53 Man Roster | 8/31 Roster Cuts Thread

The only ones I would have got wrong would be:

Beachum, Robinson and Golden.

Beachum stunk the first 2 games...but the last 2 no penalties/etc. Robinson only made it due to Spence's injury...and I had Cro-Smith making it over Golden if they kept 5 S's.

If they put DD on the new IR thing...they probably bring back Essex? Not sure.

Also I've been calling it for a while that only 4 WRs would make it...with the RBs who can catch plus the TEs they have enough to put out wide if they was to go 5 WRs or something. When Saunders come back I'd rather see them can Pope then Paulson.

Overall I think they did very good on the cuts.

 

Keeping only 4 WR's is a mistake, but very telling of what they plan to do. bascially, the complete opposite of Bruce Arians. Rainey will basically be a WR/swing pass guy. As will the RB's. No more bombs away Bruce ball. Kept so many TE's to block soleyly. Not catch. Gonna be a ton of 2TE sets and fullback pushes. Lots of action for RB's.

 

The question is who do they add when they place DeCastro on the "new" IR... My guess would be Derrick Williams, but we will see.

 

I got them all right but beachum over essex..my guess its essex after dd goes on ir....

Hack

 

Yeah - but I'm sure they made it clear what the situation was when they signed him. They probably let him know he stood little chance of making it, but promised him some snaps so that he could add film to his resume. What else did he have to do this week?

 

3 ILBs just feels wrong. I am sure they expect some of those OLBs to kick in, but if its not their natural position what are we to really expect? Timmons is supposed to be a top player and didn't do much when moved outside.
I think its going to hurt us in the middle deeper into games and on long drives. God forbid one of these guys gets hurt!

 

I like the 4 WR move. Why not?

Guys that can line up in multiple places and act as a wide receiver, and still create matchups they can win: Heath Miller, Chris Rainey... and we have a few more guys that perform well in passing sets as runners, blockers, and receivers: Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer, Baron Batch. Maybe even Will Johnson, although we haven't seen it. And we don't yet know how capable Saunders is.

You need to fill your positions, but at a certain point it's like drafting. You go BPA. Why would we spend a roster spot on some guy not deserving of making the team when that spot could go to someone much better? If I had to pick a 5th WR, I don't even know which one I would pick. Gilreath had one nice game, but that's pretty much it. Williams looked good to me, but he didn't really do that much. No one separated themselves in all of camp. Beiler came close and then vanished. Maze did not come through on his opportunities. None of these guys deserved to make the team, so they didn't. Contrast that with performances from Charlie Batch, Adrian Robinson, Robert Golden... These guys proved they deserve to be here. I'm surprised more people aren't in support of this.

I think a lot of it has to do with the perception that this means something about our offense. If we only keep 66% of the number of WRs that BA did, then we'll only pass the ball 66% as often as BA did. That's mumbo jumbo if you ask me. We have an amazing top two receivers, and two of the best 3rd and 4th receivers. Among the very best groups in the NFL. And then whoever #5 was would have been the steepest dropoff imaginable. Not quite Aaron Smith to Nick Eason steep, but close. There's just simply no reason to keep those guys around, who will never be better than the 11th best player on the field, and take possible reps away from weapons like Rainey and Miller, or protection/weapons from our RBs. I do not see how keeping an extra player who isn't good does anything for our team. You can pass it 70 times per game with 4 WRs just like you can run it 70 times a game with 3 RBs.

There are no circumstances in which I'd prefer having Gilreath on the field over any of the guys I already mentioned. And that includes a hail mary. Should there be injuries, the guys will be available on the practice squad to come up.

 

Agreed here. They kept their best 53 - period (except for Hrapmann in my opinion). With the 4 WRs that they kept, what kind of contribution is WR #5 going to make anyway? You can't keep someone who hasn't made the team just as insurance against injury. There just aren't the catches available beyond the 4 WRs, any TE plays, plus receptions out of the backfield. I think keeping 4 was a good move. If an injury occurs, you deal with it. There will undoubtedly be a body available in that event.

 

I agree with you except for the sentence in red. You can do that, and sometimes you have to. How else do you explain the fact that either Kelvin Beachum or Trai Essex was going to make this team? Guys don't earn it and make it all the time because we need someone at their position. But at this particular position, #5 WR, it's just so unnecessary.

