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Jooser
08-05-2019, 11:49 AM
https://steelersdepot.com/2019/08/five-steelers-having-the-best-camp-of-their-career/


Five Steelers Having The Best Camp Of Their Career
By Alex Kozora
Posted on August 5, 2019 at 9:30 am


Training Camp
Five Steelers Having The Best Camp Of Their Career
By Alex Kozora
Posted on August 5, 2019 at 9:30 am

Six practices remain in the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 training camp but Sunday’s session wrapped up the longest stretch of work. Soon enough, with a game this week, the focus will rightfully move to the games and you won’t care much about what happens during training camp. Now that we have a decent body of work of camp, here are five Steelers having the best camp I’ve ever seen from them. This only applies to third year and older players, not sophomores making obvious jumps from Year One to Year Two.

BJ Finney – I’ve learned not to be worried about Finney when he has a rocky camp because the product we see when he spot starts is pretty good. But in the past, he’s been overpowered and overworked by guys like Javon Hargrave and Daniel McCullers, the latter simply being just too big and strong and the former equaling Finney in the leverage battle and running him backwards in team and one-on-one sessions. Last year, we have him a C+ camp grade and a C- in 2017, pointing to the struggles he has when he’s covered up by nose tackles as opposed to being uncovered as a guard.

But this year feels different. I’m not sure what it is. If he’s gotten stronger, playing with better technique and leverage, or simply gotten used to battling Hargrave and McCullers enough that he’s adjusted. But he’s doing a better job with his hands to re-punch when he does lose ground off the snap and has the ability to anchor and rebuff bull rushes. Linemen are admittedly hard to watch, especially interior guys like him, but it’s nice to say for once he’s having a strong August.

Matt Fileer – Like any good linemen, his camp hasn’t been loud but it’s been consistently excellent. Feiler possesses the combination of size and strength that makes him tough to go around and almost impossible to bull. His technique with his hands and his hips are top notch, never feeling out of control in the rush, even in the rare moment where he loses. And he’s been able to show the versatility that helped him originally make the team, logging time at both guard spots in addition to right tackle.

Not calling the battle with Chukwuma Okorafor over – yet – but it’s difficult to see him not starting come Week One.

Daniel McCullers – McCullers is dang near a lock to make the Steelers. How about them apples? Kudos to Big Dan for legitimately playing well and earning his roster spot, not making it by default. He’s played with increased physicality and tenacity and though I never considered him to be a lazy player, he seems to be straining to the end of plays now. In the past, he’d lean on guys and sorta loaf. Safe to say DL coach Karl Dunbar has brought the best out of him. You can see the difference the “right” coaching makes, Dunbar’s personality meshing better with McCullers than John Mitchell’s ever did.

Tyler Matakevich – It’s not been an overwhelmingly spectacular camp but a very good one for Dirty Red. His ability to take on blocks, disengage, and find the football have routinely been on display and overall, he’s been a reliable tackler. Some of that lack of speed gets exposed in the one on one coverage drills but the team knows who he is by now. Credit to him for carving out a valuable niche role as a 7th rounder. I still don’t want him within spitting distance of the defense though. But this camp has been good.

Cam Sutton – A clear winner of camp. One of my biggest issues with Sutton playing in the slot was his run defense. While he’s still a guy with a wiry frame, his aggressiveness and tackling have really improved. Mike Tomlin has praised him repeatedly during practice for putting his face in the fan. In coverage, he’s always around the ball, getting his hand in throwing lanes or capitalizing on tipped passes, like his interception early in camp.

He’s been versatile, playing inside/out, and looks to have the inside track on dime packages, though the team may scale those back to more obvious pass situations. Last year, they used dime more often than any personnel grouping and would run it on any down & distance including bizarre situations like on the goal line versus multiple tight ends.

