Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

[AngryAsian]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

If not Woodley, then Harrison.....or both. Last year Harrison had 10 sacks, but that was with Haggans opposite him. No problem, block Clark with the TE, then you have multiple options in blocking Harrison. This year, any team trying to block Woodley with the TE will find out quickly that he is not Clark Haggans. The OC will then have to pick his poison, worry about the LOLB or the ROLB. Wood does have the advantage of being under the cover of Smith, but if the O overplays that side, all the more room for Harrison to roam.

If this tandem is even going to think about approaching Greene/Lloyd status, then it doesn't matter who gets to the QB first, because the other won't be far behind.

At the risk of touting someone from That School Up North, I believe Woodley has the goods to surpass any of Haggans accomplishments over the last three seasons.

I saw enough of Woodley as an Ann Arbor Annie to know that he could be hell against the pass. Screw Alan Branch. Woodley was the straw that stirred the drink on the Ann Arbor Annie D in 2006.

Even as a rookie, I loved what he brought to the table in his limited action. Barring injury, Woodley will bring everything Greene ever did with the upside fact that he is only at the start of his career. Greene was a seasoned vet when he joined the Steelers.

I will have to defer the scouting reports from their collegiate days to the likes of you, Hoppy and Shawn. You guys are my brothers in Steeldom, but I have to wonder about your collegiate allegiances.... especially in that second rate conference...

[Steely76]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

He is a similar player to Greene in that he is a power rusher who does not play real well in space.

Maybe he just needs a spacesuit.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

Woodly is going to make mistakes. I doubt he will live up to the expectations some set for him this season. Going into this 3rd season is when I think it will all come together for him. We will have to wait and see what happens.

I'm not sure about the 15 sacks but I do think that this young man has a maturity about him that will pave the way for him to not only garnish the respect of his team mates but to lead them as well. I think that this guy will be the breakthrough story for our team and will be the backbone of our LB corps that has been missing for years.

AIM HIGH BABY!!!

[AngryAsian]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

Woodly is going to make mistakes. I doubt he will live up to the expectations some set for him this season. Going into this 3rd season is when I think it will all come together for him. We will have to wait and see what happens.

I'm not sure about the 15 sacks but I do think that this young man has a maturity about him that will pave the way for him to not only garnish the respect of his team mates but to lead them as well. I think that this guy will be the breakthrough story for our team and will be the backbone of our LB corps that has been missing for years.

AIM HIGH BABY!!!

I feel you bro, on the "AIM HIGH" sentiments... I predicted 12 sacks this year. Not as high as yours but still pretty up there... up there enough to secure a place in the hearts of Steeler Nation as the new Beast LB we've been missing for awhile. I just hope that with the emergence of Woodley, this will inevitably increase Harrison's sack numbers as well.

[stlrz d]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

I'm going to predict 8 sacks. As a full time player he'll have to do more than just rush the passer.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

Woodly is going to make mistakes. I doubt he will live up to the expectations some set for him this season. Going into this 3rd season is when I think it will all come together for him. We will have to wait and see what happens.

I'm not sure about the 15 sacks but I do think that this young man has a maturity about him that will pave the way for him to not only garnish the respect of his team mates but to lead them as well. I think that this guy will be the breakthrough story for our team and will be the backbone of our LB corps that has been missing for years.

AIM HIGH BABY!!!

I feel you bro, on the "AIM HIGH" sentiments... I predicted 12 sacks this year. Not as high as yours but still pretty up there... up there enough to secure a place in the hearts of Steeler Nation as the new Beast LB we've been missing for awhile. I just hope that with the emergence of Woodley, this will inevitably increase Harrison's sack numbers as well.

