Author Archives: Steve Alan

About Steve Alan

Steve, known by most as TTF, is owner of TheSteelersFans and administrator of the best Steelers message board on the net. Big fan of strong coffee and hardcore Steelers fan from womb to tomb.

steelers draft

[Gifs] Kevin Colbert And Mike Tomlin Represent Steelers At Penn State Pro Day

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Steelers GM Kevin Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin were in attendance at Penn State’s Pro Day today.

 


Here’s the list of prospects who participated today:

  • Punter Alex Butterworth
  • Linebacker Glenn Carson
  • Receiver Brandon Felder
  • Offensive lineman Garry Gilliam
  • Offensive lineman Adam Gress
  • Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones
  • Tight end Matt Lehman
  • Defensive back Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
  • Receiver Allen Robinson
  • Offensive lineman Josh Urschel
  • Defensive back Malcolm Willis

As you may already know, there’s one guy on that list who is high on my radar, and likely the team’s radar as well- Allen Robinson. Robinson improved greatly on his combine performance today, posting a 4.4x 40 yard dash and a tremendous 42 inch vertical jump. To put that into perspective, that’s higher than what any receiver posted at the combine, and 5 inches higher than Mike Evans’ vertical jump in February.

The 6’2″, 220 lb Robinson had 97 receptions, 1,432 yards and 6 touchdowns last season. One of Robinson’s stats that jumps out at you is his yards after catch on screens. You may have seen this in the forum a couple months ago, but here are some gifs that capture how shifty he can be in those situations.

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

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[Video] Time Lapse Of Baron Batch Painting Troy Polamalu Tribute

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As you probably already knew, former Steelers running back Baron Batch is a painter. A pretty awesome painter. Occasionally, he sells his art to help with a good cause. Recently Batch shared a behind the scenes look at the creation of his tribute to Troy Polamalu.

About the painting, the former 7th round pick said, “I played with Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh, and if black and gold had a face…it would be his.” Here is the video of Batch painting Troy. Enjoy.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”BaronBatchTroy”]

steelers draft

Steelers Hosting Safety Calvin Pryor For Pre-Draft Visit Today

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The Steelers are hosting former Louisville Safety Calvin Pryor today according to Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette.


The 5’11”, 207 lb defensive back played mostly at free safety, but can play either free or strong. Many were surprised when Pryor went from being that “big safety” who was listed at 6’2″, to that averaged sized safety who shrunk 3 inches at the combine. Regardless, Pryor is a first round talent who is the best or second best safety in this class, depending on who you ask.

The big hitter’s specialty is zone coverage, as he didn’t play much man in college. Here are some of his games if you haven’t seen him in action. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Io0tKa1cCeU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2D6uqoUpNgs

steelers contracts

Darrius Heyward-Bey Contract Details & Steelers Salary Cap Update

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The details of Darrius Heyward-Bey’s contract are now available, and as I figured the other day, the deal is for one year at the veteran minimum, including a $65,000 signing bonus. As such, the contract qualifies for the veteran minimum salary benefit. Here’s how it breaks down.

[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Heyward-Bey, Darrius”, 2014, “$730,000”, “$65,000”, “$635,000”

[/table]

After displacement of the top 51, I can tell you that the Steelers should be sitting at roughly $380,000 under the salary cap right now.  Believe it or not, the Steelers still have room to add more veteran depth to the roster before the draft.

They may likely choose to do so without making any moves to clear additional cap space. The team could also work out a long term contract with Jason Worilds at any time, which in turn would clear at least a few million in cap space this year. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

Grove_Ryan

Steelers Assistant Athletic Trainer Hired By Dolphins

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The Dolphins announce that they have hired Ryan Grove as their new Head Athletic Trainer.


Grove has been with the Steelers for 18 seasons. Grove served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the Steelers from 1994-1996, after being an intern athletic trainer for the ’92-’93 season. He has been one of the team’s assistant athletic trainers since 1999.

In Miami, he replaces longtime athletic trainer Kevin O’Neill, who the Dolphins fired at the combine for his involvement in the Martin-Incognito scandal. About the hiring, Grove said, “I am excited to join the Miami Dolphins. The organization has a great history and storied tradition, and this is a great opportunity for me.”

steelers draft

Former Miami OT Seantrel Henderson Has Pre-Draft Visit Scheduled

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According to Omar Kelly of the Miami Sun-Sentinel, Seantrel Henderson has a pre-draft visit scheduled with the Steelers.