 

i'm not sure if essex does make it after DD goes on his 8wk vacation. lee or one of the LB'ers may be brought in for ST's. i've stood fast with beachum,golden and robinson from the start. JJ i hope makes the PS and nobody snatches him. hurry week 5 for saunders to get back in here to help block.

 

True enough - but I would venture to say that those guys didn't make the team to INSURE us against injury. They made it because we needed BODIES at the position. That's a different story. If you have the healthy guys you want at a position, I wouldn't just keep someone because you're worried one of the ones you want will get injured.

 

Yeah, that's what I meant to say. Beachum didn't earn it, we just have to have a guy there and he was around. But that's because we have to have a guy there. If he gets into the game we're screwed.

Speaking of Beachum, I'm not trying to pick on him. He and Essex both mostly played like crap, and so if you have to pick one, you go with the younger upside. Maybe he'll grow, get bigger and stronger. Essex sure as hell won't. We need him to pull a McLendon, because he looks tiny out there and blocks like it too.

 

Actually there are 4 players who are ILB on the roster. TTF just put Brandon Johnson at OLB...but he's been playing both spots. And 4 is pretty much what they've been keeping recently...this is no different than any other year. Jeez.

 

beachum got better every week and has looked good the last two weeks. just as adams has. yes he did earn it. yes he will get better and they will most likely expand his role to center too before it's over. he will be the next 5 spot guy and i think better then essex was at each of them. ya gotta give these guys some time. if they inprove each week thats all you can ask for. they will improve his stregnth over time as they do with most guys. i think they have a hidden gem in lee also and i hope he makes the PS. he's a strong boy with a bad attitude that can play either guard or RT. i'd keep as much young talent for the O-line as possible around here.

 

Could you hear Myron with this one?? LOL Best I could come up with was INK...

 

Oh yeah - I'm sure Myron would have QUICKLY given this guy a nickname he could pronounce. Ikponmwosa would have made even the most seasoned football announcers sound like stammering fools. I was hoping for the chance to find out - but he just wasn't good enough. Too bad.

 

I'm not saying he didn't get better or have good plays (and I haven't seen the Carolina game). But come on, if we were going by preseason performances, there are plenty of guys at all kinds of positions that did better than Beachum and still got cut. It's hard for me to say he "earned it" simply by not being the worst player on the field in the second half of his games. My point was that at some positions you make it by default, and at others you could play awesome and still not have a chance. I tried to say I wasn't picking on him because I knew you'd jump on me, but I'm surprised you'd go so far as to say he actually earned a spot on the 53, when we're comparing his play to that of guys all over the field (Gilreath, Cromartie-Smith, J. Johnson, for example). Did he beat out his crappy competition? Maybe. Does that mean he played better than the guys that got cut? No way. He got the spot because the competition was weak. Not because he proved he deserved to be here like Robinson and Golden.

 

Agreed Snack - and they probably knew that to drop Essex until Monday would be a safer bet than dropping Beachum. Beachum probably would have at least gotten a sniff from another team between now and then. Essex won't - so he'll probably be back on the roster to replace DeCastro. When it's time for DeCastro to come back - then they can make their real cut.

 

That reminds me.... I sure do miss Chris Fuamatehmahafala.

 

I'm not saying he didn't get better or have good plays (and I haven't seen the Carolina game). But come on, if we were going by preseason performances, there are plenty of guys at all kinds of positions that did better than Beachum and still got cut. It's hard for me to say he "earned it" simply by not being the worst player on the field in the second half of his games. My point was that at some positions you make it by default, and at others you could play awesome and still not have a chance. I tried to say I wasn't picking on him because I knew you'd jump on me, but I'm surprised you'd go so far as to say he actually earned a spot on the 53, when we're comparing his play to that of guys all over the field (Gilreath, Cromartie-Smith, J. Johnson, for example). Did he beat out his crappy competition? Maybe. Does that mean he played better than the guys that got cut? No way. He got the spot because the competition was weak. Not because he proved he deserved to be here like Robinson and Golden.[/quote:3tjzymi6]

i'm talking about linemen, why would you compare him to other positions? we could say colon isn't as good as rainey at his position. so what? beachum beat out a guy that not only was drafted alot higher then he was and a guy thats been part of this line for the last 7 years. 28 of them starts and many fill-ins. when last year this guy was playing at SMU. are you saying the steelers have been wrong for 7 years about essex? are you saying they just put beachum on the roster because he's the least sucky player around? would the steelers do this? yea, i think the kid earned his spot no matter how meaningless it is to you. the kid , i'm sure worked his butt off to win the spot. i think they did draft him for depth and having the ability to play that LT spot in a pinch was part of they're thinking. at least since they tried him there. which i might add was also against that 9 wide defense that we struggled with all night. the smarts he has is also a big plus but essex was smart too. they saw potential and looked at his whole body of work. is he there yet, maybe not as a 7 year vet but by then i'll bet he's better then now,and i'll bet he earns that too.