12 sacks would be outstanding! Throw in 60+ tackles and the guy might make the Pro Bowl in his second year. I am confident he is the "Beast" we have been missing since Greene. I expect Harrison to equal his numbers at the least with Woodley playing opposite. I noticed something about Haggans for the last 1 1/2 years. It was something that also became evident in Porters final years. Haggans was getting block 1 on 1 by RBs & TEs. We all saw last year what happened when a team tried to block Harrison with a RB or TE... They got "Owned"! Woodley has GREAT lower body strength to go with his above average upper body. Playing DE in college really developed his body. He gets great push when he engages a taller OL. He just runs over RBs & TEs. Then he has the speed to go around the edge so he could be the complete package once he develops better cover skills. Now the Steelers have two outside pass rushers that will require help if the scheme requires a TE or RB to block them on passing downs. That alone will give opposing OC headaches all week!

[AngryAsian]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

12 sacks would be outstanding! Throw in 60+ tackles and the guy might make the Pro Bowl in his second year. I am confident he is the "Beast" we have been missing since Greene. I expect Harrison to equal his numbers at the least with Woodley playing opposite. I noticed something about Haggans for the last 1 1/2 years. It was something that also became evident in Porters final years. Haggans was getting block 1 on 1 by RBs & TEs. We all saw last year what happened when a team tried to block Harrison with a RB or TE... They got "Owned"! Woodley has GREAT lower body strength to go with his above average upper body. Playing DE in college really developed his body. He gets great push when he engages a taller OL. He just runs over RBs & TEs. Then he has the speed to go around the edge so he could be the complete package once he develops better cover skills. Now the Steelers have two outside pass rushers that will require help if the scheme requires a TE or RB to block them on passing downs. That alone will give opposing OC headaches all week!

Both Harrison and Woodley are built the same. They both have that squatty, low-center of gravity type body that's ideal when trying to get leverage. I think that Woodley makes better use of his frame than Harrison. Regardless, with both at the outside positions no offense could possibly account for both trucking in. Woodley is indeed an instant upgrade from Haggans.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

12 sacks would be outstanding! Throw in 60+ tackles and the guy might make the Pro Bowl in his second year. I am confident he is the "Beast" we have been missing since Greene. I expect Harrison to equal his numbers at the least with Woodley playing opposite. I noticed something about Haggans for the last 1 1/2 years. It was something that also became evident in Porters final years. Haggans was getting block 1 on 1 by RBs & TEs. We all saw last year what happened when a team tried to block Harrison with a RB or TE... They got "Owned"! Woodley has GREAT lower body strength to go with his above average upper body. Playing DE in college really developed his body. He gets great push when he engages a taller OL. He just runs over RBs & TEs. Then he has the speed to go around the edge so he could be the complete package once he develops better cover skills. Now the Steelers have two outside pass rushers that will require help if the scheme requires a TE or RB to block them on passing downs. That alone will give opposing OC headaches all week!

Both Harrison and Woodley are built the same. They both have that squatty, low-center of gravity type body that's ideal when trying to get leverage. I think that Woodley makes better use of his frame than Harrison. Regardless, with both at the outside positions no offense could possibly account for both trucking in. Woodley is indeed an instant upgrade from Haggans.

They are both thick, but Woodley has a couple of inches and about 25 pounds on Harrison. Opposing offenses may need to block down on Wood with a TE (in addition to the RT), leaving Harrison with more one-on-one situations.

[Oviedo]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

12 sacks would be outstanding! Throw in 60+ tackles and the guy might make the Pro Bowl in his second year. I am confident he is the "Beast" we have been missing since Greene. I expect Harrison to equal his numbers at the least with Woodley playing opposite. I noticed something about Haggans for the last 1 1/2 years. It was something that also became evident in Porters final years. Haggans was getting block 1 on 1 by RBs & TEs. We all saw last year what happened when a team tried to block Harrison with a RB or TE... They got "Owned"! Woodley has GREAT lower body strength to go with his above average upper body. Playing DE in college really developed his body. He gets great push when he engages a taller OL. He just runs over RBs & TEs. Then he has the speed to go around the edge so he could be the complete package once he develops better cover skills. Now the Steelers have two outside pass rushers that will require help if the scheme requires a TE or RB to block them on passing downs. That alone will give opposing OC headaches all week!

