Steelhead
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Defensive End Prospects
Let's look at an area of the roster that is getting older. The Smith and Kiesel are pretty good, especially Smith. His domination in the run game was evident in the playoff loss to the Jags. The Steelers struggled to stop the run when he was not playing. Let's look at good 3-4 DE prospects, and what they need to fit the Steeler's system:
1. Size: 6-2 or taller, 275 to 300 lbs. Not a typical DE that is a little lighter in the pants. Steeler DEs are big and powerful, like smaller DTs.
2. Need to be able to handle double teams well. If they get double teamed by the OL, they need to be able to hold the point of attack. A DE in this position will probably not make the tackle, but they will give the ILBs plenty of room to shut down the run.
The prospects:
1. Tyson Jackson 6'4" 295 lbs
McShay grades Jackson out as a 93.
2. Robert Ayers 6'3" 273 lbs
Looks to be a second day pick. Grades out as an 87.
There is really only one prospect that fits the Steeler DE mold and can be a starter in the future. That is Tyson Jackson. The Steelers will probably need to take him at the end of Rd 1, as he will be gone by the 64th pick. Tyson is an established player with a lot of film. He stops the run in dominant fashion, and is an adequate, not dominating, pass rusher. He has no off the field problems.
Jackson is most likely on the draft board as a first pick option for the Steelers.
Steelhead
Sunday, February 8, 2009
James Harrison
Here is a good article from James', and my, hometown paper:
What a great thought that two of the best Steelers are from Ohio - Ben and Deebo. The fact that the Browns did not sign Deebo when he was available makes his performance even sweeter.
Go Steelers!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Prospects
The OL prospects are abundant in the 2009 draft. This bodes well for the Steelers, as that seems to be their only weakness on the team. Here are prospects that the Steelers are probably going to watch closely at the combine:
OT
Eben Britton 6'6" 310lbs
Phil Loadholt 6'8" 337lbs
Alex Boone 6'8" 312lbs
Most draft boards have Britton and Loadholt going by the 32nd pick. If the Steelers can re-sign Starks and secure Colon, not too hard with a RFA, then look for an OT in rounds 3-4. I like Alex Boone around there. I do not think that OT is as big a priority as the interior line, although an upgrade at RT would be nice.
OG
Duke Robinson 6'5" 335lbs
Andy Levitre 6'3" 317lbs
Herman Johnson 6'7" 386lbs (!!)
Kraig Urbik 6'6" 332 lbs
There are a few monsters in here at OG. A lot of draft boards have the Steelers taking Duke Robinson with the 32nd pick. That would be fine with me. He looks to be the best OG prospect. Herman Johnson with the 96th pick would be good, but I do not think that he would fit into the Steelers blocking schemes at LG as he has lower mobility...i.e. he has trouble pulling. However, at RG he could be a complete monster in the running game. Urbik is another good RG prospect and would be an assest in the running game. I think this is where the Steelers need to improve the most, at either RG or LG. If the Steelers re-sign Kemo, look for a draft pick to play RG immediately. I do not think Simmons or Stapleton will make the team if that happens.
C
Alex Mack 6'4" 316lbs
Max Unger 6'5" 300lbs
Antoine Caldwell 6'3" 305lbs
Many draft boards have the Steelers taking Mack with the 32nd pick. There is about a 45/45 spilt between Mack and Robinson. The other 10% has the Steelers taking an OT. Hartwig was adequate at center, but drafting an upgrade might be nice. I think Mack is a great pick at 32. If the Steelers go OG, look for them to take Caldwell in the 3-4th rounds.
The ideal scenario for 4 rounds:
Rd 1: Duke Robinson
Rd 2: Max Unger
Rd. 3: CB or DE
Rd 4: Alex Boone
This is ideal as it permits the Steelers to offer Colon a one year max RFA offer, and to prep Boone at RT in case he looks as good as or better than Colon in pass pro. This puts a stud at RG, assuming Kemo re-signs, or offers his replacement at LG. Unger can play C or compete for the RG position.
The OL might look like this: Starks - Kemo - Hartwig/Unger - Robinson- Colon
Without Kemo: Starks - Robinson - Hartwig - Unger - Colon
Depth: Boone, Hills, Stapelton, Essex
Second Option:
Rd 1: Alex Mack
Rd 2: Herman Johnson
Rd 3: CB orDE
Rd 4: Kraig Urbik
What to do with Hartwig if Mack plays C? This lets the Steelers part with Kemo and put Urbik in his place. Johnson could play RG with Stapleton as depth. Hartwig could provide depth at C/G. Hills and Essex would have to be the depth for OT.
The OL might look like this: Starks - Urbik - Mack - Johnson - Colon
Depth: Hartwig, Stapleton, Hills, Essex
Either way, this draft is coming at the right time for the Steelers, even with the last pick in each round.
