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Still going to say that JJ & Woodley's lack of sacks often came from the QB being able to step INTO the pocket because the DL's, particularly the NT, never collapsed the pocket until Heyward started playing. About the same time Worilds starting getting sacks. Off Heyward's side and all that...
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The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I?
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Steelers' linebacker debate coming to a head
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
March 1, 2014
Virtually everyone agrees that, all things being equal, Jason Worilds, right, is more valuable to the Steelers right now than LaMarr Woodley because of health and youth.
If the Steelers could only revert to the good old days, when they boasted a group of linebackers who made others shudder and helped put their defense near the top of the NFL.
Back, back, back, all the way back ... to the opener of the 2013 season.
What, you have forgotten already?
Tell us the Steelers would not love to have these linebackers open their 2014 season for them: LaMarr Woodley and Jason Worilds on the outside, Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons on the inside and Jarvis Jones as the No. 1 backup.
In a perfect salary-cap world (and without free agency), they would take that group into next season and not question how it was done. Those were their starting four to open 2013, but there's a chance two or three of them won't be here when they open 2014.
Although general manager Kevin Colbert persists in saying he believes the team can keep Woodley and sign Worilds, few believe him, even with the salary cap now rising to $130 million, or $7 million more than 2013. One must go, either Worilds as a free agent or Woodley as an oft-injured veteran with a bloated salary-cap hit. One way they might be able to keep both is to ask Woodley to take half of the $8 million salary due him in 2014. They saw how well that worked last year with James Harrison.
Woodley, after a season and a half of injuries and resultant lower production, bounced back nicely for awhile in 2013. He had five sacks after the first six games and started the first nine. But then the old injury bugaboo struck, this time a left calf, and he missed the next three games. In that time, Worilds moved from the right side to the left and thrived. He did so well that when Woodley returned for the 13th game, he was moved to the right side, where he had never played in the NFL. But he left the 14th game with an injury to his other calf and was placed on injured reserve.
Worilds has been rated among the top outside linebackers available in free agency. The Steelers say they want to keep him, but will their efforts fall short as they did with two other young free agents last year in Mike Wallace and Keenan Lewis?
Virtually everyone agrees that, all things being equal, Worilds is more valuable to them right now than Woodley because of health and youth. Many also might agree that Worilds, who led them with eight sacks, had the better 2013 season of the two.
Not everyone, though. If you believe in the analysts at Pro Football Focus, both had good seasons but Woodley's was slightly better. They gave Woodley an overall 10.8 rating (10th among 3-4 outside linebackers in the NFL) to Worilds' 9.5 (12th). More surprising, Woodley had a far better rating as a pass-rusher at 10.7 than the 2.8 they gave Worilds.
Of course, everything that precedes information about Woodley has to contain the "when healthy" phrase, because that has not been as often as they would like the past three seasons. It's one more thing they must decide, if that health history -- mostly muscle injuries -- will improve as he hits his 30th birthday.
It has been discussed often, but in a nutshell (and barring any contract restructuring), Woodley is scheduled to count $13.59 million against their cap this year if they keep him (and count again in 2015 and 2016). If they cut him before June 1, he would count $14.17 million and be wiped off the books for 2015 and 2016. If they cut him after June 1, he would count $5.59 million this year and $8.98 million in 2015.
It's not an easy choice.
Another interested party in the outcome of the Worilds or Woodley decision is Jones. He was drafted in the first round last year and wound up replacing Worilds as the starter on the right side after one game.
He lost that job by the fifth game and regained it when Woodley was injured.
Although he could not keep it, Jones became the first rookie to win a starting job at outside linebacker since the Steelers installed the 3-4 defense in 1982. He started eight games and had one sack, and his coaches would tell you he needed what all their other outside linebackers had -- a time for apprenticeship before he became a starter.
Jones was quick enough, but was overwhelmed at times. The Steelers also want him to hit the weight room.
They do not have much else on the outside. Back is Chris Carter, who has done little in three seasons.
The inside is almost as thin. Timmons has been consistently good the past few years and is in his prime. Larry Foote also played well the past few years right up until his 2013 season ended with a torn biceps in the opener. He is scheduled to make $1.5 million in salary this year, low enough that they should bring him back at age 34.
Vince Williams started 11 games in place of Foote as a rookie last season, but they have no one else they can count on. Sean Spence has missed the past two seasons with a serious knee injury that involved nerve damage. They have no idea what his status might be other than he will give it another go. Veteran Stevenson Sylvester is an unrestricted free agent who was cut last year then re-signed. Terence Garvin made the team as an undrafted rookie from West Virginia and excelled on special teams.
