Timmons--Watcha think now

[Oviedo]

I just had to go and look at the Trib blogs and not so ammazingly, the Timmons haters are all still there. Just amazing after this preseason.

Timmons is going to be a huge asset. He can just plain do things that Foote could never hope to do. His speed to the ball is insane. The comparisons to a young Derrick Brooks look to be have a bit more reality to them after this preseason.

Once he gets more comfortable, he is going to cause opposing offenses fits. I could see 6-8 sacks from the ILB position. Add a couple of INTs too.

[BURGH86STEEL]

I just had to go and look at the Trib blogs and not so ammazingly, the Timmons haters are all still there. Just amazing after this preseason.

Timmons is going to be a huge asset. He can just plain do things that Foote could never hope to do. His speed to the ball is insane. The comparisons to a young Derrick Brooks look to be have a bit more reality to them after this preseason.

Once he gets more comfortable, he is going to cause opposing offenses fits. I could see 6-8 sacks from the ILB position. Add a couple of INTs too.

It is one reason why people should not be so quick to rush to judgement on players. Timmons still has a way to go but it appears the Steelers got another difference maker for the defense.

[Oviedo]

I just had to go and look at the Trib blogs and not so ammazingly, the Timmons haters are all still there. Just amazing after this preseason.

Timmons is going to be a huge asset. He can just plain do things that Foote could never hope to do. His speed to the ball is insane. The comparisons to a young Derrick Brooks look to be have a bit more reality to them after this preseason.

Once he gets more comfortable, he is going to cause opposing offenses fits. I could see 6-8 sacks from the ILB position. Add a couple of INTs too.

It is one reason why people should not be so quick to rush to judgement on players. Timmons still has a way to go but it appears the Steelers got another difference maker for the defense.

Do you mean that rookies don't have to make Pro Bowls during their rookie season? I think that is unrealistically generous on your part. Not making a Pro Bowl as a rookie is a clear indication that the front office and the coaching staff cannot evealuate talent. I'll take it a step further, if any rookie in the NFL has a better season than one of our rookies it just further shows the lack of ability on the part of our coaches and front office.

Rookies should offer immediate gratification for fans and particularly for fantasy football players. The front office has failed to draft appropriately for the needs of fantasy football for years and it is now showing itself on the field. The front office drafting for the future should not be tolerated. Hopefully Druckenmiller buys the team and cleans house so this can be fixed and we just buy free agents and trade away these wasted picks.

[Shawn]

Honestly, I wasn't a big Timmons fan. Did I think he would bust out? Ehh...I was more worried we couldn't find a place for him. I mean we had Harrison and Woodley...where would Timmons play. I really didn't believe him to be stout enough to play inside. I'm still not sure he is to be honest. But, his quickness and atheltic ability is truely amazing. Whether he is playing the buck or the mack I think his strengths far out weigh his weaknesses. He has found a position and I'm now happy we drafted him.

[papillon]

I wasn't completely enamored with the pick and thought at the time that the Steelers had other needs to be filled and that drafting a project LB wasn't a good idea. I never considered him a bust and was willing to see how things worked out. He looks to be a talent at this point in time. I'm still not sure if the Steelers used the 1.15 position in the draft to help the Steelers in the best possible way in the long run.

We are struggling at every O-line position right now. There will be games when they look great and there will be, well, there will be Saturday night against the Vikes. I would prefer a bit more consistency even if the consistency is average.

I'm hoping Timmons makes a tremendous impact this year, but, I will still question whether LB was the way to go. I have no problem with Timmons the player.

Pappy

[RuthlessBurgher]

Timmons?

BUST!!!


























(as in, he will bust through the line, and bust up a play in the backfield, and bust up the quarterback's face in the process)

:tt2 :Steel :tt1

[RussBII]

Did you see him almost blow up AP's touchdown? He still tackled him too. If he had been about 3 feet over, i think that hit would've been epic...

-Russ

[costanza2k1]

[youtube:y6mp4mhr]wgVXrStylIQ[/youtube:y6mp4mhr]

[AngryAsian]

[youtube:1d5upedz]wgVXrStylIQ[/youtube:1d5upedz]


ABSOFUGGINBEAUTIFUL!!!!

