Dulac: Steelers want to draft Texas A&M WR Mike Evans

[Shawn]

We already have our future SS. Shark. Have people written him off already?

[Ernie]

We've also gone 12-4 with a 21st rank offense.... we've won SB's without a good offense.

We go .500 or worse with bad defense... if we don't fix the D next year its another .500 season.

That is correct.

[Ernie]

What positions on offense and defense need to be upgraded?
Offense
QB - no
RB - no
TE - maybe a second, but Miller is as good as it gets as #1
OT - no, 2 second round picks
OG - no, 1st round pick and Foster who was the most consistent
C - no
WR - maybe a #2

Defense
NT - yes
DE - yes
OLB - no, butpending the outcome of Worilds and Woodley
ILB - yes
CB - yes
SS - no, but soon
FS - yes

The offense is in good shape compared to the defense, they are young and getting better, adding more to an already good group and allowing the faltering group to continue to try and make a silk purse out of a sow's ear is foolhardy. I just don't see all the clamoring for offense at 1.15, use it to try and fill a void (and there are many), take your WR at 2.46 (WR is deep this year) and be happy. Me, I'd wait until the third round comp pick for WR or TE, that's how bad the defense is right now and it has very little to do with the coach or scheme, the players just haven't developed and the vets are losing their ability to compete quickly.

Pappy

Excellent post. Since the draft is so deep at WR, I would go WR in Round 2... take a chance on TE Colt Lyerla in Rd 5-6 if he is there...then go D with the rest of the draft.

[Oviedo]

We already have our future SS. Shark. Have people written him off already?

I agree. He could be a good SS. The problem is too many people want him to be a FS and he isn't.

[Oviedo]

What positions on offense and defense need to be upgraded?
Offense
QB - no
RB - no
TE - maybe a second, but Miller is as good as it gets as #1
OT - no, 2 second round picks
OG - no, 1st round pick and Foster who was the most consistent
C - no
WR - maybe a #2

Defense
NT - yes
DE - yes
OLB - no, butpending the outcome of Worilds and Woodley
ILB - yes
CB - yes
SS - no, but soon
FS - yes

The offense is in good shape compared to the defense, they are young and getting better, adding more to an already good group and allowing the faltering group to continue to try and make a silk purse out of a sow's ear is foolhardy. I just don't see all the clamoring for offense at 1.15, use it to try and fill a void (and there are many), take your WR at 2.46 (WR is deep this year) and be happy. Me, I'd wait until the third round comp pick for WR or TE, that's how bad the defense is right now and it has very little to do with the coach or scheme, the players just haven't developed and the vets are losing their ability to compete quickly.

Pappy

So if we essentially have to replace every position on the defense, why not go to the 4-3 where the talent pool is deeper and plays can step into more natural roles?

[grotonsteel]

The offense is in good shape compared to the defense, they are young and getting better, adding more to an already good group and allowing the faltering group to continue to try and make a silk purse out of a sow's ear is foolhardy. I just don't see all the clamoring for offense at 1.15, use it to try and fill a void (and there are many), take your WR at 2.46 (WR is deep this year) and be happy. Me, I'd wait until the third round comp pick for WR or TE, that's how bad the defense is right now and it has very little to do with the coach or scheme, the players just haven't developed and the vets are losing their ability to compete quickly.

Pappy

I have to disagree with that. You just can't keep drafting Rd 1 players on Defense to make Defense work. One has to develop late rd picks and if they can't develop players then change scheme. Go for 4-3. Easier to find late Rd talent for 4-3.

WR is a weak position. AB84 and no one right now. Sanders will leave in FA. Wheaton has showed nothing. Cotchery is unsigned and 1 yr old. Plex is 40 yr old...Brown and Moye are well PS squad material. Steelers need a WR badly.

Heath Miller is a yr old and is slow. He could hardly jump. I don't rate Spaeth and Paulson highly.

TE and WR need to be drafted early. We know they will contribute. Rest of the picks can be on defense. Let them take their usual 3 yrs to develop as long as it is not a high draft pick.

Steelers have to sign few FA on Defense. Draft is not going to help D but it can help offense. Offense need few pieces to make it work and it can be done through draft.

[Slapstick]

So if we essentially have to replace every position on the defense, why not go to the 4-3 where the talent pool is deeper and plays can step into more natural roles?

