Ziggy Hood

So... a lot of people were down on Hood before preseason started for underperforming.

Has his preseason performance changed any minds? Made anyone feel better? Made anyone feel worse? Is he playing like a bona fide starter, or does he need to show a lot more?

(And before anyone says it... I know it's only preseason so we can't get a full gauge on his play. But I seem to be noticing him on the field a whole lot more the last few games...)

 

I think Hood and Heyward both face the same issue, they were in attacking systems in college and now they are in a "take up the lineman" type role. They have struggled to make plays attacking the ball because they have both become "passive" thinking about what they are supposed to do. They should both be better in the more attacking type role they are supposed to play this year.

Up to this point, Hood has been a serviceable guy at the position basically taking up the space and doing the job, but without the ability to make impact plays. I think this year he will make steps forward especially with a playmaker now next to him at the NT position. McLendon demands more than 1 guy to block him.

 

I kind of agree with TF. I've never been a big fan of Hood, but maybe it's just a matter of him learning what is expected of him in this scheme. Granted, I think he's been here long enough to know it, but perhaps some guys are slow learners? Or, maybe, he's been held back by Hampton. If Casey didn't demand a double team or gameplaning any longer, it made it that much harder for Hood to do his job. Just a thought.

 

Ziggy looks the same to me as he always has.....I love the fan mentality.....pressure....he sucks....tackle for a 3 yard gain...he sucks.....tackle for a loss...looking better....sack...HAS HE TURNED THE CORNER??????

Ziggy is a good dude that is doing what is asked of him....he will be fine

HACK

 

I think I agree, Hack, in that I've never really had an issue with Hood's play in general. But given the heat some people were giving him around here, I think he's been having a good, better-than-solid preseason.

 

Why would he be a 4-3 monster?

I agree and here's why.
1) He'll be less two gap and more 1 gap
2) He'll be allowed to be more aggressive and less gap integrity
3) He's built for reasons 1 & 2

Here's why we need to keep him.
LeBeau is shifting his defensive philosophy along the DL allowing them to be more aggressive and less --- I just gotta hold my position---

This is 4-3 style of play applied to a 3-4....... Genius I say, because we have great and mobile LB & Safeties.

I say turn loose the big dogs--- Hood/McLendon/Keisel--- and let them cause havoc and chaos and let our LB & safeties seek and destroy.

Cajun-

 

This.

 

I agree with what you're saying as well. Do you think we are actually going to do what Lebeau said or is it just the usual lip service that sometimes comes out of training camp. So far this preseason I haven't seen anything. We need to change it up somehow I really think the rest of the league has caught up to our schemes. We need to find a way to generate more pressure somehow. That X-fire blitz ain't cutting it no more and hasn't for a few years. How come when other teams blitz us they get right in? I know our O line is weak but is it that bad? I think a change in philosophy would really benefit us, we need to give the opposing O something more to think about. We shall see.

 

I think they will. Look at how the DL has been playing this pre-season. Arnfelt/woods & McLendon has been agressive along that front and the team seems to like it. They, the young guys are quick to adapt this philosophy because they don't have old habits to change. I've noticed Hood being more aggressive than usual which is good but he still has some thought processes holding him back. He'll get better as he gets accustomed to attacking.

Heyward bothers me. A high draft choice who was dominate in college. I bet he could be a beast but something is holding him back.

Cajun-

 

I appreciate your opinion and insight. I don't think these guys have truly been let off the leash yet. Lebeau has been around forever and I think his old habits are hard to break. I'm holding out hope that once the games start to count it will be no holds barred. We have the athleticism and the youth along the DL to cause chaos.

 

i would keep arnfelt instead of taamu , woods can back up at nose and taamu can go to the ps

 

I think Ziggy is serviceable but definitely not worth the number one pick we used on him. The next question is do we resign him.

 

While I share the reservations about "lip-service" made in pre-season, not being carried thru to the regular season, since I have seen many cases of it here lately,
I really hope LeBeau IS gonna "let the dogs loose", and apply pressure from the front three more than in the past.
As others have said, I think it suits the younger players style, and I can just imagine what Keisel would do, if his past performance has been "held back"...
I`m hopin we just haven`t seen it in the preseason(at least from the starters), so as not to tip our hand, put things on tape, any earlier than we have to.
If we have new twists, like it sounds like we do, it would make sense to save them as surprises during the regular season, to take as much advantage of them as possible.
I don`t believe LeBeau is "stubborn", or "tied to old habits", as much as he is strategically guarding his secrets...
Although I did read an interesting article about him, where he basically said he doesn`t need to "reinvent the wheel"...
Football is footballl, and he has seen enough of it over the years to know what works best against what.
For example, we had great success containing RGIII, based on a game plan he came up with by reviewing notes about a college team from the 60`s, who employed a similar offense.
Don`t have the link right now, but I read it within the last couple weeks on the Post Gazzette, i think, or possibly the Tribune review.
It was a good read.
GO STEELERS!