[MeetJoeGreene]

I wasn't completely enamored with the pick and thought at the time that the Steelers had other needs to be filled and that drafting a project LB wasn't a good idea. I never considered him a bust and was willing to see how things worked out. He looks to be a talent at this point in time. I'm still not sure if the Steelers used the 1.15 position in the draft to help the Steelers in the best possible way in the long run.

We are struggling at every O-line position right now. There will be games when they look great and there will be, well, there will be Saturday night against the Vikes. I would prefer a bit more consistency even if the consistency is average.

I'm hoping Timmons makes a tremendous impact this year, but, I will still question whether LB was the way to go. I have no problem with Timmons the player.

Pappy

I echo that -- especially considering that they got Woodley in Round 2. It sure would be nice to have a good, bonafide OL prospect that is on the cusp of taking over a spot of need.

[BURGH86STEEL]

I wasn't completely enamored with the pick and thought at the time that the Steelers had other needs to be filled and that drafting a project LB wasn't a good idea. I never considered him a bust and was willing to see how things worked out. He looks to be a talent at this point in time. I'm still not sure if the Steelers used the 1.15 position in the draft to help the Steelers in the best possible way in the long run.

We are struggling at every O-line position right now. There will be games when they look great and there will be, well, there will be Saturday night against the Vikes. I would prefer a bit more consistency even if the consistency is average.

I'm hoping Timmons makes a tremendous impact this year, but, I will still question whether LB was the way to go. I have no problem with Timmons the player.

Pappy

I understand where you are coming regarding the Oline or Dline. There are a several factors to consider. Would you prefer the reach for an Oline or Dline in the 1st round? Were there any Oline or Dlinemen that were worth taken at number 15 outside of Joe Thomas or Levi Brown (who I thought the Steelers would take if he dropped to 15)? At that time last season the team was probably set at trying Colon at RT. Smith had his job and I am not sure if Joe Staley can play LT. Was Ben Grubbs worth the pick at number 15? Justin Harrell was the only DT drafted after number 15 in the 1st round. Not sure he was a 3-4 DL. I guess we won't know until a few years down the road how depending how things play out with this draft.

Glacing over the 1st round of the 07 draft it does not appear like there were a whole lot of Olinemen that teams thought enough of to draft. We saw how teams scooped up all the Olineman in the 1st round of the 08 draft before the Steelers had a real shot at a good one. I guess the Steelers were a year early. So many things to consider based on other team's needs or where the Steelers draft. What players are on the Steelers squad, who they hope to develop, and so on. I try to make sense of things we people say we had other needs. Some seem to think the Steelers ignore positions on purpose which is not the case. Since 2004 the Steelers have drafted 9 Olinemen. That is more than any other position on the team. That does not include UDFA. You can look these things up and decide. If they have a fault it maybe they did not pick the right player in the later rounds. Hard to argue with the 1st round results. Oh and I do not believe all of this falls on the shoulder of Colbert. I believe they do things as a collective group of coaches, scouts, Colbert, Rooneys, and others.

[Oviedo]

I wasn't completely enamored with the pick and thought at the time that the Steelers had other needs to be filled and that drafting a project LB wasn't a good idea. I never considered him a bust and was willing to see how things worked out. He looks to be a talent at this point in time. I'm still not sure if the Steelers used the 1.15 position in the draft to help the Steelers in the best possible way in the long run.

We are struggling at every O-line position right now. There will be games when they look great and there will be, well, there will be Saturday night against the Vikes. I would prefer a bit more consistency even if the consistency is average.

I'm hoping Timmons makes a tremendous impact this year, but, I will still question whether LB was the way to go. I have no problem with Timmons the player.

Pappy

I understand where you are coming regarding the Oline or Dline. There are a several factors to consider. Would you prefer the reach for an Oline or Dline in the 1st round? Were there any Oline or Dlinemen that were worth taken at number 15 outside of Joe Thomas or Levi Brown (who I thought the Steelers would take if he dropped to 15)? At that time last season the team was probably set at trying Colon at RT. Smith had his job and I am not sure if Joe Staley can play LT. Was Ben Grubbs worth the pick at number 15? Justin Harrell was the only DT drafted after number 15 in the 1st round. Not sure he was a 3-4 DL. I guess we won't know until a few years down the road how depending how things play out with this draft.

