Poll: Who starts next to Mike Mitchell week 1?

Yeah... as if Burns and Davis are gonna play as well as Marcus Peters. Chiefs got lucky with him. LOLOLOLOLOL

Burns will be lucky to play in dime packages and Davis will be lucky to play any snaps at all on D. Both should get considerable playing time on special teams.

As I've stated before... Hargrave at DE/NT will most likely... get the most playing time of all the rookies in 2016. None of the others will come close, unless injuries get out of hand.

 

Would Von Bell have started if we picked him instead of Davis?

 

Picking up all of the nuances of the defense isn't something that is generally accomplished by a rookie by the end of Latrobe. Our defense is complex and takes time (sometimes more than one full season) to understand all of one's assignments so we're sure Gronkowski isn't waltzing, untouched, forty yards with no defender in site. Golden is probably as close to a no-brainer as it gets in response to this question (as the question was phrased). The only way I see Golden not starting would be due to injury.

If the question pertained to who would start the most games this season, the poll response might shift a bit.

 

Robert Golden filled in for Will Allen, when Allen sprained his ankle in San Diego, and for the next three games. Toward the end of the year, Golden was playing about 20 snaps a game on defense subbing for Timmons in the nickel. I don't see Golden as a replacement for Allen. I see him continuing his special teams role, subbing for Timmons in certain situations, and being a back up at both SS and FS. I see Davis being drafted to play, not to serve as an understudy. They know what they have in Golden, and I believe they see the potential for a whole lot more from Davis. Unless he fails miserably in the pre-season, Davis will be the starter Week 1.

 

If only someone could tell me where we ranked in pass defense last year... Then I'd be able to vote with an informed opinion.

 

When I watched Golden blow that coverage assignment I thought to myself, "Sean Davis makes fantastic pre snap reads from the safety position"

 

Golden

 

If you go back and read this thread as well as other you will see that the rookies the past few years are seeing more and more time. The whole our defense is to complex and takes time to pick up was the way it use to be but now is starting to change. I think a lot of it is the style a lot of the colleges are playing which is more of a pro style. Also NFL teams are seeing that they can get 4 years out of these guys cheaply while giving the big money to the stars in their 2nd contracts.

As far as the whole Gronk comment I can't remember seeing a guy near him on the screen last year let alone cover him and there were no rookies on the field. Golden is nothing more the a STer and a spot fill in. If anyone thinks more all you have to do is look at the contract he signed, 3 yr 4.0 mil.....not even in the top 50 of safety's. If he was considered starter material why didn't any of the other teams offer him something, he was cheap enough right?????

What I could see happening is Golden starting and Davis playing way more snaps.....jmo

 

So what if Davis doesn't start week 1, he's going to play in the nickel and dime packages. Know who else didn't start week 1 as rookies Troy, Heyward, Timmons, Dupree, Tuitt.

 

It's true that it's a different game than it was, but that doesn't necessarily mean we have to start all our top rookies right away. I do believe they should see some playing time at some point of the season if they earn it tho. These guys are under contract for 4 years (5 for first rounders w/ the option), so we don't have to rush them. The hope is that they are good enough to play right away, but if they have to sit a year as a back up I don't see anything wrong with it.

Rookies starting yields a mixed bag of results. Some like Ben, Peters, Gurley, etc. are good right away. Some struggle a little off the bat and then get better (Bell, Polamalu). If we have guys capable of playing at a high level ahead of the rookies, then they can wait.... I don't think we have that with our rookies this year so I'd expect them to play some, if not start by the year's end.

 

I think I'd rather them playing like Ronald Darby, dude was a beast. Gave up half as many yards as Peters and less TDs. Bills put him on an island, where as Peters always had help overtop from Sean Smith.

 

Guess I am confused, did I say our "defense has gotten easier to learn"?

 

I'm interested to see just how far Jesse James has came along in his development. I'm not sure about the "high level" of play your refering to because the overall level of play from the secondary wasn't good last year so even if we can just raise that level up to "tolerable" , we could make the AFC championship game.

 

No prob, what I was actually referring to was how the college game has come around to more of the pro style. mostly more on the offensive side but as well as the defense. I have no knowledge of this but I feel the D we run now with Butler isn't much different the DL's. Now listen I am not saying Butler is Lebeau but heck man he spent a ton of time here with him learn, he has a ton of knowledge of it.

I agree know you assignments and you will see playing time!

 

I assume the people who voted for Shamarko and Grant have difficulty understanding polls.

 

May get negative reax, but does anyone else feel that another year being a professional football player means Shamarko is closer to putting it together? I do.

Bumping this because I think between Sean Davis and my prediction of Shamarko's improvement, we will have a solid SS this year who screws the pooch occasionally but makes some hard hits and big plays.

 

Grant has as about much of a chance as me of starting, Davis will get some reps but i expect Golden to start.

 

Idk about negative reactions, but I think it's hard to fathom a player who we wouldn't put on the field unless we absolutely had to last year will all the sudden win over the coaching staff and start in front of a second round pick and the player we just re-signed that played in front of him....

I don't see any scenario where Shamarko wins the starting SS job this season. He had his chance and blew it. They trust Golden more and spent a high draft pick on another SS. He probably won't get anywhere near the reps that Davis and Golden will get in practice to prove himself anyways.

 

I B thinking this is part of where the simplified/easier/dummies thought process came from n' at

http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/20...nues-to-break-traditions-on-steelers-defense/