Will Velasco staret tonight?

[Bluto]

Have not seen anything yet. Did I miss it or has bit been known. Really excited to see this kid play. If he is the real deal. Wonder if they would consider letting Pouncey walk after first contract or turn one into a guard. Might be a very good interior line. With Foster backing up . Not sure don't want to get ahead of myself. But has it been official will he start tonight?

[flippy]

I'm pretty certain he's starting.

[birtikidis]

Damn you guys are so hellbent on getting rid of good offensive lineman. He's the best player on our offense and you want to let him walk.
If any one walks because of him it would be Foster. The guy is a guard.

[Bluto]

Damn you guys are so hellbent on getting rid of good offensive lineman. He's the best player on our offense and you want to let him walk.
If any one walks because of him it would be Foster. The guy is a guard.

No do not want him to walk. But not sure we will be able to sign him as he will command top 3 money in the league at center position. And not sure his play has been up to par the last 2 years to warrant that. We are in poor shape with salry cap so we may not have an option but to let him test market.

[fordfixer]

Fernando Velasco is center of attention

[url]http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=nflnation&id=85975&src=desktop[/url]


By Scott Brown | September 13, 2013 2:49:42 PM PDT
PITTSBURGH -- Steelers players are tight-lipped about who will start at center Monday night in Cincinnati, but all indications are that Fernando Velasco will get the call a week after signing with the team.




Velasco
Velasco has made a quantum leap since immersing himself in the Steelers’ playbook, and his playing center would allow the team to use Kelvin Beachum as a sixth lineman/eligible receiver.


The Steelers had planned to use Beachum extensively in that role in the season opener, but the second-year man had to take over at center after Maurkice Pouncey went down with a season-ending knee injury.


The Steelers signed Velasco, who started 13 games at center for the Titans in 2012, and he appears to have a strong enough grasp of the offense to play against the Bengals.


“I’ve never seen a guy come in and pick up an offense that fast,” Steelers running back Isaac Redman said. “I haven’t seen him mess up one play.”


Velasco has spent so much time in his playbook away from the Steelers’ practice facility that he hadn’t turned on the TV in his hotel room until Thursday night. He took a brief break from studying to watch the Jets-Patriots game.


“A lot of the schemes here are the same ones we ran in Tennessee,” Velasco said Friday after practice. “I’m just trying to get the terminology down.”


When asked if he feels he will be ready to play Monday night, Velasco said, “No doubt, but we’ll see what happens.”


“He knows how to play," starting left guard Ramon Foster said. "He’ll be fine.”


Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Beachum would start at center but he hedged that by adding, “for now.”


If the coaches are comfortable that Velasco has indeed been a quick study, it makes all the sense in the world to use Beachum as an extra lineman in Cincinnati.


The Steelers are going to need all the help they can get running the ball against the Bengals, and tight end Heath Miller still appears to be at least a week away from returning as he works his way back from a major knee injury.


That makes Velasco their best option at center.


“I’m just going to do my job if it comes to a situation where I have to play,” Velasco said. “I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself. I don’t want to be out there thinking.

[birtikidis]

No way do you let Pouncey walk. NO WAY. saying he isn't worthy of being a pro bowler and in running for All Pro is ridiculous. He and his brother are the two best centers in the league and there's a hair difference between them.

[Ghost]

From ESPN:

Velasco has made a quantum leap since immersing himself in the Steelers’ playbook, and his playing center would allow the team to use [URL="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15035/kelvin-beachum"]Kelvin Beachum[/URL]as a sixth lineman/eligible receiver.

“I’ve never seen a guy come in and pick up an offense that fast,” Steelers running back [URL="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12898/isaac-redman"]Isaac Redman[/URL] said. “I haven’t seen him mess up one play.”

When asked if he feels he will be ready to play Monday night, Velasco said, “No doubt, but we’ll see what happens.”

Said Velasco, "As long as I understand the plays, don't put too much pressure on myself, and stay away from DeCastro; I should be ready to play if called on"

Ok...I may have made up that last sentence...

[Oviedo]

No way do you let Pouncey walk. NO WAY. saying he isn't worthy of being a pro bowler and in running for All Pro is ridiculous. He and his brother are the two best centers in the league and there's a hair difference between them.

Not sure you make him the highest paid Center in the NFL or close to it which is going to be his demand. The guy can't stay healthy for a full season.