Glacing over the 1st round of the 07 draft it does not appear like there were a whole lot of Olinemen that teams thought enough of to draft. We saw how teams scooped up all the Olineman in the 1st round of the 08 draft before the Steelers had a real shot on a good one. I guess the Steelers were a year early. So many things to consider based on other team's needs or where the Steelers draft. What players are on the Steelers and so on. I try to make sense of things we people say we had other needs. Some seem to think the Steelers ignore positions on purpose which is not the case. Since 2004 the Steelers have drafted 9 Olinemen. That is more than any other position on the team. That does not include UDFA. You can look these things up and decide. If they have a fault it maybe they did not pick the right player in the later rounds. Hard to argue with the 1st round results.

:Agree Timmons will be an impact player. No OL or DL we would have gotten at 1.15 last year would have the same said about them.

[BURGH86STEEL]

I wasn't completely enamored with the pick and thought at the time that the Steelers had other needs to be filled and that drafting a project LB wasn't a good idea. I never considered him a bust and was willing to see how things worked out. He looks to be a talent at this point in time. I'm still not sure if the Steelers used the 1.15 position in the draft to help the Steelers in the best possible way in the long run.

We are struggling at every O-line position right now. There will be games when they look great and there will be, well, there will be Saturday night against the Vikes. I would prefer a bit more consistency even if the consistency is average.

I'm hoping Timmons makes a tremendous impact this year, but, I will still question whether LB was the way to go. I have no problem with Timmons the player.

Pappy

I understand where you are coming regarding the Oline or Dline. There are a several factors to consider. Would you prefer the reach for an Oline or Dline in the 1st round? Were there any Oline or Dlinemen that were worth taken at number 15 outside of Joe Thomas or Levi Brown (who I thought the Steelers would take if he dropped to 15)? At that time last season the team was probably set at trying Colon at RT. Smith had his job and I am not sure if Joe Staley can play LT. Was Ben Grubbs worth the pick at number 15? Justin Harrell was the only DT drafted after number 15 in the 1st round. Not sure he was a 3-4 DL. I guess we won't know until a few years down the road how depending how things play out with this draft.

Glacing over the 1st round of the 07 draft it does not appear like there were a whole lot of Olinemen that teams thought enough of to draft. We saw how teams scooped up all the Olineman in the 1st round of the 08 draft before the Steelers had a real shot on a good one. I guess the Steelers were a year early. So many things to consider based on other team's needs or where the Steelers draft. What players are on the Steelers and so on. I try to make sense of things we people say we had other needs. Some seem to think the Steelers ignore positions on purpose which is not the case. Since 2004 the Steelers have drafted 9 Olinemen. That is more than any other position on the team. That does not include UDFA. You can look these things up and decide. If they have a fault it maybe they did not pick the right player in the later rounds. Hard to argue with the 1st round results.

:Agree Timmons will be an impact player. No OL or DL we would have gotten at 1.15 last year would have the same said about them.

It appears that he might be. He has show flashes of Polamalu type ability. Only Timmons is bigger. I think we see why the Steelers choose to draft Timmons. How could they pass up on a player with that kind of potential?

[papillon]

I wasn't completely enamored with the pick and thought at the time that the Steelers had other needs to be filled and that drafting a project LB wasn't a good idea. I never considered him a bust and was willing to see how things worked out. He looks to be a talent at this point in time. I'm still not sure if the Steelers used the 1.15 position in the draft to help the Steelers in the best possible way in the long run.

We are struggling at every O-line position right now. There will be games when they look great and there will be, well, there will be Saturday night against the Vikes. I would prefer a bit more consistency even if the consistency is average.

I'm hoping Timmons makes a tremendous impact this year, but, I will still question whether LB was the way to go. I have no problem with Timmons the player.

Pappy

I understand where you are coming regarding the Oline or Dline. There are a several factors to consider. Would you prefer the reach for an Oline or Dline in the 1st round? Were there any Oline or Dlinemen that were worth taken at number 15 outside of Joe Thomas or Levi Brown (who I thought the Steelers would take if he dropped to 15)? At that time last season the team was probably set at trying Colon at RT. Smith had his job and I am not sure if Joe Staley can play LT. Was Ben Grubbs worth the pick at number 15? Justin Harrell was the only DT drafted after number 15 in the 1st round. Not sure he was a 3-4 DL. I guess we won't know until a few years down the road how depending how things play out with this draft.

