Category Archives: Steelers News

238px-Adam_Podlesh

Steelers Sign Punter Adam Podlesh To One Year Deal

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The Steelers have signed veteran punter Adam Podlesh to a one year deal.

Podlesh was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 4th round of the 2007 draft. He signed a $10 Mil deal with the Bears in 2011, but was a cap casualty 10 days ago. His performance in Chicago last year left much to be desired. The former Maryland standout finished 29th in the league with his 37.9 net average in 2013.

Look, I know most people aren’t going to do cartwheels over this signing, but it’s risk free, and Podlesh will add a leg in camp competing with Brad Wing this summer. His base salary will be for the minimum of $855,000, but will count only $570,000 towards the cap due to the veteran minimum benefit.

After displacing a low $495,000 salary from the top 51, his signing could potentially move the salary cap needle by as little as $75,000. That number could go up as much as $65,000 depending on the signing bonus. The signing will leave the Steelers with roughly $305,000-$240,000 in cap space.

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

steelers draft

Steelers Hosting CB Verrett, CB Richardson, And LB Crichton For Pre-Draft Visits

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The Steelers are hosting 3 more prospects for visits today. The three prospects are TCU CB Jason Verrett, Arizona CB Shaquille Richardson, and Oregon LB Scott Crichton.

Jason Verrett is a corner who I’ve long thought would be high on the Steelers radar. He’s got excellent coverage skills, he’s really fast, and he’s undersized. I know “undersized” isn’t a valued trait in a cornerback, but the Steelers have a penchant for small, fast corners. I don’t believe Verrett’s name gets mentioned in the top 5 corner discussion much, but it should be. If he were 2 inches taller, I’m sure most would say that he’d be gone before the Steelers pick in round one.

The almost 5’10”, 189 lb corner ran a 4.39 at the combine. He was limited at times during the 2013 season, as he played through a torn labrum. At the combine, Dr.’s said that he would not require surgery, but he elected to have it anyway. Before the surgery, he still managed 19 bench press reps at his pro day. He is expected to be ready by the time training camp rolls around. Here are a couple of his games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShK_qWUGQjU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPcwP2oFOl8

Shaquille Richardson is a mid round prospect out of Arizona. He impressed scouts during East-West Shrine Game practices, but was a surprise Combine snub. He’s 6’0, 194 lbs and runs 4.4x 40 yard dash. Richardson brings a possible character concern, as he was kicked out of UCLA in 2010 after being arrested for theft. He was also one of several players suspended after an on field brawl in 2011. Here are a couple of his games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0NGLGD50Bs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqLEYa0iRZ4

Former Oregon DE Scott Crichton is an interesting prospect. He doesn’t really fit into any specific position in a 3-4 in my opinion. In the games I watched, he was predominately lined up with his hands in the dirt at 5, 6 and 7 technique. He measured in at almost 6’3″, 273 lbs at the combine. The defensive lineman registered 7.5 sacks last year, and 9 in 2012. He also recorded 3 forced fumbles in 2013. It would be interesting to see how he is used in the Steelers scheme, though I imagine they will transition him to OLB. LaMarr Woodley was 6’2″, 266 coming out of college.

I enjoy watching Crichton play, as he has a great burst and can bull rush tackles back fairly easily at times. He will probably be drafted sometime on day 2. Here are a couple of his games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlc7xZetlzY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjnrvhhgl-s

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

steelers draft

Steelers Hosted CB Roby, LB Pierre-Louis, and LB Bradford For Pre-Draft Visits

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The Steelers had CB Bradley Roby, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, and LB Carl Bradford in for pre-draft visits today.

Roby is quite likely in the mix for the Steelers first round pick. Aside from a relatively low vertical jump, the former Ohio State cornerback had an excellent showing at the combine. The 5’11, 194 lb defensive back has all the traits the Steelers would covet in a corner- prototypical height, lightning fast speed, good ball awareness, and lots of experience playing zone coverage.

Having said that, if you watch enough of Roby, you’ll likely begin to have some concerns about how he’ll transition to the NFL. While watching him last year, there was one word that would ring in my head from time to time- discipline. Roby can be frustrating at times because he has a tendency to not wrap his man up when making the tackle, and will get overtly grabby when he’s being beat.

Here are two of his games, one good, one not so good.

