Who Will Be the Break-Out Star of the 2012 Steelers?

[hawaiiansteel]

Who Will Be the Break-Out Star of the 2012 Steelers?

Jun 7th, 2012 by Jeff SneddenSteelers

Ch-ch-ch-changes…..

If you haven’t heard by now, the 2012 edition of your Pittsburgh Steelers is going to look very different than the team you have grown accustomed to seeing running out of the Heinz Field tunnel. Besides the usual roster change-over that comes with any new NFL season, the Steelers have experienced the most significant personnel flux since the early 1990′s. Much of the core of the Steelers veteran roster – Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, James Farrior, Chris Hoke – are all either retired or released. CB William Gay departed for Pittsburgh-West and a reunion with many of his former teammates in the desert. RB Rashard Mendenhall is going to miss much of – or all – of the 2012 season. The player changes are drastic, but not the big story.

New offensive coordinator Todd Haley brings his monumentally different formula to the team after taking over for the “retired” Bruce Arians. The national and local media has spent most of the past three months trying to stir up controversy between Haley and the Steelers $102 million quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. The stories about the relationship (or lack thereof) between Haley and Big Ben dominated the headlines for most of the spring, soon followed by the stories of Roethlisberger and his frustration with the new Haley offense. Nobody really knows what Todd Haley is bringing to the table outside of the South Side Complex. When he was the offensive coordinator in Arizona, his passing offense was dominate, revolving around Pro Bowlers QB Kurt Warner, WR Larry Fitzgerald, and WR Anquan Boldin. Once he took over as Head Coach in Kansas City, he rode the RB combination of Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles to the top rushing offense in football and an AFC West Title. The talent level in Pittsburgh is on par with any that Haley has experienced in the past, so if he can find a way to combine both strategies in the Steelers new offense, the team could be a machine.



With so many changes, it is inevitable that a player or two will elevate themselves to star status in 2012. The Steelers have many young, hungry players who would like nothing more than to become the next breakout star – echoing the 2011 season of WR Antonio Brown. On the defensive side of the ball, old faithful is still plugging away in his 37th season of coaching in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has lost a few players that were pivotal parts of his record-setting defense of the past seven years. The loss of DE Aaron Smith was expected, as the veteran had lost the battle with injuries and was sure to retire. The loss of ILB James Farrior was a surprise to many, and his departure leaves a hole at a key spot in the Steelers 3-4 defense. That role will be played at the outset by 10th year ILB Larry Foote, who has worked in the LeBeau scheme for all but three of his NFL seasons. There is no doubt that Foote can fill the role of Farrior on the field, although the team will gravely miss the leadership that Farrior offered. Whether Foote can step up and be that leader is yet to be seen, but by all indications he has started the process this week with his shot back at NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp. That is a good sign for the Steelers, who continue to act the part of a “Band of Brothers”, defending each other from criticism doled out by the media.



So who will be 2012′s breakout stars for the Pittsburgh Steelers? The obvious first choice would be RB Issac Redman, who will have first crack at filling the starting role in the absence of RB Rashard Mendenhall. Redman was been a great story for the Steelers, an undrafted free agent out of tiny Bowie State who clawed his way up the ladder and is now on the verge of becoming a star in the National Football League. Redman showed what he is capable of in the Steelers 2011 AFC Wild Card playoff loss to Denver, when he rushed for 121 yards on just 17 carries. The team seems to believe that Redman will be the answer to the loss of Mendenhall, but just in case he falters the team has a stable of backs ready for the call to arms – Jonathan Dwyer, John Clay, Baron Batch, and rookie Chris Rainey will all vie for carries should Redman not be able to carry the load. At 6-foot and 230 lbs, Redman has the size and power to get the job done and he fits the prototypical idea of a Steelers running back. With the Mendenhall injury still not entirely understood, it could be a full season of Redman in the backfield. Could he end up being the next breakout star for the team?



