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Re: PG: Team likely to look at CB early in draft
The Importance of Shopping at the Corner Market
by maryrose on Mar 2, 2011
Since the 2006 NFL Draft, there have been 78 defensive backs chosen in the first and second rounds of those five Drafts. Thirty-one of the NFL's 32 teams have taken (or traded for) at least one of those players. The lone NFL team not in that mix is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Twenty-four teams, three-quarters of the league, have selected more than one defensive back in the first two rounds of the last five Drafts. Moreover, the seven teams selecting just one blue-chip DB have also added a key free agent, something else Pittsburgh has not done (since Ryan Clark).
Interestingly, the two teams with the most of those 78 defensive backs, five apiece, are the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. I guess when you have Tom Brady and Drew Brees, elite quarterbacks in prolific passing offenses, you had better understand the necessity of shielding against your own strategies.
I am not implying that the Steelers have erred with this omission (we have been to a few Super Bowls); though it does stand out when you are the only one of 32. (It pains me every time I think of the 2007 Draft where the Jets leapfrogged Pittsburgh to grab Derrelle Revis.) What I am implying is that multiple upgrades are needed, right here and right now.
The options are as follows:
Re-sign Ivan Taylor.
Be confident that Crezdon Butler or Keenan Lewis can become a Tramon Williams-type, who also didn't start in his first three years.
Draft a corner or safety in the first two rounds, even if it means moving up to get an impact player.
Sign a free agent defensive back who is an upgrade over what we have.
The Troy Polamalu component is another interesting factor in the equation. To begin with, Polamalu is like an expensive European sports car - beautiful performance when all the parts are in tip-top shape, but anything less renders him a Chevy Malibu. The stronger the entire defensive backfield, the more the Steelers can absorb a less-than-perfect Troy. In addition, better cornerbacks allow Polamalu more freedom to use his instincts and make signature plays. When Troy is busy covering for cornerback shortcomings, his impact is greatly diminished. The Steelers can add two birds with one stone by upgrading their cornerback situation. Improving one position actually improves two, by allowing Troy to be Troy.
During last year's offseason, Art Rooney issued two simple mandates to Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin - run the ball more efficiently when we have to, and get the young players ready quicker. The Steelers improved in both those areas. I'm sure that each of us dreams from time to time that we could be Art Rooney. I do, and if I were, I would hand the above list to Colbert and Tomlin and tell them to make two or three of the items happen. Demanding all four is overkill, but I would insist on two or three. Sure, we have other areas of concern. The lines on both sides of the ball are always a concern. But if I am Art Rooney, and maybe someday in some heaven I will be, I am walking around the complex every day with that list above and I am talking to my people about making things happen. If the Steelers go at it with a hearty degree of resolve, this team will be as good as any to win a Super Bowl in the next couple years.
[url="http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/"]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/[/url]
The Importance of Shopping at the Corner Market
by maryrose on Mar 2, 2011
Since the 2006 NFL Draft, there have been 78 defensive backs chosen in the first and second rounds of those five Drafts. Thirty-one of the NFL's 32 teams have taken (or traded for) at least one of those players. The lone NFL team not in that mix is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Twenty-four teams, three-quarters of the league, have selected more than one defensive back in the first two rounds of the last five Drafts. Moreover, the seven teams selecting just one blue-chip DB have also added a key free agent, something else Pittsburgh has not done (since Ryan Clark).
Interestingly, the two teams with the most of those 78 defensive backs, five apiece, are the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. I guess when you have Tom Brady and Drew Brees, elite quarterbacks in prolific passing offenses, you had better understand the necessity of shielding against your own strategies.
I am not implying that the Steelers have erred with this omission (we have been to a few Super Bowls); though it does stand out when you are the only one of 32. (It pains me every time I think of the 2007 Draft where the Jets leapfrogged Pittsburgh to grab Derrelle Revis.) What I am implying is that multiple upgrades are needed, right here and right now.
The options are as follows:
Re-sign Ivan Taylor.
Be confident that Crezdon Butler or Keenan Lewis can become a Tramon Williams-type, who also didn't start in his first three years.
Draft a corner or safety in the first two rounds, even if it means moving up to get an impact player.
Sign a free agent defensive back who is an upgrade over what we have.
The Troy Polamalu component is another interesting factor in the equation. To begin with, Polamalu is like an expensive European sports car - beautiful performance when all the parts are in tip-top shape, but anything less renders him a Chevy Malibu. The stronger the entire defensive backfield, the more the Steelers can absorb a less-than-perfect Troy. In addition, better cornerbacks allow Polamalu more freedom to use his instincts and make signature plays. When Troy is busy covering for cornerback shortcomings, his impact is greatly diminished. The Steelers can add two birds with one stone by upgrading their cornerback situation. Improving one position actually improves two, by allowing Troy to be Troy.
During last year's offseason, Art Rooney issued two simple mandates to Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin - run the ball more efficiently when we have to, and get the young players ready quicker. The Steelers improved in both those areas. I'm sure that each of us dreams from time to time that we could be Art Rooney. I do, and if I were, I would hand the above list to Colbert and Tomlin and tell them to make two or three of the items happen. Demanding all four is overkill, but I would insist on two or three. Sure, we have other areas of concern. The lines on both sides of the ball are always a concern. But if I am Art Rooney, and maybe someday in some heaven I will be, I am walking around the complex every day with that list above and I am talking to my people about making things happen. If the Steelers go at it with a hearty degree of resolve, this team will be as good as any to win a Super Bowl in the next couple years.
[url="http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/"]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/[/url]
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