Patrick Graham - DC

I agree, but I believe he was a HOF player
also.

 

Yeah, but what great offensive or defensive mind didn't? He had both great players and great defenses. In Cincy he struggled because he didn't have very many good players, therefore he didn't have very many good defenses...

I am excited to see what Graham can do with some talent.

 

Sorry , I meant that He (Lebeau) was a HOF player when he played.

 

I'm trying the not pour cold water on everything but I've not heard McCarthy say a peep about analytics before. Now he's supposedly all about AI and analytics. He says ANYTHING to get a job and a smooth runway. Then he does same old stuff. He basically runs Mike Holmgen's offense. Despite Mike's claims that he updated everything in his year in exile, he showed up in Dallas running the same stuff.

But if you thought Steelers challenges and timeouts were wild during the Tomlin tenure, wait till you see Mike wield the challenge flag. Or 4th down decisions.

That's what is so frustrating about it all. The franchise had a chance to bring in new blood and fresh thinking to blend with the institutional knowledge that was working. Instead they brought in the best state if the art ideas from 1995.

 

Steelers have screwed up the defense worse than the offense the last decade. This with the supposed "defensive" head coach.

The Steelers wasted the greatest offensive era in their franchises history between 2012-2018. So wasted, that had they just had a decent defense, they may have won a Super Bowl or two. They couldn't even get to one.

They spent over 100 million on the defense this year and lost again because of the inability to stop 3rd down conversions all year and getting run by the Joe Flacco's of the world and being the only team all year in Week 1 where Justin Fields looked like a coherant NFL QB.

Just one bludder after another and now it's theboff season and "hope" again starts and optimism reigns because we want it to work.


Sorry, not gonna buy it. Hiring Graham was a horrible hire and now we are gonna have to continue to read messages on here next year about how bad the defense is.

 

Ah, my bad lol I misunderstood your comment

 

At least we're used to it lol the challenges and timeouts are going to be an issue I guess... They were before... Its something I hope he's improved

I agree with the last part to a degree for sure, but McCarthy has had a good offense as recent as a few years ago. I think his system works a lot better in today's game than Tomlin's defensive system has in recent years. I wonder how bad it could have gotten had we not had exceptional defensive talent over the years.

 

But the main reason you didn't like it (according to the previous post) was because he coached for a bottom feeder franchise... Now you don't like him because Tomlin screwed up the defense? I'm having a hard time following all of this... none of it makes any logical sense.

I agree with the failings of the previous regime (particularly on Tomlin's defense). It was one of the main reasons I have been calling for him to be fired for a couple years now. But how on earth does that have anything to do with Graham? The things you claim to want (a guy who has average success with bad talent) is exactly what were getting... your reasoning for Graham being a "horrible" hire just don't check out. It doesn't mean he's going to be good either, its just... how are we this down on Graham. I think with the options available to us, its a pretty good hire.

I'm not just sayin "optimism" because I want it to work. I am simply looking at what the facts are at this moment in time. We don't know what Graham is going to want to do because its been slightly different in each stint he's had... but I don't want to label it a bad hire because he isn't a brand new DC or because he was DC for a dumpster franchise before us... I think having as negative feelings of the hire as you have is a bit shortsighted, even if you're entitled to that opinion.

 

I want to be dead wrong on this. I hope I am. Winning is more important than being right in this scenario.

 

Agreed. I can't imagine the Steelers wouldn't make Porter a priority.

 

I agree. Graham could turn out to be a bad decision in the end... I don't think he's bad enough to write him off before he even steps on the field in Steelers gear.

 

No problem, my explanation wasn't very good.

 

Eagles are loaded with high picks to offer.
Now the news is out. It’s not a rumor with their DC now.

 

I will say, I think that McCarthy did really well with his defensive hires. Graham seems to be a good hire, we got a former DC and a guy taking DC interviews coaching the secondary, a good former player coaching the DL, a former player and college level DC coaching the OLB's, we even have one of them as a PGC too. Shoot, the offensive hires have been solid too with a big upgrade at OL coach (and a HOF level former player as assistant), and a Sr. Assistant and a Quality Control coach to bolster the staff. Even the OC hire feels halfway modern with a PGC from a guy who was a McVey tree guy. I still don't LOVE the McCarthy direction the team decided to go, but I also think he did a good enough job filling out his staff. We will see how it all develops on the field.