Bradley Roby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMjNxhpHFeM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whr1Cr9TW-M

Carl Bradford had 61 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss last year at Arizona State. The 6’1″, 250lb linebacker was a defensive swiss army knife for the Sun Devils. Here’s a couple of his games from last year.

Carl Bradford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b4T7KCuhI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Y5TuNKh08

Kevin Pierre-Louis is a 6’0, 228 lb late round prospect out of Boston College. He amassed 108 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss and 6 sacks last year for the Eagles. Pierre-Louis had the fastest 40 time of the linebacker group at the combine. In an interview after the combine, he told reporters that some teams asked if he would switch to safety- a position he’s never played.

Kevin Pierre-Louis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HshbfGjDRLg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR0xsexwq-U

steelers draft

[Audio] LSU WR Odell Beckham Jr Had Dinner With The Steelers Last Night

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Former LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was on SiriusXM’s Moving The Chains with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller this afternoon. During the interview, he told the hosts that he had dinner with “the Steelers” last night. Presumably, he had dinner with Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and Todd Haley who were all in attendance for today’s Pro Day at LSU.

Here is the audio from that portion of the interview:

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/siriusxmsports/lsu-wr-odell-beckham-talks[/soundcloud]

Beckham Jr. is 5’11, 198 lbs, and ran a 4.43 official at the combine. His 2nd attempt was a 4.31. His overall combine performance was pretty spectacular, which only helped his stock after 3 very good seasons at LSU. Last year, OBJ had 59 receptions, 1,152 yards for a total of 8 TDs.

Many have the wideout projected to go in the first round, but the Steelers are not likely going to want to use the #15 pick on him. Here are a couple videos of him in action. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_M52KgXSJ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOXnTM2OsWk

steelers training camp

Pittsburgh Steelers 2014 Preseason Schedule Announced

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The NFL has released the Pittsburgh Steelers 2014 preseason schedule today. Here it is:

Week 1 at Giants (AUGUST 7-10)
Week 2 Bills (AUGUST 14-18)
Week 3 at Eagles (AUGUST 21-24)
Week 4 Panthers (Aug. 28)

The Steelers will be hosting the Bills this summer for 3 joint practices at Latrobe. This is the 12th consecutive season that the Steelers play the Panthers. None of the Steelers preseason games will be nationally televised live this year. FWIW, I got 3 of the 4 opponents right earlier. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

steelers draft

Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, And Todd Haley Attend LSU Pro Day

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As you might expect, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, GM Kevin Colbert, and Todd Haley are in attendance for LSU’s Pro Day today.

 


Obviously there’s a handful of prospects performing today that the Steelers could have a legitimate interest in, but one would have to think that LSU’s receiving corps is going to be their main focus there. Here is a list of LSU’s attendees.

LB Lamin Barrow
WR/RS Odell Beckham Jr.
RB Alfred Blue
WR Kadron Boone
FB J.C. Copeland
DT Ego Ferguson
LB Seth Fruge
LB Jarett Hardnett
DT Anthony Johnson
RB Jeremy Hill
LB Tahj Jones
WR Jarvis Landry
S Craig Loston
QB Zach Mettenberger
G Trai Turner
OL Josh Williford
WR James Wright

Beckham Jr. stood on his excellent 40 time from the combine of 4.43. Jarvis Landry, who had a very poor showing at the combine for his 40 yard dash (due to a hamstring pull reportedly), improved on it today going from 4.77 to 4.58. Landry is a legitimate possibility for the Steelers in my opinion. He’s an excellent route runner and has great hands. He could very well have a successful future as a physical possession receiver in the NFL.


I’ll close this with a couple videos of both Landry and Beckham Jr. if you haven’t seen them in action. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

Landry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN3lII9T3XE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHZVb8vPRWU
OBJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cjvErKu35g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTARGC1MBos

Steelers 53 Man Roster

Predicting The Steelers Preseason Schedule

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The NFL will be announcing the preseason schedules for all 32 teams later today. I thought it would be fun to take a shot at predicting the schedule. The league tries to include opponents who are not divisional foes, and who are relatively close in proximity. Here’s my shot at the Steelers preseason opponents this August. Feel free to point and laugh at me later. 🙂

Week 1- Philadelphia Eagles

Week 2- Buffalo Bills

Week 3- @ Detroit Lions

Week 4- @ Carolina Panthers

The real schedule will be announced at 3:15 est. today, check back then for an update. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

 

 

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.

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.