Tight End

[DukieBoy]

I wish we would have held on to Saunders. I thought he had a chance to be a very good TE in Haley's offense. He seemed to have the physical attributes so it must have been a mental thing that caused them to release him instead of giving him a second chance.

I think the character issues also had an impact.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

we really should have drafted Tyler Eifert in the first round, what were the Steelers thinking?

Yeah, rather then trying to set up mismatches by forcing smaller DB's to cover bigger TE and WR, its better to have all your receivers be the exact same size.

[NorthCoast]

Yeah, rather then trying to set up mismatches by forcing smaller DB's to cover bigger TE and WR, its better to have all your receivers be the exact same size.

maybe the plan for the Steelers is to use Bell as a back out of the backfield to create the mismatch?? it doesn't always have to be a TE.
Steelers got what is arguably the second best pass catching RB in the draft (damn Bengals grabbed Giovani)...

[thor75]

maybe the plan for the Steelers is to use Bell as a back out of the backfield to create the mismatch?? it doesn't always have to be a TE.
Steelers got what is arguably the second best pass catching RB in the draft (damn Bengals grabbed Giovani)...

I was thinking the same thing, hand it off to Bell or have him come out of the backfield. Will Johnson has decent hands as well. I'm not concerned over the players as much as getting some creative play calling in the red zone and I'm confident Haley will improve on that.

[flippy]

What's the word on DJ's health? I thought his game was coming together before he got hurt. I thought he was going to be the most improved player on the roster last year.

[B&GinNC]

My issue with Paulson is he is a "tweener. Too small for TE and too big for FB. Seems like the classic H-back not really a TE. We don't use an H-back.

He seems to have great hands and body control but would get overwhelmed trying to block. Not tall enough to be a threat or asset in the Red Zone either.

Am I the only one who remembers the ball that bounced off his butt into the end zone that cost us a touchdown in the San Diego debacle last year? He can't hold the line of scrimmage as a blocker whatsoever and is a real liability in that aspect of the game.

[DukieBoy]

Am I the only one who remembers the ball that bounced off his butt into the end zone that cost us a touchdown in the San Diego debacle last year? He can't hold the line of scrimmage as a blocker whatsoever and is a real liability in that aspect of the game.

I think we'll see alot of Spaeth, for blocking purposes, until Heath can play. Maybe Paulson will be used in 2 TE sets or rotate in and out in passing downs. I also wonder how the new zone-blocking schemes will affect the TE's.

[Sugar]

It's funny, but as much as I advocated for getting the top TE, the fact that the team didn't even draft one tells me that they really think they are OK. I'm not seeing it, but they know a whole lot more about what's on the roster than I do.

[hawaiiansteel]

2013 NFL Draft: What The Steelers Draft Says About TE Heath Miller

Apr 29th, 2013 by Matt Shetler



Entering the 2013 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of holes to fill.

At least on paper it looks like Steelers’ general manager Kevin Colbert filled those holes and added depth to some positions of need.

One thing he didn’t do though is address the tight end position and I believe that says a great deal about the one he already has.

After tearing his ACL on December 23, in what was his best season as a pro, Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller was expected to miss a good chunk of the 2013 season. But by the Steelers not at least drafting a tight end in the middle rounds I believe says a lot about the fact that Colbert feels that Miller may not miss as much time as originally thought.

I’m not expecting an Adrian Peterson-type of recovery for Miller, but if the Steelers expected Miller to miss a large portion of the season, it’s likely that they would have drafted a tight end for insurance purposes. That’s not just insurance for this season in the fact that Miler is coming off of a serious knee injury, but insurance for the future in case he can’t be signed to a contract extension when his deal is up.

If the Steelers believed in any of that, they likely would have taken a tight end in the fourth round instead of reaching on a quarterback they could have gotten later on.
Coming off ACL surgery, whatever the Steelers get from Miller in 2013 is a bonus. The 2014 season is likely the target year for Miller to start making a big impact on the Steelers’ offense again.

But by not drafting a tight end, Colbert is saying two things.

The first is that they believe the Steelers will be fine in the short-term with Matt Spaeth and David Paulson at the position.

Secondly he’s saying he expects Miller to be back and contributing this season.

That alone is good news for Steeler fans.

[URL]http://cityofchampionssports.com/2013/04/29/2013-nfl-draft-what-the-steelers-draft-says-about-te-heath-miller/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campai gn=Hot%2BTopics[/URL]

[Mister Pittsburgh]

That article, to me, seems like it jumps to conclusions.

[SidSmythe]

Paulson is a #2 TE at best.

[phillyesq]

It's funny, but as much as I advocated for getting the top TE, the fact that the team didn't even draft one tells me that they really think they are OK. I'm not seeing it, but they know a whole lot more about what's on the roster than I do.

Not only did the Steelers not draft a TE, they did not bring in a lot of rookie FAs, either. I think they are going to go into the season with Spaeth, Paulson and Johnson until Miller is ready, and for Heath, I'm thinking perhaps after the bye week.

[Sugar]

Paulson is a #2 TE at best.

At the very best, IMO. Obviously, the team thinks of him more highly than I do.

[steel50]

Where did Stoneburner go!

i watch stoneburner alot i dont think he will ever make an impact unless some how he finally meets the weight room. i wish we had saunders still

[Slapstick]

Saunders had 2 catches for 15 yards...

Paulson had 7 for 51...