I just don't see him as dominant.

[phillyesq]

Damn you guys are so hellbent on getting rid of good offensive lineman. He's the best player on our offense and you want to let him walk.

If any one walks because of him it would be Foster. The guy is a guard.

I thought that he played center last year and that he is better at center than at OG, at least from some of the reports I've heard.

In any event, Pouncey is probably the best player on a bad offensive line - I wouldn't let him walk for Velasco. IF he performs well, it would be nice to keep a capable backup in the fold, especially given Pouncey's past injury issues.

[flippy]

his playing center would allow the team to use Kelvin Beachum as a sixth lineman/eligible receiver.


The Steelers had planned to use Beachum extensively in that role in the season opener

It may just be me, but the emphasis of getting Beachum on the field as an extra TE is lost on me. Why not spend more time trying to figure out how to get Wheaton and Felix on the field instead. I would think you want your most talented players on the field. And the 3 TEs and FB don't seem to rate that high in the pecking order imho.

I thought Haley was supposed to be able to maximize the talent he has? Like he ran in KC and passed in AZ. All he seems to be able to do here is trot out all these mediocre players into our formations and we wonder why he's failing. Something doesn't smell right here. Is a playbook being forced onto Haley as well? Cause some of this stuff defies logic.

[papillon]

From ESPN:

Velasco has made a quantum leap since immersing himself in the Steelers’ playbook, and his playing center would allow the team to use [URL="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15035/kelvin-beachum"]Kelvin Beachum[/URL]as a sixth lineman/eligible receiver.

“I’ve never seen a guy come in and pick up an offense that fast,” Steelers running back [URL="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12898/isaac-redman"]Isaac Redman[/URL] said. “I haven’t seen him mess up one play.”

When asked if he feels he will be ready to play Monday night, Velasco said, “No doubt, but we’ll see what happens.”

Said Velasco, "As long as I understand the plays, don't put too much pressure on myself, and stay away from DeCastro; I should be ready to play if called on"

Ok...I may have made up that last sentence...

This could be in the running for post of the year and I think everyone missed the oh so subtle (like a sledgehammer) jab at DeCastro.

Pappy

[skyhawk]

Pouncey should be worried.

I got tired of him being dominated most of last season and for the first 3 preseason games when he was in there this year. He's not a bad center but not a perennial pro bowler.

[phillyesq]

It may just be me, but the emphasis of getting Beachum on the field as an extra TE is lost on me. Why not spend more time trying to figure out how to get Wheaton and Felix on the field instead. I would think you want your most talented players on the field. And the 3 TEs and FB don't seem to rate that high in the pecking order imho.

I thought Haley was supposed to be able to maximize the talent he has? Like he ran in KC and passed in AZ. All he seems to be able to do here is trot out all these mediocre players into our formations and we wonder why he's failing. Something doesn't smell right here. Is a playbook being forced onto Haley as well? Cause some of this stuff defies logic.

Having Beachum out there did seem effective at giving Ben time to throw. If it is Beachum or, say, David Johnson out there, why not Beachum?

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

It may just be me, but the emphasis of getting Beachum on the field as an extra TE is lost on me. Why not spend more time trying to figure out how to get Wheaton and Felix on the field instead. I would think you want your most talented players on the field. And the 3 TEs and FB don't seem to rate that high in the pecking order imho.

I thought Haley was supposed to be able to maximize the talent he has? Like he ran in KC and passed in AZ. All he seems to be able to do here is trot out all these mediocre players into our formations and we wonder why he's failing. Something doesn't smell right here. Is a playbook being forced onto Haley as well? Cause some of this stuff defies logic.

I hear you flip. I have no problem with Beachum seeing the field as a TE, but it should not be your default offense. It should be a rarity, unless they are down on the 1 yard line. Other than that you should be running out multiple personnel groupings in order to throw off the D, not allowing them to get into their comfort zone.

I would think that when you have a poor line, an absent run game, and a QB who gets hit way too much, the answer is not to give the D more reason to crowd the middle.

[flippy]

I would think that when you have a poor line, an absent run game, and a QB who gets hit way too much, the answer is not to give the D more reason to crowd the middle.

Exactly. Seemed like the majority of our plays last game were packages with 3 wide. And that wasn't working so well. So why not spread em out even more and get 4/5 WRs in the mix?