Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

[phillyesq]

Re: Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

IMO Ziggy at NT could be a positive. Ziggy was a very good interior pass rusher coming out of college until we trained him to just hold OTs. Our DL needs to go more into the attack mode to disrupt the opponents offense similar to what Baltimore does versus just hold in place.

In the Steelers scheme, the defense lineman, especially the NT, are expected to occupy two blockers to allow the linebackers to make plays. However, they certainly do more than just "hold OTs" as you suggest. In some of his peak seasons, Aaron Smith had 8 sacks, as did KVO one year. Ray Seals had I believe nine sacks in 1995.

Part of commanding the double team is playing to a level where you cannot be blocked effectively one-on-one. I've heard lineman say that Aaron Smith in his prime was unblockable. You don't see or hear that from Ziggy, who seemed to regress a bit at times this year. He has the size and probably the quickness to be an effective 3-4 DE, but at times, he seems to struggle with holding the point of attack or setting the edge. I also don't see the disruption or burst that you'd hope to see from him. Heyward, on the other hand, has shown more flashes of that.

I'm not at all suggesting that Ziggy is a bust - I think he can be a solid starter at DE. But so far, he hasn't shown that he can play up to the level of even KVO. He needs to continue to improve.

As a NT, I haven't seen that he has the strength to be a 3-4 NT in the Hampton mold or the disrputiveness to play in the mold of a Chris Hoke. He seems better suited as an end.

I think the ideal for this defense would be adding a 3-4 NT of the future, and I've always thought, with this being the last year of Hampton's deal, that this was the time to make the move. If Hampton returns, the rookie gets a year to learn from Hampton.

I think the Steelers will need another stout player on the DL. We saw the way they had to completely sell out to try to stop the Denver running game, and the way that the Ravens have had success running the ball against Pittsburgh. Ziggy, Heyward, Kiesel, Rookie NT, McClendon and perhaps Hampton is a nice mix of youth and veteran savvy up front, and gives the Steelers nice depth.

I'd prefer a real NT to moving Ziggy to NT.

[focosteeler]

Re: Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

if hampton is due 8 million next year i say cut him. he is no where close to that valuable in my opinion

[steelz09]

Re: Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

if hampton is due 8 million next year i say cut him. he is no where close to that valuable in my opinion

I've always been a Hampton fan but I totally agree with this. You can't pay a player 8/million when he rarely even plays on 3rd down. Compound that with a player that has definitely declined in production and you have a prime cut candidate. No Hampton, no "primte cut" as in a good steak. "Prime cut" as in you can kiss your 8/million next year goodbye

[feltdizz]

Re: Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

if hampton is due 8 million next year i say cut him. he is no where close to that valuable in my opinion

That's insane for a 2 down NT

[phillyesq]

Re: Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

if hampton is due 8 million next year i say cut him. he is no where close to that valuable in my opinion

I've always been a Hampton fan but I totally agree with this. You can't pay a player 8/million when he rarely even plays on 3rd down. Compound that with a player that has definitely declined in production and you have a prime cut candidate. No Hampton, no "primte cut" as in a good steak. "Prime cut" as in you can kiss your 8/million next year goodbye

Where it gets tricky is that $8 million is the cap hit, but a significant portion of that (approximately $3 million, I think) is a prorated portion of his signing bonus. So whether he steps on the field or not, his cap hit will be at least $3 million. He would likely have to agree to an extension or reduction to return, and there are also the health issues.

One of many complicated situations the Steelers will have to address.

[Dee Dub]

Re: Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

Yeah Bouchette is amazing. I loved this gym of wisdom...

Guest: Hi Ed, do you think Mendenhall will be 100% next year?

Ed Bouchette: If the ACL heals as most do, he should be ready by August.

Really??

[pick6]

Re: Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat 1.16.12: Ziggy at NT?

if hampton is due 8 million next year i say cut him. he is no where close to that valuable in my opinion

I've always been a Hampton fan but I totally agree with this. You can't pay a player 8/million when he rarely even plays on 3rd down. Compound that with a player that has definitely declined in production and you have a prime cut candidate. No Hampton, no "primte cut" as in a good steak. "Prime cut" as in you can kiss your 8/million next year goodbye

Where it gets tricky is that $8 million is the cap hit, but a significant portion of that (approximately $3 million, I think) is a prorated portion of his signing bonus. So whether he steps on the field or not, his cap hit will be at least $3 million. He would likely have to agree to an extension or reduction to return, and there are also the health issues.

One of many complicated situations the Steelers will have to address.

Thanks for this info. I think Casey will be back and he will make millions. Casey knows that he can't make 8 million anywhere in the league at this piont in his career so does he go somewhere else and get paid less or does he stay with his team and make less. He stays with the team because there is absolutely no reason to cut him. If we believe that he comes back from the injury, cutting him would hurt the team. Mcclendon is good but we draft a NT who splits time with Casey. I think McClendon can play both NT and DE moreso than Ziggy.