Should the offense continue to be carried by the passing game, the Steelers already have two established stars in WR Mike Wallace and WR Antonio Brown. Wallace has been AWOL from team activities over a contract dispute, so his presence with the team in 2012 is in doubt. Brown, who set an NFL all-purpose yards record in 2011, is on his way to becoming the go-to guy for Ben Roethlisberger and after his Pro Bowl season he is already a star. Next in line for a status upgrade is WR Emmanuel Sanders, who looks to be fully healthy and ready to take advantage of any opportunity the Wallace situation creates for him. Sanders has all of the tools to be a star wide receiver, including the trust of his quarterback. Should Mike Wallace and the Steelers not be able to come to terms, it would be Sanders taking over as the #2 WR in the Todd Haley offense. Could Sanders be the next breakout star?

The organization added the element of speed – LOTS of speed – in the draft when they chose Florida RB Chris Rainey in the fifth round. Rainey is a player in the mold of former Haley project Dexter McCluster, who electrified the Chiefs in 2010-2011 with his speed and hybrid ability. Rainey is faster than McCluster and looks to be a better receiver, and will also add kick/punt return duties to his agenda with the Steelers. Similar players in the NFL such as RB Darren Sproles, have been able to break the mold of the prototypical RB to become all-purpose stars. If Rainey learns quickly and gains the trust of head coach Mike Tomlin, he could become an “X Factor” for the team in both the running and passing games. Could Chris Rainey be the next breakout star for the black and gold?

On the defensive side of the ball, the loss of DE Aaron Smith has opened up a full-time starting spot for forth-year player Ziggy Hood. Hood has shown flashes of reaching the potential he showed when the Steelers drafted him in the first round of the 2009 Draft. Now a crafty veteran with experience playing the unique DE position in LeBeau’s defense, Hood has a chance to really make his mark in 2012. He has shown the ability to be a good pass rusher in addition to the run-stopping duties that are paramount for any Steelers defensive lineman. Over a full 16-game schedule, Hood could put up 8-10 sacks and close to 100 tackles. Would that make Ziggy Hood a breakout star in 2012?

Lastly, we have the cornerback situation opposite veteran Ike Taylor. The candidates for the starting slot left behind by William Gay are CB Keenan Lewis, CB Curtis Brown, and CB Cortez Allen. All three of these players have traits found in successful NFL corners, including size and the ability to match up one-on-one with NFL receivers. One of these players is going to be announced as the starter and have an opportunity to seal their fate with the Steelers. Lewis would seem to be the favorite, heading into his forth season with the team. However, Curtis Brown has looked impressive in his limited playing time and has the pedigree to become a true shutdown corner. Finally, we have Cortez Allen – a small school player who is entering his second season and has as much raw athletic ability as any player on the roster. While his learning curve is behind both Lewis and Brown due to his college career being played at The Citadel, Allen could surprise everyone and snag the starting spot with a great preseason. Will one of these players become the breakout star for the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers?

There are other possibilities, including first round pick OG David DeCastro, NT Alameda Ta’amu, DE Cameron Heyward, and ILB Stevenson Sylvester. All of these players will see the field quite a bit in the preseason, with DeCastro taking his starting spot on the offensive line. Ta’amu could end up starting as well if veteran NT Casey Hampton is unable to fully recover from his knee injury. The huge rookie looks the part of a Steelers NT and eventually will take over as the starter. Could that be as early as this season? Both Heyward and Sylvester are expected to see increased reps with Smith and Farrior gone, and both have the talent to be starters at their positions. Either one could end up breaking out in 2012 if the cards fall in their direction.

So what do you think, Steeler Nation? Who is your choice for the 2012 breakout star of the Pittsburgh Steelers?

[URL]http://nicepickcowher.com/2012/06/07/who-will-be-the-break-out-star-of-the-2012-steelers/[/URL]

[Oviedo]

Antonio Brown and Manny Sanders are going to show they are just as important and just as good as Wallace. Will give the Steelers huge leverage in negotiations with Wallace.

McLendon is going to step up and prove to be a front line DL with the ability to play both NT and DE.

Sean Spence is going to be the best rookie not playing on the OL and will only be held back by the desire not to play rookies on defense

[flippy]

1. Manny Sanders - He's the best WR on the roster. Just hasn't had the chance to show it yet. And not being able to work with the trainers to recover from his injury last year held him back.