Glacing over the 1st round of the 07 draft it does not appear like there were a whole lot of Olinemen that teams thought enough of to draft. We saw how teams scooped up all the Olineman in the 1st round of the 08 draft before the Steelers had a real shot at a good one. I guess the Steelers were a year early. So many things to consider based on other team's needs or where the Steelers draft. What players are on the Steelers squad, who they hope to develop, and so on. I try to make sense of things we people say we had other needs. Some seem to think the Steelers ignore positions on purpose which is not the case. Since 2004 the Steelers have drafted 9 Olinemen. That is more than any other position on the team. That does not include UDFA. You can look these things up and decide. If they have a fault it maybe they did not pick the right player in the later rounds. Hard to argue with the 1st round results. Oh and I do not believe all of this falls on the shoulder of Colbert. I believe they do things as a collective group of coaches, scouts, Colbert, Rooneys, and others.

Well, I guess if I'm going to draft a project player whether it was Timmons, an Offensive lineman or a defensive lineman I would draft the project player in a position of need. Timmons may turn into a beast and be part of the #1 ranked defense in football. But, if we can't score points because Ben is afraid to stand in the pocket the defense won't do us any good.

I like Timmons, I'm concerned about the offense. They haven't looked good in two games now. The Steelers start playing for keeps in two weeks. Ben is going to have to be Houdini again on too many occasions for my liking. Here's hoping Timmons forces other QBs to do the same and hopefully, they won't be as successful as Ben at making something happen.

Pappy

[feltdizz]

I wasn't completely enamored with the pick and thought at the time that the Steelers had other needs to be filled and that drafting a project LB wasn't a good idea. I never considered him a bust and was willing to see how things worked out. He looks to be a talent at this point in time. I'm still not sure if the Steelers used the 1.15 position in the draft to help the Steelers in the best possible way in the long run.

We are struggling at every O-line position right now. There will be games when they look great and there will be, well, there will be Saturday night against the Vikes. I would prefer a bit more consistency even if the consistency is average.

I'm hoping Timmons makes a tremendous impact this year, but, I will still question whether LB was the way to go. I have no problem with Timmons the player.

Pappy

I understand where you are coming regarding the Oline or Dline. There are a several factors to consider. Would you prefer the reach for an Oline or Dline in the 1st round? Were there any Oline or Dlinemen that were worth taken at number 15 outside of Joe Thomas or Levi Brown (who I thought the Steelers would take if he dropped to 15)? At that time last season the team was probably set at trying Colon at RT. Smith had his job and I am not sure if Joe Staley can play LT. Was Ben Grubbs worth the pick at number 15? Justin Harrell was the only DT drafted after number 15 in the 1st round. Not sure he was a 3-4 DL. I guess we won't know until a few years down the road how depending how things play out with this draft.

Glacing over the 1st round of the 07 draft it does not appear like there were a whole lot of Olinemen that teams thought enough of to draft. We saw how teams scooped up all the Olineman in the 1st round of the 08 draft before the Steelers had a real shot at a good one. I guess the Steelers were a year early. So many things to consider based on other team's needs or where the Steelers draft. What players are on the Steelers squad, who they hope to develop, and so on. I try to make sense of things we people say we had other needs. Some seem to think the Steelers ignore positions on purpose which is not the case. Since 2004 the Steelers have drafted 9 Olinemen. That is more than any other position on the team. That does not include UDFA. You can look these things up and decide. If they have a fault it maybe they did not pick the right player in the later rounds. Hard to argue with the 1st round results. Oh and I do not believe all of this falls on the shoulder of Colbert. I believe they do things as a collective group of coaches, scouts, Colbert, Rooneys, and others.

Well, I guess if I'm going to draft a project player whether it was Timmons, an Offensive lineman or a defensive lineman I would draft the project player in a position of need. Timmons may turn into a beast and be part of the #1 ranked defense in football. But, if we can't score points because Ben is afraid to stand in the pocket the defense won't do us any good.

I like Timmons, I'm concerned about the offense. They haven't looked good in two games now. The Steelers start playing for keeps in two weeks. Ben is going to have to be Houdini again on too many occasions for my liking. Here's hoping Timmons forces other QBs to do the same and hopefully, they won't be as successful as Ben at making something happen.

Pappy

True... but I think the FO is thinking if we can't find a project of value on he OL... might as well draft a LB that can shorten the field for the OL and keep it close enough for Ben to work his magic...

and when you look at our LB core... we needed help there as well. Our LB's are the anchor of our team. At least until we find another All Pro Center...

