Lets hear your concerns

My only concerns:

1. Nose tackle. I concur with other posts, here. I am "hopeful" that Ta'amu is the latest in the line of stud NTs this team has drafted. But we don't know.
2. Wallace. This guy is ticking me off.
3. The running game and mendenhall's absence for the first six games (or more).
4. Cornerback. There is Ike and then...who, exactly? I really wish the team would have helped solidify this position with a FA signing.

I am NOT concerned about:

1. Leadership. I think this issue is overblown. With Ben, Keisel, Troy, James, Ryan, and Woodley in that locker room, there are still plenty of leaders. It's funny, that the same media types who express concern over the Steelers' leadership woes are the same ones saying the team is too old. Uh, can't have it both ways, folks.

2. ILB. I think Sylvester will take over from Foote sooner than later and he'll be fine.

3. Haley/Ben.

 

"Ike can't cover man to man. It was quite obvious in Denver"

Have to disagree big time with you there. Up until that one game Ike's performance was solid all year long. He may not possess Revis type skills but he can cover man to man, certainly better than any other CB the Steelers have on the roster. Other than that I pretty much agree with all of the other concerns you listed.

 

Ike can't cover man to man?? Good lord, one bad game and he can't play anymore. I guess we should cut Ben next time he throws an interception.

 

Too many questions

 

Haley and Ben throwing down on the sidelines during a game at which point Haley shows Tomlin what "unleash hell" really means.

 

Ike Taylor is what he is, a very avg CB in the NFL,I will give Ike this,He is not afraid to hit
and this is his biggest attribute. Why do you think more teams did not pursue his services
when he was to become a FA?

 

He's covered some of the best receivers in man coverage. Denver was a total disrespect for the passing game of Denver and a good scheme change by their Offensive Coordinator. They changed a lot of the routes to take advantage of the tendencies. Actually a failure by DL to adjust and the total lack of depth on the d-line. Ike being off and Clark out was the perfect storm. He's solid, there's not many in the League that get respect from the officials and are allowed to contact as much as him and Revis.

 

My concerns:

Offense:
1. Can we please put up points consistently (I'm hopeful and excited, but not sold yet)
2. LT--I'd really like to see Starks back with the team, since I'm not sure that the rookie or Gilbert can fill that position adequately.

Defense:
1. NT--Last year it was truly embarrassing to see us get run on (4ypc for the year, ugh), and I think that may have had a lot to do with our NT play. Can Casey perform as he did 2 years ago? Can McLendon develop even further this year? Is Ta'amu the answer?
2. CB--I sure hope the young guys can step it up and play well. Although, I must say it at least seemed that the secondary was much improved last year. However, outside of NE was the secondary really tested?

Go Steelers!

 

Back up QB......Lefty or Batch? Really for more than a game or two......Give the Clowns a 5th for Colt...We will be set at backup QB for a few years!!!!

 

ben doesn't let anyone else play anyway. except when rodge suspends him for nothing.

 

Very average CB ???? C'mon ward I think the recent heat wave has you delirious LOL! As for why teams showed little interest if I had to guess I'd say it would be his tendancy to drop interceptions which I admit has been a historical weakness of his. Again I know he's no Revis in the man coverage department but he's certainly an ABOVE average CB. Also to your point he's not afraid to stick his nose in there and make the tough tackle which is something some of the best man coverage guys can't always do. In our defensive scheme where DL has the CB's playing 10 yards off the line half the time those tackling skills couldn't be more important.

 

Hey, what good is shutting down #1 receivers all year if you're going to have two bad games along the way? Oh, wait, I guess that is pretty good...

As for the Denver game, Ike did play like crap and he knows it. I know when I graded him it came out ugly. But it might not have been as bad as people think. For starters, he had basically zero safety help all day. No CB should have to play like that. Tebow or not, he was going against a QB that was very hot at the time and throwing it like Montana, even if it was only for one game. Furthermore, we had even less pass rush than normal due to injury and (mostly) a crappy game plan that called for all our pass rushers to stand around and watch Tebow instead of getting him, because DL didn't want Tim running past the line of scrimmage. Great gameplan, except then he got to run around behind the line of scrimmage all he wanted. Some of Ike's big plays given up (I know the first one for sure) was a result of scrambling. You can't expect any CB to cover Demariyus Thomas for 6 or 7 seconds. Lastly, the 32 yard PI call against him -- which really hurt us badly -- was complete and total BS. The ball had already arrived and was like 2 yards OVER everybody's head when contact was made, and the word "uncatchable" was not uttered by the tv announcers, and the hand motion that goes with it was not seen anywhere by the Steelers on the field. The Steelers sideline was not shown. It was a bad call. Ike did have a bad game, but anyone who wants to discount him for it or relegate him all the way down to "average" after seeing what he did all year before that is a total idiot.

 

This team has the potential to be very, very good in my opinion.

I am still most concerned about who emerges (if anyone) as a real, red-zone threat in the passing game. I think Haley will improve things, but I'm not sold we are that scary an offense with Wallace and Brown our top-2 WR's when we are inside the 20. Roethlisberger has to be very good with the ball this season in that area of the field. An improved running game will help, but I think it comes down to Ben being Ben a lot more than I want.

