We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers tried to trade up for cornerback

May 1, 2011

The Steelers tried unsuccessfully to trade up in the second round for a cornerback.

Their primary targets were presumably Ras-I Dowling and Aaron Williams, the first two players off the board on Friday.

The Steelers were then "all ready" to draft Brandon Harris late in the round, only to see the Texans trade up to steal him.

Tackle Marcus Gilbert was Plan B for Pittsburgh.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[url="http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/42852190/ns/sports-player_news/"]http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/42852190/ ... ayer_news/[/url]

[PSU_dropout43]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Bouchette chat 5/3/11

Steel Curtain Rising: How close did the Steelers get to trading up in the second round?

Ed Bouchette: Not very and apparently did not try as hard as I was first led to believe.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Bouchette chat 5/3/11

Steel Curtain Rising: How close did the Steelers get to trading up in the second round?

Ed Bouchette: Not very and apparently did not try as hard as I was first led to believe.

Having your two targets come off the board in the first two picks of the second round makes trading up exceedingly difficult.

[flippy]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Bouchette chat 5/3/11

Steel Curtain Rising: How close did the Steelers get to trading up in the second round?

Ed Bouchette: Not very and apparently did not try as hard as I was first led to believe.

Having your two targets come off the board in the first two picks of the second round makes trading up exceedingly difficult.

Maybe we shoulda taken Dowling in round 1 and then tried to trade up for Heyward.

[Chadman]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Chadman reckons we came out of it alright...

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Chadman reckons we came out of it alright...

I felt much better about how things unfolded when CB Curtis Brown was still available for us in Round 3. It allowed us to address the DL and the OL with our first two picks, nothing wrong with that.

[Oviedo]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Chadman reckons we came out of it alright...

I felt much better about how things unfolded when CB Curtis Brown was still available for us in Round 3. It allowed us to address the DL and the OL with our first two picks, nothing wrong with that.

Getting Brown and Allen with two consecutive picks made me feel better about not getting a CB earlier. This is particularly good given after the first 3 or 4 CBs all the others were pretty well lumped together as far as talent and potential. I'm actually pretty excited about Allen and his potential.

My only concern remains are we going to change our standard operating procedure and actually give these kids a chance to play? If not our secondary will be no better than last year and that would be unfortunate.

He wasn't my first choice, but I'm really beginning to like the Heyward pick. Hopefullly we can figure how to get his motor running at max for entire games.

[D Rock]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Chadman reckons we came out of it alright...

I felt much better about how things unfolded when CB Curtis Brown was still available for us in Round 3. It allowed us to address the DL and the OL with our first two picks, nothing wrong with that.

Getting Brown and Allen with two consecutive picks made me feel better about not getting a CB earlier. This is particularly good given after the first 3 or 4 CBs all the others were pretty well lumped together as far as talent and potential. I'm actually pretty excited about Allen and his potential.

My only concern remains are we going to change our standard operating procedure and actually give these kids a chance to play? If not our secondary will be no better than last year and that would be unfortunate.

They'll play if they earn it. Brown certainly can from what the coaches have said so far.

Lewis wasn't ready to play above Gay or McFadden. Neither was Butler. That's why they haven't, not because of the defensive scheme.

Madison was terrible too and he got some game time, but what does that tell us about Lewis?

[Oviedo]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Chadman reckons we came out of it alright...

I felt much better about how things unfolded when CB Curtis Brown was still available for us in Round 3. It allowed us to address the DL and the OL with our first two picks, nothing wrong with that.

Getting Brown and Allen with two consecutive picks made me feel better about not getting a CB earlier. This is particularly good given after the first 3 or 4 CBs all the others were pretty well lumped together as far as talent and potential. I'm actually pretty excited about Allen and his potential.

My only concern remains are we going to change our standard operating procedure and actually give these kids a chance to play? If not our secondary will be no better than last year and that would be unfortunate.

They'll play if they earn it. Brown certainly can from what the coaches have said so far.

Lewis wasn't ready to play above Gay or McFadden. Neither was Butler. That's why they haven't, not because of the defensive scheme.

Madison was terrible too and he got some game time, but what does that tell us about Lewis?

I said when we drafted Lewis that Joe Burnett was going to be the better DB. Burnett played as a rookie and Lewis didn't. But we cut Burnett and keep Lewis and don't play him again. The logic of that baffles me.

[D Rock]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Chadman reckons we came out of it alright...

I felt much better about how things unfolded when CB Curtis Brown was still available for us in Round 3. It allowed us to address the DL and the OL with our first two picks, nothing wrong with that.

Getting Brown and Allen with two consecutive picks made me feel better about not getting a CB earlier. This is particularly good given after the first 3 or 4 CBs all the others were pretty well lumped together as far as talent and potential. I'm actually pretty excited about Allen and his potential.

My only concern remains are we going to change our standard operating procedure and actually give these kids a chance to play? If not our secondary will be no better than last year and that would be unfortunate.