2. Steve McClendon - Time to let the beast out. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being our best DLineman.

3. Chris Rainey - He's going to make the ProBowl as a kick returner. He's got so much speed and change of direction, Haley's gonna figure out he just has to use him on offense. This is a kid with a chip on his shoulder. One of the best talents in the draft and athletic freak that goes in the 5th round. He's got something to prove. And he's gonna be motivated with one of his brothers on the team.

4. Cortez Allen - He's gonna win the starting spot opposite Ike and he's gonna be even better than Ike.

5. Curtis Brown - He's going to be one of the best corners to cover the slot that this league has ever seen. He's a hard worker. A special team's demon that is one of the more natural cover guys we've had in Pittsburgh.

6. Sean Spence - It's gonna take an injury somewhere for him to get PT. But if he does, this kid has it. I see him having more promise than Timmons. He's a playmaker like Larry Foote coming out of college. But he's got speed. It may take him time to make his way into the lineup, but I think he's the player on the roster than can make an impact on this D the way that Troy and Harrison do. I think Lebeau will figure out a way to get him on the field on 3rd downs.

[Flasteel]

I think the guy will be Rainey. He's so explosive that Haley is going to go out of his way to get the ball in his hands. He'll have a chance to shine on offense and special teams and I promise that everyone reading these words will at some point have to pick their jaw up off the ground...I'm guessing that will happen numerous times. I am biased, but I also know this kid's skill set very well.

Chris Rainey = Break-out Star of 2012

[Flasteel]

Kovacevic: L.T. the X-factor in takeaways

By [EMAIL="dkovacevic@tribweb.com"]Dejan Kovacevic[/EMAIL]
Tribune-Review

Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 12:30 a.m.
Updated: Wednesday, May 30, 2012
There isn’t much to glean from football in shorts, but that hasn’t lessened the fun at the Steelers’ offseason training activities when watching that little No. 22 squirt through the line, spin around defenders and sprint into open grass untouched.

“Alley Cat!” Mike Tomlin booms from the sideline.

The cat in question is Chris Rainey, the 5-foot-9 running back and fifth-round draft pick out of Florida, and he’s a stick of dynamite each time he touches the ball. Might be even faster than Mike Wallace.
Just ask him.

“I’m confident I am the fastest,” Rainey will beam, “but I’m not going to say any names.”
Awesome. Can he play defense?

I’m kidding, of course, but one thought I had as OTAs opened their second week Tuesday on a steamy South Side was that this offense could have enough speed to bend the time-and-space continuum. It will have Wallace, Antonio Brown and maybe Rainey if Tomlin and Todd Haley can carve out a scatback — or “Cat-back” — role. It’s elite athleticism whichever way Ben Roethlisberger turns.
But my second thought was that the projected starting defense is shaping up to be … well, gentlemen, let’s see those birth certificates …
Safeties: Troy Polamalu (31), Ryan Clark (32)
Cornerbacks: Ike Taylor (32), Keenan Lewis (26)
Linebackers: James Harrison (34), Larry Foote (31), LaMarr Woodley (27), Lawrence Timmons (26)
Line: Casey Hampton (34), Brett Keisel (33), Ziggy Hood (25)

Even with James Farrior gone, that’s an average age of 30.1, compared to 25.2 on offense.
Sure, the defense still has the big names, and that’s great. There isn’t a team in the NFL that wouldn’t embrace Polamalu, Harrison, Hampton and Keisel, even in their 30s.
And sure, the Steelers collectively boasted the league’s No. 1 defense in 2011. Fewest points allowed. Fewest yards per game.

But there’s more to this, and we’ve all seen it.

We saw Tim Tebow run up 316 yards and real, live NFL quarterbacks fare even better.
We saw three 100-yard rushers after one in the previous 50 games.
Above all, we saw the league-low 15 takeaways: 11 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. This after pretty much the same players had a superb 35 takeaways in 2010.

