Question for Ruthless...

[StarSpangledSteeler]

I remember during the pre-draft speculation days, you were one of the few calling for an OT in the first round. Looking back now, with hindsight 20/20, would you have taken Bulaga over Pouncey? I realize we have the benefit of knowing about the Colon injury now but taking depth into account is always part of the equation. What are your thoughts?

[Oviedo]

Re: Question for Ruthless...

I think I would still prefer to have Bulaga. You could still play Bulaga at Guard but with him you have the upside of eventually moving to OT.

The only thing that would change my opinion is if Pouncey actually won the starting Center job which I don't expect he will do.

[Iron Shiek]

Re: Question for Ruthless...

I think I would still prefer to have Bulaga. You could still play Bulaga at Guard but with him you have the upside of eventually moving to OT.

The only thing that would change my opinion is if Pouncey actually won the starting Center job which I don't expect he will do.

Is your name Ruthless!!?!?

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Question for Ruthless...

I fully supported the idea of drafting one of the top 4 OT's (Russell Okung, Bryan Bulaga, Trent Williams, or Anthony Davis) if one of them happened to fall to us. Although there was no pressing need for a starter at OT at that time because Starks and Colon were entrenched there, the lack of depth behind them scared the bejesus out of me. Plus, we didn't know if we would be able to sign Colon to a long term deal, so it would be good to have a young OT with some experience in our system to replace Colon next year if he got a big contract elsewhere and moved on after this season. I figured the young tackle could possibly start out a RG as a rookie, where Essex was somewhat of a weak link last year. I would have drafted Bulaga back then when Colon was still healthy, and I stand by that position even more today with Colon on the shelf.

It's not that I don't think we don't have a need at center. Hartwig does need to be replaced, but I figured that we could get by with another year with Hartwig and Legursky there (plus Urbik getting reps there as well) and drafted a center early next year when there will be several quality options available early in the draft (USC's Kris O'Dowd, PSU's Stefan Wisniewski, Florida's Mike Pouncey) instead of this year when there was really only one legit top center prospect (Maurkice Pouncey) and a significant fall-off after that.

I did a "What I Would Have Done" real-time mock draft as the actual draft was going along. I made my preferred picks at the exact time Colbert was making his, so I had no benefit of hindsight (for example, I took Jonathan Dwyer in the 4th round, because I did not know at that time that he would last until the 6th round...I thought he was a bargain even in round 4).

Here are my results, with the link to that thread:

[url]http://www.planetsteelers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11740&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=rea l[/url]

1. OT Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
2. NT Terrence Cody, Alabama
3. CB Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest
4. RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
5a. DE Austen Lane, DE, Murray State
5b. WR Carlton Mitchell, South Florida
5c. S Myron Rolle, Florida State
6a. TE Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh
6b. ILB Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State
7. OT/OG Ciron Black, LSU

I would have liked to have been able to take an OLB for depth behind Harrison and Woodley, but you can't have everything. I thought a young backup for Hampton in round 2 presented better value than someone like Worilds (because Snack isn't a spring chicken anymore and Hoke is even older than he is), and a young backup for Mendenhall in round 4 presented better value than someone like Gibson (especially with Willie Parker gone to Washington). I figured if anything happened to Harrison or Woodley, I could always move Timmons outside, and we'd still be okay inside with Farrior, Foote, Fox, and Jamar Chaney.

[Oviedo]

Re: Question for Ruthless...

I think I would still prefer to have Bulaga. You could still play Bulaga at Guard but with him you have the upside of eventually moving to OT.

The only thing that would change my opinion is if Pouncey actually won the starting Center job which I don't expect he will do.

Is your name Ruthless!!?!?

Obviously not but that has never stopped me from offereing an opinion in the past, present or fiuture

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Question for Ruthless...

I think I would still prefer to have Bulaga. You could still play Bulaga at Guard but with him you have the upside of eventually moving to OT.

The only thing that would change my opinion is if Pouncey actually won the starting Center job which I don't expect he will do.

Is your name Ruthless!!?!?

Obviously not but that has never stopped me from offereing an opinion in the past, present or fiuture

If you offer an opinion in the future, then we'll have to ask:

Is your name Jiga!!?!?

[Discipline of Steel]

Re: Question for Ruthless...

The only thing that would change my opinion is if Pouncey actually won the starting Center job which I don't expect he will do.

If Pouncey can win the starting RG position then why cant he win the starting C position?
To me, Hartwig and Essex are about equal so why not have Pouncey focus on his 'real' and ultimate position now? I think Pouncey is going to win that position, check my Nostradamus prediction. So with that said, you could have looked at it like, 'who would you rather replace this year...Hartwig vs Colon.' To that I answer Hartwig. But Hartwig vs Essex/Foster/Scott/Hills is a different story.

[papillon]

Re: Question for Ruthless...

MY opinion is that, unless, Pouncey is a total failure he should be the starting center this year and, hopefully, for the next 12 years. Hartwig offers nothing past this year and there's no reason in my mind to have Pouncey sitting and watching a veteran that is barely his equal (if that is the case).

Pappy