Steelers' cuts just got tougher

[hawaiiansteel]

Cuts just got tougher

by syrsteelerfan on Sep 2, 2010


The last preseason game just ended, and it only made the cuts to come tougher.

Charlie Batch just went from cut material to indispensable backup, based on Byron Leftwich's health. For the 2nd game in a row, Jonathan Dwyer showed what he can do when he's in shape.

The only bubble inside LB who played better than Stevenson Sylvester was Renaud Williams, who shed blocks and went after the ball carrier with focus and toughness instead of rookie wild-abandon. But that same eagerness drew Sylvester to play after play.

Patrick Bailey, a ST demon with 3 games of tape saying he can't cut it in the base D, played on the Panthers side of the line of scrimmage all night. Frank Summers needs to pump his legs instead of diving, but made key blocks to spring runners on offense and ST for 4 straight quarters.

Crezdon Butler? He slipped one young, doofus mistake in between a few quarters of athletic, hard-hitting ball. Which would leave Anthony Madison on the outside looking in, if it weren't for the improvement he's shown this preseason on D while keeping up his special teams play.

Hell, even Stefan Logan showed not only skills as a punt returner we all thought questionable, but more toughness and hard-hitting as a gunner than I thought possible.

Say what you want about Tomlin and his decisions this offseason, or Colbert and his late-round busts, they've stacked this team with depth from top to bottom and it showed through this game. I don't know if the high-level talent is there to be successful this season, but there are enough players on this 75-man roster to go 18 games -- or at least make for very, very tough cuts for the coaching staff.

[url="http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2010/9/2/1666663/cuts-just-got-tougher"]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/20 ... ot-tougher[/url]

[papillon]

Personally, with the way many of the young guys have played this pre-season the Steelers should consider releasing some veterans of average ability and work with the new guys. I'm not sure who the veterans would be, but Eason and Hartwig come to mind. It could be time to release Chris Hoke as well (man, I hate saying that). Farrior? Foote? Painful as it may seem, some of the young guns are really pushing for a spot and in a young man's game it could be a mistake to try and hide some of them on the PS.

Pappy