It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

If I remember correctly, and I may not, someone said that Urbik also didn't look good in one on one drills but worked really well in space. Does anyone else remember this or am I making it up?

From a Bruce Arians interview on the day of the draft regarding Urbik:

What’s your take on Kraig Urbik?

I love him. Big, tough, nasty type of guy that has position flexibility. He’s played some tackle. Like they showed him on TV, if you just go out and play one-on-one you aren’t picking him on your team. When you put him in a football game, on offensive line there a lot of guys that don’t play good one-on-one. It’s learning how to play together. This kid understands football. He’s a big physical guy that we think can play guard or tackle. We’ll stick the ball between his legs and see if he can do that too, so he has the ability to dress on Sunday and be a guy that could possibly be a three position player for us.

He’s never played center before?

No, he’s practiced it but that’s not something that he has done a lot of.

Why do you need big guys at guard now?

You’ve got the big strong three-techniques. For us, we’re playing in a division where there are no guard doubles. So it is more can he go to the second level and still come down and block the big nose guards that we have to face on our division. He has the ability to do both. We don’t pull a lot, we pull some. So the smaller more athletic trapping guards are not really in vogue for a lot of teams anymore because there are very few trapping teams. A lot of teams only pull the left guard. If they want to run the power they want to run it one way. That’s being going on for fifteen years. But he is a right side player, more physical player.

Would he have to go out on a linebacker much at Wisconsin?

Oh yeah. They are a zone blocking team. Very similar to us, combination blocks. He understands the game very well.

Would you expect him to compete to start?

Yes.

[url]http://news.steelers.com/article/104908/[/url]

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

It is no great surprise to see Essex in there at RG. Last year, he was awarded the opportunity to play LG until Kemo returned from his injury, and while he was there at LG, he impressed the coaches.

According to Wolf man, Essex has been working out tremendously the past 2 years and has really dedicated himself. It was just a matter of time until he broke into the starting lineup. I was just thinking it may have been at RT or even LT next year if Max didn't sign long term, but now Hills will get that backup role. Hills should be improving with 1 year under his belt.

We'll see what happens with Jason Capizzi. He would be too tall as a OG, IMO, but he could be that swing man too.

Urbik will just have to wait his turn. And it may be a while until he impresses. He may need a year or 2 to improve his game under LZ. We'll see how he handles the pre season games, but he may not get in there until the 4th Q at this point.

Looks like Legursky and Shipley are impressing at camp. Good to hear.

Competition is a good thing.

Everything I have heard is that Hills looks awful, and Capizzi and Foster are much better than him so far. I'll wait until we seem them actually line-up against different color jerseys in the pre-season games to pass any judgment, but it does not sound like Hills improved all that much from a disappointing rookie campaign.

I heard that to, until I read an article from Jim Wexell (steelcitysports). In it he says he felt the same way about Hill until he had a conversation with someone who knows something about offiensive lineman. And that Hills has trouble one on one but does well with other around him. Take it for what its worth.

That can work with a guy like Urbik, who would have a center on his left and a tackle on his right, but with Hills, as a tackle, he is often out on an island facing an opposing DE or OLB in a one-on-one type of situation. That is why the tackles tend to get the big bucks in comparison to guards (at least until some teams started getting stupid with 7 year $49 million contracts that we did not want to match for an older guard like Faneca).

[flippy]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

I like Essex and think he can be an upgrade.

I even think he'd make a better tackle and handle the speed rushers on the right better than Colon does when he watches quick guys run circles around him.

I was impressed with what he did at the end of 08. And i think he was a casualty of positional flexibility. Essex is going to be a good starter in the league.

[ramblinjim]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

thanks Ruthless, I'm glad to know that I haven't totally lost it.

Flippy - good post and I agree.

[aggiebones]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

If the information about Essex came from the same people pimping Legursky, then its all worthless.

[flippy]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

If the information about Essex came from the same people pimping Legursky, then its all worthless.

We've seen Essex play. And he's been capable in the regular season and playoffs in short stints.

We've only seen Legursky bench.

[aggiebones]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

Its now official, Essex wins. Mostly by default. I have a strong feeling Stapleton would have held the spot, but its mute now. Injuries happen. Essex can grab and hold it now. He'll likely only have to hold off Urbik cause I imagine Stapleton will shift to a battle for the C position next season. If they need to let Hartwig go, then Stapleton or Shipley will take over. But like the orginal author, I'm just speculating here.