[Oviedo]

feltdizz--You are correct. Everyone seems to think how thin our LB Corps was last year: Porter fading and gone, Haggens never was, Foote was barely adequete, Harrison was new and no one knew if he could be the guy. We also had no back ups who could step in.

LB last year was a definitely area of need as much as if not more than OL because without a strong set of LB, you are nothing running the 3-4. With Timmons and Woodley you have to say LB is now a position of strength.

While everyone is in a panic about the OL, our LBs were not good and we have had a trend of declining sacks for a couple of years. Not good for 3-4 team that relies on pressure from the LBs.

Timmons and Woodley will be beasts this year--12-15 sacks between them.

[papillon]

feltdizz--You are correct. Everyone seems to think how thin our LB Corps was last year: Porter fading and gone, Haggens never was, Foote was barely adequete, Harrison was new and no one knew if he could be the guy. We also had no back ups who could step in.

LB last year was a definitely area of need as much as if not more than OL because without a strong set of LB, you are nothing running the 3-4. With Timmons and Woodley you have to say LB is now a position of strength.

While everyone is in a panic about the OL, our LBs were not good and we have had a trend of declining sacks for a couple of years. Not good for 3-4 team that relies on pressure from the LBs.

Timmons and Woodley will be beasts this year--12-15 sacks between them.

Obviously, the Steelers FO believed we were thin at LB, they drafted two in the first two rounds last year and they both appear to be on their way to successful NFL careers.

The FO it seems has been ignoring the offensive line for too many years in my estimation. As I said, I don't have a problem at all with Timmons the player, it appears he'll be very good for many years. I just wasn't enamored with the position in the draft that he was selected. I really don't have any idea what offensive or defensive linemen were still available at 1.15, but, I have to think that there was a quality lineman available when we drafted.

It's unfathomable to think that all the good linemen were drafted in the first 14 picks of the draft.

I like Timmons and I'll like him even more when he gets his first sack, second sack, third sack, fourth sack, INT, fifth sack, fumble recovery,... :P

I won't like him so much whgen I see Ben running for his life.. :evil:

Pappy
Pappy

[Oviedo]

feltdizz--You are correct. Everyone seems to think how thin our LB Corps was last year: Porter fading and gone, Haggens never was, Foote was barely adequete, Harrison was new and no one knew if he could be the guy. We also had no back ups who could step in.

LB last year was a definitely area of need as much as if not more than OL because without a strong set of LB, you are nothing running the 3-4. With Timmons and Woodley you have to say LB is now a position of strength.

While everyone is in a panic about the OL, our LBs were not good and we have had a trend of declining sacks for a couple of years. Not good for 3-4 team that relies on pressure from the LBs.

Timmons and Woodley will be beasts this year--12-15 sacks between them.

Obviously, the Steelers FO believed we were thin at LB, they drafted two in the first two rounds last year and they both appear to be on their way to successful NFL careers.

The FO it seems has been ignoring the offensive line for too many years in my estimation. As I said, I don't have a problem at all with Timmons the player, it appears he'll be very good for many years. I just wasn't enamored with the position in the draft that he was selected. I really don't have any idea what offensive or defensive linemen were still available at 1.15, but, I have to think that there was a quality lineman available when we drafted.

It's unfathomable to think that all the good linemen were drafted in the first 14 picks of the draft.

I like Timmons and I'll like him even more when he gets his first sack, second sack, third sack, fourth sack, INT, fifth sack, fumble recovery,... :P

I won't like him so much whgen I see Ben running for his life.. :evil:

Pappy
Pappy

I guess it is about philosophy. Good linemen probably were available, but do you use your 1st pick for good and steady or impact. Timmons can be an impact player change the outcome of games. It is much harder to say an OL has the same impact.

[papillon]

feltdizz--You are correct. Everyone seems to think how thin our LB Corps was last year: Porter fading and gone, Haggens never was, Foote was barely adequete, Harrison was new and no one knew if he could be the guy. We also had no back ups who could step in.

LB last year was a definitely area of need as much as if not more than OL because without a strong set of LB, you are nothing running the 3-4. With Timmons and Woodley you have to say LB is now a position of strength.

