My Roster Analysis - Offense

As we realize that the playoffs are not going to be made and we are only playing another game to get it on the books, thought go toward next year. This is where I think we currently sit.

QB:
Ben - stays, but must stop the bellyaching. If you are going to make mistakes that cost the team the playoffs, don't gripe about someone else's job performance.
Lefty - gone
Batch - only back in a coaching capacity
NEEDS: 2 Backups - 1 vet, 1 young

RB:
Mendenhall - it would REALLY surprise me if he was brought back
Dwyer - you see flashes, but you don't see consistency. He may be the #1 back next year because we have so many needs overall.
Redman - role player who will be back
Rainey - role player who needs to actually be given a role. I don't think we used him well this year.
Batch - I could see him being brought back or being cut. Don't think he will ever be a great runner, but plays special teams okay. Could see him replaced.
W. Johnson - I like him. Does what is asked. Plays special teams and catches the ball when it is thrown to him.
NEEDS: One RB who has the potential to be a primary ball carrier

TE:
Miller - His injury concerns me, but he is one of the best so he will be back
Paulson - will get to show what he can do on Sunday as the starter. He will be back as a role player.
Pope - Bye bye.
NEEDS: One non-starter high quality backup with high blocking skill above pass catching skill

WR:
Wallace - I don't blame the last 2 INTs of the year on him, but he had a sub-par year. He is gonna want big money. Bye bye.
Brown - I think we saw he can do amazing things, but IMO he is nothing more than a #2 receiver on a contender.
Sanders - I could take or leave him, but I think he comes back since Wallace is leaving and we have no other receivers currently.
Cotchery - role playing 4th WR
Plaxico - Bye bye.
Gilreath (PS) - I could see him making the team as a #5 receiver/return man for kick offs.
Moye (PS) - Bye bye.
NEEDS: If we have the money, and we might after restructures, etc., I would like to see a BIG in size WR brought in. I think it would help us in the redzone. Not tall, but big and physical.

OT:
Gilbert - Should be starting RT in the coming year. Needs to raise his game.
Adams - Should be starting LT in the coming year. Needs to raise his game.
Starks - IMO should be brought back to be the swing tackle. He can play both sides and showed himself capable this year with a solid year.
Joe Long (PS) - Know very little to nothing about you. Doubt you stay.
NEEDS: I would go with the 3 we have as well as Beachum at the G/T spot role.

C:
Pouncey - I like him, I really do. The guy needs to put on some more muscle.
Legursky - I am fine with bringing him back, but as a center only. I want someone else to be the swing G for game days.
NEEDS: Only need someone if Legs walks.

OG:
Colon - This is a tough one, but I bring him back. I give him one more year. I still believe he can be a really good guard for us.
Justin Cheadle (PS) - Know very little to nothing about you. Doubt you stay.
Beachum - I don't know what your versatility is, but if you can show you can play guard and pull to your right, I could see you dressing every week.
DeCastro - You need to get in the gym and get in the film room. It will help you.
Malecki - I don't see you making the squad unless you can play center AND guard to replace Legursky.
Foster - If Colon gets cut, he stays. If not, bye bye. Just my gut.
NEEDS: I don't think we have any. We have a larger need to get guys in the right spot more than anything.

Projected Roster:
QB: Ben, Vet, Youth
RB: Dwyer, Redman, Batch, Rainey
WR: UFA Vet, Brown, Sanders, Cotchery, Gilreath
TE: Miller, Paulson, Will Johnson, draft pick/UFA
OL: Adams, Colon, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert, Starks, Beachum, Legursky

24 Roster spots (leaves 26 for defense)

To those who say, but we never go into the UFA market, I will only say, yeah we do, but they aren't splash signings. We don't go out and get big signing guys, but we do bring in UFAs. I look for some smaller signings. The others slots will be UDFA and draft picks. It is only 4 slots in this case, and I think you can find that in the UFA market or through smart draft picks. The need for a big receiver, a physical receiver, is a hole I don't know how to fix and is amplified by the fact that Limas Sweed didn't work out and that Wallace wants to be paid and won't be back.

 

just my 2 cents

 

I still can't believe we released Saunders who is more talented as a receiver and blocking tight end and kept the waste of space Pope. Also what will happen with David Johnson? He will never be a star, but he has improved greatly over the last couple years.

 

My reasoning at the QB position is that I want someone who will be driven to improve and impress the coaches running the scout team. They tend to be less fragile and likely to be injured. IMO, Ben has not yet placed himself in the HOF. If you create controversy in the locker room, there is a point where it becomes a detriment to the team. As a leader he needs to make everyone else on the offense believe that it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then he can go into Haley's and Tomlin's offices and gripe behind closed doors.

The comment about Batch coaching is mostly my own theory. If Haley leaves to be a head coach, and not sure how likely that is with how our O performed this year, I could see Fitchner being promoted to OC with a guy like Batch who is close to Ben moving into the role of QB Coach.

I don't see Mike Wallace being franchised. I could be wrong, but I just don't see it. If we aren't going to throw the ball deep, and we can do some of that with Brown and Sanders, then Wallace doesn't fit this scheme as well as a receiver like Boldin would. Big, strong and physical are the attributes I want and I think we are missing. A guy who can shield the defender from the ball, yet has the speed to get open.