 

I have a feeling we will still have 5 wr's after Decastro gets moved to IR. I can't see us not. What if (god forbid) someone gets hurt? Im no offensive coordinator and I could be completely wrong, but I just can't see us not having 5 wr's. And also will we have 4 TE's? Or will we end up cutting Paulson when Saunders comes back after his suspension?

 

Why cant you see us not? What is so hard about it? If someone got hurt and would be out for more than that game then they'd sign someone from the PS or whatever...not that hard to shift guys around. As many have said Todd Haley rarely uses 5 wide sets as it is...if they need a 5th they have plenty of TEs and RBs he can go out and catch. And yes when Saunders comes back unless things change (injuries/etc) Paulson will probably get cut and go to the PS. I'd rather keep Paulson over Pope myself.

 

I'm not saying he didn't get better or have good plays (and I haven't seen the Carolina game). But come on, if we were going by preseason performances, there are plenty of guys at all kinds of positions that did better than Beachum and still got cut. It's hard for me to say he "earned it" simply by not being the worst player on the field in the second half of his games. My point was that at some positions you make it by default, and at others you could play awesome and still not have a chance. I tried to say I wasn't picking on him because I knew you'd jump on me, but I'm surprised you'd go so far as to say he actually earned a spot on the 53, when we're comparing his play to that of guys all over the field (Gilreath, Cromartie-Smith, J. Johnson, for example). Did he beat out his crappy competition? Maybe. Does that mean he played better than the guys that got cut? No way. He got the spot because the competition was weak. Not because he proved he deserved to be here like Robinson and Golden.[/quote:3km3swqt]

i'm talking about linemen, why would you compare him to other positions? we could say colon isn't as good as rainey at his position. so what? beachum beat out a guy that not only was drafted alot higher then he was and a guy thats been part of this line for the last 7 years. 28 of them starts and many fill-ins. when last year this guy was playing at SMU. are you saying the steelers have been wrong for 7 years about essex? are you saying they just put beachum on the roster because he's the least sucky player around? would the steelers do this? yea, i think the kid earned his spot no matter how meaningless it is to you. the kid , i'm sure worked his butt off to win the spot. i think they did draft him for depth and having the ability to play that LT spot in a pinch was part of they're thinking. at least since they tried him there. which i might add was also against that 9 wide defense that we struggled with all night. the smarts he has is also a big plus but essex was smart too. they saw potential and looked at his whole body of work. is he there yet, maybe not as a 7 year vet but by then i'll bet he's better then now,and i'll bet he earns that too. [/quote:3km3swqt]
That's what we were talking about before you entered the conversation, mac. Guys of all positions make it for various reasons other than earning it on the field. Ta'amu didn't really do anything, but he made it due to potential and draft status. We could argue all day about how hard Kelvin was trying and how hard he worked. I have no interest in that and I'm not trying to take any of that away from him. I'm not trying to belittle him. Maybe he was born with no legs, grew new ones out of sheer will power, and then went on to be drafted by the Steelers in the 7th round. That would certainly count as earning it in a lot of ways. But if he stinks it up out there but gets the job because he was the least stinky pile of stink out there (or, in this situation, the youngest stinkpile out there) then it's easy for me to say that, in a different way, he didn't earn it. Certainly not in the same way as players who force their way onto the team with impressive play. In one circumstance, the coaches have to choose which player playing great to cut. In another, they have to choose which player playing crappy to keep. I think there's a difference there. That's all I'm saying.

And I can't believe we're not done with Essex, but to answer your question, yes the Steelers were wrong about him. Are you seriously suggesting they weren't? Is it suddenly blasphemous to suggest they can do wrong? Did he work out? Does presence = success in your world?