Both Harrison and Woodley are built the same. They both have that squatty, low-center of gravity type body that's ideal when trying to get leverage. I think that Woodley makes better use of his frame than Harrison. Regardless, with both at the outside positions no offense could possibly account for both trucking in. Woodley is indeed an instant upgrade from Haggans.

They are both thick, but Woodley has a couple of inches and about 25 pounds on Harrison. Opposing offenses may need to block down on Wood with a TE (in addition to the RT), leaving Harrison with more one-on-one situations.

Harrison needs to develop more than a bullrush technique on his pass rush to take his effectiveness to the next level. The fact he had 2 sacks in the last 8 regular season games showed that the league figured him out.

[Flasteel]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

12 sacks would be outstanding! Throw in 60+ tackles and the guy might make the Pro Bowl in his second year. I am confident he is the "Beast" we have been missing since Greene. I expect Harrison to equal his numbers at the least with Woodley playing opposite. I noticed something about Haggans for the last 1 1/2 years. It was something that also became evident in Porters final years. Haggans was getting block 1 on 1 by RBs & TEs. We all saw last year what happened when a team tried to block Harrison with a RB or TE... They got "Owned"! Woodley has GREAT lower body strength to go with his above average upper body. Playing DE in college really developed his body. He gets great push when he engages a taller OL. He just runs over RBs & TEs. Then he has the speed to go around the edge so he could be the complete package once he develops better cover skills. Now the Steelers have two outside pass rushers that will require help if the scheme requires a TE or RB to block them on passing downs. That alone will give opposing OC headaches all week!

Both Harrison and Woodley are built the same. They both have that squatty, low-center of gravity type body that's ideal when trying to get leverage. I think that Woodley makes better use of his frame than Harrison. Regardless, with both at the outside positions no offense could possibly account for both trucking in. Woodley is indeed an instant upgrade from Haggans.

They are both thick, but Woodley has a couple of inches and about 25 pounds on Harrison. Opposing offenses may need to block down on Wood with a TE (in addition to the RT), leaving Harrison with more one-on-one situations.

Harrison needs to develop more than a bullrush technique on his pass rush to take his effectiveness to the next level. The fact he had 2 sacks in the last 8 regular season games showed that the league figured him out.

I'm not saying that Harrison has an entire arsenal of pass-rush moves but I do think that he gets sold a little short in that regard sometimes. I've heard that he's pound for pound the strongest player on the team and his low center of gravity at 6' tall really enables him to get under the pads of any tackle he faces. Silverback is also very athletic and has a tremendous burst off the snap, so I think it's a little unfair to say that he's only got the ability to bull rush. With Woodley on the other side and hopefully Timmons being unleashed in the middle, there will be far fewer backs to chip him or step over to pick him up once he gets by his man. If Bruce Davis can prove to be a legitimate threat off the edge, he'll be able to hopefully step in and spell both OLBs to keep everyone fresh.

I see the potential for a big improvement in our pass rush for the first time in several years; if we can stay healthy (especially up front where we're thin), then this could be the best defense we've put on the field in a long time.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

12 sacks would be outstanding! Throw in 60+ tackles and the guy might make the Pro Bowl in his second year. I am confident he is the "Beast" we have been missing since Greene. I expect Harrison to equal his numbers at the least with Woodley playing opposite. I noticed something about Haggans for the last 1 1/2 years. It was something that also became evident in Porters final years. Haggans was getting block 1 on 1 by RBs & TEs. We all saw last year what happened when a team tried to block Harrison with a RB or TE... They got "Owned"! Woodley has GREAT lower body strength to go with his above average upper body. Playing DE in college really developed his body. He gets great push when he engages a taller OL. He just runs over RBs & TEs. Then he has the speed to go around the edge so he could be the complete package once he develops better cover skills. Now the Steelers have two outside pass rushers that will require help if the scheme requires a TE or RB to block them on passing downs. That alone will give opposing OC headaches all week!

Both Harrison and Woodley are built the same. They both have that squatty, low-center of gravity type body that's ideal when trying to get leverage. I think that Woodley makes better use of his frame than Harrison. Regardless, with both at the outside positions no offense could possibly account for both trucking in. Woodley is indeed an instant upgrade from Haggans.

