Do you realize that the Steelers could be drafting as high as...

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Change your tampons you douchebags. Y'all are suffering from toxic shock syndrome. We are going to go 9-7, get the 5th seed, shock the world & win the bowl....jeez.

[NJ-STEELER]

Has it come to this Steeler Nation? The team isn't even eliminated from the playoffs yet despite all the adversity. I guess I'm not thinking about next season or the draft or combine or any of that until this years body of work is complete and honest assessments can be made based on the whole of the year.

I'd like to say that it's darkest before the dawn...

worse then that

the team is actaully in postion to be in the playoffs if the season ednded today

[RuthlessBurgher]

If we end up drafting early in the first and then again early in the second, I could see us going best player available with a couple of Golden Domers...the best linebacker in the draft in Manti Te'o (would make quite a combo inside with Timmons) and then the best tight end in the draft (would make an excellent complement to Heath in this new 2-TE-happy NFL; Pope won't be here next year and Paulson is a better #3 TE than a pure #2). Then we can address a big need at safety by grabbing Alabama's Robert Lester in the early 3rd.

If we pull it together somewhat in December and are drafting in our usual mid-to-late round slot, then I'd aim for back-to-back picks to take over at safety once Troy and Clark hang 'em up...Eric Reid and Tony Jefferson, then maybe Texas A&M's Sean Porter in round 3.

Still hoping that a healthy return of #7, #43, #84, #56, #66, etc. can get us back on track and have us picking at #32, though.

[steelblood]

If we end up drafting early in the first and then again early in the second, I could see us going best player available with a couple of Golden Domers...the best linebacker in the draft in Manti Te'o (would make quite a combo inside with Timmons) and then the best tight end in the draft (would make an excellent complement to Heath in this new 2-TE-happy NFL; Pope won't be here next year and Paulson is a better #3 TE than a pure #2). Then we can address a big need at safety by grabbing Alabama's Robert Lester in the early 3rd.

If we pull it together somewhat in December and are drafting in our usual mid-to-late round slot, then I'd aim for back-to-back picks to take over at safety once Troy and Clark hang 'em up...Eric Reid and Tony Jefferson, then maybe Texas A&M's Sean Porter in round 3.

Still hoping that a healthy return of #7, #43, #84, #56, #66, etc. can get us back on track and have us picking at #32, though.

It is all speculation at this point, but I don't believe Te'o will be the first linebacker taken nor is he the best linebacker in the draft. Jarvis Jones is the best and may be the first player taken overall. Now, perhaps you meant best inside linebacker in the draft. I'd agree with that.

[Oviedo]

we went 3-1 when Ben was suspended for those 4 games.

...and we did not have Troy missing, Harrison and Woodley missing in action, Foote as starting ILB, both starting RTs hurt, etc. If we were in the same situation then as now we would not have been 3-1.

[Oviedo]

Well, the way the AFC is positioned right now, we'd have to lose all of the games from here on out NOT to take that #6 seed. That would mean another trip to the playoffs and even with an early exit, that would still put us around #20,21, 22 for a 1st round pick.

We're gonna start to get everyone back from injury here in the very near future. Games we should easily win are Dallas, SD, Cincy, and Cleve. 10-6.

Sorry to be "doom and gloom" but without Ben at near 100% we are not beating Dallas or Cincinatti. The latter is playing much better.

[feltdizz]

Sorry to be "doom and gloom" but without Ben at near 100% we are not beating Dallas or Cincinatti. The latter is playing much better.

are they really playing better football? The Giants always stink it up in November so I'm not putting too much stock in that win... and they beat teams they are supposed to beat that we lost to WITH Ben.

They just feel like the typical Bungals to me...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Since everyone and their mother on this board has been talking about the front office failures of developing a young QB behind Ben (had to keep Leftwich and Batch beyond their expiration dates), I wonder if the front office would be willing to go back to Miami of Ohio and use a mid-round pick on their QB, Zac Dysert?

[BigRob]

It is all speculation at this point, but I don't believe Te'o will be the first linebacker taken nor is he the best linebacker in the draft. Jarvis Jones is the best and may be the first player taken overall. Now, perhaps you meant best inside linebacker in the draft. I'd agree with that.

Jarvis Jones is not the best Linebacker in the draft and he's not even the best pass rusher in the draft.

Jones also has a major potential issue with his neck in that his spine is narrowing. That is part of why he left USC. This long term potential career shortening health condition will cause him to drop into the late teens. He's not going to be the first player chosen.