An observation on Mclendon

[birtikidis]

I have noticed that he picks a side and gets washed out every time. As a NT in a 3-4 you cannot pick a side. it works a small percentage of the time others... it leaves the middle of the defense open and makes an easy block for the center.

[Chadman]

He's not the player the Steelers thought they were getting. Can't hold his ground, gets moved too easily & doesn't create anywhere near as much pressure up the middle as claimed.

Better off playing Fangupo.

[birtikidis]

He's not the player the Steelers thought they were getting. Can't hold his ground, gets moved too easily & doesn't create anywhere near as much pressure up the middle as claimed.

Better off playing Fangupo.
They really messed up letting T'amu go

[Slapstick]

On the other hand, he'd be an excellent 3-tech DT in. 4-3...

[Chadman]

They really messed up letting T'amu go


Not really. He didn't take advantage of his situation. The Steelers should have been preparing for Casey Hampton's end far earlier than they did. Over the last 5 years they could have picked up a mid round type & developed him, instead of drafting one & feeding him to the wolves.

[Shoe]

They really messed up letting T'amu go

Disagree too. They chose to keep Fangupo, which indicates that Fangupo was the better option.

Re: McLendon. I can't really say (wasn't paying attention to him), but I will say he is not alone. Hood continues to get easily neutralized. But in any case, CHI didn't run roughshod over us. We have MANY more problems then McLendon.

[Ghost]

McClendon is an undrafted free agent out of a small school (Troy) who was cut and on and off the practice squad. The fact that he's starting is a testament to his hard work (and lack of foresight by the front office). He's never going to be Big Snack. But Hood is a waste. He's committing larceny when he gets his paycheck. It's time to let him walk and be a back up that sees minimal playing time for another team.

[Chadman]

Chadman has defended Hood over the last few years, but it's looking more & more like there isn't another step up & this is the best we'll get. If that is the case, he's simply not up to it. Better off playing Heyward who seems to push the pocket far more. McLendon being an undrafted FA doesn't make him any less the starting NT, nor should it make it ok that he can't do the job well enough. He might be much better value as a spot player. Teams are running on the Steelers too easily when they want or need to, and the front 3 are not collapsing the pocket enough to stop the QB from stepping up & away from the OLB rush on the outside. That pocket needs to collapse- that happens & Jarvis & Wood start getting more sacks. Saw about 4 missed sacks because Cutler was able to simply step forward into the pocket & avoid the rush.

[SidSmythe]

Chadman has defended Hood over the last few years, but it's looking more & more like there isn't another step up & this is the best we'll get. If that is the case, he's simply not up to it. Better off playing Heyward who seems to push the pocket far more. McLendon being an undrafted FA doesn't make him any less the starting NT, nor should it make it ok that he can't do the job well enough. He might be much better value as a spot player. Teams are running on the Steelers too easily when they want or need to, and the front 3 are not collapsing the pocket enough to stop the QB from stepping up & away from the OLB rush on the outside. That pocket needs to collapse- that happens & Jarvis & Wood start getting more sacks. Saw about 4 missed sacks because Cutler was able to simply step forward into the pocket & avoid the rush. The Steelers lost this game due to the fact that Cutler got to run on 3rd and Long early in the 4th Quarter. I was at the game and he had A LOT of green grass ahead of him.

[papillon]

The Steelers lost this game due to the fact that Cutler got to run on 3rd and Long early in the 4th Quarter. I was at the game and he had A LOT of green grass ahead of him.

That whole drive was a cluster F*** for the defense; they gave up three huge third downs after dominating the Bears for the previous 2 quarters. I can't for the life of me figure out how that happens, it's almost as if the pressure of the game gets to them. When the game appeared out of hand they dominated the Bears and allowed the offense to get the Steelers back in the game and then with the game on the line they stink it up bad, including Ike.

Pappy

[Shawn]

Yeah in all honesty I wasn't looking at McClendon all night long. But, when I did notice him he was playing well.

[Chadman]

Yeah in all honesty I wasn't looking at McClendon all night long. But, when I did notice him he was playing well.

Help Chadman see Shawn- because either Chadman is only looking for the bad spots, or only looking at the wrong time.

That big run by Forte in the 1st Quarter is the perfect example of the play we get from McLendon & Hood. McLendon was moved out of the way by the OG, Hood blocked by the TE, letting the OT take out the ILB, springing Forte into open space. Seeing it over & over. And in the pass rush, which is supposed to be his strength- he's not getting within sniffing distance of the QB.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Maybe McLendon is too tired to play well. Maybe the team needs to ban him from ballet and have him take up a less strenuous recreational activity, like, say, ping-pong...

[Shoe]

McLendon is the LEAST of our problems. We pay him like a scrub, and he gives us (whichever way you see it) starter quality to backup. Conversely, look at what we pay Hood and Heyward, and compare it to their production levels.

[Jooser]

Chadman, you're are correct. I made the comment in preseason that McClendon often times rushes himself right out of the play. He doesn't create any push straight up the middle, instead he goes to one side or the other and leaves that gap in the middle like the one Cutler exploited to go on and get that critical first down (and knock Golden the F*$% out). I noticed the pocket doesn't collapse on the QB properly, instead it runs past and around the QB, thus enabling the QB to simply step up and avoid the pressure altogether.