They are both thick, but Woodley has a couple of inches and about 25 pounds on Harrison. Opposing offenses may need to block down on Wood with a TE (in addition to the RT), leaving Harrison with more one-on-one situations.

Harrison needs to develop more than a bullrush technique on his pass rush to take his effectiveness to the next level. The fact he had 2 sacks in the last 8 regular season games showed that the league figured him out.

I'm not saying that Harrison has an entire arsenal of pass-rush moves but I do think that he gets sold a little short in that regard sometimes. I've heard that he's pound for pound the strongest player on the team and his low center of gravity at 6' tall really enables him to get under the pads of any tackle he faces. Silverback is also very athletic and has a tremendous burst off the snap, so I think it's a little unfair to say that he's only got the ability to bull rush. With Woodley on the other side and hopefully Timmons being unleashed in the middle, there will be far fewer backs to chip him or step over to pick him up once he gets by his man. If Bruce Davis can prove to be a legitimate threat off the edge, he'll be able to hopefully step in and spell both OLBs to keep everyone fresh.

I see the potential for a big improvement in our pass rush for the first time in several years; if we can stay healthy (especially up front where we're thin), then this could be the best defense we've put on the field in a long time.

With the "HEALTHY" also including TROY...I think you could be 100% accurate on that statement!!!

[Oviedo]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

Troy staying healthy requires LeBeau to quit rushing him into the middle of the OL and wrestling with 300lb limemen

[Flasteel]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

I'm not saying that Harrison has an entire arsenal of pass-rush moves but I do think that he gets sold a little short in that regard sometimes. I've heard that he's pound for pound the strongest player on the team and his low center of gravity at 6' tall really enables him to get under the pads of any tackle he faces. Silverback is also very athletic and has a tremendous burst off the snap, so I think it's a little unfair to say that he's only got the ability to bull rush. With Woodley on the other side and hopefully Timmons being unleashed in the middle, there will be far fewer backs to chip him or step over to pick him up once he gets by his man. If Bruce Davis can prove to be a legitimate threat off the edge, he'll be able to hopefully step in and spell both OLBs to keep everyone fresh.

I see the potential for a big improvement in our pass rush for the first time in several years; if we can stay healthy (especially up front where we're thin), then this could be the best defense we've put on the field in a long time.

With the "HEALTHY" also including TROY...I think you could be 100% accurate on that statement!!!

Good point. Polamalu can be a special player when healthy and used correctly. I hesitate to criticize a coach like LeBeau, but I couldn't agree more with what Oviedo said about putting him up on the line of scrimmage.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

Troy staying healthy requires LeBeau to quit rushing him into the middle of the OL and wrestling with 300lb limemen

I agree. Troy has enough athletic ability to make plays behind the line-of-scrimmage from the second level. I think this new LB group will take some pressure off of Lebeau feeling the need to keep Troy close to the line. I also think Troy playing "Center Field" more in the passing game will give the D more turnovers and even that "Split Second" needed to turn a pressure into a sack. I know playing him shallow, he can account for anything underneath but Timmons might be able to handle that role. His range in the deep middle could create allot of good oportunities for this D as a unit!

[Oviedo]

Re: Can Woodley possibly live up to the hype?

Troy staying healthy requires LeBeau to quit rushing him into the middle of the OL and wrestling with 300lb limemen

I agree. Troy has enough athletic ability to make plays behind the line-of-scrimmage from the second level. I think this new LB group will take some pressure off of Lebeau feeling the need to keep Troy close to the line. I also think Troy playing "Center Field" more in the passing game will give the D more turnovers and even that "Split Second" needed to turn a pressure into a sack. I know playing him shallow, he can account for anything underneath but Timmons might be able to handle that role. His range in the deep middle could create allot of good oportunities for this D as a unit!

Agree. Troy playing back will get us critical INTs that we haven't been getting because 3 DBs are typically trying to do the job of 4 with Troy up on the line.