That's it, perhaps the thinnest the Steelers have ever been at linebacker. In little more than a week, it could get a whole lot thinner.
[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2014/03/02/Steelers-linebacker-debate-coming-to-a-head/stories/201403020124#ixzz2uqT50bX8[/URL]Comment
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Hampton didn't get pushed out of the pocket either, and commanded double teams, allowing either one of the DE's or both of the OLB's one-on-one matchups. That simply did not happen with McLendon who was often countered by the OC on his own & despite an apparent board love affair for the bloke, did not rush the QB anywhere near as well as we were lead to believe he could.
McLendon getting blocked one-on-one also gave the ILB's little room to move. No surprise that Timmons & Williams were rarely spotted in the backfield & usually caught up in the crap at the LOS.
When did Heyward start?
And how close to Worilds' sack explosion did they correlate?
The LB success is completely dependant on the Front 3 giving the QB nowhere to go.The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I?
Light up the darkness.Comment
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Exactly. The sacks started to ramp up as soon as Heyward came in & started doing good things. Can't remember how many times Woodley & Jones got close to getting to the QB only to watch him step FORWARD into the pocket & have the OT run the OLB out of the play. But it sure wasn't just once or twice.The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I?
Light up the darkness.Comment
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Ron Cook: Getting it right at outside linebacker is crucial for Steelers
March 3, 2014
By Ron Cook / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
For a team that has produced so many great linebackers, Pro Bowl linebackers, even Hall of Fame linebackers, the Steelers suddenly are having a hard time getting it right at, arguably, the most important position in their 3-4 defense.
The Steelers gave LaMarr Woodley a huge, multi-year deal before the 2011 season, and he hasn’t come close to living up to it. They drafted Jarvis Jones in the first round of the NFL draft last spring and, though it’s way too early to label him a bust, he had a disappointing rookie season. Now, after misjudging the potential of Jason Worilds a year ago, they are facing the possibility of having to overpay to keep him.
Oh, for the days of Jack Ham.
Clearly, the Steelers want to keep Worilds, who, before they put their transition tag on him Monday, was set to become an unrestricted free agent next week. Now, the team has the right to match any offer he receives. If no other club gives him an offer sheet, the Steelers will have to pay him $9,754,000 next season in a one-year deal.
The transition tag makes some sense. It means the Steelers won’t have to bid against themselves for Worilds. Another club will determine his market value, and they can decide if he’s worth it. But putting the more restrictive franchise tag on Worilds would have made more sense. It would have cost the Steelers $11,455,000 for him next season, but it virtually would have assured he would stay. No team would give up two first-round draft choices plus the big money to lure him away. The Steelers could then try to do a long-term contract with Worilds.
The Steelers could have avoided this if they had signed Worilds to a multiyear deal before last season. They generally sign the players they want before those players get to free agency. There are exceptions. Ryan Clark re-signed after becoming a free agent. Ike Taylor also re-signed after his previous contract expired. But it’s much harder to sign a player after he reaches free agency. The Steelers didn’t feel comfortable doing a deal with Worilds last summer based on his limited production — 10 sacks in 42 games — in his first three NFL seasons. He responded by becoming their best pass rusher in 2013 with eight sacks in 15 games. Now, the team must pay a lot more to keep him.
No matter what, Worilds is going to get a lot of money based, basically, on one half season of production. If the Steelers give it to him, they have to hope he’ll do a better job earning it than Woodley has done. It’s hard to blame the team for signing Woodley to a six-year, $61.5 million contract after the 2010 season. He had 35 sacks in his previous three seasons. It’s also hard to say Woodley got fat and happy right after taking the big deal. He had nine sacks in the first eight games of 2012 and was in the conversation for AFC defensive player of the year. But Woodley has been hurt and unproductive since. It’s fair to think the Steelers would love to get rid of him and his contract.
That’s why the Steelers put the transition tag on Worilds, to give themselves a fighting chance of keeping him. They can take a big run at him. The NFL salary cap for 2014 increased to $133 million last week, up $10 million from last season. The team also could release Taylor and save $7 million. Taylor had a bad season in 2013 and might be done as a top-notch cornerback.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has said the team could keep Worilds and Woodley, but that seems extremely unlikely. But it’s also farfetched to think they could lose Worilds and Woodley. That would leave them with Jones and little else at outside linebacker. They could bring in a free agent to fill the hole, but that’s not their way. They also could take an outside linebacker high in the draft in May, but it’s a tough transition from college to their defensive system. Jones was the most recent player to show that. He came out of Georgia as a big-time pass rusher but managed just one sack last season. The team is hoping added strength and a year’s experience will make him better next season.
