Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

[AngryAsian]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

Good olineman can be found later in the draft. And I think this year is deep.

.

Here is a little History for you. Last Time the Steelers had a real good offensive line, their lineman were mostly all #1's and #2 draft picks.

The Steelers have only selected OL twice in the first round that yielded a Pro Bowl calibre lineman. Their only 2nd round selection to address the offensive line that yielded anything close to greatness was in 1988 when they chose future HOF Dirt Dawson. All other noteworthy linemen were later round selections. If you are talking "history"... this team has had a history of selecting their linemen in the later rounds and have had great success in doing so, thus the term "Smash Mouth Football."

[flippy]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

Good olineman can be found later in the draft. And I think this year is deep.

.

Here is a little History for you. Last Time the Steelers had a real good offensive line, their lineman were mostly all #1's and #2 draft picks.

Thanks for the history lesson.

How many SuperBowls did that line real good offensive line win for us? I assume you're speaking of 2000/1 right before Wayne Gandy left.

We just won a SuperBowl with a 3rd, 6th, 6th, undrafted, and a 4th round pick.

And if you look back to the 70s and SuperBowl XIV as an example, the draft positions of our starting oline then was 3rd, undrafted, 5th, 4th, and 5th.

Mike Tomlin understands this.

That's why we didn't draft any linemen high in last year's draft when everyone was clamoring for us to do so.

[MeetJoeGreene]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

Good olineman can be found later in the draft. And I think this year is deep.

.

Here is a little History for you. Last Time the Steelers had a real good offensive line, their lineman were mostly all #1's and #2 draft picks.

Thanks for the history lesson.

How many SuperBowls did that line real good offensive line win for us? I assume you're speaking of 2000/1 right before Wayne Gandy left.

We just won a SuperBowl with a 3rd, 6th, 6th, undrafted, and a 4th round pick.

And if you look back to the 70s and SuperBowl XIV as an example, the draft positions of our starting oline then was 3rd, undrafted, 5th, 4th, and 5th.

Mike Tomlin understands this.

That's why we didn't draft any linemen high in last year's draft when everyone was clamoring for us to do so.

My problem with this is that we USED to have a really good track record of finding these late round gems. I am not so confident any more of that. Therefore I would like to spend at least one premium pick on that unit as we HAVE had good success with 1st rounders. Tony Hills is yet an unknown -- so if he emerges as a quality RT, enabling Colon to move and be a quality guard I will revise my thinking.

[stlrz d]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

MJG - I have that concern as well. Spend a premium pick and give the O line a much needed injection of quality talent.

[flippy]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

Good olineman can be found later in the draft. And I think this year is deep.

.

Here is a little History for you. Last Time the Steelers had a real good offensive line, their lineman were mostly all #1's and #2 draft picks.

Thanks for the history lesson.

How many SuperBowls did that line real good offensive line win for us? I assume you're speaking of 2000/1 right before Wayne Gandy left.

We just won a SuperBowl with a 3rd, 6th, 6th, undrafted, and a 4th round pick.

And if you look back to the 70s and SuperBowl XIV as an example, the draft positions of our starting oline then was 3rd, undrafted, 5th, 4th, and 5th.

Mike Tomlin understands this.

That's why we didn't draft any linemen high in last year's draft when everyone was clamoring for us to do so.

My problem with this is that we USED to have a really good track record of finding these late round gems. I am not so confident any more of that. Therefore I would like to spend at least one premium pick on that unit as we HAVE had good success with 1st rounders. Tony Hills is yet an unknown -- so if he emerges as a quality RT, enabling Colon to move and be a quality guard I will revise my thinking.

Mike Tomlin's only had 2 drafts so far.

If there was ever a time to panic and draft a lineman early, he would have last year.

But he didn't.

If you can get a premiere LT early and you need one, do it.

Otherwise, I tend to think you should wait.

I put Mack at 32 in my first mock, not because I wanted to, but because I couldn't find a guy I thought was a better player who would go around that point in the draft.

I see myself gravitating back toward wanting to take a NT, DE, CB, or WR in the 1st.

Let's look at the SuperBowl champs over the last decade and see how many first round picks they've used on OLine during the last decade:

Steelers - 1
NE - 1
Ravens - 1
Indy - 0
Tampa - 2
Rams - 1
Giants - 0

That's about 6 out of 70 1st round picks by the best teams in the league during the last decade.

Odds are, we're not picking a lineman.

QBs and Ds win championships.

Good OLine can be found on day 2.

[feltdizz]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

finally some of you are starting to get it.. we are not a scrub team picking in the top 5 where an LT is staring us in the face begging to start. If we won with that pitiful OL why the hell would you go OL at 32? Get value and go OL in the second or and 3rd rounds...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

Good olineman can be found later in the draft. And I think this year is deep.

.

Here is a little History for you. Last Time the Steelers had a real good offensive line, their lineman were mostly all #1's and #2 draft picks.

The Steelers have only selected OL twice in the first round that yielded a Pro Bowl calibre lineman. Their only 2nd round selection to address the offensive line that yielded anything close to greatness was in 1988 when they chose future HOF Dirt Dawson. All other noteworthy linemen were later round selections. If you are talking "history"... this team has had a history of selecting their linemen in the later rounds and have had great success in doing so, thus the term "Smash Mouth Football."

Marvel went to Hawaii after Super Bowl XL. Unfortunately, his back gave out on him shortly thereafter, but he was a Pro Bowl calibre second round pick (the only o-lineman drafted in the Colbert era to achieve such an honor).

[Lonbull]

Re: Confirmed--Bruce Arians is Coming Back

Let's look at the SuperBowl champs over the last decade and see how many first round picks they've used on OLine during the last decade:

Steelers - 1
NE - 1
Ravens - 1
Indy - 0
Tampa - 2
Rams - 1
Giants - 0

Good OLine can be found on day 2.

Flippin -

Yes - however - the Steelers actually had (4) first round draft picks on the Off. Line in 2005. Kendall Simmons, Alan Faneca, Jeff Hartings, and Heath Miller.

Heath I realize is a tweener, and Hartings wasn't our draft pick but they were former 1st rounders.

Personally I believe you can find ALL positions anywhere in the draft and certainly beyond.

I'm not arguing your draft approach - I think the Steelers/Colbert have done a remarkable job with the first round, and I wonder if that isn't their approach to begin with.

Take the best 1st Rounder - the guy you're paying the most money too and giving the longest contract too, and then build the remaining draft around him. In the case of both Lawrence Timmons and Rashard Mendenhall we took players that weren't necessarily "need" players - but perhaps and hopefully they were the surest long term bets. Both very talented and both very young.

I think several teams, and of course many amatuers may look at the entire draft and try to piece it together like a puzzle.

(i.e. I won't take a Guard in the first round because there's a great guy that "should" be available in the 4th).

Just a thought.

L.B.