Ross Cockrell

[feltdizz]

What does flexing after a play have to do with anything?

Well, after we win a few games fans on message boards need to find something to complain about so the flexing, first down points, etc start to bother them.

It it amazes me how people focus so much on a move that is less than a second long. Especially when it's after a good play.

[Mr.wizard]

Well, after we win a few games fans on message boards need to find something to complain about so the flexing, first down points, etc start to bother them.

It it amazes me how people focus so much on a move that is less than a second long. Especially when it's after a good play.

What I find strange is he started a thread about how Cockrell is not playing his position well and well cost us games and then says he appreciates him because he doesn't flex after plays.

[SteelCrazy]

Well, after we win a few games fans on message boards need to find something to complain about so the flexing, first down points, etc start to bother them.

It it amazes me how people focus so much on a move that is less than a second long. Especially when it's after a good play.

Oh **** off u good time troll

[SteelCrazy]

What I find strange is he started a thread about how Cockrell is not playing his position well and well cost us games and then says he appreciates him because he doesn't flex after plays.

lol...I'm glad u find it at all

[Shoe]

Start rooks and you get growing pains. Burns, Davis, and Hargrave have all flashed in their playing time, but all have also made errors. That's what you get, that's what you expect. If all three of these guys clue in, you will have a core of Heyward, Tuitt, Hargrave, Shazier, Dupree, Davis, Burns moving forward. I like where this D is heading.

And heading back to the OP, Cockrell is a guy taken off the scrap heap who lines up opposite the best receiver every week. He is winning and losing battles from play to play, but he is doing so against OBJ, AJ Green, Brandon Marshall, Dez Bryant etc. His job is above his skill level and he has still been okay. If he is failing on a regular basis then that is on the coaching staff, not him. If you line up Russ Cockrell against any of these guys all game, and generate little pass rush and give him no help then you expect him to lose more often than not. I'd say he has held his own for the most part

That's it in a nutshell. It would be like complaining, if they moved Ramon Foster over to LT because he had to. Cockrell is doing fine, considering what he actually is--a supportive player.

[SteelCrazy]

That's it in a nutshell. It would be like complaining, if they moved Ramon Foster over to LT because he had to. Cockrell is doing fine, considering what he actually is--a supportive player.

I can agree with that statement, Cockrell is doing fine, for now. I guess what I'm trying to say is we could be doing better, a lot better. As some would like to assume, that I'm being too critical and really just bitchin to be bitchin is not the case. I just happen to see inconsistencies in his game more so than the others.

Perhaps he's the best option we have. I'm not in on practices, so I don't know, but this is a forum for discussion and I'm discussing. Every post can't be sunshine and rainbows or it'd get boring really quickly.

[feltdizz]

Oh **** off u good time troll

What the hell is a good time troll?

Are you suggesting it's trolling to feel good after a win?

This thread is a desperate attempt to complain after a win. I don't even think you know what you are complaining about. How would you improve our D?

[feltdizz]

What I find strange is he started a thread about how Cockrell is not playing his position well and well cost us games and then says he appreciates him because he doesn't flex after plays.

throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks?

[SteelCrazy]

throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks?

In my own head? Would you stick?

[feltdizz]

In my own head? Would you stick?

Uhhh... that's not for me to answer.

[SteelCrazy]

Uhhh... that's not for me to answer.

Well, if I'm throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks, that would imply I'm trying to get people to agree with me, which I'm not. I'm only trying to start a discussion on a subject of interest to me. If you find it mundane, then find a discussion that you deem worthy of your interest and quit trying to be the perfect fan on my thread. Or, continue to police for inconsistencies in my game.

[feltdizz]

Well, if I'm throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks, that would imply I'm trying to get people to agree with me, which I'm not. I'm only trying to start a discussion on a subject of interest to me. If you find it mundane, then find a discussion that you deem worthy of your interest and quit trying to be the perfect fan on my thread. Or, continue to police for inconsistencies in my game.

I will do the latter

thanks

[SteelCrazy]

I will do the latter

thanks

I am the most interesting man in the world.....

[SteelCrazy]

Tomlin happy with Ross Cockrells evolution

Mike Tomlin is not a big picture guy. The Pittsburgh Steelers coach, as he likes to say, prefers not to "paint with a broad brush."

Only when the season is over will Tomlin widen out the lens. Still, even with a month to go Tomlin acknowledged the responsibilities placed on cornerback Ross Cockrell have been borderline unfair. Signed off the waiver wire in the summer of 2015, Cockrell has rapidly evolved into Pittsburgh's equivalent of a shutdown corner, a spot he earned through a combination of merit and attrition.

And one in which Cockrell has largely thrived. The latest proof came last Sunday, when Cockrell and rookie first-round pick Artie Burns helped keep New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in check for large portions of a 24-14 win that kept Pittsburgh (7-5) tied for first in the AFC North.

Not bad for a player deemed expendable by the Buffalo Bills — whom the Steelers visit this weekend — who also spent a large portion of 2015 playing only in sub packages. Now he's the guy Tomlin turns to first when facing a top-flight wide receiver.

"Because of his partner being the young guy that he is in Artie Burns, we've challenged him in ways that maybe aren't necessarily fair to him or a guy in his position," Tomlin said. "Oftentimes, we treat him as a much more seasoned player than he actually is in terms of the things we ask him to do."

That's fine by Cockrell, who has lined up across from Beckham, A.J. Green and Dez Bryant among others while helping anchor a secondary that is starting to come together after a slow start. Ranked 30th against the pass a month ago, the Steelers have steadily improved to 19th during a three-game winning streak. New York's Eli Manning managed just 195 yards through the air, with 52 of them coming on a meaningless last-minute drive when the outcome was already decided.

Cockrell hardly claims to be a miracle worker, quickly passing credit to a rejuvenated pass rush that has generated 13 sacks over the last three weeks — or the same total the Steelers managed through the first nine games combined.

"We are getting pressure on the quarterback and that helps a whole bunch on the back end," Cockrell said. "So long as those guys continue to perform well, I think we'll be a good defense."

The Steelers prefer to mix up their matchups and Burns is rapidly maturing into the aggressive force they envisioned when they took him with the 25th overall pick in the draft. Cockrell entered the league as a fourth-round selection in 2014, but lost his job at the end of his second training camp with the Bills. The Steelers didn't waste any time picking him up.

"One man's misfortune, or one organization's luxury, is another one's opportunity," Tomlin said. "We were thankful he was available to us. He's been a consistent performer for us. And one that's been consistently on the rise."

The Bills in a way offer a breather of sorts, at least when it comes to throwing all over the field. Buffalo is dead last in passing and quarterback Tyrod Taylor is struggling to find any sort of rhythm. While running back LeSean McCoy is so dynamic Buffalo often doesn't need Taylor to put it up to move the ball, a little bit of Taylor and wide receiver Sammie Watkins could go a long way for the Bills. It will be up to Cockrell and company to try and keep Watkins under wraps and Pittsburgh's late-season surge afloat.

"I think we're all just growing thorough the process, and thankfully, I think we're growing in the right ways," Tomlin said. "And I think that's helping us put better tape out there and putting us in position to win the games."

NOTES: Tomlin said there's a chance injured kicker Chris Boswell (abdomen) could return this weekend but the team will hold on to Randy Bullock just in case. ... RB DeAngelo Williams (knee) and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) could return to practice this week.

Source: Herald Whig

[feltdizz]

13 sacks over the first 9 games and we (myself included) have the nerve to criticize the secondary?