pumped up

i just can't wait for this season to get going. this is more then just a new year feeling around here. the changes they are going through as a team is a thing we have desperately needed.

young talent all over the field. speed and stregnth being worked on by some younger vets. overall team speed increased. mobility at many positions increased. loss of weight by several players. guys working hard on stregnth and quickness. young talent wanting to take jobs and older vets not ready to give them up just yet. this makes for hungry players. the battles will be ones for the ages. they will be waged against our opponents this year. they are not even aware of whats coming yet. if the front office can somehow keep this unit in tact for a couple of years, we have a great chance to make a serious run at 2-3 more trophey's.

 

Yeah I'm jacked for this season I think we gota real shot at #7. If our offense is used properly we have a chance to be the most balanced offense in the league. Smash mouth with a deep ability is tough to stop. Do you bring a guy in the box and try to cover our guys with only one safety deep or do you play the deep ball and leave red to pick up 4 yards or more a carry.

 

It seems as though every off season I go into the deep manic depression and then training camp starts. The days get a little colder, the leaves turn different colors and then Bam the NFL season starts back up and all is well again. Who needs doctors? Just feed me my dose of Steelers football!

 

This could be the greatest show on Grass turf #2 with all the talent in our offense.

 

it just seems like a whole new attitude.

 

I know what you mean Mac. It is kind of infectious especially when you hear the various position coaches talking about some of the rookies and second year players. Just think that whole long thread about Spence seeing real playing time that many said was pure speculation. Now Butler comes out and says hey we aren't just going to have him play special teams, he may not start but he will get playing time. To hear Ben talk about being impressed with Rainy(sp?) and what they could use him for and the different ways. It just makes me want to skip the next 6-7 weeks just to get close to camp and see these guys with pads and how things are going to shake out.

 

Thanks for the validation guys. been thinking and saying the same thing for a few weeks now. It may take a year for it all to come together, so if it doesn't work out big this year it'll still be fun to watch this baby grow...
:swordsman:

 

Yeah barring a qb and safety we are set up at every spot for a long time. Gotta love steelers footbll. I love all the talk of we are old its bcase we don't have the turn over the othr teams have players want to stay here and you don't see them for 3 years. Doesn't mean they aren't good they just have a vet in frnt of them. Analysts just don't do there homework if its not pittsburgh written I normally don't pay attention. This team is going to be a force for at least the next 5 years

 

we don't even have the BIG 3 here yet and if wallace signs on, watch out.

 

I said this very thing in another thread. I have this feeling that I had when we made our run in '05. You guys have summed up what I am feeling better than I could have. The only difference for me is that if we don't meet the expectations that are starting to surface I wont crawl into the fetal position and cry. Well, not for the loss anyhow...mine would be more alcohol related but that is another story!

 

we are putting alot of trust in our DB's this year.

we have an aging ike.
we have a talented next 3 that are very untested.
we have an older set of safeties.
i've never been real fond or trustworthy of our backup safeties. ( though i have high hopes for cromartie-smith this year, i think this is the year he get's it and can react instead of thinking first)
we are old and young at one spot at LB.
kicker? so-so.
but hey, i'm still excited about the possibilities.
raying:

 

No team is without it's flaws, there is always room for improvement.

However, on paper our offense is just ridiculous. Combined with Haley's play-calling, oh man.

The defense is also going to have a chip on their shoulder. Harrison and Woodley will be ready to make up for last year's injuries. Troy is taking over a leadership roll. And I know Ike is ready to make people shut up about the Denver game.

Is it September yet?

 

I think with all the young guys wanting to make a name and a roster spot it is really pushing the vets to work that much harder. As Tomlin once said it is like having two lead dogs and only one bone. Competition is good and for the first time in a long time there are legit competitions at every position outside of QB and safety. While we lost a lot of leadership we have a lot of young guys that saw experience last year and will hopefully continue to get better.

If and this is a huge IF we stay healthy I really like our chances come January and February to get #7!

 

Yep. It's also the clearing house - getting rid of a number of veterans who hadn't been doing enough, others who had done more than enough but was time to retire... it just opens up the opportunities for younger players to step up, which in turn pushes the vets.

 

Seriously? This is the best I've felt about our secondary in a while, at corner anyway.

Usually we go in knowing what we have in B-Mac and Gay... This year we have 3 guys with a ton of potential fighting it out. AT LEAST one of the 3 will step up. The two sophomores are pretty green, but I think Lewis will step up this year, and he's been with us long enough to have a good grasp of the playbook.