Steelhead
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
WOW!!
Awesome game! The Steelers are now the proud owners of SIX championships. Congrats to the Rooneys, the Steeler organization, and all of Steeler Nation.
Now let's look forward to the off-season, free agency and the draft. Here is a positional analysis for the Steelers:
Offense
QB - The QB position is obviously set. The backup position will be interesting though. I think Leftwich will be offered a good contract, and will leave. The Steelers will have Ben, Batch and Dixon on the roster next year.
RB - After spending a 1st round pick on Mendenhall, the Steelers will be OK at RB next year. Look for Moore, Davis and Russell to return. However, Russell might be on the bubble if they do not keep 5 RBs. Hopefully, the goal line offense gets better with Mendenhall. I'd like to see a blocking upgrade at the FB position, but I do not think we'll see that.
WR - Obviously Ward and Holmes will be back. After that, things get interesting. Nate is an UFA after this year, and it is unknown whether he will get an offer worth considering from somewhere else. If Nate thinks Sweed will challenge him for the #3WR spot, and he gets a decent offer, he might be gone. If he stays, the competition at the #3WR spot will be intense. If Sweed matures a bit, the Steelers will have good depth and a formidable 4WR set.
TE - No issues here. Dekker won't be back, but Heath, Spaeth and McHugh will man this position just fine. McHugh will have to be re-signed, but he'll come pretty cheap.
OT - Now things get interesting. I'm 99.9% sure that Marvel will not be re-signed. It is a shame, but his back is just too tweaked to be reliable. Colon is a RFA, so either they'll give him the highest 1 year offer (no one will give up a 1st and a 3rd), or they'll get him into a 3-4 year contract. Starks is an interesting one to watch too. Some people have been clamoring to sign Gross from Carolina, but he'll get the franchise tag. They let Smith walk, so they will try to re-sign Starks for 2-3 years. They will use Essex as the backup LT. The backup RT will depend on the draft, or might just be Hills.
OG - More intrigue. Kemo is up. I think Kemo gets a new contract, but for reasonable money. Hopefully, he works on his pass pro in the off-season. If Simmons comes back well from his Achilles injury, they might NOT re-sign Kemo, and they might move Simmons to LG. Stapleton has done a decent job, but lacks the size and strength to go against big DTs. Good in pass pro. If you could combine Stapleton and Kemo, you'd have a pretty good OG. I think OG is one of the positions that the Steelers will address on the first day of the draft, maybe even Rd 1 if the prospect is good enough.
C - Hartwig has done a good job so far. I think the Steelers will be looking for a future center in the draft, particularly the 1st and 2nd rounds. This happened to Hartwig when Carolina took Kalil.
Defense
DL - The Steelers DL is quality, but is aging. I think they will draft on day 1 here. Roye got his ring and will retire, opening up a roster space. Look for a DE to be taken in rounds 2-3.
OLB - No issues, except for maybe giving Harrison more money. Some of the backups are UFAs, but I do not think that is a big deal as they will be eager to re-sign or will be easily replaced. Hopefully, Bruce Davis can get some things together and contribute next year.
ILB - There are rumors that Foote wants to go to Detroit. I think that would be OK. I think Timmons is now ready to play inside. Timmons is not the ideal mac backer, so look for a player to be drafted for the future mac position. Farrior will stay at the buc position until he retires, and then Timmons will take his spot. Look for Humpal to make it from the practice squad and be a backup ILB. I think Fox gets re-signed for ST and as a backup.
CB - McFadden will not get a big offer as a UFA, and he will be back with the Steelers. Other than some backups and ST players, there will not be a lot of movement here.
S - Anthony Smith is really the question mark here. As a RFA, will he be given an offer? I think so, but he seems to be in Tomlin's doghouse...or at least toward the bottom of the depth chart. when the Steelers use 3 safeties, they insert Carter. Does an OK job on ST though.
Special Teams
K - No changes.
P - Thank goodness Sepulveda comes back. Berger is gone and can retire with a ring. Good for him.
Draft Needs
Here are the Steelers needs:
1. Interior offensive line - Look for the Steelers to get the best C or OG available with the 32nd pick. They might address this need twice on the first day of the draft.
2. DL depth - Look for the Steelers to address this in the 2nd or 3rd round. Look for some late round picks here too.
3. Kick Returner - The return game for the Steelers has no pop. The Steelers need to draft a DB or a WR that can return kicks. Imagine this team if they can get field position past the 35 once or twice a game. Sometimes, they need to flip the field and take pressure off of the defense.
4. MLB - an ideal mac backer.
We'll look at potential FA signings in a late post.
Enjoy the Championship!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)