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Steelers Free Agency Failures Fall Directly on Colbert
by steeldad
Nov 19, 2014
There’s a really good chance that we’ve all been there before. We head out to the store with a very set amount of money in our pocket and we know that we have to find great value in whatever it is we are buying.
We can’t afford the top of the line but we there’s no need to settle for the clearance aisles either. We need a product that will be productive and will do it’s job when called upon. This product will be just another soldier in our drawer that will will function well yet it may have some limitations.
Heading into free agency this past offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert was in this very same predicament. He needed to find value and functionality in players that would fit nicely on the Steelers depth chart.
What Colbert unfortunately found was knock-off items. Instead of going to the local chain store, he went to the clearance section of the local dollar store and returned with players that that have offered very little in the way of value or production. So bad was Colbert’s shopping experience was that he’s now already cut one of them free.
Running back LeGarrette Blount was cut loose by the Steelers yesterday following his behavior in Nashville. Reports have circulated that Blount had worn out his welcome in the Steel City for some time and that many players saw this coming.
Colbert’s two other major signings were defensive lineman Cam Thomas and safety Mike Mitchell. Neither of these players have lived up to the billing that many hoped they would.
Thomas has spent the better part of his Steelers career on roller skates getting pushed all over the line of scrimmage. This has not been a surprise however at least not to me. When his name came up I immediately chatted up Chargers’ blogger “Booga P” who told me not to expect much and that Thomas was pretty much a disappointment there in San Diego.
Mitchell is the one who has surprised me with his unbelievably poor tackling and even worse coverage skills. Mitchell has forced two fumbles and has no interceptions through 11 games.
To make matters worse for both himself and the organization, Mitchell took it upon himself to respond to fans who were less than friendly towards him on Twitter. Mitchell even direct messaged some of these fans and even told one to “go kill himself.”
While I personally don’t feel it’s proper to attack athletes on social media, Mitchell should have known better than to respond. The Steelers have told him to avoid social media for the time being.
If you’re keeping score at home, Kevin Colbert went 0 for 3 on his three big free agent signings for 2014. I could try and be fair and tell you that Mitchell is still a work in progress and may yet come around but I don’t feel that way.
Compare Colbert’s free agent gaffes to his 2014 draft and you’ll see that it hasn’t been that great of a year for him. Perhaps this will finally be the moment where the Rooney’s allow someone else to do their shopping because it’s evident Colbert is not very good at it.
[URL]http://steelcityblitz.com/2014/11/19/free-agency-failures-mirror-kevin-colberts-recent-drafts/[/URL]
by steeldad
Nov 19, 2014
There’s a really good chance that we’ve all been there before. We head out to the store with a very set amount of money in our pocket and we know that we have to find great value in whatever it is we are buying.
We can’t afford the top of the line but we there’s no need to settle for the clearance aisles either. We need a product that will be productive and will do it’s job when called upon. This product will be just another soldier in our drawer that will will function well yet it may have some limitations.
Heading into free agency this past offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert was in this very same predicament. He needed to find value and functionality in players that would fit nicely on the Steelers depth chart.
What Colbert unfortunately found was knock-off items. Instead of going to the local chain store, he went to the clearance section of the local dollar store and returned with players that that have offered very little in the way of value or production. So bad was Colbert’s shopping experience was that he’s now already cut one of them free.
Running back LeGarrette Blount was cut loose by the Steelers yesterday following his behavior in Nashville. Reports have circulated that Blount had worn out his welcome in the Steel City for some time and that many players saw this coming.
Colbert’s two other major signings were defensive lineman Cam Thomas and safety Mike Mitchell. Neither of these players have lived up to the billing that many hoped they would.
Thomas has spent the better part of his Steelers career on roller skates getting pushed all over the line of scrimmage. This has not been a surprise however at least not to me. When his name came up I immediately chatted up Chargers’ blogger “Booga P” who told me not to expect much and that Thomas was pretty much a disappointment there in San Diego.
Mitchell is the one who has surprised me with his unbelievably poor tackling and even worse coverage skills. Mitchell has forced two fumbles and has no interceptions through 11 games.
To make matters worse for both himself and the organization, Mitchell took it upon himself to respond to fans who were less than friendly towards him on Twitter. Mitchell even direct messaged some of these fans and even told one to “go kill himself.”
While I personally don’t feel it’s proper to attack athletes on social media, Mitchell should have known better than to respond. The Steelers have told him to avoid social media for the time being.
If you’re keeping score at home, Kevin Colbert went 0 for 3 on his three big free agent signings for 2014. I could try and be fair and tell you that Mitchell is still a work in progress and may yet come around but I don’t feel that way.
Compare Colbert’s free agent gaffes to his 2014 draft and you’ll see that it hasn’t been that great of a year for him. Perhaps this will finally be the moment where the Rooney’s allow someone else to do their shopping because it’s evident Colbert is not very good at it.
[URL]http://steelcityblitz.com/2014/11/19/free-agency-failures-mirror-kevin-colberts-recent-drafts/[/URL]
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