 

All this Maxx Crosby talk about never playing for the Raiders again, has me thinking if Patrick Graham could bring Crosby with him, the Steelers could switch to a 4-3 defense with Watt and Crosby on the edge.

https://t.co/jLzjdwUfyA

 

I'm not sure the Steelers want to give up the sort of value in trade it would take to get Crosby. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Raiders start the bidding at two first-round picks.

That would also be an insane amount of money tied up in edge rushers. Remember, they still have Highsmith for two more years, too. Quarterback, wide receiver, safety, and left guard are all high priorities. Inside linebacker might be, too, if they let Queen go.

Also, if they went to a 4-3 at this point, Watt might be better suited to outside linebacker with Crosby and Highsmith on the edges.

 

Remember, MM took another year off after Dallas. Second time's a charm. Now he has seen the light!

(my glass half full view)

 

Let some other team overpay for Crosby.

 

I'm pretty sure I remember him winning a Super Bowl 15 years after 1995.


I said before he was hired, I wouldn't mind McCarthy as a HC but I would rather have him as an OC. I didn't pay much attention to him or his teams in GB. I thought he did a very good job in Dallas though. Getting the most out of those teams possible. I'm not exactly dancing with joy over these new hires but I'm willing to see it on the field for a season.


We need several 'hits' with this draft. If we can land 3-4 future multi-season starter level guys, then this worked. We know McCarthy is not going to be here long term. I put more emphasis on his ability to team build and teach offense. This is a step, not the plan. Just my opinion.

 

I dunno....that sounds like the coaching argument of the "bridge" QB strategy. This guy gets you from one really good coach to the next really good coach by hopefully being no worse than high side of average. That is what I am taking away as the message.

McCarthy provides stability while the front office builds the team out. But just like the "bridge" QB....it is a flawed strategy. Think about it....team drafts guys that fit in McCarthy's vision of the offense and defense. Unless you are planning on promoting someone on his staff....you just have to start over when you move off of him to the next guy.

That is basically continuing to kick the can down the road in favor of a series of short term band-aids. That is what the team has been doing for 5+ seasons now. At some point, take your medicine and commit to the team building that everyone around the NFL seems to understand the Steelers need to do except for the Steelers. They are the only ones who seem to think they can pull off this 1 of 1 strategy of just never doing anything but showing up in playoff games and still get better.

I hope they can walk that tightrope but there is no example of the strategy that they appear to be taking from the outside working by another NFL team. I do not have great faith in plans that require things that have never happened before to happen.

I'm sure the optimism that gets attached to the draft will suck me back in...but right now I have never been more pessimistic in my outlook on the Steelers. It isn't that I don't think they will win much. That has happened before. It is that I do not think they have a viable plan and a organizational philosophy that will lead to success. In other words, from what we can know as fans -- it seems their fundamental approach and process is flawed. Like they are trying to measure with a ruler marked off in the wrong units. Doesn't matter what they do...it isn't going to come out right.

 

That is exactly how it looks to me. Otherwise, why hire a 62 year old HC? McCarthy signed a 5-year contract. I don't expect an extension if he even makes it the full 5 years. He's the guy that has proven he can get a team into the playoffs, make the whole team better than the sum of its parts, and he can work with the plan, or at least with part of the plan already in place.


I'm curious to see it. He's going to oversee the replacement of Watt and Cam, and have a lot of say in building the future defense. He's most likely going to be the guy that establishes the next long term starting QB. This, with his age and resume, leads me to believe he is exactly that 'bridge' guy in this scenario.


We have known each other for years on these forums. I've always been the glass is half full type, and you're the, I think the glass has a chip in it, type. Lol. We will probably never agree on the outlook part of it. But yes, I see McCarthy as the bridge HC.