Veterans

[Jooser]

I like Hawaiinsteels idea with this. I too worry if Worilds will be the right guy if signed to a big contract. Will Larry Foote be back and or has Williams ddeserved another shot at getting better at the position ?

Exactly, Worilds had a solid second half to the season, but he's no more durable than Woodley, imho...

[flippy]

If Brett Kiesel is not resigned who will play RDE?? They will either have to sign Kiesel for 1-yr contract and draft a DE early in the draft or they will have to extend Ziggy who has shown nothing so far.

I will look for a mid-tier FA.

I really liked Arnfelt last preseason.

[fezziwig]

I think Al Woods could be a decent starter at DE. Since Woods and McClendon can play any position on the line, the Steelers have some draft flexibility. Fangupo could develop as a NT. I still don't see why we cut Ta'Amu. I really thought he played well in the preseason.

That's a good question with why they cut Ta'Amu. I would have to guess that, they wanted him, the team to know that your not above the law or whatever if you want to be a Steeler. I'm also guessing that they didn't want to crush a young mans ability to rebound from his troubles and why they kept him through the ordeal, banishment/suspension. Possibly they felt his head was on a little better and decided to cut him afterwards. They did the same thing with the TE Saunders too if I recall correctly. Has anyone picked up Ta'Amu after the Steelers released him ? I know they were really happy to have him on the team once they drafted him. Better learning quickly that he was a troubled guy before they spent too much money and seasons on him.

[Djfan]

I think letting Keisel go now is not mandatory. He has something to offer on the field, and in the locker room.

[Rod Polamalu]

As mentioned,...Nix on the field with Heyward and Mclendon is a problem up front for any Team in the League. Honestly, whose blocking either one of them (Heyward or Mclendon) with but a single man for four quarters when they are playing next to a true 3-4 NT ?

The upgrade to the front seven would be considerable. And keeping Keisel and Woods would provide quality depth. Would we still require a single stud inside backer and one outside to have a dominant front seven ?,....yes. But it's a start.

[fordfixer]

That's a good question with why they cut Ta'Amu. I would have to guess that, they wanted him, the team to know that your not above the law or whatever if you want to be a Steeler. I'm also guessing that they didn't want to crush a young mans ability to rebound from his troubles and why they kept him through the ordeal, banishment/suspension. Possibly they felt his head was on a little better and decided to cut him afterwards. They did the same thing with the TE Saunders too if I recall correctly. Has anyone picked up Ta'Amu after the Steelers released him ? I know they were really happy to have him on the team once they drafted him. Better learning quickly that he was a troubled guy before they spent too much money and seasons on him.

Alameda Ta'amuFootball player
Alameda Ta'amu is an American football nose tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He played college football for the Washington Huskies. Wikipedia
Current team: Arizona Cardinals (#66 / Defensive tackle)
Education: University of Washington
Salary: 480,000 USD (2013)

[fezziwig]

thank you ff

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Ta'amu was playing well for the Cardinals this season. I think he tore his ACL in the last game, though.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

As mentioned,...Nix on the field with Heyward and Mclendon is a problem up front for any Team in the League. Honestly, whose blocking either one of them (Heyward or Mclendon) with but a single man for four quarters when they are playing next to a true 3-4 NT ?

Agreed with regards to the value of a dominant NT. I know that this is no longer a running league yadda yadda but I'm surprised how many Steelers fans forget the impact of a fat Casey in the middle of the Dline with his boring numbers (9 career sacks and an average of about 30 tackles a year).

Casey made everyone else around him better. The pocket shrinks up front so all of those times you see Woodley come wide only to have the QB step up into the pocket and re-load turns into Harrison-like strip sacks because there is no pocket to step up into. All of those huge openings that AP, Forte, and every other runner (or QB) ran through would have been filled by a giant bumble bee (on throwback jersey days) and the two guys trying to block him.

Pushing OLs back even a couple of feet means the QB has that much more blocking his field of vision and his throwing lanes. It turns LBs like Farrior and Foote into predators just waiting to see who squeaks through the holes so that they can attack, instead of trying to figure out which large patch of green to defend and hoping they pick the same one the runner picks.

I could go on and on, however, if I knew that Casey Hampton was available at 15, I would snap his fat, 2 down playing butt up in a heartbeat.

[fezziwig]

The play of the nose tackle and guys up front make all the difference in the world to the guys playing behind them. It's my understand that the 3-4 was developed because it was easier or more abundant of linebackers than linemen that could get to the quarterbacks. This is what I was told when I first start seeing the 3-4 defenses and I don't know if that's true or not. Having said this, do you think there will be a time that, it will be so difficult to get nose tackles that fit the system along with linebackers that, out of necessity they will need to swing over to the 4-3 defenses again ? I always figure once a team comes through with a tough group in their 4-3 and wins a Super Bowl or two, everyone one will jump on the copycat ship and change their teams defenses. The old saying that, it's a copycat league.