Was Whimper the worst rated OL in the NFL last year? Tunch seemed to have high praise for "Abdullah the Butcher."Originally Posted by NorthCoast
Was Whimper the worst rated OL in the NFL last year? Tunch seemed to have high praise for "Abdullah the Butcher."
IIRC, he was not the worst rated last year...
I was a huge critic of GW... given our OL needs at the time of his signing... and his rating of "Last" in the league...the last year he started. If I remember right, wasn't GW also sidelined early in the year, and given a physically unable to perform tag (despite being healthy)? With all of that being said, I was very pleasantly surprised at his level of play when he did see the field... as he was serviceable when they called upon him.
I would agree that he didn't eff up too bad (i.e. serviceable), but I'm guessing that it was more circumstance than it was his level of play. Whimper is simply a fringe NFL player, always will be. If the rookie kid we drafted shows any inkling and it is between he and Whimper, I say "Bon voyage, Guy".
I wasn't hired for my disposition.
You could very well be right Shoe about GW's level of play (circumstance)... and I agree that the rook gets the nod over GW if he shows anything at all in camp (which I suspect he will).
I really don't care about Whimper one way or the other, provided that he continues to do his job when called upon by the Steelers, but I am curious...
Why is it "circumstance" when he plays well and all his fault when he doesn't?
I had never heard of the guy before we signed him last year. Never watched him play. I, for one, was hung up on his last in the league ranking...and the fact that he was on the sidelines in sweatpants early in the year (despite being healthy and on the active roster)..
I think he gave up the most sacks in the league when he started at Left Tackle for the Jags a few years back. It's hard to blame that on anyone but himself.
Good chance that Johnson could make it to the "P" Squad if he doesn't make the 53
"My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"
Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey participating in OTAs
By Jeff.Hartman on May 27 2014
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to get back to a ground game that resembles the 1970s, but to do that they need the captain of the offensive line, Maurkice Pouncey, healthy and ready to go.
The Steelers' offensive line looks to be the strongest unit the team has had in years. One of its best contributors, Maurkice Pouncey, looks to be able to lead that unit just eight months after a significant injury.
Pouncey, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 last season against the Tennessee Titans, was on the field today in the Steelers' OTAs, his first organized activity since the injury. Pouncey went to three straight Pro Bowls before the injury ended his 2013 season just eight plays into it.
Pouncey claims that his knee feels great and that there are no restrictions on him or his availability. Fellow offensive linemen, Ramon Foster, was "shocked" at what Pouncey was able to do after suffering the injury last August.
With newly hired offensive line coach, Mike Munchak, it is great to see Pouncey participating and without restriction. Now that he is cleared to participate, keeping the Pro Bowl center healthy and not having a set back is vital.
The Steelers are looking to return their running game to elite status behind Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount, but for that to happen and be successful, they will need Pouncey at center. His participation is a big step in the right direction.
[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2014-steelers-otas/2014/5/27/5754764/steelers-injuries-status-report-update-maurkice-pouncey[/URL]
Steelers' Mike Adams looking forward, not back
May 28, 2014 8:53 PM
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pardon Mike Adams if he declines to celebrate the anniversary that arrives Sunday. It has not been a good year for him and it all began June 1, 2013.
Adams’ spring practices with the Steelers ended early that morning when he was knifed in the stomach and arm. The injuries required surgery.
He testified he was accosted on Carson Street by three men who tried to steal his truck.
He recovered from his wounds, but things only went downhill from there. A month ago, all three men were found not guilty of the assault, and now one of them is suing Adams for wrongful use of the criminal process, malicious prosecution, false arrest, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.
Oh, and Adams lost his starting job at left tackle after the first four games of 2013 to Kelvin Beachum.
But this is a new year, and Adams, who has his health back, is determined to recapture something else as well — his starting job at left tackle.
“Definitely,” Adams answered. “I didn’t come here to sit on the bench. I’m here to compete.”
With the legal issues ongoing, Adams declined to talk about the incident or his reaction to the verdicts. He offered a one-word description of his experiences over the past year: “Crazy.”
He also refused to use the knifing and the weakening of his core as reasons for his subsequently disappointing play in 2013.
“I’m not here to make excuses. Call it what you want. I’m not like that. It’s over now.”
Adams said he is able to put the lingering legal issues aside when it comes to preparing for his third NFL season.
“I’m fine physically, and that’s what I care about. The rest is whatever. I’m here to play football and compete. I’m not worried about that stuff.”
He ran behind Beachum at left tackle for the first two spring practices and has not been at right tackle, where there was speculation he would compete to unseat starter Marcus Gilbert, something that still could occur. Adams started six games at right tackle as a rookie in 2012.
He said he feels stronger than last season and hopes a 10-pound weight loss to 315 will make him lighter on his feet.
“I’m doing a lot better physically,” he said.
The contrast between Adams and Beachum is stark. Adams, a second-round draft choice, stands 6 feet 7. Beachum, who came to the Steelers in the seventh round, is 6-3, 300 pounds, although he would like to add 10 more so when he loses the expected 10 during camp and the season, he will remain at 300. .
Beachum’s game is technique and leverage and trying to outwork everyone else. He started 11 games at left tackle and wants to keep it every bit as much as Adams would like to take it away.
“I have to keep doing what I’m doing. Do what got me here, that’s working harder than anyone else, staying longer after practice,” said Beachum, among the last players off the field Wednesday. “Doing all the little things. It’s the little things, the details, finishing and effort which keeps you on the field.”
As have other offensive linemen, the two tackles welcomed the addition of a new coach in Mike Munchak, a Hall of Fame guard who, over the past 20 years, has been an offensive line coach and then head coach for the Tennessee Titans. Munchak has re-installed the outside zone-blocking schemes the Steelers abandoned in the first game last season.
“We have some zone-blocking concepts, some gap concepts, both are great and complement each other,” Beachum said.
Munchak brings with him a good reputation for teaching technique, and Adams said he already is working wonders with him and others.
“He’s an awesome teacher. He’s a guy who played the game, he’s a Hall of Famer, one of the greats, so it’s awesome to have him in there to teach us and give us his insight.”
A new coach, a fresh opportunity and better physical shape gives Adams a whole new mindset.
“What’s in the past is in the past. I’m not looking back.”
Quick hits
Rookie Dri Archer, the team’s third-round draft pick, missed both practices this week because he is ill. … The Steelers were awarded rookie cornerback Deion Belue on waivers from the Miami Dolphins and released rookie offensive tackle Kaycee Ike to make room for him on their 90-man roster. The Dolphins signed Belue, who played at Alabama, after he did not get drafted.
[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2014/05/29/Looking-forward-not-back/stories/201405290146#ixzz334hd1dAD[/URL]
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