Those are all glaring signs of a group that had lost its edge. They performed well in the X’s-and-O’s sense, filled holes and finished tackles. But they no longer could make the “splash play,” per Tomlin’s term. They no longer had that X-factor, that singular force to wreak havoc both on the field and with opponents’ playbooks.

And that begs a question it’s not too soon to ask: Who will change that?
It still could be Harrison, Woodley or Polamalu if healthy, obviously, but health loomed large for all three last year.

My choice: Timmons.
(Waits for eyes to stop rolling all across Steelers Nation.)

No question, Timmons’ expected breakout last year was a dud. His tackles plummeted from 149 in 2010 to just 91. He brashly predicted 18 sacks and backed that up with, um, two. He failed to force a solitary fumble. But that’s largely because he bounced from inside to outside to cover for Harrison and Woodley being hurt, a tough move to make in training camp let alone from game to game.

Tomlin and his staff still have legitimate cause to set sky-high goals for Timmons. His positional coach, Keith Butler, calls him “one of the better linebackers in the league,” and it’s hard to disagree, at least in potential. Timmons has a rare combination of size, strength and speed that make him the Steelers’ most explosive big man. And with how he’ll be used in Dick LeBeau’s scheme, he’s just as likely to rush the quarterback as to drop into coverage and pick him off. Big play either way.

So, about that breakout …
“You know, I always go into a season wanting to have a breakout, and it’s that way this year, too,” No. 94 said yesterday after practice. “I want to go out and start with a bang, show my team what I can do.”

And about the team getting more takeaways …
“That’s going to start with me. It starts right here at these practices, getting the details down, then getting the job done.”

It’s overdue. Let’s see it.

Let’s also see other livelier legs contribute. Let’s see if Lewis can out-perform the slower William Gay he’s replacing. Let’s see more of Cam Heyward (23), Steve McLendon (26), Stevenson Sylvester (23) and Jason Worilds (24). Let’s give a shot to hyper-athletic corner Curtis Brown (23), who has dazzled at these OTAs.

Make it a competition in Latrobe: Whoever collects the most footballs wins.
Dejan Kovacevic is a staff writer

[Shoe]

I'll be the first to peg Redman then.

It's set up for him to succeed. Starting job, fresh young legs, new re-focus on the run game.

Honorable mentions... or more appropriately... the one I want to emerge next: Cortez Allen. This seems to be a long shot, just because the learning curve (from the Citadel) would seem still very steep. But he was good enough to get on the field last year as a rookie. I HOPE that he can become a legitimate NFL corner, because I think we are in bad shape there. Ike Thomas (he's no longer Ike Taylor--Demaryus is his daddy, so it's now Ike Thomas) is definitely on the dowside of his career. And nothing much else.

[steelz09]

Kovacevic: L.T. the X-factor in takeaways

By [EMAIL="dkovacevic@tribweb.com"]Dejan Kovacevic[/EMAIL]
Tribune-Review

Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 12:30 a.m.
Updated: Wednesday, May 30, 2012
There isn’t much to glean from football in shorts, but that hasn’t lessened the fun at the Steelers’ offseason training activities when watching that little No. 22 squirt through the line, spin around defenders and sprint into open grass untouched.

“Alley Cat!” Mike Tomlin booms from the sideline.

The cat in question is Chris Rainey, the 5-foot-9 running back and fifth-round draft pick out of Florida, and he’s a stick of dynamite each time he touches the ball. Might be even faster than Mike Wallace.
Just ask him.

“I’m confident I am the fastest,” Rainey will beam, “but I’m not going to say any names.”
Awesome. Can he play defense?

