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Thread: Steelers work out Ray Graham

  1. #21
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    I didn't start this post implying Graham is the missing link. I started it because he is a familiar name to Pittsburgh & he looked to have a promising future before his ACL injury. He may never put on a jersey for the Steelers. He may return to form & grow on the PS or not.

    I wouldn't discount players because they are cut. There are reason especially for rookies or young players who get cut during the season. Their salaries aren't guaranteed & they bounce. Even serviceable vets with guaranteed money get cut during the year...ala Will Allen. Graham was released in final cuts & signed to PS. Promoted to 53 because of Foster's injury but was inactive. The Texans also signed Dennis Johnson & Deji Karim at that same time. The Texans claimed LB Ricky Sapp off waivers from the Jets because of injuries at LB on 11/15...Graham was released to make room for Sapp. With Tate handling the work load and Johnson & Karim still on the roster...Like someone said...A numbers game.

    The way the business goes...There is a good chance Graham was headed back to the PS because they made the move on Friday which is the "sneak a guy" day in the NFL. The Steelers may have picked up the phone when he was released & told them their interest. Graham wasn't property of the Texans & would be under no obligation to accept a PS deal if he wanted to go elsewhere.

    Graham's a good fit in what the Steelers don't have similar to what they thought they had in Stephens-Howling before his injury. Maybe he shows a niche in practice & gets promoted. See what he looks like returning kicks in practice. I'll take a hungry rookie & look for a spark. When Graham is ready...Push Wilson back to PS when Sylvester gets healthy. If this Hamstring with Sly is serious then cut him injured. If anything he will help in practice. Give them a look for Rice,Whittaker, Miller, & Franklin over the next several weeks. They will get a good look at him.
    Last edited by JUST-PLAIN-NASTY; 11-20-2013 at 11:31 AM.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn View Post
    Graham looks small and slow. I didn't watch him in college, and I know how highlight reels can lie. But, I didn't see anything that made me think...wow we have something here.


    He may not ever be an every down back but he is a very good zone back. His best traits are change of direction, quickness, & vision. Very good hands. He was recovering from '11 ACL surgery in '12. Came back 10 months out to start season after injury & put up 222 / 1,042 11 tds - 36 / 340 2 tds in '12. Very productive career at Pitt. Rush: 595 / 3,277 5.5 avg 32 tds Rec: 98 / 794 4 tds. He is a bigger version of Howling. He is similar in size to Franklin, Bernard, & Ellington. He is now 2 years removed from his injury & should be 100%. Trying to find some pre-injury highlights. He had (2) 200 yd games in '11 before his injury that happened 2 carries into his 8th game. One of those games is below. Again, may never be anything more than just a body but he looked very promising in '10 & '11. Still had a good year in '12 but he will definately need his "suddenness" back he showed to be productive in the NFL.


    [URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cQU3Tl4r8s[/URL]

  3. #23
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    From Bouchette's Blog this morning.


    By Ed Bouchette Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about 3 hours ago
    Good morning,

    The Steelers did not sign Ray Graham to remain on their practice squad and the rookie halfback from Pitt did not sign with the Steelers to remain on their practice squad.
    He was on the 53-man roster in Houston for two weeks before the Texans released him to make room for Ricky Sapp from the New York Jets on Friday. Graham said the Texans told him they planned to sign him back to their practice squad.
    Enter the Steelers. They told Graham once he picked up their offense, perhaps in a week or two, they’d sign him to their 53-man roster. It was good enough for Graham to leave the familiar offense of the Texans, who actually had put him on their 53-man roster and two bigger paychecks.
    The logical target for replacement when they do add Graham would be Felix Jones. He’s done little in his time here with 36 rushing attempts for 128 yards (3.6), no touchdowns and eight receptions for 59 yards. He’s returned 15 kickoffs for an average of 23.5.
    Graham, who is only 5-9 and 194, had a signature game last season when he ran for 172 yards and one touchdown on 24 tries in the Panthers’ near upset at Notre Dame.
    He also comes cheaper than Jones, which would not be a real reason for the move. The surprising thing is that the Steelers did not try to sign him after he went undrafted this year.

    Looks like he will wear #33.
    [URL]http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/photo-gallery/Browns-Week-Practice-Photos/f964be0a-f1e6-4e1e-98a3-a413aa8ad57a#8e1f439f-4e09-4288-b4b8-879c0e2d529b[/URL]




  4. #24
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    I'm cheering for Graham. I think he coiuld be a low risk, high reward like FWP and Redman (short yardage redman, not starting redman)

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by feltdizz View Post
    I'm cheering for Graham. I think he coiuld be a low risk, high reward like FWP and Redman (short yardage redman, not starting redman)

    Did you really just mention FWP and Redman in the same sentence? FWP should find you and kick your butt for an insult like that.
    "My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by JUST-PLAIN-NASTY View Post
    If anything he will help in practice. Give them a look for Rice,Whittaker, Miller, & Franklin over the next several weeks. They will get a good look at him.
    This is likely the real reason he was added to P.S. now. We will be facing a few RB's in the coming weeks with similar attributes to Graham, so Graham can play that role on the scout team to prepare our defense for what's coming soon.
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oviedo View Post
    Did you really just mention FWP and Redman in the same sentence? FWP should find you and kick your butt for an insult like that.
    Why? I didnt say they had the same skill set. FWP gave us something we lacked... speed. Redman gave us something we lacked... short yardage conversion.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by feltdizz View Post
    Why? I didnt say they had the same skill set. FWP gave us something we lacked... speed. Redman gave us something we lacked... short yardage conversion.
    Why? Because Oviedo has managed to convince himself that Isaac Redman (and David Johnson...and Ramon Foster) are replaceable carbon units with no redeeming value whatsoever. Comparing the contributions of a couple of undrafted free agent running backs makes sense to the rest of us.
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  9. #29
    Pro Bowler

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    I'm rooting for Graham as well...but I'm rooting for Le'Veon Bell to stay being the starter.
    2022 NFL Mock Draft
    -------------------------------------------
    1. Malik Willis, QB; Liberty
    2. Daniel Faalele, OT; Minnesota
    3. Dante Stills, DT; West Virginia
    7. Riley Moss, CB; Iowa

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rara View Post
    I'm rooting for Graham as well...but I'm rooting for Le'Veon Bell to stay being the starter.
    I don't believe that is even a question. He's in no way going to get unseated. If we had conistently good line play he'd be a monster. He's making up for it in the pass game currently.

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