Great blog post from Zierleins son

[BigRob]

At this link. I think it is surprisingly good and not really vitriolic at all. He works for the Houston Chronicle.

[url="http://blogs.chron.com/fantasyfootball/2010/01/even_though_you_had_to_fire_my_1.html"]http://blogs.chron.com/fantasyfootball/ ... _my_1.html[/url]
"6. As many of you might know, I am deep into the NFL Draft on this site and I thought the addition of Ziggy Hood in the first over Max Unger was a mistake. Last year's draft featured a solid group of 3-4 DEs in rounds 2-4, but Unger was a guy who could play multiple positions on the offensive line and he's tough and smart. The Steelers have proven for years that they can find talent all over the draft when it comes to the defensive side of the ball, but Unger was part of a talented group of interior linemen that included Eric Wood and Alex Mack and I think he would have been a great fit in Pittsburgh."

"7. The Steelers scored a major coup when they drafted Mike Wallace. The rest of the league better get ready because by next year, they will basically be carrying around two of the better vertical threats in the league in Holmes and Wallace."


"8. The Steelers need to put a halt to all of the bunch formation crap they've got going and figure out that they have the personnel to be very effective out of their two-TE sets.... especially with Wallace and Holmes on the field at the same time. Sure, it will piss Hines Ward off, but he's getting up there in years and does his best work against zone coverage rather than against man. With a 2-TE set and with vertical threats like Holmes and Wallace, safeties will be in a tough spot. They will have to worry about run support thanks to the 2 TEs but they will also fear homerun threats outside. To me, this is a way for the Steelers to get back to a more physical brand of football without sacrificing their big play potential. If the Steelers need to upgrade over Spaeth, then have at it."

[feltdizz]

Great read.. I agree with damn near everything he said. The sack total and Allen Iverson comparison was money... Except AI doesn't have hardware... But In regard to sack vs big play it's a great analogy. Going from 2nd and 3 to 3rd and 9 makes it a pure passing down. I don't thhink Ben minds that though.

[bostonsteeler]

Very good read!

[RuthlessBurgher]

I love the pic of the kid wearing a SBXLIII ring that is nearly as large as his fist:



(I am assuming is Lance's son and Larry's grandson, but it wasn't labeled)

[phillyesq]

This was a good, balanced read. I agree with a lot of what he said, especially his call for the Steelers to get back to playing for physical football on offense.

[SteelAbility]

Yup. Very good read. But he didn't blast D1ck Lebeau. Something was just wrong there.

[Oviedo]

I have soured over time on Spareth because his best asset as a pass catcher is ignored.

Consider this for an upgrade: Pick #18: Jermaine Gresham, TE, 6'6", 258lbs. 40 yd: 4.80. He would cause serious match up issues with both him and Heath on the field.

Not the way I would go in Round 1 but something to think about.

Pay attention to Earl Thomas tonight if you watch the Alabama-Texas Game.

[feltdizz]

Yup. Very good read. But he didn't blast D1ck Lebeau. Something was just wrong there.

He was very professional in his assessment and I think it hit home on all points...
I also love his critique of the OL as better run blockers then pass blockers. For some reason a few people have been stating we are a better pass blocking team.. I just think we see more passes.. if we saw more runs the run blocking would gel.
He mentioned both sides of the ball.. and put the spotlight on the DB's.. the clear weakness on our D.

I wish he wrote for the Steelers instead of the Texans.

being Zeirlen's son it's clear he is smart enough to keep the coaches names out of the blogs.

[feltdizz]

I have soured over time on Spareth because his best asset as a pass catcher is ignored.

Consider this for an upgrade: Pick #18: Jermaine Gresham, TE, 6'6", 258lbs. 40 yd: 4.80. He would cause serious match up issues with both him and Heath on the field.

Not the way I would go in Round 1 but something to think about.

Pay attention to Earl Thomas tonight if you watch the Alabama-Texas Game.

Spaeth's blocking is bad... but we should still use him as a weapon. He filled in nice for Miller in 2008 for a few games.

[phillyesq]

I have soured over time on Spareth because his best asset as a pass catcher is ignored.

Consider this for an upgrade: Pick #18: Jermaine Gresham, TE, 6'6", 258lbs. 40 yd: 4.80. He would cause serious match up issues with both him and Heath on the field.

Not the way I would go in Round 1 but something to think about.

Pay attention to Earl Thomas tonight if you watch the Alabama-Texas Game.

Spaeth's blocking is bad... but we should still use him as a weapon. He filled in nice for Miller in 2008 for a few games.

Spaeth is absolutely fine as a possession receiver. He just isn't utilized much in that role, which makes sense when you consider all of the other options and weapons that the Steelers have. I'm disappointed that somebody as big as Spaeth has never really materialized into the red zone threat that many of us were hoping for.

McHugh and Johnson are both better blocking options than Spaeth, and since Spaeth is rarely called on to catch passes, might be better fits as the second TE, if the Steelers are going to keep running the two TE sets.