Oviedo
08-05-2019, 12:44 PM
All of this sounds good as long as it continues to hold true in real games

Steel Maniac
08-05-2019, 01:20 PM
Yeah; look great in the preseason games and then I'll start to take notice

Iron City Inc.
08-05-2019, 02:38 PM
TM is not a lock to make the team. And yes he has been better and I did speak with Alex about him n though he's inside looking out he could still go. Gilbert has shown some better coverage skills n M Allen in that hybrid roll is also a lot better dropping.

hawaiiansteel
08-05-2019, 02:52 PM
TM is not a lock to make the team. And yes he has been better and I did speak with Alex about him n though he's inside looking out he could still go. Gilbert has shown some better coverage skills n M Allen in that hybrid roll is also a lot better dropping.

Dirty Red will make the team because he excels on special teams...

phillyesq
08-05-2019, 03:28 PM
Dirty Red will make the team because he excels on special teams...

Agree. He may just be the 4th or 5th ILB, but he's something like second in special teams tackles in the league. He may not be an absolute lock to make the roster, but I would put the odds of him making the team at 90% or better.

NorthCoast
08-05-2019, 07:26 PM
Really surprised by McCullers' turn-around. There was a pretty large chorus singing to the Steelers to 'cut the dead wood' that McCullers was. Where is he on the depth chart?

hawaiiansteel
08-05-2019, 10:02 PM
Really surprised by McCullers' turn-around. There was a pretty large chorus singing to the Steelers to 'cut the dead wood' that McCullers was. Where is he on the depth chart?

Dan McCullers used more, shows versatility in 6th Steelers camp

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Sunday, August 4, 2019

Big Dan is no longer just the big man taking up space in the middle of the defense.

In his sixth Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, Dan McCullers is being used more often and getting more reps than he typically did in his previous five. While his time at nose tackle gradually has decreased since he was drafted in the sixth round in 2013, McCullers seemingly is getting more reps than ever in the nickel defense at Saint Vincent.

“I am out in the nickel more, playing more, working on getting the plays down flat,” McCullers said last week from training camp.

“(Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar) says, ‘You’re doing well,’ and he’s putting me in there more and letting me get more reps. So my thing is just keep doing good and getting as many reps as I can.”

McCullers was given a two-year deal from the Steelers soon after he entered free agency in March after a season when he played 111 defensive snaps (10.6% of the total). The previous two camps, McCullers barely saw reps, in part because they use the base defense less than one-third of the time and in part because Javon Hargrave has been very good as the starting nose tackle.

But now McCullers is regularly in a second wave on the defensive line after Stephon Tuitt, Cameron Heyward and Hargrave and alongside the likes of Tyson Alualu.

McCullers frequently serves as a tackle in the nickel along with Tuitt or Heyward.

“Big Dan, he’s a phenomenal football player,” Tuitt said. “He’s a big guy, too. He can do some things naturally that a lot of other people can’t do out here. For him to have this opportunity to showcase his skills more is a tremendous opportunity for him.”

McCullers playing in the nickel signifies the Steelers don’t just view him as a space-eating run-stopper and think he can rush the passer.

“I would just say because I get a good push — that’s what they like the most, getting that push up the middle and making that quarterback move off his spot. If I keep doing that, hopefully they give me all the reps.”


https://triblive.com/sports/dan-mccullers-being-used-more-showing-increased-versatility-in-his-6th-steelers-camp/

Iron City Inc.
08-06-2019, 06:47 AM
Really surprised by McCullers' turn-around. There was a pretty large chorus singing to the Steelers to 'cut the dead wood' that McCullers was. Where is he on the depth chart?

Big Dan has had a good camp n he has blown up Hassenauer and Morris at camp.He has not fared that well against the rookie Johnson who has had an excellent camp.Now he has improved but the first 2 are not going to make the club. He is inside looking out now, one of the 6 along the d line.

RuthlessBurgher
08-07-2019, 03:16 PM
Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer
The Steelers' initial depth chart reveals...

-Ryan Switzer ahead of Eli Rogers at WR
-Josh Dobbs listed as No. 2 QB despite good moments from Mason Rudolph at camp
-Devin Bush a backup ILB but will play a lot.

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