Big Ben and shrewd GM make Steelers impossible to count out

[steelerkeylargo]

[url]http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/21743359/big-ben-and-shrewd-gm-make-steelers-impossible-to-count-out[/url]

[Oviedo]

I'll buy the Big Ben part as key to success but not sure Colbert should get credit given the cap mess we are in. If he can keep us competitive the next couple years as we reload then I'm sold on him too.

[steelerkeylargo]

I'll buy the Big Ben part as key to success but not sure Colbert should get credit given the cap mess we are in. If he can keep us competitive the next couple years as we reload then I'm sold on him too.

Colbert is not a cap guy. That is strictly Omar Kahn's department.

[lloydroid]

Colbert really hasn't impressed the last several years. The drafts have not been all that great, even though the Steelers parade around like they are the pope of draft town. They are awesome at drafting, just ask them.

[squidkid]

Colbert really hasn't impressed the last several years. The drafts have not been all that great, even though the Steelers parade around like they are the pope of draft town. They are awesome at drafting, just ask them.

seems like our drafts have gotten worse the last 5-6 years. i wonder what changed?

[supersteeler]

When your draft picks are in the tub, its hard to evaluate.

[BigRob]

Colbert really hasn't impressed the last several years. The drafts have not been all that great, even though the Steelers parade around like they are the pope of draft town. They are awesome at drafting, just ask them.

Man, You are a grade "A" Steelers fan. You sure you're not from Philly?

[lloydroid]

Man, You are a grade "A" Steelers fan. You sure you're not from Philly?

Why? Does knowing and speaking the truth make you a bad fan??

I don't live life in a delusional mindset. If you wish to, go for it.

[papillon]

Kevin Colbert would be unemployed as an NFL GM for about 15 minutes if the Steelers fired him or he decided to try a different team.

Pappy

[DukieBoy]

Colbert really hasn't impressed the last several years. The drafts have not been all that great, even though the Steelers parade around like they are the pope of draft town. They are awesome at drafting, just ask them.

So ... you say that they self-aggrandize ???? Hmmmm .......

[Chadman]

Tomlin & Colbert have not done as bad a job drafting as some would like you to believe. If you want to use 2012 as an example of drafting gone bad, go back and look at 2011 and see how many players were added by Colbert/Tomlin.

2012 is the anomaly.

[raycafan]

I don't think the drafts were bad when they occurred it just that the product they picked out happened to end up not being what the product we all thought the Steelers were going to get. I remember last year I thought the draft was pretty darn good. I do not follow college ball that closely, but after the draft I went look up all the Steeler picks. I was personally very excited about what I had watched. So the season did not turn out well and all the sudden the sky is falling. I don't believe it for one second. Oh tell me again how bad the draft was, how many of those made the roster and are still on the roster. A good amount I believe. It was a crappy season filled with mistakes and injuries not the end to one of the premiere franchises in all of sports, time to get over it and let the sun start a new day.

[phillyesq]

The 2008 draft was an unmitigated disaster. Otherwise, the Steelers have drafted well, but not great.

2009:
Hood, Urbik, Wallace and Lewis.
Say what you will about Wallace, but his production speaks for itself. He and Lewis were great picks. Urbik turned into a solid player, but unfortunately in a different uniform. Hood is a disappointment, but not a disaster.

2010:
Pouncey, Worilds, Sanders and Brown, Dwyer. Solid haul. Worilds is still a question mark.

2011: Heyward and Gilbert both question marks, but Gilbert started and played well as a rookie. Heyward shows flashes but still inconsistent. Allen a great find in 4th.

2012: Could be draft that solidified the line. Te'amu still has a chance. Spence injury unfortunate. Beachum could be decent depth player, and Paulson seems a serviceable backup TE.

The Steelers drafts are not as good as they have been in the first, where there were a string of home runs, but they haven't had the types of devastating misses that really set a franchise back

[lloydroid]

Tomlin & Colbert have not done as bad a job drafting as some would like you to believe. If you want to use 2012 as an example of drafting gone bad, go back and look at 2011 and see how many players were added by Colbert/Tomlin.

2012 is the anomaly.

I am not even considering 2012, as it is far too early to tell how bad or good that draft was. DD could still be the perenial all pro we thought, Adams could be a solid LT for the next 12 years, Spense could bounce back from his knee injury, T'amu could still pan out. It could still be a great draft, in my opinion. Maybe not, but it could be.

That being said, Colbert and company HAVE crapped the bed in other recent drafts.

1 31 Cameron Heyward DE Ohio State - Could still be good, but not setting world on fire.
2 63 Marcus Gilbert T Florida - same
3 95 Curtis Brown DB Texas - sucks
4 128 Cortez Allen DB The Citadel - could be decent
5 162 Chris Carter LB Fresno State - piece of crap
6 196 Keith Williams G Nebraska - worthless
7 232 Baron Batch RB Texas Tech - nothing to write home about

1 18 Maurkice Pouncey C Florida - solid
2 52 Jason Worilds LB Virginia Tech- verging on becoming decent
3 82 Emmanuel Sanders WR Southern Methodist - not bad
4 116 Thaddeus Gibson LB Ohio State - worthless
5 151 Chris Scott T Tennessee - really horrible
5 164 Crezdon Butler DB Clemson - stinks
5 166 Stevenson Sylvester LB Utah - purely a special teamer
6 188 Jonathan Dwyer RB Georgia Tech - good value
6 195 Antonio Brown WR Central Michigan - best hit of class
7 242 Doug Worthington DE Ohio State - who?

1 32 Ziggy Hood DT Missouri - mostly a disappointment
3 79 Kraig Urbik T Wisconsin - FAIL
3 84 Mike Wallace WR Mississippi - a hit for a few years, ended up being an @ hole
3 96 Keenan Lewis DB Oregon State - hit
5 168 Joe Burnett DB Central Florida - stinks
5 169 Frank Summers RB Nevada-Las Vegas - nobody
6 205 Ra'Shon Harris DT Oregon - worthless
7 226 A.Q. Shipley C Penn State - wasted pick
7 241 David Johnson TE Arkansas State - so so

1 23 Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois - underachiever
2 53 Limas Sweed WR Texas - complete bust
3 88 Bruce Davis LB UCLA - worthless, wasted pick
4 130 Tony Hills T Texas - see above
5 156 Dennis Dixon QB Oregon - didn't pan out
6 188 Mike Humpal OLB Iowa - sucks
6 194 Ryan Mundy FS West Virginia - horrible

I don't know, there were some decent picks, but don't tell me that is superior drafting. It isn't. They had tons of really bad picks in there. Everyone has picks that miss, but they had more than a team should for a team that acts all cocky about their drafting. Fact is, they don't deserve to act so smug - the above draft classes are nothing to rave about.