Henderson was one of the country’s top recruits coming out of high school in 2010. Unfortunately, he didn’t live up to the hype. He was suspended multiple times at Miami for violating team rules, and his play on the field was never dominant. The 6’7, 331 lb mountain of a man also was hampered by back injuries during his college career.

Henderson split time between right and left tackle last season, and has great size and length to play at either side. Despite his size, he still gets beat in situations you wouldn’t expect him to. Also, his hand work needs a lot of improvement. To make matters worse, some reporters said he “quit” at his pro day today.

Henderson did not speak to media after the event. His agent addressed reporters, telling them that he was dehydrated and began to feel ill. Even though his stock has continued to slip, it seems unlikely to me that the Steelers will take a chance on him, even in the later rounds. His character flags have reportedly caused other teams to take him off their draft boards.

Here are a couple Miami games that highlight the tackle’s performance. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0xy3ZpozCzY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t4hl__3-XVA

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Titans Sign Former Steelers G/C Eric Olsen

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The Tennessee Titans have signed former Steelers C/G Eric Olsen to a one year deal according to The Tennessean.


Olsen was the Steelers only exclusive rights free agent. They did not offer him a tender. Olsen was signed by the team last November, after being released by the Saints in September. The offensive lineman was originally drafted by the Broncos in the 6th round of the 2010 draft.

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Steelers Sign WR Darrius Heyward-Bey

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The Steelers announce that they have signed WR Darrius Heyward-Bey to a one year deal today.

It was reported earlier that the team would be hosting him for a workout. Heyward-Bey was signed by the Colts last year to a one year, $3 Mil deal. He struggled with injuries throughout the season, and also with showing reliable hands. The former Raiders first round pick has 69 career receptions totaling 2,380 yards, including 12 touchdowns.

While the terms of the deal obviously haven’t been disclosed yet, it would not surprise me if it were for the vet minimum with a small $65,000 signing bonus. It may be more than that, though. He was the fastest receiver in the 2009 draft class. He ran a 4.23 in 2006 in Maryland, and ran a 4.30 at the combine.

Darrius Heyward-Bey 40 yard dash.

163px-Darrius_Heyward-Bey_Raiders

Steelers Reportedly Hosting WR Darrius Heyward-Bey Today

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The Steelers will be hosting former Colts wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey today, according to Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette. Heyward-Bey was drafted by the Raiders in the first round of the 2009 draft. The Indianapolis Colts signed him to a one year, $3 Mil deal last spring. The 6’2″, 219 lb receiver saw a little more than half of the Colts’ offensive snaps last season. He was plagued by injuries throughout the 2013 season, but lacked reliable hands at times when he was on the field.

According to ProFootballFocus, the veteran wide receiver had 9 drops last year. He caught 29 of the 58 passes that went his way, and recorded 1 touchdown.  Heyward-Bey has 69 career receptions totaling 2,380 yards, including 12 touchdowns. The Steelers are thin in terms of wide receiver depth, and thinner on cap space. While his hands might be questionable, the team will be looking to add low cost veteran wide receiver depth before the draft next month.

steelers draft

Former OSU LB Ryan Shazier Had Pre-Draft Visit With The Steelers

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Former Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier was on SiriusXM NFL tonight and told Alex Marvez that he had a pre-draft visit with the Steelers.


If you’re not familiar with him, Shazier is an extremely athletic and versatile linebacker who can play both outside and inside. He’s got a very high football IQ, and it wouldn’t surprise me (or really disappoint me) if the Steelers picked him at #15. If you’re still with me, and aren’t totally focused on that mainstream mock you read the other day that had the Steelers picking Justin Gilbert, well, gold star for you then.

Shazier was named First-team All-American, First-team All-Big Ten, and finished with 144 tackles, seven sacks, 23.5 tackles for a loss, six QB hurries, and four forced fumbles in 2013. Watching his game tape, you will never see him take off a play. Even on special teams. Here he is blocking a punt with Bradley Roby against Northwestern.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KLBnR46peVY

The former OSU standout could play in any defensive scheme in my opinion, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a 4-3 team was interested in him as a Will linebacker. He didn’t run the 40 at the combine due to a hamstring injury, but was clocked at an unofficial 4.37 at Ohio State’s pro day.

In Pittsburgh’s scheme, he’d play predominately on the inside. He is very good in coverage, and plays against the run very well, where his closing speed comes in handy. I’ll close out with a couple games of him in action for you, and with a gif of the “Shazier Suplex”. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6F-T3UCL-fE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l74vuXXrNq0