foster goes, I watched him at tennessee and he is not a quality lineman. he is a back up at best. he has slow feet and is constantly getting beat buy dline with multiple moves. it was that way in college and has not gotten any better. he is a decent run blocker but pass protection is lacking in a major way.

 

Can you show me where I said anything close to that statement?

And yes, Foote needs to be replaced.

 

According to some people we need 21 new starters

 

Just curious - who's your 1 carry-over starter?

 

Troy p

 

I agree, though you don't draft Kickers, do you? I thought they just picked them up from the last bus stop before the training ground.

I'd like to see a project ILB drafted - barring injury, I can't see us picking up a day one starter at that position. Likewise NT.

Whether it's worth getting a FB - or perhaps another hybrid FB/TE who can do Johnson's job better - depends on how Haley's going to run the offense, I guess.

 

It is unrealistic to think that this team can keep going on with no changes or upgrades. Last year we made 0 changes to our starting lineup to start the season and we see where it got us, a wild card spot and out in rd 1. Now we have had to cut a good portion of key contributors and have needs to be filled. So by making no moves via FA last year (besides coetchery on a 1 yr deal) we fell behind.

I understand our philosophy and i really like it for the most part but it is a necessity for us to sign a few quality free agents this year. Lets face it, as much as we want a few rookies to come in and start. It's probably not going to happen. If we our lucky we will get one that they will trust to play right away. It was like pulling teeth for them to start Pouncey.

As of right now, i think they are counting on Foote to start at ILB and the same patchwork oline we have had for the past couple seasons. I'm not sure this is going to be good enough to win a super bowl.

I would really like to see them sign at least 1 starter in free agency, but i feel they are holding on to all their cap space to hope to sign Wallace or match an offer. I don't see us making any moves until the Wallace situation is figured out and likely most of the quality will be gone.

I hope this isn't the case but it worries me.

 

WTF at some of this...do you not even know this team? Wood an ILB? Fox hasnt been around in a couple years.

 

Interesting...never really thought of him at ILB, but his size would work. Wonder if the team even thinks this or anything and maybe they'll move him there and they draft a true OLB in the later rounds to replace him at OLB. Doubtful but interesting to think about...

 

I think you're right about us losing some core players. But I read the OP as asking how many starters do we draft - and I think we have a lot of good young players who should (hopefully) step up in camp, rather than depending on finding them in the draft. Bringing in some FAs to bolster the ranks would be good - if we could get someone a la Cotchery last year, it would be brilliant.

 

The way some people around here use Woodley's extreme success as a way to bash Timmons, sometimes I think he does play ILB, and starts over Timmons!