Everything keeps coming back to Worilds or Woodley. The Steelers need to get it right this time. They need to find a way to re-sign Worilds and then release Woodley.
[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2014/03/04/Getting-it-right-at-outside-linebacker-is-crucial-for-Steelers/stories/201403040049#ixzz2v1Se1afD[/URL]Comment
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Want to know why they "tagged" Worilds? He is one view from ESPN by Louis Riddick. Got to wonder if the Steelers may feel the same way.
[URL]http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10503178/2014-nfl-offseason-pittsburgh-steelers-projected-lineup-cap-situation-free-agent-draft-targets[/URL]Jarvis Jones needs to make a massive jump in 2014, as he had to be one of the most disappointing rookies I watched in 2013. He needs to get much stronger, which was not a surprise to anyone who scouted him at Georgia. The Steelers placed the transition tag on UFA OLB Jason Worilds, and it remains to be seen what happens with Woodley."My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"Comment
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Hopefully he's lifting with Worilds. If I remember correctly, Worilds started lifting with Harrison just before Harrison left.
JJ needs to get stronger - he's even acknowledged as much. He appears to have good instincts, and I think he'll be fine. On the entire roster, the only guys who excelled as rookies are Ben, Pouncey and Bell. I expect Jones to improve in his second and third years.Comment
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I hope you are right. I understand the getting stronger but I hope he can get faster and more explosive. That is my biggest concern. He appeared tenacious in his efforts but I saw no explosion that allowed him to get past blockers. I don't think he will ever get strong enough to bullrush a Left Tackle like Harrison."My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"Comment
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KABOLY: Why did Worilds accept transition tag so soon?
March 4, 2014 by Mark Kaboly
The Steelers forced the hand of Jason Worilds when they surprised everybody involved and placed the rarely used transition tag on the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent linebacker.
But now (and quite quickly) all the leverage has shifted right back to Worilds’ camp.
The Steelers have no choice but sign Worilds to a long term deal sooner rather than later. The Steelers know that. Worilds knows that.
Advantage: Worilds.
But in reality, that is what the Steelers wanted. They were well aware that when a transition tag is applied that interested teams tend to back off, and back off fast.
Why you ask?
Well, organizations don’t want to put time and effort into negotiating a contract with a transition player – or franchise player – just to have him take the offer sheet back to the original team for right of first refusal.
Transition tags are rare, but what is even more rare is for organizations to negotiate with a player, draw up an offer sheet and go through the whole ordeal associated with it just to present it to the original team, who matches the offer and keeps the player.
Simply put, they do all the work and you get the player
It was truly as simple as that.
The Steelers had to feel that there was going to be plenty of interest in the free agency market for Worilds come March 11 thus the decision to use the transition tag in the first place.
Knowing that organizations don’t like to do the grunt work without a payoff along with the Steelers’ important wildcard of having the ability to rescind the transition tag at any point is why Worilds snapped up the 1-year, $9.754 million tender in less than 24 hours.
Trust me, the last thing an agent wants is an already cooled-off free agent because of the transition tag getting the offer rescinded by the original team a week into free agency when teams have already moved on. At that point, there are less teams and less money to go around.
That’s why Worilds accepted the transition tender quickly.
Oh yeah, let me remind you that is nearly $10 million of guaranteed money in a league that does not guaranteed contracts, too, so that helped as well.
So, sure, the Steelers knew what they were doing when they transition tagged Worilds. They were ensuring he would be back for at least one more year but more importantly, they bought time to work on a long-term deal.
And that’s the Steelers ultimate plan.
However, all the leverage now shifts to Worilds’ camp.
The Steelers do not want and cannot afford a $10 million cap hit this year and will be highly motivated to get a deal done.
Sure, playing on a 1-year deal as a 26-year-old is a risk and Worilds will do that if he has to, but the ultimate plan is to sign a long-term deal. That is what both sides want.
And with the notion of a long-term deal as being imminent means that the departure of LaMarr Woodley is also creeping up.
Let’s face it, Woodley isn’t on solid ground anymore. Not because he has missed 14 games in three years and has played just more than 50 percent of the snaps since signing his $61.5 million deal three years ago. He’s gone because you are not going to play $61.5 million to a backup – especially when your team doesn’t have much cap space to play with in the first place.
Guaranteeing Worilds nearly $10 million means that the Steelers have to sign him long-term meaning you are assuring him a starting job meaning you aren’t paying Woodley $61.5 million to be backup.
And no, Woodley won’t take a pay cut.
Would you?
[URL]http://blog.triblive.com/steel-mill/2014/03/04/kaboly-why-did-worilds-accept-transition-tag-so-soon/#ixzz2v29vevfx[/URL]Comment
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