Non-Character Guys

I know the Steelers' BRASS is typically squeaky clean...BUT are these guys worth a LATE round flier? I say why not? Look at Vontaze Burfict...the Bengals took the risk...it paid big dividends.

Loucheiz Purifoy - CB, Florida
Colt Lyerla - TE, Oregon

Maybe the Steelers have the right locker room to keep these guys on the straight and narrow.

Thoughts?

 

Cocaine and bath salts. Grab Henderson, and can you imagine the party in the rookie dorm?

Think we stay away, IMHO.

 

I have to agree to NO. we don't have the locker room of just a few years ago now. a lot of new faces and personalities there nowdays.

 

I say no these guys are doing drugs with no money, once they get to the NFL and get paid who knows which way they will go. Colbert already said they have taken guys off their board for character concerns. This draft is deep enough that they don't have to take chances on those players.

 

LOTS of dudes in the NFL do drugs... Now the question is, how big of a liability are these guys? I'd take a flier on Lyerla simply because we probably wont be going TE early. If we snag a CB early, then Purifoy will probably not be worth the pick. It just intrigues me to see a talent like Lyerla that late in the draft, and might be worth a shot we haven't already addressed TE.

I'm not condoning giving up a 4th or 5th round pick, but a conditional 6th or a 7th would be worth the try IMO. If he's bad in the locker room or cant stay off coke, then cut him loose. No harm, no foul. At least we gave it a shot.

 

After the Steelers wasted a 4th on Alameda Ta'Amu and he almost killed people reckless driving DUI, stay away from these it's not worth it.

 

I would say Vontaze Burfict was misunderstood and was wrongly labeled a bad character guy. He loves football and studying the game, and was a good student, and stayed out of trouble off the field for the most part. He was merely reckless on the field...he just needed to mature.

So in that thinking, Steelers need to do their homework to find out if guys who have that label are really bad news or if they have potential.

 

Burfict also got into a fight with a teammate in college, he would get 1-2 personal foul penalties just about every game. He had a bad workout his 40 yd dash was around 5.00.

 

I agree. there are differences in what you label as a troubled player.

 

I took plenty of flack for my thoughts on Burfict....to the point I really just don't feel the need to even post here that often anymore.....with that being said....I have both those guys in my mock.

I would rather take a a guy with lots of talent and hope he can turn it around and be wrong and cut him....then a guy with little talent...and cut him.

its always risk vs reward....would I take them in the 1st....NO...would I take them in the 6th...You better believe it.

HACK

 

I agree Hack... Shoot for the ceiling... You can always sweep the floor later.
If someone is that messed up, it's an easy call... A bump in the road can be fixed in most cases. Risk and reward is all it is and honestly can be said about any one draftee by any team to an extent. Oregon's bastard tight end would be a good late pick up if his head is on right. An even better undrafted pickup which may be his plight, but this is really his one and only chance to move foreward positively in the pigskin realm.

 

apples to apples though, there are more than enough (after the draft) names to be taken a chance on in this one. the major drug stuff would be more of a black eye then they are head and shoulders better players. that wasn't the case in the draft with burfict and his wasn't any criminal acts. a fight with a teammate happens probably more than you think.

for lyerla, there are several guys late that are as good without the problems. in another year this may not be as true. as for purifoy, I just don't see much difference in the guys that will be around him either in this draft. other years, yea. so why take the risk if you really don't have too.

wish you'd get back in here hack. you have plenty of good input, I have always enjoyed reading even if I don't agree with it all. it's sometime frustrating, but we are all after the same goal around here. miss ya, ol buddy.

 

Oh I know I was repeating it over and over...but in my defense...I was not starting all the conversations...I was stating my opinion in all the BASH THREADS...that were also repeating over and over....and my thoughts never changed.

I wanted Burfict....I also wanted L Blount....who I was beaten up for time and time again...until now when he actually is a Steeler...and everyone is excited by him

There are many guys I would not take....Hernandez for one...even with the Pouncey Brothers hats.

