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[QUOTE=Northern_Blitz;766973]We have lots of hope on O, not much proven talent.[/QUOTE]
I agree with you on the "Lots of hope" part, and disagree on the underlined part. We've got a HOF QB who's still playing at a high level. A returning Pro-Bowl WR and RB... a top tier O-Line.. a solid #2 in Moncrief. Two solid slot receivers in Rogers and Switzer... A TE who is well above average.
So that brings us to some young talent "Hope" to plug in a few holes. With our O-Line I have no doubt that Snell will be a plug and play guy. The "Swiss Army Knife" will be used more in TE, WR sets this year and will be productive when called upon.
Washington appears to be much more NFL ready this year... and D. Johnson seems to be on everyone's "Watchlist" after minicamp. My only concern is TE depth... Grimble needs to be that guy that fills the void. We've seen flashes from him.. Will be interesting to see if the extra opportunities allows him to solidify his role on the team.Comment
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We have JuJu and Vance and a much of unknowns.
Switzer? We hope he plays better. He wasn’t impressive when you look at his stats last year.
Washington? We hope he turns the corner.
Johnson? We hope he is everything players say he is.
Moncreif? We hope he pans out.
Rogers? We hope he can stay healthy.
None of these guys have proven they have the talent to get us where we need to go. Not yet.
NB is spot on. Our WR’s are great on paper but we have no idea if they are ready on game day.Comment
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BTW.. you can put "we hope he stays healthy" with 100% of guys in the league.. thats not even a point worth debating.Comment
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You look at some of those guys "on paper" and theres no doubt the stats are underwhelming. we had a guy in AB the last few years thats been at the very top of the league in targets... when that happens theres no doubt some of the other guys are going to be limited. Has very little to do with talent. Lets see what happens when we spread the ball around this year.Comment
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James Washington ‘More Vocal’, Has ‘More Confidence With The Playbook’ In Second Offseason
By Matthew Marczi
Posted on June 15, 2019
Provided that everything works out as the Pittsburgh Steelers have hoped, second-year wide receiver James Washington should play a vital role in the offense’s success in 2019. The 2018 second-round pick is looking to make a significant jump from a disappointing rookie year, and he does see areas in which he feels he has grown since then.
“I have more confidence with the playbook”, first and foremost, he recently told the team’s website. One of his biggest issues, referring to his targets from last season, seemed to be not being entirely sure of the route he was supposed to be running or where Ben Roethlisberger wanted him to be.
He also said that he was “being a little more vocal, talking to guys, being more involved. I just need to stay in condition, know the playbook. Just maintain the receiver mechanics”.
All of these things have gotten positive attention so far this offseason, though none more so than his condition. He reportedly lost more than 10 pounds from last year in the hopes of being better conditioned to perform for the offense in 2019. It’s an all too common lesson for rookies to learn. No matter how well-conditioned they think they are, few truly understand NFL-level conditioning until they have to go through an NFL season.
There is a massive opening, an opportunity, for Washington to play this year following the team’s trade of Antonio Brown, which sent him to the Oakland Raiders for third- and fifth-round picks that they used in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The first of those selections went to acquired Toledo wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who has the opportunity to ascend the depth chart as the offseason progresses. For the moment, the expectation is that he will be filtered in behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, Donte Moncrief, and Washington, but if either of the latter two lag behind, that will create an opening for the rookie.
Washington isn’t planning to let that happen. He is much more adjusted to NFL life now than he was a year ago, now that he has an entire year of the professional world under his belt and knows what to expect and what it will take to raise his game to the next level.
Building a stronger rapport with Roethlisberger is part of that as well, and really most of the offense has worked a lot in trying to bond this offseason, headlined by a big trip to Roethlisberger’s Georgia residence, complete with some on-field work.
We already know that Washington has the talent to play at the NFL level. If he can also raise himself up to have NFL-worthy conditioning, mechanics, and knowledge of the offensive system, then he can without a doubt live up to his draft pedigree.
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There is potential with our receivers but I don't know how anyone can say we have more than that at this point, we have a bunch of guys who haven't accomplished anything yet.Comment
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overstated a bit im afraid when you consider JUJU made the probowl.. and moncrief has averaged close to 13 yards per reception the past 5 years.. even if true... this is still a very talented group... We can split hairs all we want.. "Potential"..."Accomplished"... "Talented"... the only way these guys will get there is with opportunity. Im predicting a very solid year with this offense (and WR corp).Comment
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Juju is obviously the exception but the rest of the corp hasn't really done anything, I don't think the difference between "potential" and "accomplished" is splitting hairs it is simply the way it is, we have guys that haven't done much. So right now you have "potential", you do not have "accomplished", until they actually accomplish something. I think they are talented too and I am looking forward to a good year but I can't give them credit for success until I see it.Comment
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hopefully guys will acknowledge that... just because a guy "hasnt done much"... doesnt mean much in terms of the upcoming season. its exactly the same for every player who just starts out in the league.. gotta start somewhere. As pouncy said about conner last training camp.. "new stars are born every day". i have no doubt there will be a few emerge from this year's group. Honestly WR is among the least of my worries when it comes to this clubComment
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AGAIN, we won the SB with ARE as the number 2 guy.
Moncrief has seasons that are statistically superior than ANY season ARE had. Heck, ROGERS had a statistically better year than ARE asa NUMBER 3 receiver.
Mocrief is PROVEN better as a receiver than ARE and is undoubtedly a capable number.
The only "unproven" is whether Washington or the Johnson are even better than a proven capable number 2 caliber receiver in Moncrief.Last edited by Captain Lemming; 06-16-2019, 11:54 PM.sigpic
In view of the fact that Mike Tomlin has matched Cowhers record I give him the designation:
TCFCLTC-
The Coach Formerly Considered Less Than CowherComment
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Here are the alleged positional competitions:
Wide receiver - Ladies and gents, it's Donte Moncrief at No. 2. Even if James Washington has another great camp, it's Moncrief. He's a vet. Washington is still learning, and he'll receive plenty of playing time anyway. In the slot, I believe the Steelers handed Ryan Switzer the job when they moved his locker over with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Moncrief next to Ben Roethlisberger. The only question is whether they'll keep six, and that will be won - in my opinion - by either Eli Rogers, CFL star Diontae Spencer, or the guy one source said runs the best routes on the team, Trey Griffey. Rookie Diontae Johnson has the No. 5 job locked up. He'll make his move for playing time in-season.
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