 

Why can't they play football year round???? No other sport and no other franchise comes close. I am pumped too. But...... in the interest of full disclosure, I am concerend about our O and D Line. We have spent a lot of draft picks on both but they are young. They can't take a couple more years to come up to speed. They have to play like veterans now while we still have the other pieces. If they do, no team can stop us!

 

I am always pumped for the season to start!
If for no other reason, than football is the only sport I REALLY get into.
I can watch other sports, and appreciate the competition, but don`t have anything emotionally invested in them.
And the off-season is just so dang long.
The ONLY downside to the season starting, is, I know it`s gonna be cold soon (in N.E. Ohio), and I`m very much a warm weather kinda guy. ( I guess it`s actually good that they play in the fall/winter, so I don`t have to miss outdoor activities, to watch the games).
Anyhow, I agree with Mac... There a LOT of reasons this feels like it could be a special year, not just because i always expect us to do well.
First and foremost, we FINALLY got rid of Arians, and I am very optimistic, that Haley can use our talents to reach our potential MUCH better than we have in years!
Along with the fact that we could actually have a potent o-line, for the first time, in a long time, has me drooling, to see what we can do!
I am older now, and more jaded, and realistic, to where I realize that this is all "on paper", right now, and NOTHING has been proven....
But I still have an honest feeling, that this could FINALLY be a DOMINATING team, with the changes we`ve had, and not just a scratch and claw and "find a way to win", team, like we have been.
Time will tell, but I can`t wait to see!!!!
HERE WE GO STEELERS! HERE WE GO!!!!!

 

i don't know if he's better then whiz or BA or any other OC in the league, but i know one thing we have given him a stacked deck to work with this year. there is more talent on offense than has been here since noll was coaching. this shouldn't be a difficult task. it's not like we brought in a bunch of deva free agents that have a me agenda, these are homegrown steeler players, with some awesome drafted , veteran and udfa group that has known nothing but the steeler way. these guys are really good. i hope if anything he doesn't screw it up.

 

I hear ya, T.E. ...
By no means am I calling Haley a genius, but he doesn`t have to be, to do better than his predecessor...
And while I have lived long enough to know better than to say, "It couldn`t possibly be worse"...
It couldn`t possibly be worse...
I understand your concern about coming in with a brand new offense, but I still believe that will be a plus!
For one thing, other teams won`t be able to use old film, to predict our tendencies/habits, because we should be rid of them.
I can`t believe I am about to say this, but one of my concerns with it, is, I hope Heath can return to the form he had when he was drafted.
I love the guy. What has me worried, is that I think we may have wasted his best years. Or at least, not kept him sharp and focused.
The kid almost NEVER dropped/fumbled the ball, in his first couple years, but then, as we used him more as a blocker, than a reciever, he actually seemed to have gotten a little "rusty", if you will.
Seemed like it used to be, if you got the ball anywhere near him, he would come up with the catch, fight for extra yards, and NEVER put the ball on the ground.
Now, I know that probably 80% or more of the time last year, he still did that, but I also saw him miss a couple of passes that were right there, and put the ball on the ground a couple times after he had it.
Not at all, playing badly, and still better than 95% of other tight ends out there, but...
I hope he can return to the damn near perfect player he was right outta college, after a few years of age, and not being used consistently.
I know Haley wants to use him more, as a weapon, and I hope to see him take full advantage of his chances.
I`m not THAT worried about it, but, I did notice a difference last year.
Hopefully he will return to form, and be the beast that we drafted, and now, we will use him as we always should have! (Redzone, especially)
(Yeah, I know yinz are gonna get on me about this, so let me make clear, that I am just nit-picking, I still think Heath is easily one of the top 3 tight ends in the league. possibly THE best, "all-around") The standard he has set for himself, is almost impossible to uphold year in and year out. ONE fumble, or ONE pass in his hands that he drops, and I`m saying "C`mon, you don`t do that!!!" :o

 

LMAO, no ERA, you are right, they didn`t have to study, they could memorize it effortlessly!
That is one of the things I am looking forward to.
I don`t think the defense will know what is coming, any given down and distance/ formation we line up in...
Won`t we all crap a brick, the first time Haley runs a "bubble screen", tho, just because the D would think there is no way in hell, we would do that without Arians here?!?
(NO, I don`t think Haley would fall into the trap of "outguessing" the D, though. He will just keep it unpredictable with his own playcalling)
Funny thought, though...

 

I have no problem with the bubble screen but it has to be used correctly. 5 wide in the shotgun is not the proper time. You have to run the ball and line up two maybe three wide under center and fling it out there. I personally would go to brown nothing against wallace but brown is a bear in the open field.

 

If we can stay healthy, we should be in the fold come playoff time.
We still have alot of untested people that we hope will pan out.
We will just have wait and see what happens.