God I hope we draft this guy...

[Dee Dub]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

I get a laugh evertime I read anything about these great DBs "who could start as a rookie." Troy Polamalu, one of the best Steelers DBs ever, couldn't start in this defense as a rookie but these guys can because DB has become the raison d'etre for this year's draft "experts" just like Ol has been the past two years.

I'll predict now that NO defensive player drafted this year starts a game in our defense in 2010, and with a possible 2011 lock out it will be great to see them start their first game in 2012. Hope I'm wrong but I really doubt it and there is zero evidence to suggest I will be.

Yeah but that's only the Steelers philosophy. Look around the league there are many DB's who not only come in and start from day one...but they also produce at a very high level. Some even pro bowlers like the one I pimped for two years---Jarius Byrd.

I am willing to be that had the Steelers just roughed it with Troy in year one and let him start he still would have made a ton of plays.

What do you mean by roughing it? Dumbing down his assignments?

He didn't make a ton of plays his first year starting if I recall.

Imagine Revis as a Steeler.. instead of just covering his guy like a blanket he had to remember 35 different zone responsibilities.. He would be thinking instead of balling hard.

By roughing it it would be accepting some of Troy's rookie mistakes. A pill that wouldnt have been so hard to swallow when you consider all the plus plays he would have made. To say he wouldnt have made plus plays in his rookie year is ignoring the fact that he is an extremely gifted athlete.

So you dont think the Jets defense isnt complexed as well? You think there are really 35 different zone responsibilities? How many of those are based on reading and reacting? Ya know...the simple act of just making a football move??

[SteelCzar76]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

steel, you're right, it's tough to find guys that are expected to start when you are in the bottom half of each round of the draft. and if you have a good player who contributed to a good team, who do you bench in favor of a rook?

You bench the suspect veteran,..simple. Guys like Carter, Keisel, Taylor, and Townsend didn't hang aroung so long on this roster because they are "so very good",....it's because we are drafting guys that are in reality,...just not very good themselves. At least the old heads have the excuse of "age catching up with them". LOL

Um, you mention backup, starter, starter, backup...
and who would you have benched Keisel for this year? or taylor (who is underrated imo)?
seriously, you're not gonna draft perenial all pro's at each position.
I hate carter, I wish we would just cut him already. but Keisel and Taylor have been solid starters for a very long time. same with townsend.

I would've benched Keisel for Hood this year. Keisel isn't anything special IMO.


A solid starter for a very long time means younger opponents will be able to handle them.

Keisel does his job well. 3-4 DE's are not designed to penetrate and get sacks...but rather to provide pressure by collapsing the pocket, and Keisel is regularly among the leaders in QB pressures. I think Hood will be good, but you don't remove someone like Keisel for a rookie who has to adjust to the speed of the pro game, learn a new defense, and swtich positons all at the same time. Hood was not drafted to replace Keisel (if we wanted to replace Keisel, we would have not extended Keisel's contract last year). He was drafted to be the heir apparent to the aging Aaron Smith in a few years, and spelling the starters in a d-line rotation in the mean time.

So let me ask you this Ruthless,... are you willing to go on record here and now and say that you believe Hood will ever even make a single Pro Bowl let alone go on to even be 90 percent as effective as Diesel (Aaron) playing end in a 3-4 ?

[birtikidis]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

hood will be better then brett. no doubt about it. will he make a pro-bowl? probably not. I think hood has the ability to be even better then smitty, but how often do 3-4 ends make the pro-bowl? they're not asked to do what 4-3 ends are.

[SteelCzar76]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

hood will be better then brett. no doubt about it. will he make a pro-bowl? probably not. I think hood has the ability to be even better then smitty, but how often do 3-4 ends make the pro-bowl? they're not asked to do what 4-3 ends are.

Aaron Smith, Richard Seymour come to my mind. Now,..there is nothing wrong with Hood not being the same caliber of player that they are,...the problem is taking a 3-4 defensive end whom is of his (Hood) caliber in the FIRST ROUND just because Tomlin wants to have the Love Child of Timmons so badly that he'd never want to see him supplanted. LOL

Again,... the good of the entire roster should never be compromised by one man's ego and or crush's.,....

[birtikidis]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

so you came up with two names and those two have been in the NFL almost ten years? thanks for proving my point.
hey at least you're not suggesting drafting spiller.

[stlrz d]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

Fans vote on the pro bowl. Buddies vote for one another. Coaches vote for friends and former players that they like.

Making a pro bowl only means people like you. Other than that it doesn't mean jack shit.

[SteelCzar76]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

hey at least you're not suggesting drafting spiller.

