The BIGGEST disappointment of this season:

[SteelTorch]

Santonio Holmes, without a doubt. I had high hopes for this guy, especially after coming off last season where he led the league in yards per catch. This season, he's been a non-factor, has been repeatedly out of sync with our QB, hasn't been a deep threat, and the incident (you know which one) only adds to it. I know our whole O is struggling right now for a lot of reasons, but he stands out the most I think.

Just had to get that off my shoulders. I feel better now. :mrgreen:

[Steel Life]

Agreed, without a doubt. Don't forget to add his grousing about practice during training camp too.
Santonio needs to grow up & be more professional about his job.

[buckeyehoppy]

I am going to keep reminding the Steeler Universe that the Steelers TRADED UP to get the then-underclassman Holmes when they had an outstanding need on their OL at C and could have drafted a C from the same school as Holmes.

Aftermath of that decision: Holmes is in year 3 with the Steelers and is slowly becoming a head case with an attitude problem.

Look at it this way: if the Steelers draft the C from the same school as Holmes, the Mahan fiasco NEVER HAPPENS, the necessity to get Hartwig is nullified and you don't tie up a $hitload of cap space (at least not yet) at C.

Instead, we have S'tonio Holmes...and will you still want him when he wants the big $$$?

[Steel Life]

I am going to keep reminding the Steeler Universe that the Steelers TRADED UP to get the then-underclassman Holmes when they had an outstanding need on their OL at C and could have drafted a C from the same school as Holmes.

Aftermath of that decision: Holmes is in year 3 with the Steelers and is slowly becoming a head case with an attitude problem.

Look at it this way: if the Steelers draft the C from the same school as Holmes, the Mahan fiasco NEVER HAPPENS, the necessity to get Hartwig is nullified and you don't tie up a $hitload of cap space (at least not yet) at C.

Instead, we have S'tonio Holmes...and will you still want him when he wants the big $$$?
True - he's going to want BIG money & I don' see him as the "hometown discount" type. If he doesn't turn it around the rest of the year, I'd have no problem trading him to help either our O or D lines. :stirpot

[Ozey74]

The 3rd year is traditionally the year when WR put it all together and blow up. I would of bet my house at the start of the year that this would of been the case for Holmes. By far, he is the biggest disappointment. Thank God Nate stepped up his production somewhat.

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

Just to :stirpot a bit, I'd say it's hard to evaluate SAH fiully when:


1) Other teams know our O line has issues, and so they make us beat them with the run - dropping extra backs in coverage. I think the Clots did this on Sunday - had the receivers blanketed deep.

2) Ben is having the problems he is. It sure could be chicken and egg stuff here (i.e., are Ben's problems because SAH isn't getting separation?), but it's hard to completely blame SAH for this. Could make a similar argument against Hines, I suppose (not one I'd believe, but it could be done).

Maybe SAH is slowly becoming a head case (his apology to the team actually made me think he was manning up, but we'll see), but it's hard to say how much of his lack of production is his fault, rather than just part of the whole team's problem of not playing up to snuff.

Just my :2c

[Oviedo]

I would say Santonio's grade this season is an incomplete. To be fair and unemotional, it's hard to evaluate a WR when the person delivering the ball is having a poor season (by Ben's own admission).

[RuthlessBurgher]

He led the league in yards per catch last season, meaning he is a big play WR. It is difficult to be the big play WR you are used to being when the offense is forced to transform from an offense that would challenge a team deep to one that has to limit itself to underneath stuff because the QB would get killed if we keep allowing him to take 7 step drops behind this horrid o-line. Notice that both picks thrown toward Santonio were short, quick passes in which he was the hot route. That takes some getting used to when your specialty so far in this league has been getting behind the secondary for a deep ball. It takes an adjustment period. I think Santonio has all the talent to be the kind of guy that turns short slants into big plays (a la Steve Smith). It does take time to develop, though. I'm not overly worried about it, though. It will come.

[RussBII]

The last three posts in this thread were all money.

I'm not quite sure that I agree w/ calling Holmes a head case, or even a potential head case. Compared to the other prima donna WRs in the league, he's a freaking choir boy, occasional tokeage included.

He does seem to be a wee bit less sure handed this year, but that's a tough call to make. It's just what I've noticed. His hands probably hurt from having to catch Lefty's balls in practice because Ben's out so much.

Ben missing practice time is probably the biggest reason the O is out of sync, imo.

[MeetJoeGreene]

For me it is a tie between Ben and Santonio.

Ben has made way too many mistakes that have cost us 2 games.

SAH is just not the factor that he should be. Plus that weed thing.

I don't think he is here for the long haul. We better hope Sweed makes a quantum leap in the next couple of years.

[ghettoscott]

so far my biggest dissappointment is not seeing what a fully healthy
team can bring to the field. Sepuvelda goes down and it just seems
like dominoes after that...i know that no team goes the whole season without injury but this is one of the worst in recent memory. Ben, Parker, Big Snacks, Big Money, McFadden, Deshea, Reed, long snapper guy, back up punter guy..now Wood....Crazy. :wft

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Ben missing practice time is probably the biggest reason the O is out of sync, imo.

I agree and this is something that we rarely discuss here. Most QBs are on the field with their unit 4-5 days a week prior to a game. Ben probably hasn't practised that many times with his offense in the past month.

With all due respect to Mr. Iverson, this game is all about sync and timing. Knowing what the other guy is going to do etc. That comes with repetition. The Steve Young comments on another thread illustrate this perfectly. Ben read on ething, Holmes read another which led to an ugly looking int. Now it is easy to jump on Ben for this, and it is also just as easy to point the finger at Santonio. The point is that if these guys spent more time together playing pitch and catch between Monday and Saturday, then maybe a lot of these errors would not be happening.

[ikestops85]

I think the year Steve McNair was the league Co-MVP (2003, I think) he skipped practice 8 or 9 complete weeks. Yep, that's right ... no practice at all.

I am also very disappointed in Holmes performance this year. Going into the season I was positive that he was in store for a monster year. I even scooped him up in the 3rd round of my fantasy league (yes, I'm a homer). He's been dropping quite a few balls this year (4 total) and he doesn't seem to be fighting to make some catches. There has also been some bad luck. Against the Colts Ben threw a great deep ball and it looked like Holmes was set to turn on the jets when he hit the back of the defender and fell down. We seem to have had a lot of bad luck so far this year which this play was a prime example. It wasn't Ben's fault and it wasn't Santonio's fault but it just happened. So instead of each getting a touchdown on their resume Ben got an incompletion and Santonio got nothing. What's that saying we have been hearing a lot lately?

Oh yeh, "It is what it is".

[proudpittsburgher]

I agree with Santonio, and I am doubly concerned because it is about more than just this year. My biggest concern was who was going to replace Hines as our go-to -guy for years down the road, and I really thought Santonio was making strides toward getting to that point. He has taken a step back this season.

[AngryAsian]

Ben and Santonio a close second.

[Iron Shiek]

I say its Harrison. He hasn't decapitated anyone yet... :wft

:D

[proudpittsburgher]

I say its Harrison. He hasn't decapitated anyone yet... :wft

:D

In due time, shiek, in due time. :Cheers We still have th Ravens/Browns/Bungholes coming up for a second time. :P

[RuthlessBurgher]

I say its Harrison. He hasn't decapitated anyone yet... :wft

:D

Hines came close, though.