Sanders, Brown and Wallace: best WR trio in NFL next season?

[papillon]

Id give my left thumb for half the amount of time Brees gets in the pocket
BA's problem is he knows his O-line cant protect Ben but he continues to have receivers run 30 yard routes and calls 5 wr sets
I mean he knows we cant run a screen because of the O-line, cant he apply that knowledge towards the length of the routes.

I'm willing to bet that each and every pass play has an underneath route of some type designed into the play. Ben chooses to try and hit the 30 yard route and that's why he's consistently under pressure. Against Denver there were at least 2 or 3 replays from behind Ben after an incompletion or INT and you can clearly see underneath receivers open for 4, 5, or 6 yards plus whatever they can make after the catch; this isn't Ben, never will be, it's a last resort to him.

Five receiver sets require a quick decision and throw, you can't expect to drop back survey the field for a 30 yard play, find the open receiver, get him the ball and let him make a play, otherwise, a sack or worse will be the result. I love Ben and the way he plays, but he is the biggest reason for Arians getting a lot of heat, IMHO.

The Steeler screen package is pathetic I will give you that and that's on Arians to fix.

Pappy

[SteelCrazy]

The OL blocked good enough and more times than not the WR's were not open in the Denver game.

Wallace is starting to regress or at best not improve. Sanders didnt get open a lot and was hurt most of the time. Brown was the only true bright spot all year consistently. Wallace was looking like a pro bowl player then the 2nd half came and boom, out go the lights. He doesnt fight for position and doesnt catch with his hands. Its like he stopped trying.

BA doesnt help with his 5-7 second plays. How in the hell Tomlin cant see whats going on is beyond me. Can not believe we have to endure another season with him.

[steelblood]

I disagree STeelcrazy. After the first quarter or so, whenever they showed downfield views on replays, there were receivers open. A few views showed wide receivers wide open and Ben was not seeing them or able to find them because he was under duress. This group of receivers gets open. That is not the issue.

[pittpete]

Wow, I must have watched a different game
The O-line blocked good enough, good enough for what?
For a pee-wee game?
Yes, there were a couple plays where Ben didnt take the short pass(Heath to the left and D.Johnson to the right side wide open, come to mind)
Didnt Denver play man up almost every time we went 5 wide?
Didnt teams all year play man up on us almost every time we went 5?
Brady or Brees will take that short dink consistently,and I would have to agree that Ben is constantly looking for the deep ball but isnt that up to UncleBA to try and fix that
UncleBA is an enabler, a big risk,big reward type guy to make up for his innaccuracies in his gameplanning.
Oh, just Ben being Ben

[skyhawk]

This trio is not big or physical enough to make them the best.

[hawaiiansteel]

On the Steelers: Wallace could leave in offseason, but, for now, that seems unlikely

Thursday, January 12, 2012
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Mike Wallace becomes a restricted free agent in March, and, while the Steelers partially can protect their rights to him by offering him a one-year tender, there is no guarantee another team might see more value in him and try to sign him.

Hines Ward will not be the only receiver in danger of leaving the Steelers before the 2012 season begins.

One of the Young Money trio's contract expires, and, whether Mike Wallace returns, could depend on several factors inside and outside the organization.

Wallace becomes a restricted free agent in March, and, while the Steelers partially can protect their rights to him by offering him a one-year tender, there is no guarantee another team might see more value in him and try to sign him.

The Steelers likely will tender him a contract high enough -- those numbers have yet to be determined by the league -- to guarantee that, if someone else signs him, the Steelers would receive a first-round draft choice in return or be able to match the contract and keep him. They also could negotiate a long-term deal with Wallace before he becomes a restricted free agent.

Veteran Jerricho Cotchery, who signed a one-year contract with the Steelers in August after asking for and receiving his release from the New York Jets, is a different case. Cotchery will be an unrestricted free agent and, while the Steelers would like him back, they will not offer him big money, and he could look for a team on which he could start.

Losing Ward, Wallace and Cotchery would be a blow to a receiving corps that blossomed in its transition over the past two seasons. Chances are good, however, that they will be able to keep Wallace. Antonio Brown, whose unexpected and phenomenal season earned him the MVP vote from his teammates, will return along with Emmanuel Sanders for their third seasons.

"We know the direction in which we are going with the receiving corps," Sanders said.

Sanders, who began the season as the No. 3 receiver, had a tough year with foot and knee injuries, but he finished strong and led them in receiving Sunday in Denver with six receptions for 81 yards.

Wallace and Brown each produced 1,000-yard seasons, both made the Pro Bowl, but they did it in very different ways.

Wallace had 377 receiving yards in his first three games, but slumped badly in the second half of the season with only 395 yards in the final eight. Brown began no better than No. 4 to start the season, but came on in a big way in the second half and was promoted to starter.

He was asked the other day if he reached his expectations in 2011.

"I think I surpassed them," Brown said. "I came into training camp as the No. 4 receiver. I was prepared to get extra opportunities. I got a lot of opportunities and I took advantage of them. I continued to get better as the season progressed."

Brown made the Pro Bowl as a return man after becoming the first player in NFL history to have a 1,000-yard season in both receiving and returns. He also received the fifth-most votes among receivers for the Pro Bowl.

If the Steelers keep Wallace and Sanders can shake the injuries that dogged him this season, they will have one of the best young receiving corps in the league. Counting veteran tight end Heath Miller, third on the team with 51 receptions, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger again will have targets both big, fast and quick.

"We could be a lot better," Brown proclaimed. "One aspect of our game is to get better in the red zone. We have to take that approach and mentality of wanting to be better into the offseason."

[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12012/1202980-66-0.stm#ixzz1jH07PSbB"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12012/12 ... z1jH07PSbB[/url]

[NJ-STEELER]

This trio is not big or physical enough to make them the best.

$$

jennings, jordy, driver (or who ever is there next year)

hikcs, cruz, manningham...

austin, bryant, robinson

colston , graham (more a receiver then TE) and who ever

megatron, burleson and that titus

roddy, julio, douglas

houston's top 3 with AJ

AZ top 3 with fitz


lots of teams are loaded with their top 3 receivers

[skyhawk]

This trio is not big or physical enough to make them the best.

$$

jennings, jordy, driver (or who ever is there next year)

hikcs, cruz, manningham...

austin, bryant, robinson

colston , graham (more a receiver then TE) and who ever

megatron, burleson and that titus

roddy, julio, douglas

houston's top 3 with AJ

AZ top 3 with fitz


lots of teams are loaded with their top 3 receivers

Yep. I think alot of people aren't taking the steeler blinders/rose colored glasses off.

[Chadman]

You can't compare WR groups without including the QB, in Chadman's opinion...

[skyhawk]

You can't compare WR groups without including the QB, in Chadman's opinion...

Ben is not a top 10 QB