[Ghost]

So that goes to my point and what Shoe expanded on - he was undrafted and he's giving the best he can. Is it his fault he possibly has reached his ceiling and is really a guy who should only see spot duty to give a rest to a starting nose tackle? Or is it the front office/coaching staff who did not adequately prepare for the day Hampton was done as a Steeler?

When the draft is the number one, key ingredient to success, it's drafting guys like Hood and Heyward that wreck a club. Not some undrafted guy who's showing why he did not get taken in 7 rounds. For the $, McClendon is a much better deal than the other d line and most of the o line.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

When the draft is the number one, key ingredient to success, it's drafting guys like Hood and Heyward that wreck a club. Not some undrafted guy who's showing why he did not get taken in 7 rounds. For the $, McClendon is a much better deal than the other d line and most of the o line.

that's been my argument for 2 years with one of the "experts" on this board over Ramon Foster. Criticism, in some ways has to be relative to the size paychecks one cashes. That's why they call it professional football.

like you, I'm much more concerned with guys like larry timmons who has gotten off to another one of his patented slow starts, but I know that is all "coach dads" fault.

[birtikidis]

Help Chadman see Shawn- because either Chadman is only looking for the bad spots, or only looking at the wrong time.

That big run by Forte in the 1st Quarter is the perfect example of the play we get from McLendon & Hood. McLendon was moved out of the way by the OG, Hood blocked by the TE, letting the OT take out the ILB, springing Forte into open space. Seeing it over & over. And in the pass rush, which is supposed to be his strength- he's not getting within sniffing distance of the QB.
that's exactly what i was talking about Chadman. He picks a side and makes it an easy block.

[Chadman]

Chadman isn't removing Ziggy Hood from blame. At the same time, as a starter, he shares as much responsibility as McLendon does to get it right, regardless of what round they were drafted, or not drafted, in.

Is McLendon good value because he's a former UDFA that became a starter? Only if he's starting quality. Chadman's argument about McLendon is not about the value of Hood & Heyward, but McLendon's alone. That NT spot is the cog which the 3-4 builds around. He MUST get push, he MUST clog lanes.

McLendon does neither.

Eddie's argument about Timmons having a bad start to the year goes hand-in-hand with this discussion about McLendon, because while McLendon is taken out by the Center, an OG is free to take out Timmons. McLendon's job, same with Hood's, is to take out the blockers to let Timmons & Co run wild. That isn't happening. The result is no pressure, no collapsing pockets, free running lanes, RB's hit 3-4 yards downfield with momentum & space for QB's to dance around while WR's get open.

You want to argue the value of Hood? Fair enough- he's looking like trash at the moment too. He's bad value. Keisel is the only DL looking like he can collapse a pocket successfully, but Heyward is showing signs.

To answer Ghost- is it McLendon's fault? Not at all, unless he has the ability to do better. Chadman doesn't see that ability in him however. It's on the coaches. They should have been able to evaluate that McLendon is barely servicable as a 3-4 NT & acted accordingly.

At this stage, Chadman would be trying to find Hampton's phone number, because the O can't win it for the Steelers, so the D needs to step it up.

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

That whole drive was a cluster F*** for the defense; they gave up three huge third downs after dominating the Bears for the previous 2 quarters. I can't for the life of me figure out how that happens, it's almost as if the pressure of the game gets to them. When the game appeared out of hand they dominated the Bears and allowed the offense to get the Steelers back in the game and then with the game on the line they stink it up bad, including Ike.

Pappy

"3rd and long against against our D" - the words that make me nauseous and filled with terror as much as any other.

In my mind, it all started with the Fitz TD up the middle during the SB. We got out of that one by the skin of our teeth, but it's never been the same since then. I thought it had gotten as bad as it could against, man I can't even type these words, "in Denver" will have to do. But now, any third down against us, and somehow *especially* third and long, is painful to wait for.

It's like D!ck is the best D coordinator in the universe on 1st and 2nd downs, and just as bad on 3rd downs as he is good at the other two.

[ikestops85]

McLendon, and his coaches, never claimed he could anchor like Casey. Very few people in the football universe could. McLendon is a better penetrator which means he picks a side and tries to cut through the block on that side. If he guesses right he has the possibility of a splash play. If he guesses wrong he opens up a running lane. People kept saying that DL has to put new blood in the lineup and get rid of the old veterans. Well, we got rid of Casey and inserted McLendon just like most wanted. Did you think there wouldn't be any growing pains in doing this? There is ... but it will get better as the year goes on.

[NorthCoast]

Casey Hampton, J Steed, G WIlliams, ...classic NTs.

[birtikidis]

Well Ike, I was NEVER one of those guys. I wanted guys like Fangupo and T'amu to be the anchor. These idiots who want to see the lineman make the plays are the ones talking about Mclendon.

[papillon]

Well Ike, I was NEVER one of those guys. I wanted guys like Fangupo and T'amu to be the anchor. These idiots who want to see the lineman make the plays are the ones talking about Mclendon.