I’m kidding, of course, but one thought I had as OTAs opened their second week Tuesday on a steamy South Side was that this offense could have enough speed to bend the time-and-space continuum. It will have Wallace, Antonio Brown and maybe Rainey if Tomlin and Todd Haley can carve out a scatback — or “Cat-back” — role. It’s elite athleticism whichever way Ben Roethlisberger turns.
But my second thought was that the projected starting defense is shaping up to be … well, gentlemen, let’s see those birth certificates …
Safeties: Troy Polamalu (31), Ryan Clark (32)
Cornerbacks: Ike Taylor (32), Keenan Lewis (26)
Linebackers: James Harrison (34), Larry Foote (31), LaMarr Woodley (27), Lawrence Timmons (26)
Line: Casey Hampton (34), Brett Keisel (33), Ziggy Hood (25)

Even with James Farrior gone, that’s an average age of 30.1, compared to 25.2 on offense.
Sure, the defense still has the big names, and that’s great. There isn’t a team in the NFL that wouldn’t embrace Polamalu, Harrison, Hampton and Keisel, even in their 30s.
And sure, the Steelers collectively boasted the league’s No. 1 defense in 2011. Fewest points allowed. Fewest yards per game.

But there’s more to this, and we’ve all seen it.

We saw Tim Tebow run up 316 yards and real, live NFL quarterbacks fare even better.
We saw three 100-yard rushers after one in the previous 50 games.
Above all, we saw the league-low 15 takeaways: 11 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. This after pretty much the same players had a superb 35 takeaways in 2010.

Those are all glaring signs of a group that had lost its edge. They performed well in the X’s-and-O’s sense, filled holes and finished tackles. But they no longer could make the “splash play,” per Tomlin’s term. They no longer had that X-factor, that singular force to wreak havoc both on the field and with opponents’ playbooks.

And that begs a question it’s not too soon to ask: Who will change that?
It still could be Harrison, Woodley or Polamalu if healthy, obviously, but health loomed large for all three last year.

My choice: Timmons.
(Waits for eyes to stop rolling all across Steelers Nation.)

No question, Timmons’ expected breakout last year was a dud. His tackles plummeted from 149 in 2010 to just 91. He brashly predicted 18 sacks and backed that up with, um, two. He failed to force a solitary fumble. But that’s largely because he bounced from inside to outside to cover for Harrison and Woodley being hurt, a tough move to make in training camp let alone from game to game.

Tomlin and his staff still have legitimate cause to set sky-high goals for Timmons. His positional coach, Keith Butler, calls him “one of the better linebackers in the league,” and it’s hard to disagree, at least in potential. Timmons has a rare combination of size, strength and speed that make him the Steelers’ most explosive big man. And with how he’ll be used in Dick LeBeau’s scheme, he’s just as likely to rush the quarterback as to drop into coverage and pick him off. Big play either way.

So, about that breakout …
“You know, I always go into a season wanting to have a breakout, and it’s that way this year, too,” No. 94 said yesterday after practice. “I want to go out and start with a bang, show my team what I can do.”

And about the team getting more takeaways …
“That’s going to start with me. It starts right here at these practices, getting the details down, then getting the job done.”

It’s overdue. Let’s see it.

Let’s also see other livelier legs contribute. Let’s see if Lewis can out-perform the slower William Gay he’s replacing. Let’s see more of Cam Heyward (23), Steve McLendon (26), Stevenson Sylvester (23) and Jason Worilds (24). Let’s give a shot to hyper-athletic corner Curtis Brown (23), who has dazzled at these OTAs.

Make it a competition in Latrobe: Whoever collects the most footballs wins.
Dejan Kovacevic is a staff writer

lol..Timmons fans will be talking about his "potential" and "ceiling" until he retires... problem is, we've never seen it and we won't see it...

[SidSmythe]

OFFENSE

Issac Redman: Redman will have his breakout year as a full time starter by going over 1,200 yards easily and 12 TDs

Antonio Brown: Mike Wallace will not know the offense and will rely on his speed to get him his big money. Brown will lead the team in Receptions and be one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. 80+ catches and 10+ TDs

DEFENSE

Cameron Heyward: Ziggy Hood will be a steady Eddy his whole career and do what he's suppose to do in the 3-4 as a DE, but Heyward will bring a Pass Rush along with his ability to stuff the run.

Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown: One of these 2 will step up and be a viable corner in the league.

