Dixon Loses out to Painter for Backup Job

[Pouncey53Fan]

Leftwich hasn't been resigned, and they brought in Troy Smith and Jerrod Johnson, the latter of which is certainly going to be developmental.

Really don't want to bring back Leftwich. Too fragile.

[Pouncey53Fan]

So, people are sad that the Ravens signed Painter over Dixon?

I'm not...

That's great news for the Steelers...

I don't really care either way. It's just more sad than anything that Dennis Dixon couldn't beat out Curtis Painter in the eyes of the Ravens.

[Pouncey53Fan]

Historically, we used to ALWAYS let players go when they reach around 30 (give or take) especially LBs. However, we always had players waiting to take over and fill the void. These "players" I'm talking about shouldn't have to be 1st round selections.

Now, it's a domino effect. Tomlin hung on to Cowher's players for too long and 2 things are clear:

1) We're not developing talent like we used to and/or drafting as regressed
2) We had to cut young players that *could* have been developed to hang onto older players. Now, those older players are gone or should be gone and we don't have the young guns to replace them.

Two positives:

1) WR seems to be a position that we've been able to develop talent.
2) Carnell Lake seems to be developing our secondary. Lewis had his best year which isn't saying much.... Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen showed promising signs.

Again, the problem is that our "overall" ability to replace older talent has regressed. I hate saying this but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Ravens swept us again this year and wins the division. I see their talent pool growing and ours regressing.

I won't go into season predictions/thoughts yet without the draft yet completed, but all in all, I do agree with the rest of this.

[Oviedo]

Add this to the list of bad Tomlin-era personnel decisions.

What were we waiting for and what did our FO and coaches see in this guy? Now, we have no development QB prospects because our coaches thought this bum had potential. Anyone watching him play could tell he has no business being a NFL QB even as a #2. Hell, the RAVENS did even want him as their #3.

Now, we have Batch who is 100 years old and Leftwich is 99 years old. Overall, we are not developing talent the way we used to.

You mean like all those great QBs we developed in Noll's later years and under Cowher????? Nice try, but it has nothing to do with Tomlin-era anything. Hell we wouldn't even have Big Ben if Cowher had his way. Thank God Rooney overruled him.

[Pouncey53Fan]

You mean like all those great QBs we developed in Noll's later years and under Cowher????? Nice try, but it has nothing to do with Tomlin-era anything. Hell we wouldn't even have Big Ben if Cowher had his way. Thank God Rooney overruled him.

Hopefully the organization doesn't have to wait another 20+ years for a franchise QB once Big Ben retires like it had to after Bradshaw retired.

[steelz09]

You mean like all those great QBs we developed in Noll's later years and under Cowher????? Nice try, but it has nothing to do with Tomlin-era anything. Hell we wouldn't even have Big Ben if Cowher had his way. Thank God Rooney overruled him.

Tomlin still has A LOT to prove to me. I agree about Cowher though. He always had the team but he was content w/ his lackluster QB play. Once he finally got a true QB, we all saw the results.

[Sugar]

Tomlin still has A LOT to prove to me. I agree about Cowher though. He always had the team but he was content w/ his lackluster QB play. Once he finally got a true QB, we all saw the results.

There's a give and take to all this. Some players can be developed and others can't. No team in the league has found the perfect strategy. But in this salary-capped league, you can't have a top-notch everything.

Tomlin has nothing to prove to me. He takes the team that he has and makes as much or more out of it than any other team in the league.

[steelz09]

There's a give and take to all this. Some players can be developed and others can't. No team in the league has found the perfect strategy. But in this salary-capped league, you can't have a top-notch everything.

Tomlin has nothing to prove to me. He takes the team that he has and makes as much or more out of it than any other team in the league.

It really hasn't been "his" team. In that regard, "his" players. A few here and a few there.... but overall, this team was built. He really didn't need to rebuild anything. At this point, the rebuilding needs to start progressing. He can only stretch Cowher and Colberts players so far.

[Eich]

I thought Hines said Dixon was going to be a star?

So, Hines missed a prediction. You should know how it feels, given that you said we'd go 5-11 in 2004, Cowher was going to coach a year after retirement, Ben was going to be cut for a $60M salary dump this offseason, etc... According to YOU, our front office and coaching staff NEVER do ANYTHING right except drafting Ben and then subsequently placing no value in him.

[Crash]

And somehow Crash finds a way to take a very lame attempt at a shot on Hines.
...in a Dixon thread

The man asked a question, and I answered it. That was also the same weekend that Hines Ward basically called his starting QB a p**** on national TV.

Don't shoot the messenger, shoot the moron who spouted off the message.

[Crash]

So, Hines missed a prediction. You should know how it feels, given that you said we'd go 5-11 in 2004, Cowher was going to coach a year after retirement, Ben was going to be cut for a $60M salary dump this offseason, etc... According to YOU, our front office and coaching staff NEVER do ANYTHING right except drafting Ben and then subsequently placing no value in him.

How do they value Ben? I think the facts pretty much show they don't value him at all.

They should have flat out told Goodell in public that WE are handling his suspension, not you.

They also bent over for Goodell because they hardly said anything in public about the way Ben was treated in 2010 by defenses.

Ben needs to tweak his game? NO, you build around him, and VALUE what he does as a player and hold the defense accountable for their 4th quarter garbage.

[Sugar]

It really hasn't been "his" team. In that regard, "his" players. A few here and a few there.... but overall, this team was built. He really didn't need to rebuild anything. At this point, the rebuilding needs to start progressing. He can only stretch Cowher and Colberts players so far.

Um, Colbert is still here and I hardly think that he stopped having input as soon as Tomlin arrived. If anything, he got more control because he wasn't dealing with a veteran SB winning coach. As for Tomlin, this is "his" team as he is the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Players will come and go from any team and he has made as much of what he has had to work with as any coach in the league would have, IMO.

[Crash]

Cowher had early success with Noll's players too. Works both ways.

[Slapstick]

Cowher had early success with Noll's players too. Works both ways.

Which shows the effect that another good coach can have on a group of players...just like Tomlin...

[phillyesq]

The man asked a question, and I answered it. That was also the same weekend that Hines Ward basically called his starting QB a p**** on national TV.

Don't shoot the messenger, shoot the moron who spouted off the message.

The point that I originally tried to make (and apparently made quite poorly) was that Dixon was a 5th round pick. I don't think that anybody seriously expected him to be a starter. He had a bit of upside based on his athleticism, but that was about it. If he was viewed as a potential starter in the league by talent evaluators, he would have been taken before the 5th round.

Crash, please tell me that you are not really finding a way to put a negative spin on a statement of support made by a teammate. It stretches any credibility that you may have. Did you expect Ward to say that Dixon couldn't hit the broadside of a barn and had no place in the league?