While everyone is in a panic about the OL, our LBs were not good and we have had a trend of declining sacks for a couple of years. Not good for 3-4 team that relies on pressure from the LBs.

Timmons and Woodley will be beasts this year--12-15 sacks between them.

Obviously, the Steelers FO believed we were thin at LB, they drafted two in the first two rounds last year and they both appear to be on their way to successful NFL careers.

The FO it seems has been ignoring the offensive line for too many years in my estimation. As I said, I don't have a problem at all with Timmons the player, it appears he'll be very good for many years. I just wasn't enamored with the position in the draft that he was selected. I really don't have any idea what offensive or defensive linemen were still available at 1.15, but, I have to think that there was a quality lineman available when we drafted.

It's unfathomable to think that all the good linemen were drafted in the first 14 picks of the draft.

I like Timmons and I'll like him even more when he gets his first sack, second sack, third sack, fourth sack, INT, fifth sack, fumble recovery,... :P

I won't like him so much whgen I see Ben running for his life.. :evil:

Pappy
Pappy

I guess it is about philosophy. Good linemen probably were available, but do you use your 1st pick for good and steady or impact. Timmons can be an impact player change the outcome of games. It is much harder to say an OL has the same impact.

I just hope the impact isn't Bart scott finishing the job he started a few years ago, if ya know what I mean. Regardless, of the impact that Timmons has, the Steelers are sub-500 team without Ben.

Pappy

[BURGH86STEEL]

feltdizz--You are correct. Everyone seems to think how thin our LB Corps was last year: Porter fading and gone, Haggens never was, Foote was barely adequete, Harrison was new and no one knew if he could be the guy. We also had no back ups who could step in.

LB last year was a definitely area of need as much as if not more than OL because without a strong set of LB, you are nothing running the 3-4. With Timmons and Woodley you have to say LB is now a position of strength.

While everyone is in a panic about the OL, our LBs were not good and we have had a trend of declining sacks for a couple of years. Not good for 3-4 team that relies on pressure from the LBs.

Timmons and Woodley will be beasts this year--12-15 sacks between them.

Obviously, the Steelers FO believed we were thin at LB, they drafted two in the first two rounds last year and they both appear to be on their way to successful NFL careers.

The FO it seems has been ignoring the offensive line for too many years in my estimation. As I said, I don't have a problem at all with Timmons the player, it appears he'll be very good for many years. I just wasn't enamored with the position in the draft that he was selected. I really don't have any idea what offensive or defensive linemen were still available at 1.15, but, I have to think that there was a quality lineman available when we drafted.

It's unfathomable to think that all the good linemen were drafted in the first 14 picks of the draft.

I like Timmons and I'll like him even more when he gets his first sack, second sack, third sack, fourth sack, INT, fifth sack, fumble recovery,... :P

I won't like him so much whgen I see Ben running for his life.. :evil:

Pappy
Pappy

If you do not know what Olinemen were avaliable how can you state there was a quality Olinemen available? Going into that draft there were two Olinemen that were considered top 10 to 15. Levi Brown and Joe Thomas. Steelers did not have a realistic shot at either. We saw in the 08 draft what happens when teams feel as though really good Olinemen are there. They are gone pretty quickly. Carolina thought so much of one they gave up next year's 1st round pick to get him (I think they made a big mistake). Do you think the Steelers should've done that?

I think you estimation is off about the organization ignoring the Oline. Since 2004 they've drafted more Olineman(9) than any other position. That does not include UDFA. They've brought in FAs. I can see you missed my earlier points because you only see what's happening now without taking other things into consideration. Who's on the roster, who they hope will develop, and so on. You cannot simply have everything in the NFL. Teams cannot simply groom replacements at every position. There are so many variables.

I think the proper complaint might be that the team missed on some later round Oline picks or FA pickup (Mahan). Not that fact that they've ignored the Oline. I do not worry about such things because I understand how hard it is to have everything in place. Watch a few other games this season and then tell me what team has a perfect Oline. I for one do not think the Oline is as bad as every makes it.

[feltdizz]

I think we will go all in to upgrade our OL next year. If I'm a GM I'm not all that excited about Ben passing from a nice pocket like Payton or Brady..

Ben just doesn't look comfortable in a pocket IMO unless he is throwing a slant IMO.