If you can stop the run to the degree that the great Steeler defense did, it makes playing defense a lot easier and a lot easier to create turnovers, because the opposing offense is one dimensional, give me Casey or Ngata any day over an attacking NT.

Pappy

[phillyesq]

If you can stop the run to the degree that the great Steeler defense did, it makes playing defense a lot easier and a lot easier to create turnovers, because the opposing offense is one dimensional, give me Casey or Ngata any day over an attacking NT.

Pappy

I agree Pappy. We are seeing that the grass isn't always greener.

[feltdizz]

If you can stop the run to the degree that the great Steeler defense did, it makes playing defense a lot easier and a lot easier to create turnovers, because the opposing offense is one dimensional, give me Casey or Ngata any day over an attacking NT.

Pappy

it's been a few years since we created a ton of turnovers though.. didn't do it with Casey these last few years either.

[papillon]

it's been a few years since we created a ton of turnovers though.. didn't do it with Casey these last few years either.

Indirectly, we did with Casey (maybe not his last two years, but prior) because he made it nearly impossible to run inside, he simply couldn't be moved, the ILBs and Troy flow to the ball and were making tackles for no gain or short gains. Once you effectively eliminate one phase of an offense like that defending the pass allows you to attack and do things you may not want to do if a team is successfully rushing the football. Maybe as these three guys grow into their jobs having attacking linemen will work as well, that remains to be seen, but we do know that having the anchor worked pretty well for many years.

I miss Big Snack in his prime.

Pappy

[phillyesq]

Indirectly, we did with Casey (maybe not his last two years, but prior) because he made it nearly impossible to run inside, he simply couldn't be moved, the ILBs and Troy flow to the ball and were making tackles for no gain or short gains. Once you effectively eliminate one phase of an offense like that defending the pass allows you to attack and do things you may not want to do if a team is successfully rushing the football. Maybe as these three guys grow into their jobs having attacking linemen will work as well, that remains to be seen, but we do know that having the anchor worked pretty well for many years.

I miss Big Snack in his prime.

Pappy

In his prime, Casey was a real pleasure to watch. In his earlier years, he had pretty good quickness to go with the power. I remember a game in particular against Denver when he absolutely owned their pro bowl center (Nalen?).

[BradshawsHairdresser]

I miss Big Snack in his prime.


So do all the fast-food vendors in the 'Burgh.

[flippy]

So do all the fast-food vendors in the 'Burgh.

But not the buffets ;)

Seriously though, I can hold off a year on McClendon before passing full judgement on his game. I think he's going thru a bit of a transition as a starter. I remember Keisel having trouble with the transition and couldn't stop the run to save his life initially. Much like Keisel, McClendon is quick and he added some energy/quickness coming in for a series or two. But it's entirely different than being the guy. He's gotta hold up better at the point of attack and learn to control the gap rather than getting washed up in the trash. And he's gotta control/collapse the pocket when Woodley's firing off the edge to give him an angle to the QB.

I have seen some positives to McClendon's game. He's good with his hands and keeping linemen off him and working down the LOS to make plays. He's quick for a guy his size. My hope is he can eventually turn into a Chris Hope for us down the road. Very similar style of play. But he needs a little more strength and endurance. I think the one thing working against McClendon is his size. He looks about 6'5ish making it easier for linemen to get under him, get leverage, and move him vs Casey or Hokie. I think he needs to learn to get lower and get under the pads of the guys across from him. He also looks a little skinny for a NT and I wonder if he could add some more weight?

[flippy]

that's been my argument for 2 years with one of the "experts" on this board over Ramon Foster. Criticism, in some ways has to be relative to the size paychecks one cashes. That's why they call it professional football.

like you, I'm much more concerned with guys like larry timmons who has gotten off to another one of his patented slow starts, but I know that is all "coach dads" fault.

Guys like Harrison and Willie Parker have skewed our collective perspective of our UDFAs. We're spoiled sometimes and have expectations thru the roof of every player no matter where they came from or the size of their paycheck. :)

[RuthlessBurgher]

I have seen some positives to McClendon's game. He's good with his hands and keeping linemen off him and working down the LOS to make plays. He's quick for a guy his size. My hope is he can eventually turn into a Chris Hope for us down the road. Very similar style of play. But he needs a little more strength and endurance. I think the one thing working against McClendon is his size.

Yeah, I'd say if McLendon want to eventually turn into a Chris Hope for us down the road, his size would work against him as a free safety. ;)

[birtikidis]

Want to see a perfect example of how Mclendon gets washed out of the middle? Watch AP run 60yds up the middle but keep an eye on Mclendon.

[Discipline of Steel]

Yeah I didn't see that play but suspected a McLendon failure to hold the line

[AngryAsian]

Guys like Harrison and Willie Parker have skewed our collective perspective of our UDFAs. We're spoiled sometimes and have expectations thru the roof of every player no matter where they came from or the size of their paycheck. :)

Bingo! This is why we carry bums like Isaac Redman because of our UDFA successes of the past. Our coaching staff that our system is the common denominator but FWP and Deebo were special and were missing pieces of our puzzle during our championship runs.