Steelers team report

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-report-pittsburgh-steelers-054021145--nfl.html

 

Thanks for posting.

While I don't agree with everything the writer claims - they seem to think that no-huddle fixed everything last year - there are some interesting points for thought at least. For example, the claim that Worilds is "unproven", and needs to score around 18 sacks to make his contract worthwhile. Seems to be setting the standard fairly high, no?

 

well he said double his 8 sacks which would make it 16, and I don't think that's out of line for near 10 mil.

the problem is the other side where we have JJ and carter and a total of 1 sack in 5 seasons between the two. 8 and 1 from 3 players has to be one of the lowest outputs by any steeler defense under DL by far.

as I've said before, I don't think they have to have double digit sacks at OLB but 5-6 each would be nice. counting the backups too. 20 to 24 sacks by the outside guys and the same from the inside guys would get the job done. Timmons is capable of 5-6 sacks a year from the interior. throw in a couple of safety blitzes and we could be around the 35 sack mark. that would be nice but we shall see. so much will depend on cam thomas' play at DE in front of worilds.

 

Im not really sure you can point out only one sack in five seasons between Carter/JJ when JJ has only played one season- unless I completely misunderstood what you were saying? I think we need to give JJ at least one more season to see what he has.

 

together our ROLB which is JJ 1 year and carter has been here, sorry 3 years. as it stands our ROLB and his backup have 1 sack going into this year in 4 total seasons.

 

he had what 8 in how many starts last year? one a game is 16. being he's settled in on the left side now where he likes it, he should be able to produce more than just 2-3 in a lot more starts if he remains healthy. if he's going to be wanting the big bucks, he's going to have to put up these kind of numbers with the big boys. if he leaves we get a draft pick and the next man up goes.

we also have to see if cam Thomas is better than ziggy on that side.

 

Yep, my mistake.

16 is still a lot to demand to justify a one year tag. If the sack numbers are up all round (like you suggest), to the extent that our defense is feared again, while Worilds is on the field, then he's doing his job.

 

that kind of puts it in perspective. worilds wasn't in the top 5 last year, in fact he was 4 sacks off 5th place and not just last year. why is he worth that top money again?

 

The Steelers think the Worilds we saw in the back half of the year is the real deal, and I agree. He doesn't NEED 16 sacks to be worth the money (especially since sacks are just one stat, and not a very meaningful one at that). But it's certainly possible that he gets them. How many games at LOLB did he need to get 8 sacks? Suppose he has 16 games this year. He'll also be racking up the hits and hurries, and drawing extra blockers.

In the other thread I voted 11 sacks. Injuries are a concern, but he's never had a big one. I'm guessing he plays 13 games.

 

I think perhaps that the coinciding of certain players departing with an apparent decline in defensive performance can sometimes lead to a focus on individual performance over team threat. Harrison goes, sacks go down - logic says we need a new Harrison. Hampton and Smith go, d-line pressure declines - logic says we need a new Hampton and Smith. But really, what we need is a better d-line unit and a better linebacking corps. Like mac says, we need the sacks to come from everywhere, as well as the hurries, the pressures, the fear, etc.

If Worild's forms the core of the corps, so to speak, then he's worth the money.

 

a lot of the problem with giving him a ton of money could be from prior dealings. we just got out from under huge contracts for LB'ers that faded in their games.

LT is going to get his money. we also have 2 first rounders , which right now they're money isn't killing us but down the road definitely could. we need to replace ike and troy in the next couple of years and sign heyward and allen too. doing that all at once ties up a lot of dough. that's just the defense. parlaying that money across the new players and re-signed players on defense will be a juggling act. as our players on offense evolve they too will want to be paid. how much can we afford to throw at a LB like worilds and not strap ourselves down the road at other position that may be just as important to the team overall.