I have no problem with Starks starting and Gilbert going to the bench, but personally I think it is possible we come to camp without Starks even on the roster. I could see Foster coming back instead of Starks going into camp, even with Colon coming back, but it would mean that Beachum was officially moved to Tackle...not my preference.

To me the largest thing this offense needs is that Big receiver. Maybe there is a guy in the 2nd round of the draft who fits that bill, but right now, I don't see the need to use a draft pick at all on this side of the ball. The options are there to take any of them later in the draft, but I think MOST of our holes can be filled through signing UFAs. This offense struggled to get it done, but I truly believe that we have YET to see the best of this group. An offseason of tweaking and I think we will be fine on this side of the ball. We were REALLY young on this side of the ball.

Lastly, when it comes to coaches...my list to replace:

OLine coach (given), Special Teams coach, and Strength and Conditioning coach. It also wouldn't surprise me to see DL finally hang them up.

 

DJ blew an acl IMO will is far better

something must have happened with Wes we didn't know.about

 

There were a couple of reports during tc that he was getting a rep of being a whiner and always in the trainers room. Other than that Pope was Haley's boy. Yet another stupid Haley move. We kept your boy a 6-8" te that can't block,but you don't use him as a redzone target. He didn't even use him as a freaking decoy.

 

David Johnson was released due to the ACL tear. He could be resigned, but I doubt that happens as he is just a repeat of Will who I like better.

Saunders, I think was cut instead of Pope due to things we didn't see. How he practiced. How he fit in with the team. Was he a whiner? I don't know. Maybe he lied to the coaches about why he got suspended, I don't know, but Pope won't be back so no need to worry about that any more.

 

You're asking Ben to be a leader and then asking him to shut up. If I ran this organization, the first question I would have for ANY of the players would be directed towards Ben: "Are you happy with the coordinator? Do you have any concerns? What do you feel you need to be more effective?". I would do everything in my power to cater to his ego and surround him with whatever I could to make him feel confident and comfortable. To try and play dictator over him is a plss-poor strategy and assure you'll play a lot less January games in the near future.

I believe Redman is our best back. Just my opinion.

I would like to see Plax invited to St Vincents. He's one year removed from scoring a zillion td's in limited play on catches thrown by Mark Sanchhez. Ben loves him. I'd love to see an in-shape Plax on the roster.

I love Max Starks. He saved our season in 2011 and was solid again in 2012. Ben loves him too (I guess I'm in the minority in wanting to keep my franchise qb happy).

DeCastro gets a pass but after watching him in training camp, preseason, and the past two weeks (and listening to him whine about how hard it was to block pro players while in Latrobe) . . . he needs to get a hell of a lot better.

 

Ed Bouchette ‏@EdBouchette #Steelers Ben says he is happy with Haley's offense, looks forward to improving in 2013

 

Good job Tarheel as you can see and as I mentioned in
another thread the Steelers FO has their hands full this off season.
Depending on our salary cap numbers, we will have to go from there.
But you do address some needs at RB,WR, QB position.I am in flux about our OL
I am not happy with our athleticsm other than DD, Pouncey, Also I am interested
in your opinion of our WR, RB, (OL,Will be new) DL, LB, strength and conditioning,
and of course special teams coaches? I don't want to hi jack your thread
but I truly believe these have to be looked at IN THE OVERALL BIG PICTURE.

 

I will do a thread tomorrow at some point if I have time on the coaching staff.

 

No. I'm asking him to shut up BECAUSE he's a leader. Leadership is not about griping and complaining that things aren't going YOUR way, it is about what is best for the team. Look, it isn't that Ben is talking, I want that from him, but it doesn't need to be pointing fingers or even something that can be perceived as pointing fingers, and it doesn't need to be done in public. If you watch the movie Saving Private Ryan, you hear the Captain talk about how griping goes up the chain....not down. When you gripe to a reporter...that's down. Gripe to the OC, gripe to the HC, gripe to the GM, but NEVER gripe somewhere that can be viewed as you griping. It makes you look like a child, a spoiled brat...not a leader.

 

Saunders is a Colt now so it worked out pretty well for him.

 

Perhaps he HAS griped internally and nothing is changing. Perhaps he isn't the only player griping internally. Perhaps he IS being a leader (for his teammates) by being the only one to speak up publicly about it.

In this day and age (not 1944), it seems to me the most effective way to cause change is to get it out in the public thru the media. Isn't that what Art did to oust Arians and bring Haley in? Leadershipstarts at the top. The speed of the leader determines the pace of the pack.

 

We will have to agree to disagree with this one. Griping and complaining in public when you don't have the power to change it, only appears to be like you are a whiner. I do not believe that is what Art did. Art as the head of this organization with the power to hire and fire whoever he wants, he went into the public sector not to complain, but to set the goals and conditions. We don't run the ball enough. Change it. When Bruce didn't change it...he was fired. Oh wait...he retired.

Ben isn't up there setting goals and expectations...the coaches do that. Instead he wanted to complain about how things were in order to pressure those above him to change. That isn't leadership, that is something else completely.