Top 10 Steelers I'm Dying to See This Preseason

mac daddyo · Jul 27, 2014

HugeSnack said: ↑

There were more quotes to the debate than just this, but these were the easiest two to pull. My thoughts:

1. Jarvis Jones is coming from a 3-4 and will have an easier time transitioning. "Plug and play."

2. Dick LeBeau's defense is crazy hard to learn and rookies almost never thrive immediately (you have to go back more than a decade to find one! The SEC is miles from Dick LeBeau).

3. Jarvis Jones plays better than expected in some ways, but worse than expected than others. We are simultaneously relieved and underwhelmed.

...Why are you all even debating? Isn't the way it happened the most logical of all outcomes? Like an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Jones was relatively pro-ready, and LeBeau is quicksand to rookies. The result was an okay season. Disappointing rushing the passer, but surprisingly good against the run. Seems predictable and regular to me.

4. (upcoming season) Jarvis Jones was undoubtedly slowed by his rookie status, and will undoubtedly play faster, stronger, and with more confidence in 2014. I understand there is room to debate how much he will have improved, but what's happened so far and whether we can expect improvement or not seems really straightforward to me.

He didn't get to the QB as much as we expected, and that's a legitimate cause for concern. But he does seem like a good kid with a decent work ethic, and he didn't seem completely lost out there. He's said all the right things. He said he worked to get stronger this year. He's listening to Porter and the other coaches. Yes, he disappointed compared to Aldon Smith and Von Miller, but put it into perspective... How do our defensive rookies normally do?

Cameron Heyward
Curtis Brown
Jason Worilds
Ziggy Hood
Bruce Davis
Lawrence Timmons
LaMarr Woodley

That's all of our defensive draft picks in rounds 1-3 since Tomlin's arrival. Only one of those guys performed better than Jones as a rookie, and that was Woodley, who came down with 4 sacks despite not starting a single game. And even in his case, it's not clear win over Jones. Woodley had obvious talent, but he still couldn't get past Clark Haggans on the depth chart, because they didn't feel comfortable enough to put him in the game. You have to do more than rush the passer.

Jones got himself onto the field, and played alright. That sounds disappointing in some light, but I think if you put it into context it's actually somewhat successful, and more importantly, a reason for hope.
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what he said.

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Top 10 Steelers I'm Dying to See This Preseason

mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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