Wallace identified as NFL's #1 2010 "Breakout Star"

[Oviedo]

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1. Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
What Wallace did a on a per-play basis last year as a rookie was pretty remarkable. He led the league in yards per catch (19.4) and finished fourth in DVOA (29.6 percent) among qualifying receivers. Wallace finished 16th in DYAR, our advanced metric measuring total value, despite being thrown only 72 passes. The only other receivers in the top 25 with fewer targets were Robert Meachem and Kevin Walter. And yet, there are still places we can expect him to go in 2010, even with Ben Roethlisberger suspended for the beginning of the season. His 54 percent catch rate was nice for a rookie, but low considering the offense he was in; he should be closer to 60 percent next year. He only averaged 3.4 YAC despite running routes as deep as anyone in football, and that should improve. The departure of Santonio Holmes and the injury to Limas Sweed virtually guarantee him 30 more targets than he had as a rookie. The list of players that averaged more than 18 yards per catch as a rookie with more than 30 receptions includes quite a few stars with similar stat lines to Wallace's rookie year, including Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice. Wallace isn't in their category, but he's almost a sure thing to be a valuable starter. He has a fair amount of potential as a franchise player going forward.

[D Rock]

I think the lack of YAC can be fairly attributed to the fact that he had to stop and wait for some many throws instead of running to them, thus giving the defender time to catch up and immediately make the tackle.


I actually look for bigger things out of him with Leftwich throwing passes because I think he will be able to get the ball a bit deeper than Ben. Only issue now is if teams start doubling up on Wallace with a safety over top then he needs to be able to go up and get that ball.

[Oviedo]

I think the lack of YAC can be fairly attributed to the fact that he had to stop and wait for some many throws instead of running to them, thus giving the defender time to catch up and immediately make the tackle.


I actually look for bigger things out of him with Leftwich throwing passes because I think he will be able to get the ball a bit deeper than Ben. Only issue now is if teams start doubling up on Wallace with a safety over top then he needs to be able to go up and get that ball.

I thought the exact same thing about YAC. Many of his long catches were underthrown by Ben and if I recall correctly several were caught on like the 2 or 3 yardline which skews the data.

[SteelerNation1]

I think the lack of YAC can be fairly attributed to the fact that he had to stop and wait for some many throws instead of running to them, thus giving the defender time to catch up and immediately make the tackle.


I actually look for bigger things out of him with Leftwich throwing passes because I think he will be able to get the ball a bit deeper than Ben. Only issue now is if teams start doubling up on Wallace with a safety over top then he needs to be able to go up and get that ball.

I thought the exact same thing about YAC. Many of his long catches were underthrown by Ben and if I recall correctly several were caught on like the 2 or 3 yardline which skews the data.

$$$$. IIRC he caught long passes at or near the goal line against Detroit, GB, Denver and Miami.

[ramblinjim]

Either way, we NEED him to have a great year this year. This year he'll have to beat either a) the double team or b) the other teams best corner on most plays.

[flippy]

Either way, we NEED him to have a great year this year. This year he'll have to beat either a) the double team or b) the other teams best corner on most plays.

He'll get a safety over the top. No way people will leave a CB on an island with Wallace's speed to get deep.

I think it makes sense defensively to take away Ward with your #1 DB and double Wallace.

[Oviedo]

Either way, we NEED him to have a great year this year. This year he'll have to beat either a) the double team or b) the other teams best corner on most plays.

He'll get a safety over the top. No way people will leave a CB on an island with Wallace's speed to get deep.

I think it makes sense defensively to take away Ward with your #1 DB and double Wallace.

Not sure Hines warrants a #1 CB covering him anymore. The fact is our #3, TE and RBs are going to have to have big seasons in the passing game especially early in the season. I actually have a good vibe about this during the first 4 games. Lefty knows his limitations and I think he makes quick decisions and will not hesitate to throw a hotread or quick dump off to the TEs and RBs.

IMO Mendenhall has Marshall Faulk/Chuck Foreman (former Vikes) like abilities to contribute both in the running game and passing game. Several seasons they had over 1000 yards rushing and 50+ receptions. Mendy can do this if used properly and we temper our vertical passing game bias.

[cruzer8]

Reports out of OTAs were that Ben and Wallace have the timing issue taken care of and that Ben was hitting him deep and in stride.

And many times fans don't see the whole picture even on their 55" plasma TV. Some passes are "underthrown" intentionally due to coverage.

Personally I think it was more of a timing issue and that seems to have been resolved. Ben still has one of the strongest arms in the league. He may not throw the ball as hard as Lefty but he can still throw it as far. Timing is everything.

[ANPSTEEL]

Either way, we NEED him to have a great year this year. This year he'll have to beat either a) the double team or b) the other teams best corner on most plays.

He'll get a safety over the top. No way people will leave a CB on an island with Wallace's speed to get deep.

I think it makes sense defensively to take away Ward with your #1 DB and double Wallace.

Not sure Hines warrants a #1 CB covering him anymore. The fact is our #3, TE and RBs are going to have to have big seasons in the passing game especially early in the season. I actually have a good vibe about this during the first 4 games. Lefty knows his limitations and I think he makes quick decisions and will not hesitate to throw a hotread or quick dump off to the TEs and RBs.

IMO Mendenhall has Marshall Faulk/Chuck Foreman (former Vikes) like abilities to contribute both in the running game and passing game. Several seasons they had over 1000 yards rushing and 50+ receptions. Mendy can do this if used properly and we temper our vertical passing game bias.

Look at you, pulling out the Chuck Foreman reference!



As a kid, there were a bunch of non-steeler players that I was a fan of.

Chuck Foreman was one of them.

[flippy]

Either way, we NEED him to have a great year this year. This year he'll have to beat either a) the double team or b) the other teams best corner on most plays.

He'll get a safety over the top. No way people will leave a CB on an island with Wallace's speed to get deep.

I think it makes sense defensively to take away Ward with your #1 DB and double Wallace.

Not sure Hines warrants a #1 CB covering him anymore. The fact is our #3, TE and RBs are going to have to have big seasons in the passing game especially early in the season. I actually have a good vibe about this during the first 4 games. Lefty knows his limitations and I think he makes quick decisions and will not hesitate to throw a hotread or quick dump off to the TEs and RBs.

IMO Mendenhall has Marshall Faulk/Chuck Foreman (former Vikes) like abilities to contribute both in the running game and passing game. Several seasons they had over 1000 yards rushing and 50+ receptions. Mendy can do this if used properly and we temper our vertical passing game bias.

I think you have to respect Ward cause he's smart/crafty at getting open and he can run after the catch. If he's on the field, he's every QBs safety valve cause you know he'll do just enough to get open.

Wallace is the much bigger danger, but if his CB is gonna have help over the top you can get away with a lesser CB. I'd be scared to leave the best CBs on an island with Wallace.

You're also giving Arians a lot of credit for spreading the ball around. :wink