Honorable Mentions
Marcus Gilbert: Potential Pro Bowler at either RT or LT

Jerricho Cotchery: our 3rd down guy. I know many are high on Manny Sanders as I was, but his injuries will keep him off the field and the veteran will step in and be one of the top 3rd down WRs in the NFL

[hawaiiansteel]

Running back Baron Batch, 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers potential break-out performer

Submitted by Syndicated sources on June 9, 2012

The Pittsburgh Steelers have finished their OTA sessions and fans are starting to prepare for the excitement of training camp and the regular season. With that excitement comes questions about some of the more interesting players in camp and what type of role (or if they will have one) they will have moving forward. One such player is running back Baron Batch, who the Steelers drafted in the seventh round (232 overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft. Last season, he was the buzz of training camp and looked like a serious candidate to unseat Mewelde Moore as the third down back until going down with a torn ACL on August 11 and finishing the 2011 campaign on injured reserve.

During these OTA sessions, Batch was able to get back into action on the field even though he still has some soreness from his ACL injury, an improvement over the first rookie mini-camp where he was still not ready for action. As the Steelers move toward training camp, he will face tough competition from rookie fifth round selection Chris Rainey for the third down back role.

However, Batch should not be pigeon holed into that specialty position. Although he does come from a spread attack at Texas Tech, he is a bigger back than many may think (5-10, 210 pounds) with a solid 4.55 40-yard dash. At Tech, while he was known as a solid receiver, he also finished his career eighth all-time with 2,501 yards rushing.

One reason that Batch could be an intriguing back up to projected starter Isaac Redman is the match-up problems he could create in the base offense and in specialty situations. Not to mention, the Steelers could look at Batch and Rainey in the same backfield on passing downs, something that could create a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators, as both backs can carry the load or catch the ball out of the slot.

Batch is also a renaissance man of sorts, focusing on many philanthropic and artistic mediums as he develops, something that has seemed to interest some of the fan base and make him a fan favorite. When talking about Batch, many fans hope that he hits his stride in training camp and picks up where he left off. If he does, he will add another dynamic, but inexperienced playmaker to the backfield.

[URL]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/running_back_baron_batch_2012_pittsburgh_steelers_ potential_break_out_performer/10975973[/URL]

[Crash]

We saw Timmons potential in 2008.

Since then he's being wasted 20 yards down field in coverage.

[Shawn]

Chris Rainey

[SidSmythe]

Chris Rainey

How Cliche'!!!

[steelz09]

We saw Timmons potential in 2008.

Since then he's being wasted 20 yards down field in coverage.

And he's not very good at that either...wasted first round pick.

[AkronSteel]

I think there are a few players that are going to make a difference for the Steelers in 2012.

Offense:

1) Manny Sanders - now that the guy is healthy and has the ability to spend a complete off-season in the system with the team I believe he is going to make a huge step forward and could approach 40-50 receptions and a good portion of those turning into first downs.

2) Jonathan Dwyer - I could see this guy stepping into the backup role and getting 10-12 carries a game and showing that he belongs and can help Redman carry the load until Mendy gets back.

3) Marcus Gilbert - I could see this guy stepping up even more than he did last year and solidifying the right side of the OL. With he and DeCastro manning that side the Steelers could have one of the best right sides of the OL in the NFL.

Defense:

1) Cameron Heyward / Ziggy Hood - I could see these two stepping up with Steve McClendon and helping the Steelers turn the page on the DL and making sure they have a seamless transition into the future with the departures of Aaron Smith, Chris Hoke, and the eventual departure of Big Snack.

2) Stevenson Sylvester - This kid could take time from Larry Foote as the season progresses. He has always been one that I thought could take time to develop but when he did he could give the Steelers a youth injection in the middle next to LT.

3) Keenan Lewis / Cortez Allen / Curtis Brown - These guys I believe will help the Steelers finally turn the page in the secondary and give them the ability to have a better CB position than we have witnessed in the Burgh in years.

[fordfixer]

We saw Timmons potential in 2008.

Since then he's being wasted 20 yards down field in coverage.

Other than the man crush you have on Ben is there any thing you like about the Steelers. Or are you just tired of hanging out at your own teams board??¿?????????????????????????????????