Yea Birt,.....even my alleged hypocrisy has some boundary. LOL

[SteelCzar76]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

Fans vote on the pro bowl. Buddies vote for one another. Coaches vote for friends and former players that they like.

Making a pro bowl only means people like you. Other than that it doesn't mean jack shit.

There is some truth to this D,...exactly the same amount of the truth that is "one's ACTUAL on field performance speaks much louder than words. Be that words of greatly exaggerated praise by a Head Coach or the same of absolute homers of any particular Franchise's Fanbase."

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

You bench the suspect veteran,..simple. Guys like Carter, Keisel, Taylor, and Townsend didn't hang aroung so long on this roster because they are "so very good",....it's because we are drafting guys that are in reality,...just not very good themselves. At least the old heads have the excuse of "age catching up with them". LOL

Um, you mention backup, starter, starter, backup...
and who would you have benched Keisel for this year? or taylor (who is underrated imo)?
seriously, you're not gonna draft perenial all pro's at each position.
I hate carter, I wish we would just cut him already. but Keisel and Taylor have been solid starters for a very long time. same with townsend.

I would've benched Keisel for Hood this year. Keisel isn't anything special IMO.


A solid starter for a very long time means younger opponents will be able to handle them.

Keisel does his job well. 3-4 DE's are not designed to penetrate and get sacks...but rather to provide pressure by collapsing the pocket, and Keisel is regularly among the leaders in QB pressures. I think Hood will be good, but you don't remove someone like Keisel for a rookie who has to adjust to the speed of the pro game, learn a new defense, and swtich positons all at the same time. Hood was not drafted to replace Keisel (if we wanted to replace Keisel, we would have not extended Keisel's contract last year). He was drafted to be the heir apparent to the aging Aaron Smith in a few years, and spelling the starters in a d-line rotation in the mean time.

So let me ask you this Ruthless,... are you willing to go on record here and now and say that you believe Hood will ever even make a single Pro Bowl let alone go on to even be 90 percent as effective as Diesel (Aaron) playing end in a 3-4 ?

I have no idea how good Hood will or will not be. I don't make snap judgments about certain guy's grit-like limitations because they were drafted by a certain coach I don't like. I will give the kid time to develop and see what we have. So far, he has shown some flashes of promise out there, but we have no way of knowing right now if he will be in Smith's league (I certainly hope so, because I consider Aaron Smith to be the prototype that all future 3-4 DE's will strive to live up to). By the way, I believe Keisel is the Diesel (rhyme scheme...get it?). Aaron Smith does not need a nickname. He's happy just being his solid self.

[ikestops85]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

I hate to bring logic into this wonderful discussion but I must again point out that Tomlin DID NOT DRAFT TIMMONS ... Colbert did!!! The Steelers did not give a first year head coach the power to make draft decisions. I'm sure he had input based on his perceived needs of the team but he wasn't the guy who wrote Timmons name down on the card.

Hell, Cowher didn't even have that type of power until he got rid of Donahue.

[birtikidis]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

I hate to bring logic into this wonderful discussion but I must again point out that Tomlin DID NOT DRAFT TIMMONS ... Colbert did!!! The Steelers did not give a first year head coach the power to make draft decisions. I'm sure he had input based on his perceived needs of the team but he wasn't the guy who wrote Timmons name down on the card.

Hell, Cowher didn't even have that type of power until he got rid of Donahue.

BAH your logics no good here!

take you logic and get the hell out of here!

(Logic?)
We don't serve their kind here!

[SteelCzar76]

Re: God I hope we draft this guy...

I have no idea how good Hood will or will not be. I don't make snap judgments about certain guy's grit-like limitations because they were drafted by a certain coach I don't like. I will give the kid time to develop and see what we have. So far, he has shown some flashes of promise out there, but we have no way of knowing right now if he will be in Smith's league (I certainly hope so, because I consider Aaron Smith to be the prototype that all future 3-4 DE's will strive to live up to). By the way, I believe Keisel is the Diesel (rhyme scheme...get it?). Aaron Smith does not need a nickname. He's happy just being his solid self.

For the record Ruthless,...many of Aaron's teammates have been calling him "Big Diesel" for years now. And at what point did i ever say bench Keisel ? I was speaking of my personal philosophy that the best players should be on the field regardless of age or experience. (And our lack of QUALITY depth that could become exceptional starters)

Which brings me to Hood,..if you'd like to believe that Hood has shown flashes that he is going to ever be an impact player at his position,..as oppossed to having seen how easily he is controlled at the line of scrimmage, and how VERY average he is just as he was against his collegiate peers,.....then so be it.

But i'm not buying,....