Can we just %$!&! find a LEGIT full back?

[Shawn]

Hawaiian I think my lame attempt at humor missed you. Yes, I know Legs has played FB.

[Flasteel]

I'm excited to see what Will Johnson can do. He's got prototypical size, is apparently quite strong, is very athletic, has good hands, can block, and the coaches seem to love what he has done in camp. His background and production is kind of sketchy, but I'm thinking he could be what we are looking for.

[hawaiiansteel]

Hawaiian I think my lame attempt at humor missed you. Yes, I know Legs has played FB.

sorry, if we were conversing face to face I would have been able to catch your humor but sometimes it's hard to do so over the internet.

I actually agree with lloydroid, I would love to see a traditional FB like Dan Kreider lead the way on short yardage and goal line situations. it always drove me crazy when Arians would go empty backfield or have David Johnson at FB, you really think the other team didn't know it was going to be a run when DJ was lined up at FB and what good was he really at blocking or going out for a pass out of the backfield?

my contention is if you're not going to go out and get a real FB that has actually, you know played FB before like Henry Hynoski then why use these hybrid guys like DJ or now Will Johnson who couldn't even start on his college team?

Legs is a better pure blocker than any of them and IMO would be much more effective leading the way than Will Johnson is going to be from the FB position. I guess we'll see, I'm willing to give Haley the first half of the first game before I start criticizing him...

[Discipline of Steel]

my contention is if you're not going to go out and get a real FB that has actually, you know played FB before like Henry Hynoski then why use these hybrid guys like DJ or now Will Johnson who couldn't even start on his college team? Legs is a better pure blocker than any of them

Yes but Legs is an offensive lineman and already has a role with the team. Its my understanding that Haley actually does want a pure fullback who may be able to catch a few passes. I think the Steelers like what they have seen and are trying to groom the WJohnson kid into the DJohnson role. Lets hope it works out and we dont have to look outside the organization to fill the role.

[Shawn]

sorry, if we were conversing face to face I would have been able to catch your humor but sometimes it's hard to do so over the internet.

I actually agree with lloydroid, I would love to see a traditional FB like Dan Kreider lead the way on short yardage and goal line situations. it always drove me crazy when Arians would go empty backfield or have David Johnson at FB, you really think the other team didn't know it was going to be a run when DJ was lined up at FB and what good was he really at blocking or going out for a pass out of the backfield?

my contention is if you're not going to go out and get a real FB that has actually, you know played FB before like Henry Hynoski then why use these hybrid guys like DJ or now Will Johnson who couldn't even start on his college team?

Legs is a better pure blocker than any of them and IMO would be much more effective leading the way than Will Johnson is going to be from the FB position. I guess we'll see, I'm willing to give Haley the first half of the first game before I start criticizing him...

I agree with roid as well. Having a true lead blocker would be terrific. As for the humor...it just always makes be giggle like a 5th grader when people curse like &@?$!? To bypass the filter.

[Jooser]

FB isn't a new position for Will Johnson. He started his college tenure at FB @ WVU before being moved to TE because the team had transitioned into an offense without a FB. Will was a great athlete and demonstrated great hands and had the ability to block, so the team moved him to TE just to keep him on the field.

[flippy]

The real reason to have a real FB on the roster is teams are designing their defenses to stop the pass. If teams are gonna give up the run, why not go out there and take it?

And just because you have a real FB on the roster doesn't mean you have to use him all the time. Use him in situations where teams can't stop the running game. Use him selectively to get mismatches on the field.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers Preseason Vs. Colts: Offensive Stars

Aug 20th, 2012 at 10:18 pm by Craig

A big question for the Steelers offense was how Will Johnson would fit into the fullback position with the abrupt exit of David Johnson due to injury. If there was ever someone to step up and speak loud and clearly that they deserved to be on this Steelers roster, it was WJ with his performance Sunday.

WJ immediately made his case in the first series. Johnson did a great job engaging his assignments – he sealed his blocks and prevented his assignment from getting at Dwyer, Batch, or Rainey. There were even a few plays in which he was able to get low enough on a linebacker to push him back off the line of scrimmage. He only had one carry for no gain, but his blocking was superb. I was thoroughly impressed, as this was his first NFL game experience.

Chalk up WJ as a player who was an offensive star.

[URL]http://nicepickcowher.com/2012/08/20/steelers-preseason-vs-colts-offensive-stars/[/URL]