I would not take a guy like WR - Justin Brown in any round if I thought he had a WEED issue.....I would take Santonio Holmes or Randy Moss in the first round....or as FA when the chance occurred.

I would want nothing to do with Ray Rice at this point...I can't say I would feel the same in a few years after he has paid his price to society.

I would have given Chris Rainey another go round.....I would have kept Alemeda a little longer.

My problem with a lot of what is said and done from a fan perspective is that its just hearsay and conjecture....we don't know whats going on....Every fan in the country wanted Ben sent to jail....and while we can all agree he made some poor decisions....it appears he was most likely not guilty of anything ....What would the average Steeler fan think if Ben was wearing a Browns uniform now because of the bad press...and NO CHARGES......Would any of you on this board wanted to GO GET BEN if he was being dangled by another team when he was going through all that.

I guess for me it really is on a case by case basis....and maybe even position by position...If I had Joe Montana at QB...I pass on BEN and his press....if I had Kent Graham at QB....I think I can rehabilitate that young man!

I think what most seem to forget in their LUST for a "STEELER TYPE OF GUY" is that these kids...are just that...kids...who make bad decisions...I'm guessing if everything was known about anyone of us at 21 years of age...not to many of us would be considered a STEELER TYPE GUY....heck even the mold for STEELER TYPE PLAYER was guys in the 70's who were most likely on steroids as well as other recreational pharmaceuticals (like the rest of the league was as well)....yet a player would be considered DND if he tested positive today.....even though that same guy was what we built a dynasty on?

Lets remember....our own HERO Joey Porter is on film attacking a Bengal player in Las Vegas...his dogs attack and kill a horse....is where he should not be and is shot in the bottom.......and we not only kept him...we embraced him..and we hired him as a coach.....but if all that happened after his last college snap and before his first NFL snap...most on here would not have even drafted him.


HACK

 

This an example of bad character? I saw that as leadership potential and today he's a coach. Hey!

 

Habitual screw ups need not apply, the question is taking a chance on a screw up hoping they aren't a habitual mind. Everyone's measuring stick is different in the chances allowed category. In my mind we shouldn't have taken Adams based on character. We did, and look what has happened. People are split on the ifs and ofs of his case, so what do you do?

As historically stupid as young men have been, this lot and the next and those that follow them will on avg be inherently stupider. It's not arguable, just fact based on the times and world we live. There's gonna be a lot of gambles, hits and misses... And a few that reward the risk you took.

i too thought Blount was an A hole... Stupid but passionate and not willing to reel in his emotions. What's he done since? Played hard nosed football at the pro level. Yet quite a few here are questioning the signing.

Santonio Holmes is and was a head case... Gamble paid off, yet people still question giving him the boot and he's hasn't done squat since bouncing. Just a transfer of problems.

i think we have good character in the locker room, but after the Clark and brown thing who knows anymore. One mouth piece to another always brings questions in that regard. Hell, Ben and brown were in a semi dispute a couple months ago and brown had to be checked and it was something he conceded to.

we always over analyze and end up with the "oh well... Damn but what if" scenarios. Guess it's our part to play as fans.

I dont think the front office will go out of their way to hire a complete P.O.S
but that pool is broadening year to year regardless of their talent level.

 

I never heard about the failed drug test with him. I thought his were all self control issues and over aggression at times. sometimes that's a good thing for teams. it fires them up. we all liked the aggression of dr. Wallace last year and thought the line needed more of it. that's a little different but the drug thing would be a cause for extra scrutiny.

then I guess you have to determine if you can take them at their word. adams for instance. you come in and plead your case, they believe in your word and the next thing you know your stabbed at 4:00 am while drunk. I really do think it's going to be a black eye for him to the front office before it's all said and done. it's definitely a case by case basis and at draft time or the time leading up to it how many resources are teams willing to put toward a bad character or a guy with good character that's ranked near him. pick your poison.

 

Pureifoy in the late rounds makes it more of a lower-risk, higher reward thing.

FWIW, most of that Florida backend is very talented.