How many times have you seen Ben just carve up a D in the pocket? Have we ever seen Ben go through his progressions standing in a pocket in 2004 or 2005?
What made Ben special was what he could do to extend a play.. things Tommy couldn't do and Kordell wouldn't do (he would run!)

When we had a good OL... Ben still made them look average at times because he holds onto the ball trying to make plays...this is what makes him great yet also can make an OL look bad.

The Colts playoff game? We came out passing but Ben wasn't throwing all over the field... we had a D that was playing run all the way and Ben made them pay...

Don't get me wrong.. we need to improve, but some protections are just a bust from the snap and aren't based on physical but mental mistakes...

Ben checking down to the TE and RB's and throwing the ball away like he has been will make the O look good this year

[RuthlessBurgher]

Tackles Joe Thomas and Levi Brown were out of reach, since they both went in the top 5 overall. The other two first round o-lineman, tackle Joe Staley (#28) and guard Ben Grubbs (#29) both would have been just as big of a reach pick at #15 as Timmons was. My personal opinion last year was to trade up a few spots to take Amobi Okoye or Adam Carriker, who were within reach (both got selected within 5 picks prior to us, Okoye at #10, and Carriker at #13). I gave the F.O. the benefit of the doubt, though, even though that would not have been my selection, and Timmons is starting to show what they show in him when they decided he was worthy of pick 15.

[BURGH86STEEL]

Tackles Joe Thomas and Levi Brown were out of reach, since they both went in the top 5 overall. The other two first round o-lineman, tackle Joe Staley (#28) and guard Ben Grubbs (#29) both would have been just as big of a reach pick at #15 as Timmons was. My personal opinion last year was to trade up a few spots to take Amobi Okoye or Adam Carriker, who were within reach (both got selected within 5 picks prior to us, Okoye at #10, and Carriker at #13). I gave the F.O. the benefit of the doubt, though, even though that would not have been my selection, and Timmons is starting to show what they show in him when they decided he was worthy of pick 15.

Maybe they tried to move up? Maybe the other teams did not want to make a deal? M These are things we will never know. What would it cost them to move up to 10? For sure a 2nd round pick. Might've cost them a 2nd to move up to 13 too. Then we have no Woodley. We would probably had to resign Haggins and we would have complaints there. I guess my point is there are no easy solutions. I believe they do the best they can.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Tackles Joe Thomas and Levi Brown were out of reach, since they both went in the top 5 overall. The other two first round o-lineman, tackle Joe Staley (#28) and guard Ben Grubbs (#29) both would have been just as big of a reach pick at #15 as Timmons was. My personal opinion last year was to trade up a few spots to take Amobi Okoye or Adam Carriker, who were within reach (both got selected within 5 picks prior to us, Okoye at #10, and Carriker at #13). I gave the F.O. the benefit of the doubt, though, even though that would not have been my selection, and Timmons is starting to show what they show in him when they decided he was worthy of pick 15.

Maybe they tried to move up? Maybe the other teams did not want to make a deal? M These are things we will never know. What would it cost them to move up to 10? For sure a 2nd round pick. Might've cost them a 2nd to move up to 13 too. Then we have no Woodley. We would probably had to resign Haggins and we would have complaints there. I guess my point is there are no easy solutions. I believe they do the best they can.

According to the standard trade value draft chart, the difference between #10 and #15 is 250 points, which would be roughly a mid-3rd round and mid-5th round pick. The difference between #13 and #15 is 100 points, which would be roughly a mid-4th round and mid-5th round pick. I thought that trading up was reasonable in the '07 draft (which it wasn't in the '08 draft), since we had an extra pick at the end of rounds 4 & 5 (I realize that you can't trade comp picks, but the presence of those extra picks makes it easier to move some of your regular picks). So we wouldn't have had to give up the Woodley pick (worth 440 points) at all. Hypothetically, we would have given up the Matt Spaeth and Cam Stephenson picks to move up to get Okoye, or the Daniel Sepulveda and Cam Stephenson picks to get Carriker (and we would still have the 6th pick that we used to move up in the 4th to get Sepulveda).

[papillon]

If you do not know what Olinemen were avaliable how can you state there was a quality Olinemen available? Going into that draft there were two Olinemen that were considered top 10 to 15. Levi Brown and Joe Thomas. Steelers did not have a realistic shot at either. We saw in the 08 draft what happens when teams feel as though really good Olinemen are there. They are gone pretty quickly. Carolina thought so much of one they gave up next year's 1st round pick to get him (I think they made a big mistake). Do you think the Steelers should've done that?