This is a fallacy...Seattle's D didn't become great overnight:

LDE M. Bennett - 4 years
LDT T. McDaniel - 9 years
RDT B. Mebane - 8 years
RDE C. Clemons - 11 years
SLB B. Irvin - 3 years
MLB B. Wagner - 3 years
WLB M. Smith - 4 years
LCB R. Sherman - 4 years
FS E. Thomas - 5 years
SS K. Chancellor - 5 years
RCB B. Maxwell - 4 years

Young? Yes...

Populated with rookies? No...

[grotonsteel]

This is a fallacy...Seattle's D didn't become great overnight:

LDE M. Bennett - 4 years
LDT T. McDaniel - 9 years
RDT B. Mebane - 8 years
RDE C. Clemons - 11 years
SLB B. Irvin - 3 years
MLB B. Wagner - 3 years
WLB M. Smith - 4 years
LCB R. Sherman - 4 years
FS E. Thomas - 5 years
SS K. Chancellor - 5 years
RCB B. Maxwell - 4 years

Young? Yes...

Populated with rookies? No...

But Seahawks star players on D are still on rookie contracts. Seahwaks did great drafting players developed them and plugged the gaps through FA. Steelers have been terrible last few years.

It will be interesting to see if Seahawks have same success drafting at 32.

[Captain Lemming]

Is my logic so irrefutable that nobody wants to touch it? Please prove to me the worth of the big elite receiver using championships as the criteria.

I gave the following reply to a post that suggested what a great move it was for the Falcons to jump up and get Julio Jones despite having Roddy White.
I repeat:

We have a ring with Randle El, while those guy put up fantasy stats. Vikes get props for picking Moss already having two probowl receivers too. Same deal though.
No QB? Moss played with Tom Brady and got no ring. But Brady has rings with smurf Troy Brown.

We already have a better "smurfy" Brown than Brady ever had.

I won't hate a receiver pick, but since the 90s it has been an overrated position for making a difference.

Worried about Cotchery as number 2? Average talent for sure.
He was the Jets number 1 receiver in 2009 with less than 1000 yards.
Fell one game short of the SB....with Mark Sanchez at QB.

Jericho had more playoff wins as a starter in that single season with Mark Sanchez at Qb than White and Julio have had in their careers.

Btw anybody catch the SB?
One of the smallest, no talent receiving corps in the league 43
6'3 x 2 receiver fantasy football fest 8

No correlation whatsoever between elite tall WRs and actual championships.

[Captain Lemming]

So if we essentially have to replace every position on the defense, why not go to the 4-3 where the talent pool is deeper and plays can step into more natural roles?

Stop with the fallacy OV

The first three front seven players drafted went to 4/3 teams.
By the time we drafted, 4 of the first 5 front seven players went to 4/3 teams.

The first and ONLY OLBer picked in the first round was Jarvis Jones.

When our name was called we had the choice of: THE BEST 4/3 DEFENSIVE END IN THE DRAFT, the FIRST OLBer in the draft, or the second 3/4 NT picked in the draft.

Three 3/4 teams took defensive ends IN THE FIRST SIX PICKS.

Now it is true that some of these guys are "tweeners" who could play OLBER or defensive end. Ditto for 4/3 tackle and nose tackles drafted ahead of us.

But that is the problem. EVERYBODY in the league can use a 6'4" 245-250 pound guy who runs a 4.6 like a Mingo, Jordan, or Ansah. Anybody can use a Star L in the interior (who also wound up on a 4/3 team). How does changing our defense fix that?

Our defense does not need height at all in our linebackers (that limits the competition to JUST 3/4 teams). We dont need defensive ends who run 4.6. Our best defensive end EVER was A Smith who clocked SLOW for the position.

I want to emphasize WE COULD HAVE TAKEN THE BEST 3/4 DEFENSIVE END IN THE DRAFT (not that I wanted that, but it was available).
NONE OF THE defensive ends or tackles taken ahead of us could play 3/4 defensive end. DEs too skinny, tackles too fat.

Green Bay at TWENTY SIX was the first and ONLY 3/4 team to draft a defensive end period in the first.

In this draft three of the top six picks were made by 4/3 teams needing a defensive end. That is ONE SEASON.

I ask you all, given a decade to search CAN YOU NAME three 3/4 defensive ends who were top 6 picks period?

Given the FACTS above how does moving to a 4/3 make it easier to draft good players?

Or you can just pretend this post never happened because the facts are beyond dispute.