Does Ike Hilliard bear any responsibility?

[WindyCitySteel]

He's been the WR coach since 2020, two full seasons. Did any WR get better from 2020 to 2021? DJ would have been the biggest improvement if he didn't surgically switch his left and right hands with about five games to go in the season. Claypool was awful. Washington couldn't even get a target most games, had his lowest output since his rookie year. Juju gets an INC grade.

Ike goes back to the Bucs with Tomlin, was a WR there when Tomlin was DB coach, so I don't expect a move to be made, but should one be?

[Chucktownsteeler]

I don't know about Hilliard but I don't think the WR's ever got over losing coach Drake. Theyn did seem to lose a little after that, but that could also coincide with losing AB.

[Northern_Blitz]

He's been the WR coach since 2020, two full seasons. Did any WR get better from 2020 to 2021? DJ would have been the biggest improvement if he didn't surgically switch his left and right hands with about five games to go in the season. Claypool was awful. Washington couldn't even get a target most games, had his lowest output since his rookie year. Juju gets an INC grade.

Ike goes back to the Bucs with Tomlin, was a WR there when Tomlin was DB coach, so I don't expect a move to be made, but should one be?

Claypool is / was still raw. But he also has ~ 1,800 total yards in 2 seasons.

He isn't awful. He just hasn't reached what we all hope is his ceiling.

Edited because "rat" should have been "raw"

[flippy]

Impossible to know.

It’s a little blame everyone and blame no one situation.

The O was a mess. I think the majority of accountability goes to the QB, coach, and GM. How to split it is again impossible to know.

What can a WR coach do in this situation? QB won’t hold the ball for more than 2 sec. OLine can’t block. D is all bunched up at LOS. The O doesn’t attack half the field.

[Chucktownsteeler]

Claypool is / was still rat. But he also has ~ 1,800 total yards in 2 seasons.

He isn't awful. He just hasn't reached what we all hope is his ceiling.

Correct, I believe he excelled in high school and college on God given talent alone. If is now up to him if he "hones" his craft and takes the next step. I see that he recently had wrist surgery (i.e. Limus Sweed) so he needs to heal first. There is no way a 5'9", 180 lb. CB should be besting him.

He needs to work on the subtle nuainces of his trade.

It's the little things.

[Buzz]

Haven't really seen much improvement in WR play since Ike came on board, but to be fair, the offensive system the past couple of years didn't do some of these players any favors

[papillon]

A lot of the WR woes this year are/were attributable to Ben. I hate to say it but Ben was a bigger problem than we may want to admit because he was so good for so long. He was clearly done and willed his way to enough wins to take a spot in the playoffs but clearly, he was done. Even with the average QBs on the roster, I think the WRs will be better as a group next year. Hopefully, they will have time to run a complete route before the ball is thrown. Ben was releasing the ball so quick that it was nearly impossible to get any separation and the offensive line didn't help much either. I'm hoping we'll be wondering, "Why didn't they play like this last year?" when we see them play in 2022/2023.

Not certain there is much judgment to be made on Hilliard just yet.

Pappy

[feltdizz]

A lot of the WR woes this year are/were attributable to Ben. I hate to say it but Ben was a bigger problem than we may want to admit because he was so good for so long. He was clearly done and willed his way to enough wins to take a spot in the playoffs but clearly, he was done. Even with the average QBs on the roster, I think the WRs will be better as a group next year. Hopefully, they will have time to run a complete route before the ball is thrown. Ben was releasing the ball so quick that it was nearly impossible to get any separation and the offensive line didn't help much either. I'm hoping we'll be wondering, "Why didn't they play like this last year?" when we see them play in 2022/2023.

Not certain there is much judgment to be made on Hilliard just yet.

Pappy

Yup. There were a few times when Ben would make a throw and we would think maybe he is finally out of his funk but next game it was the same thing all over again.

[WindyCitySteel]

What can a WR coach do in this situation?

I'd be OK if someone would ask Claypool why he always ends up on the ground immediately after a catch.

I wonder if he could play move TE? There was speculation about him switching before the draft.

[Dwinsgames]

IDK for me .....

when your O-Line is a complete and utter disaster and your QB has almost no time to throw the OC sucks and couldn't come up with a game plan to save his ass and the only time you seemingly moved the ball worth a damn is when your 18 year vet QB who has zero mobility left goes no huddle ... hard to lay blame at the feet of the WR coach with all that going on ....

[feltdizz]

I'd be OK if someone would ask Claypool why he always ends up on the ground immediately after a catch.

I wonder if he could play move TE? There was speculation about him switching before the draft.

Do you think he won’t dive if he is a TE?

[Steel Maniac]

I’m confident we will upgrade our O-line this off season. Add in a new QB and then let’s see.

Hilliard could be another bust in a long line of assistant coaching hires but let’s just give it one more season to see.

I was thinking of this very topic last week.

[feltdizz]

I’m confident we will upgrade our O-line this off season. Add in a new QB and then let’s see.

Hilliard could be another bust in a long line of assistant coaching hires but let’s just give it one more season to see.

I was thinking of this very topic last week.

who were the others in this long line of bust?

[WindyCitySteel]

Do you think he won’t dive if he is a TE?

He probably won't be running as many deep routes for 50/50 balls.

[hawaiiansteel]

who were the others in this long line of bust?

Ike Hilliard will set the Steelers franchise back 5 years and allow the Browns WR coach to leapfrog us in the standings.