 

Don't get me wrong, the old way was good, the DL running two gap integrity, holding their ground allowing the LBers to make the play, and if they beat their guy and they had a chance to make the play( ala A. Smith ) then good. Problem is OC's around the league has a job to defeat defensive schemes, and if things don't change they will.

We are deep in athletic LBers and our safeties are so good they can even cover guys and we're deep there too. turning loose the DL guys is dangerous but I think we got the guys to be good at it.

Cajun-

 

I keep hearing this thing about keeping 2 gap integrity and Ziggy is doing as he is told but I don't believe he is any good, serviceable back up for league minimum is all. Teams have been able to run to his side at will and he rarely pushes his guy into the backfield, on pass plays he doesn't push the pocket, he seems to not be able to shed blocks or overpower the man he has to, he just looks like a guy doing enough, no more.

 

Again, I think everyone above has pretty much defined for you why this is. Ziggy is from an attack mentality. Then we get him here and teach him to hold his position. All of that attack, attack, attack has been taught out of him. He learned to play the position by aggressively exploiting a weakness in the Olineman, then he comes here and is taught to stand up and maintain the gap. He can do that, but it doesn't allow him to make plays.

When it comes to running to his side, IMO it has a LOT to do with the guys next to him as well. Woodley has been hurt. Worilds is still working on becoming a finished product. It leads to less success.

And just for the record, I see so many people talk about Heyward being better, but statistically that, at least at the moment, just doesn't hold up.

Look at these stats from last year:

[TABLE="class: team-stats-defense, width: 760"]
[TR]
[TH="align: center"] TOT[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]SOLO[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]ASSIST[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]SCK[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]F[/TH]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: team-stats-defense, width: 760"]
[TR="class: loop-even, bgcolor: transparent"]
[TD="class: loop-first loop-odd"]Brett Keisel[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]46[/TD]
[TD="class: loop-odd, align: center"]26[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]20[/TD]
[TD="class: loop-odd, align: center"]4.5[/TD]
[TD="class: loop-last, align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: loop-odd"]
[TD="class: loop-first"]Ziggy Hood[/TD]
[TD="class: loop-even, align: center"]42[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]25[/TD]
[TD="class: loop-even, align: center"]17[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3.0[/TD]
[TD="class: loop-even loop-last, align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Keisel gets praised, while people try to run Hood off the team. It doesn't add up to me.

 

i hope they keep amfelt , i would play woods as a bu nose and heiward and amfelt as a backup de , no way he will clear the waivers

 

What are the stats on teams "running to his side at will"? I'm not holding the stats in my pocket to be snarky, I really don't know and would love to have them.

Since when is "enough" not enough? It is - by definition - enough, right? More than enough is great, and we get it from guys like Troy and Ben, but should we expect extra from every single player? I know "good enough" doesn't sound good enough, but I always thought it was good enough.

My head hurts.

 

LOL @ Hugesnack!
Good one!!!
And if Hood does way MORE than enuff, will we be able to afford him?

 

ziggy is playing better the last two years since his transformation of body. he had his best last year and looks pretty good so far this year. cam is my concern right now. I hope they keep arnfelt , woods and cam and try to keep fresh legs on the d-line. I think the d-line is one of the defenses stregnths this year.

 

There are a couple mentions here about keeping Arnfelt.

Not gonna happen. Has he earned the right? I think so and would love him on the 53 but it isn't feesable. Woods is too versatile and Ta'amu has shown is was not a mistake in keeping him last year because of the investment the team made in him. Also no way the team carries 7 DL.

Let's just pray he makes it to our PS.

Cajun-

 

has ta'amu shown much? as I read today, it talks about us playing more nickel then ever and woods could be the NT backup so no need for ta'amu right now. I believe he will have another stint on the PS.

that would mean only 6 being kept. we have fangupo too as a PS guy if for some reason moo would be snatched off the PS. we don't have another DE since Williams was IR'ed. losing arnfelt off the PS would leave us without another DE in case of injury. more of a numbers thing then anything.

 

That's how you state your case! proof is in the pudding