he will be judged on his sacks whether we like it or not and I'm not downplaying the importance of other aspects of the position, but that's what these guys are paid to do. it is the strongest part of worilds' game and what we expect from JJ too. we just really don't know enough about the rest his game for a whole season to command a big salary yet. we have jumped on players for far less than special play over a long period out of panic before and it's bit us.

every young guy that has shown glimpses of a higher level of play feel they should be highly paid too, but again not enough information has been collected for a full year to rate they're pay. this is where the trouble is.

it's not just if worilds is worthy, but rather who will we get the biggest bang for our buck for, that makes the entire defense better. can we get maybe a few less sacks from that position but strengthen say our DB's or D-line and get a better overall defense? would moats getting 8 sacks in 16 games for 3 mil a year be worth just as much to us defense wise than worilds getting 11 for 11 mil a year and losing cortez or heyward down the road? (and this is just a for instance)

in this time of turnover to younger players as starters, that we have brought along, it's going to be crucial that we stay patient and not just throw money at them for fear of losing them, when we really don't know what they're capabilities are yet. maybe changing their stance on negotiating during the season will have to change. maybe 10 games in we can decide who is more important to our team than doing it out of fear of losing what could be, before we know what will be.

 

I was thinking more of guys like starks as smith was not cutting it anymore, colon when kemoeatu wasn't the answer , sanders when we matched the offer by NE and to a further extent the way they handled Antonio browns deal when they failed to sign Wallace. I think those were some panic type moves. I'm not saying all were wrong at the time but a better vision was needed before it got to that panic time.

kahn does juggle it well, but it also costs us players at times. lewis for example. lets also not forget worilds made around 625,000 last year and now wants more than the 9+ we are paying him. that's to big of an increase for a half a year of good play. that's one heck of an increase. he may end up worth it but who knows at this point? what happens if we give him 10-11 mil a year and he ends up with 8-9 sacks again? he still may be our best pass rusher at that stage but is that type of money worth it if we end up losing a better player elsewhere?

same as cortez, he's going to have to show more to get top money, but with the thinness of the position, will it make it harder to stand they're ground of a fair offer? sure the cap is going up but so are salaries every year. I just want them to offer fair contracts for a fair amount of play and not mortgage a future player or get us back in the mess we are just getting out of.

 

I don't believe the Steelers panicked. What they did was move on to the next option. Seems they planed and used the options available to the organization. Teams can't prepare for everything.

What team doesn't lose players for financial reasons? It's the nature of the free agency system. However, the Steelers generally go a good job of retaining most of their own players.
Lewis was a bad example because he wanted to play for the Saints. For whatever reasons, teams cannot keep everyone.

The Steelers took a calculated risk tagging Worilds. When the Steelers tagged Worilds they hoped could renegotiate an extension and rescind the tag. It appears that Worilds might be content playing on a one year deal.

Worilds is also taking a calculated risk. What Worilds will bring from a consistency stand point is unknown. If Worilds plays well he will earn his money for one year. The Steelers will also receive a good year of production. If Worilds plays poorly he may not receive the money he expected come contract time. At least the Steelers bought themselves some time by signing Worilds.

The Steelers generally offer fair contracts that don't cripple the organization in the event that players don't pan out.

The Steelers are not in a mess. They have remained competitive while they are rebuilding the defense.

 

I think you guys are missing my point. I don't have a problem with them tagging worilds this year, but I hope we don't just pay him beyond 9. whatever million just to keep him before this season is over, without knowing if he's truly worth that much money. that tag pays him the average of the top 5 OLB in the league and I just don't think he has proven that status yet. fear of losing him as our best OLB right now could cause them to offer more than we have seen on the field so far. that's where I speak of the panic. we are not overly loaded at that position. at least from what has been shown to date.

it's also fine and dandy that lewis wanted to play in his hometown, but we didn't even make an offer. that hometown feeling can change pretty quickly with cash, but it was cash we didn't have at the time.

 

it's a tough call when you are transitioning a roster like we are from old to new. they all want paid like the guys before them.