2nd Round Pick-Sean Davis S Maryland

[SidSmythe]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaannnn...

This is the kinda optimism that gets me through the day!

HaHaHaHa!! I like it. I just bought season tickets!!! LoL

[SidSmythe]

SEAN SMITH played CB last year.
This means the man can cover and match up on TE's.
Bring on the GRONK!!!

[Slapstick]

If Smith is as smart as reported, I can see him in a big nickel package right away...

[RuthlessBurgher]

McCullers can't handle a full game then alone a full season. So I expect Hargrave to start or play plenty. There ain't anybody else! Lol

If Big Mac is only in there for 20 plays or less per game (since he'll only play in base and short yardage...not a consideration at all in nickel & dime), he shouldn't wear out too quick. Perhaps Burns, Davis, or Hargrave gets some situational snaps in nickel or dime D as the season goes along, but I don't see any of them playing in our base D at all this year unless we get hammered with injury.

[RuthlessBurgher]

SEAN SMITH played CB last year.
This means the man can cover and match up on TE's.
Bring on the GRONK!!!

SEAN SMITH played CB for the Chiefs this season but signed with the Raiders as a free agent this offseason. New England is not on Oakland's schedule this year. Unless Gronk and Smith meet up in the playoffs.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Steelers sign Davis to four-year deal
Posted 3 hours ago


Teresa Varley
Steelers.com


Second-round draft pick Sean Davis is the latest rookie to sign a deal.

The constant smile on Sean Davis’ face grew a little bigger today when the Steelers second-round pick was signed to a four-year contract.

Davis’ dad wanted nothing more than for his son to be drafted by the Steelers. The elder Davis, who has battled cancer, is a Steelers fan, especially a fan of Coach Mike Tomlin. Davis was thrilled that his dad’s wish came true, as he is the person who is his biggest inspiration.

“He always worked two jobs, even when he battled cancer,” said Davis. “Seeing him, he is my role model, my inspiration. He is why I work so hard so he can sit down and relax and rest and watch our dreams come true.

“My dad always wanted me to play for Coach Tomlin. It’s a dream come true for real. He always wins. He is a great coach and he is all about winning. This team wins Super Bowls. It’s a top caliber team. It’s just awesome. It’s the football tradition here. It’s 100 percent football and that is what I am all about.”

Davis, a safety from Maryland, played in 50 games in four seasons with the Terrapins, starting 40 of them. He was a player who was all over the field, accounting for 305 tackles in four seasons. His senior year he led the defense with 70 solo stops, and was tied for the team lead with three interceptions.

While he will be used at safety, he brings versatility with him as he also played corner at Maryland.

“I am a very versatile player,” said Davis. “I can do a lot. I played strong safety, I played cornerback at Maryland. Moving around playing safety is what I do. I am very comfortable back there. Mentally I feel like I am capable of doing a lot. Physically I can do a lot. I am big and strong like a safety and quick like a corner. My mental game, I see it at a different angle that you might not get at safety and vice versa. I feel like I am well prepared.”

Davis is the fourth of the Steelers draft picks to sign, joining sixth-round selection Travis Feeney and seventh-round picks Demarcus Ayers and Tyler Matakevich who previously signed.

[URL]http://www.steelers.com/news/transactions/article-1/Steelers-sign-Davis-to-four-year-deal/4bbe2790-3468-42e8-9c5a-40df024c122b[/URL]

[RuthlessBurgher]

2016-08-11 1:14 PM | Teresa Varley
This & That: 'He's highly conditioned'

LATROBE, Pa. - A little bit of this, and a little bit of that as the Steelers prepare for their first preseason game of the 2016 season.

> Conditioning matters: Rookie second-round pick Sean Davis is getting plenty of work during training camp, taking snaps at strong safety and slot cornerback with Senquez Golson shelved after having surgery for a lisfranc injury.

And he is getting some praise from Coach Mike Tomlin for coming into training camp prepared and ready to go for whatever was asked of him.

"More than anything, he's highly conditioned," said Tomlin. "He's one of the few rookies I've seen that really looks like he's come prepared from a conditioning standpoint. That's not a knock against the others. It's really a tip of the cap to him.

"I think that's the first place that allows him to grow and take extra reps. He's playing some at strong safety, he's playing some in the nickelback position, and some in our sub-packages. I think more than anything, from an assessment standpoint, his high level of conditioning allows him to get extra work, which, of course, accelerates the learning curve."

Davis said in addition to what he did with the team during OTAs and minicamp, he went back to Arizona where he did his NFL Combine training, as well as working out at home with his younger brother leading up to training camp.

"I knew I had a goal, being in shape," said Davis. "That is one of the top things that has to be done to get on the field and get the reps. It's hard out here when you are sluggish. It affects your play. Being in shape allows me to be on the field longer."

The conditioning and studying his playbook are paying off.

"I have learned a lot, playing faster, getting more comfortable with the defense," said Davis. "I am more confident in my playmaking. I am communicating a lot more and I am more vocal especially when playing corner."

And when he hears good words from Tomlin, it drives him to work even harder.

"He is a great coach and for him to say that, to say something good like that, that is just going to keep me wanting more from myself," said Davis. "If I keep doing my job, hopefully I will do things so he can talk about me more in a positive light."

> Helping hand: Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva is battling for a starting spot, but he knows he wouldn't even be in the position to do so if it weren't for the help he gets from his teammates and Coach Mike Munchak.

"It's all up to them," said Villanueva. "Everybody is telling me if it wasn't for Coach (Mike) Munchak and my teammates, I wouldn't be in the NFL right now. There is a lot of truth to that.

"If Ramon (Foster) didn't take me under his wing, I wouldn't be here. If the guys didn't show me the ropes, there is no way I could have ever played last season. There is a lot of communication that goes on in the locker room. Having this group of guys has made me be able to play in the NFL."

Foster, who is entering his eight season in the NFL, understands the challenge an inexperienced Villanueva was faced with stepping in to play last season, and did everything he could to help him out.

"This game is more mental than physical," said Foster. "It's a day-to-day grind more than anything. The more you can stay consistent mentally, the better off you are. He is doing a better job now. I am happy with his progress. Here is a guy learning a position so everything he has done has been mental. That was the biggest thing with him, the mental game.

"He has done so much work, studying the game. He has done his part and I am happy to see it's paying off right now."

[Shawn]

If Sean is as smart as reported, I can see him in a big nickel package right away...

Intelligence certainly helps get Smith on the field sooner. So does dire need. With that said, muscle memory has nothing to do with intelligence and it's going to be a long while before he is able to play without thinking.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Intelligence certainly helps get Smith on the field sooner. So does dire need. With that said, muscle memory has nothing to do with intelligence and it's going to be a long while before he is able to play without thinking.

what about Davis?

[Captain Lemming]

Intelligence certainly helps get Smith on the field sooner. So does dire need. With that said, muscle memory has nothing to do with intelligence and it's going to be a long while before he is able to play without thinking.

I get your point but intelligence, diligence, and study is getting him more reps (on the field sooner as you said).
Study plus reps equal shorter time required for "muscle memory" to take over.

Of note is the fact that they seem to be looking at him (drafted to play safety) ahead of our other young guys as a "corner" in sub packages