[Oviedo]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

Its now official, Essex wins. Mostly by default. I have a strong feeling Stapleton would have held the spot, but its mute now. Injuries happen. Essex can grab and hold it now. He'll likely only have to hold off Urbik cause I imagine Stapleton will shift to a battle for the C position next season. If they need to let Hartwig go, then Stapleton or Shipley will take over. But like the orginal author, I'm just speculating here.

You ignore Legursky in the Center equation and he is the one running with the first team right now. Not sure Shipley is guaranteed to pass him.

[aggiebones]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

I need to apologize to Mr. Legursky. I thought he was our Super Bowl long snapper. I mixed he and the other guys up. My bad. I wondered why everyone was getting all on board with this guy. I thought he was just subbing in while we waited for someone else to come back.

That said, I would be surprised if he starts for the Steelers.
Likely if Stapleton can't come around, we would find a way to keep Hartwig next season versus having an open competition between Shipley and Legursky. But stranger things have happened.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

I need to apologize to Mr. Legursky. I thought he was our Super Bowl long snapper. I mixed he and the other guys up. My bad. I wondered why everyone was getting all on board with this guy. I thought he was just subbing in while we waited for someone else to come back.

That said, I would be surprised if he starts for the Steelers.
Likely if Stapleton can't come around, we would find a way to keep Hartwig next season versus having an open competition between Shipley and Legursky. But stranger things have happened.

Are you saying all Polish guys look the same to you?



Jared Retkovsky



Doug Legursky

[Fot]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

I need to apologize to Mr. Legursky. I thought he was our Super Bowl long snapper. I mixed he and the other guys up. My bad. I wondered why everyone was getting all on board with this guy. I thought he was just subbing in while we waited for someone else to come back.

That said, I would be surprised if he starts for the Steelers.
Likely if Stapleton can't come around, we would find a way to keep Hartwig next season versus having an open competition between Shipley and Legursky. But stranger things have happened.

Are you saying all Polish guys look the same to you?



Jared Retkovsky



Doug Legursky

Just a few Big Macs different in size..lol

[Steelerphile]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

We've seen Essex play but do we have a large enough sample to declare him an upgrade? I really don't think so. In his four previous years with the Steelers, it doesn't seem to me that Essex total playing time has been as much as Stapleton had in his first year.

He has played only in spots, and I think it takes a more elongated period of time to fully assess a player's strengths and weaknesses.

So, maybe some are excited about Essex and his winning the RG position by default, but I am still reserved in my excitement about this development.

I don't think Stapleton played poorly in his first year. I actually liked him better than Kendall Simmons, and he certainly had the capacity for improvement. I still wonder why if Essex had all the tools, he didn't get a starting job before. I know that some people reason that his versatility hurt him because he had to be the main back up to tackle, but if he were really good, I think the coaches would have found him a spot, and worried about the backup later.

[NorthCoast]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

We've seen Essex play but do we have a large enough sample to declare him an upgrade? I really don't think so. In his four previous years with the Steelers, it doesn't seem to me that Essex total playing time has been as much as Stapleton had in his first year.

He has played only in spots, and I think it takes a more elongated period of time to fully assess a player's strengths and weaknesses.

So, maybe some are excited about Essex and his winning the RG position by default, but I am still reserved in my excitement about this development.

I don't think Stapleton played poorly in his first year. I actually liked him better than Kendall Simmons, and he certainly had the capacity for improvement. I still wonder why if Essex had all the tools, he didn't get a starting job before. I know that some people reason that his versatility hurt him because he had to be the main back up to tackle, but if he were really good, I think the coaches would have found him a spot, and worried about the backup later.

I share your thoughts. Guard is one of the easiest positions on the line and yet this is yr 5 for Essex and he is only seeing the light because of injury. Essex is a serviceable replacement but I don't believe he is an upgrade over DS.

(BTW....Legursky sure looks like a man-beast to me.)

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: It Appears Essex Locks up RG...

To think this position is already locked up by anyone is foolish. We haven't even played a single pre-season game yet! What if Essex stinks out the joint in 2 games and Stapleton comes back healthy by the third? What if Urbik shows in the games what Arians said about him on draft day was true: that he struggles in individual drills but thrives in game situations? What if Legursky plays so well at center while Hartwig is out that they give him a shot at the RG spot when Hartwig comes back? A lot can happen when we actually play a few games.