The defense actually could improve (regardless of inside linebacker, which is a bit overblown in my opinion) if the BIG THREE stay healthy and play together: Polamalu, Harrison and Woodley. Getting those guys on the field consistently will continue to make us a top-5 defense. Only if that triangle fails will the weaknesses at inside linebacker and lack of experience at #2 CB be noticed.

 

[/quote:3s8wb9m9]

well ward for a couple of reasons. our corners play in a system that requires them to be half safety. they are expected to support the run. revis and olengrungy are more man cover types. if you noticed last year, olengrungy was moved into a more zone type defense and you never heard to much from him. it just ain't his thing. even after being the greatest cb that ever played the game while in oakland. cough cough. at least by some so called experts. ( which don't know as much as they think). then you have to consider the popularity factor and it does exist. ike has been as solid as they come in our system. his end is drawing near though. his makeup speed that was his stregnth is starting to decline, but he's making up for it by sheer veteran know how. so cowher benched him? so what. he came back to play even better. cowher also started bubby and kent graham. he also started and hung on to other corners that had no business being on the field. chad scott. he also only won 1 SB in 15 years. so all his decisions were not always the best. besides we need a vet like ike with the young players we have, that knows this defense inside and out.

 

Sorry fella's I am afraid I have to disagree with you.
Why, if he is so good, has he never made a pro bowl? And don't give me the popularity
contest thing. Players know who can play. Ike is very servicable for what we have him doing. There was a reason Bill Cowher benched him. If he didn't have hands of stone I believe hemight have made the pro bowl a couple times. Its all down hill from here.Just say yes to Curtis Brown...[/quote:q1uwvs0p]
Wait, are you saying the Pro Bowl and when the players vote, it's not a popularity contest? Or just that you don't want us to tell you that? Because it's not really up for debate, it's a fact. Or was Ray Lewis the 4th best player in the league last year? (was he even the 4th best player on his own defense? Ngata, Suggs, Reed, Webb... then Ray Rice and Yanda on offense, and oh yeah, the rest of the league).

While we're at it, enjoy this list of players better than Aaron Smith:

Adewale Ogunleye
Shaun Ellis
Trevor Pryce
John Abraham
Marcellus Wiley
Trace Armstrong
Kyle Vanden Bosch
Derrick Burgess
Aaron Schobel
Tony Brackens
Jevon Kearse
Michael McCrary
Kevin Carter

I swear to God, I need to just stop dignifying your answers with responses. But yeah, the players, coaches, and media know what they're doing when they vote, so we should just take their word for it and ignore any pesky evidence.

 

Keep seeing these huge #s for Redman like 700, 800, and in another thread 1300 or some ridiculous amount. This from a RB that our center can keep up with? If Redman has a 600 yrd season we'll be in good shape, redzone wise, and I'll be elated! Will he have the stamina for that kind of yardage and not be winded every third run and still hang onto the ball? He's a bruiser not a finesse back.

The offense is new and will stutter but will come together, the question is when? I think the O line will take time too but has the potential to be one of our most effective and efficient lines ever. Huge expectation there!

Ike is an above average CB in this league and our best and we're lucky we have at least him. Can any other young CB step up? I hope so but historically we've had trouble in this area.

That stated, I think this team has incredible potential but it's a matter of how long it will take for all the parts to click.

 

Or when he cant freakin walk and they still play him anyway!!!! (BROWNS!!!) Than looks like **** against Broncos when he should have had a weeks rest!!!

 

Look at the 2011 top rushers ....5 out of the top 10 are 4.5 Forty guys or greater......Redman was clocked in camp 2 years ago at 4.63 that is a fact....It is also a fact that Redzone has gotton faster each and every season....I can't show you a 40 time ,but it is clear on tape....Also 40 times favor guys from a track stance,,,non Football related as far as a RB goes...So a guy who runs a 4.63 from a track stance could really be more like a 4.55 standing up....

I would guarentee you that Redman can run a 4.5 in a game going up the middle from standing up.....I actually looked at tape and timed him from the time he took the ball on a draw play and hit the stop watch and hit the watch again when he had contact at the GL in a real NFL game....The math shows that Red would have been running a 4.56 forty in full pads,,,,so stop all the he is to slow crap...

Is he a 4.2 guy ?No way but can he break 20 yard runs at anytime......You can rest assure he can.....He has just enough speed to match his power that he can have more 10 to 20 yard runs than any other RB in the league.....

 

This is so true....Ben just wasn't healthy going down the stretch.

We really needed the bye to get healthy, and unfortunately couldn't get it.

 

Since when is it that Ike can't cover. You are basing your comment on what happened in Denver last year! Well let me say this, first of all, Ike doesn't play off 10 years most of the time because he is and shut down corner. He is usually up in a receivers face, bump and run. He always covers the other teams best receiver. He is the closest thing to a shut down corner that we have. Also, Ryan Clark did not play in the Denver game which might have hurt them in that game. I think you are a little off on that one partner.

As far as Foote is concerned, I don't have much confidence in him. The Steelers should have address the Buck position a little better.

NT - I don't think this position will be a problem with McLendon and Ta-amu and Hampton later in the season. But I am confident that McLendon and Ta'amu will lock it down.
CB - I have confidence in the young guys, especially Allen!
LT - I am confident that the position will work out with the young guys.