They'll play if they earn it. Brown certainly can from what the coaches have said so far.

Lewis wasn't ready to play above Gay or McFadden. Neither was Butler. That's why they haven't, not because of the defensive scheme.

Madison was terrible too and he got some game time, but what does that tell us about Lewis?

I said when we drafted Lewis that Joe Burnett was going to be the better DB. Burnett played as a rookie and Lewis didn't. But we cut Burnett and keep Lewis and don't play him again. The logic of that baffles me.

HIndsight is 20/20. Burnett looked more ready to play early, and his floor was probably higher than Lewis'. Lewis probably had a higher ceiling tho. Hence a 3rd round vs a 5th round draft pick.

Unfortunately Lewis hasn't come anywhere close to that ceiling. Of course it also needs to be considered that Burnett has been a non-factor in the league, and wasn't even on a team last year....But Lewis probably wont be on a team this year either.

[Chadman]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Before we put a stke througt the heart of Keenan Lewis' career, is Chadman remembering things wrong, or was there a point in pre-season where Lewis was a chance of unseating McFadden for a starting role?

Didn't he get close, then struggled in one game- lost it on a glass pane or something & was then demoted by Tomlin?

To Chadman, this sounds like a guy that was very keen to get a role, knew he'd blown it & acted a little immaturely- not a guy that can't compete at the next level.

He may have been in Tomlin's doghouse last season as a result, but all is not lost if he gets his head on right. He might be closer to a starting role than we give him credit for.

[Oviedo]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Before we put a stke througt the heart of Keenan Lewis' career, is Chadman remembering things wrong, or was there a point in pre-season where Lewis was a chance of unseating McFadden for a starting role?

Didn't he get close, then struggled in one game- lost it on a glass pane or something & was then demoted by Tomlin?

To Chadman, this sounds like a guy that was very keen to get a role, knew he'd blown it & acted a little immaturely- not a guy that can't compete at the next level.

He may have been in Tomlin's doghouse last season as a result, but all is not lost if he gets his head on right. He might be closer to a starting role than we give him credit for.

I hope so but I won't bet on it. Doghouse or not when we chose to have Anthony Madison (one of the worse DBs I've ever seen play) active and playing defense that is a real condemnation of Lewis and where he stands in the organization.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Chadman reckons we came out of it alright...

I felt much better about how things unfolded when CB Curtis Brown was still available for us in Round 3. It allowed us to address the DL and the OL with our first two picks, nothing wrong with that.

Getting Brown and Allen with two consecutive picks made me feel better about not getting a CB earlier. This is particularly good given after the first 3 or 4 CBs all the others were pretty well lumped together as far as talent and potential. I'm actually pretty excited about Allen and his potential.

My only concern remains are we going to change our standard operating procedure and actually give these kids a chance to play? If not our secondary will be no better than last year and that would be unfortunate.

He wasn't my first choice, but I'm really beginning to like the Heyward pick. Hopefullly we can figure how to get his motor running at max for entire games.

He won't be running at Max during games.

He will be running at Max during practices.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Before we put a stke througt the heart of Keenan Lewis' career, is Chadman remembering things wrong, or was there a point in pre-season where Lewis was a chance of unseating McFadden for a starting role?

Didn't he get close, then struggled in one game- lost it on a glass pane or something & was then demoted by Tomlin?

To Chadman, this sounds like a guy that was very keen to get a role, knew he'd blown it & acted a little immaturely- not a guy that can't compete at the next level.

He may have been in Tomlin's doghouse last season as a result, but all is not lost if he gets his head on right. He might be closer to a starting role than we give him credit for.

I hope so but I won't bet on it. Doghouse or not when we chose to have Anthony Madison (one of the worse DBs I've ever seen play) active and playing defense that is a real condemnation of Lewis and where he stands in the organization.

If Lewis played ST then he would have found his way onto the game day roster last year. His inability to crack the 45 was not a condemnation of his CB play but rather his lack of flexibility. I think that if you asked Tomlin who the better CB was then he would not say Madison.

For Lewis to make it then he will have to do so by winning a CB position. He won't dress if he is merely a backup who can't also do something else effectively.

[Chadman]

Re: We wanted to trade up in 2nd for CBs Dowling or Williams

Before we put a stke througt the heart of Keenan Lewis' career, is Chadman remembering things wrong, or was there a point in pre-season where Lewis was a chance of unseating McFadden for a starting role?

Didn't he get close, then struggled in one game- lost it on a glass pane or something & was then demoted by Tomlin?

To Chadman, this sounds like a guy that was very keen to get a role, knew he'd blown it & acted a little immaturely- not a guy that can't compete at the next level.

He may have been in Tomlin's doghouse last season as a result, but all is not lost if he gets his head on right. He might be closer to a starting role than we give him credit for.

Seriously- is Chadman the only one to remember this? Because now Chadman is starting to question if he had a dream about it instead...