I think you estimation is off about the organization ignoring the Oline. Since 2004 they've drafted more Olineman(9) than any other position. That does not include UDFA. They've brought in FAs. I can see you missed my earlier points because you only see what's happening now without taking other things into consideration. Who's on the roster, who they hope will develop, and so on. You cannot simply have everything in the NFL. Teams cannot simply groom replacements at every position. There are so many variables.

I think the proper complaint might be that the team missed on some later round Oline picks or FA pickup (Mahan). Not that fact that they've ignored the Oline. I do not worry about such things because I understand how hard it is to have everything in place. Watch a few other games this season and then tell me what team has a perfect Oline. I for one do not think the Oline is as bad as every makes it.



I don't need to knw the exact lineman that were available, because, I just don't believe that the only good linemen were selected in the first 14 picks. There had to be a lineman or two that was selected after the Steelers picked that has been productive in the NFL. A reach is a reach and trying to subjectively determine if a lineman was a bigger reach than Timmons is almost impossible.

If we've drafted more linmen than any other position since 2004 and none of them have panned out, then the FO needs to be investigated for doing a bad job of evaluating talent that is coiming out of college.

Regardless, of the impact Timmons has this year if Ben can't be kept upright he will not finish the year and we may be losing one of the best quarterbacks in the league for indefinite amounts of time.

Like I said before I'm sure that I'll love Timmons when he's recording sacks, fumbles and passes defended; but, I'm not going to like it so much if I see Ben running for his life again. It's a tall order to expect Ben to continue to make plays with the frquency that he does when he's being chased.

The Steelers have a lot of money tied up in offensive lineman (about 27 million) and I don't think they're getting they're monies worth from them. They are an average group on their best day; Kemo may become a pro-bowler, but, I doubt any of the others get mentioned.

Pappy

[papillon]

Tackles Joe Thomas and Levi Brown were out of reach, since they both went in the top 5 overall. The other two first round o-lineman, tackle Joe Staley (#28) and guard Ben Grubbs (#29) both would have been just as big of a reach pick at #15 as Timmons was. My personal opinion last year was to trade up a few spots to take Amobi Okoye or Adam Carriker, who were within reach (both got selected within 5 picks prior to us, Okoye at #10, and Carriker at #13). I gave the F.O. the benefit of the doubt, though, even though that would not have been my selection, and Timmons is starting to show what they show in him when they decided he was worthy of pick 15.

Maybe they tried to move up? Maybe the other teams did not want to make a deal? M These are things we will never know. What would it cost them to move up to 10? For sure a 2nd round pick. Might've cost them a 2nd to move up to 13 too. Then we have no Woodley. We would probably had to resign Haggins and we would have complaints there. I guess my point is there are no easy solutions. I believe they do the best they can.

The solutions become even harder next year with Essex, Smith and Starks all FAs. It's also appearing that each of them isn't that good. I hope I'm wrong there, but, Starks can't beat out Colon and he looked pretty bad against the Vikes. Smith was beat with a speed rush a couple times on Ben's backside (that's never good) and Essex is sitting on the bench.

Not to mention that Hartwig and Mahan aren't the stoutest of centers in the game and Hartwig is only marginally better than Mahan, if at all.

So, even if we draft heavy on ofeensive linmen next year we're still going to be using the guys we have now for atleast this year and next and we'll be hoping that the draftees develop quickly.

The window of opportunity for Ben and the Steelers is the next 7-8 years while Ben is under 34 years of age. I hope we're not wasting one, possibly two of them because the offensive line can't get the job done. I will reserve judgment until after a few games, but, the last two pre-season games haven't been exactly exhilirating as far as the offense goes.

Pappy

[mshifko]

anyone that knows me, realizes how much i supported this guy last season...i thought he ran into some bad breaks...after watching him play collegiately numerous times, i understood how good he was...not trying to toot my own horn, but it doesn't surprise me how good he has played...he is so athletic. he's going to be a great player for us this season and for many years to come...

[NKySteeler]

anyone that knows me, realizes how much i supported this guy last season......

I'll admit that I wasn't sure of him last season, shif.... But I am thoroughly pleased with what I've seen so far... I give you credit for your convictions.... :wink:

:Bow :Bow