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Pizza Bagels, Genius! (1 Viewer)

steelers1080

Footballguy
Time to look forward to 2017!  What do you guys see as our biggest needs for next year?

OLB, RB, CB, ILB, TE, OT, OLB, D-line are our top 8 needs (should have 8 picks due to compensation for Beachum).  I put OLB twice since I think we need to double dip to make sure we get someone who can produce and have Harrison only be part-time.  Don't see WR as a need because I think a combo of Brown, Bryant, Rogers, Heyward-Bey, and some new WR will be fine.

Pending Free Agents:

  1. Le'veon Bell - Will be resigned/franchised
  2. James Harrison - Will be resigned for cheap
  3. Lawrence Timmons - Is apparently Tomlin's favorite.  Probably resigned but hopefully to a 2-year deal and we draft a potential replacement. (Zach Cunningham?)
  4. Greg Warren - Resign the long snapper unless we pick up a UDFA.
  5. Cody Wallace - Solid backup
  6. Deangelo Williams - Hurt each of the last 2 years
  7. Jarvis Jones - Good against the run, couldn't get on the field over Harrison
  8. David Johnson - Ok TE. Replace through draft.
  9. Ricardo Mathews, Steven Johnson, Markus Wheaton, Shamarko Thomas, Landry Jones, Bruce Gradkowski - Let them walk
 
The main questions are on defense, obviously. First and foremost, is Butler our guy? The Rooneys will definitely keep him around. Rhetorical question. We need a safety (maybe a free agent if one is out there) and another corner, maybe two but I'd like to see what Justin Gilbert can do. And a rush LB or defensive end of course. 

On offense, the WR position is deep if Bryant stays clean and Coates is healthy. Rogers is a player. We need depth at TE, at RB, and the elephant in the room is Ben's heir apparent. I'm happy to take shots on mid-round QBs like Landry Jones but we need to learn to cut bait and admit when a pick was a bad one. Mettenberger is intriguing but I'd like to give another shot to a rookie.

1) safety

2) rush end

3) corner

4) RB depth

5) TE depth

6) Flyer on a QB

 
We need a safety (maybe a free agent if one is out there) and another corner, maybe two but I'd like to see what Justin Gilbert can do. And a rush LB or defensive end of course. 
They have Mitchell and Davis on the back end, pretty sure they're just going to roll with that.  They could draft a FS if a great one falls as the eventual replacement of Mitchell, but they seem pretty content with their safeties.  Definitely agree on CB though.  Burns should be better next year, but Gay is getting older and Cockrell can be a liability.  They could really use a ballhawk on the back end. Not sure if there is a player like that in this draft other than Malik Hooker, but someone who can give us some game changing plays.

 
https://twitter.com/C_AdamskiTrib/status/823927529073426432

Chris Adamski ‏@C_AdamskiTrib  2m

2 minutes ago




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Ben Roethlisberger on @937theFan won't commit that he will play next season. Implies he's open to retirement

Likely just talk because he is tired/disappointed with the season ending and/or wants some more money but just an interesting nugget.
Yeah I don't for a second believe he is going to retire but it does show that he is getting close.   I haven't really paid much attention to the QBs in this draft class but it might be time to start considering spending a top 3 pick on a QB.

 
This is so ridiculous. It's like when one of my students says "I didn't know we had a test today" yet it was on the calendar all term, we had been reviewing for it, and they have taken tests like this a dozen times before. Except that the petulant students are Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin, they both get paid a lot of money for doing what they do, and they are supposedly grown men. The team has lost to the Patriots in exactly the same way ten times out of eleven (or whatever it is). I am nowhere near Pittsburgh talk radio but I certainly hope they are being lambasted to the nth degree. Absolutely inexcusable and pathetic especially in stark contrast to the uber-preparation from the other team.

 
This is so ridiculous. 
I think partially it was because the game plan was so different than when they played NE earlier in the year. They shouldn't have been caught off guard since they should have been prepared for everything, but they got dashed by the running game last time. So if they were expecting that, then a fast pass attack would "catch them off guard". Again, it shouldn't have, but that makes more sense than being caught off guard by Brady being a dominant QB.

Also, Big Ben considering retirement. That would fu*k our 2017 season right in the eye.  We'd have to go get a FA QB, I'd vote for Romo, AND a high draft pick QB, I'd vote for Mahomes or Watson.  Watson has questionable judgement, but his best games were the ones against the best defense in the country on the biggest stage. If I can have a pick of questionable QBs, I'd take the one with ice in his veins every time. He's a winner. 

Assuming Ben returns, I'd take one of the 4-7 round QBs and hope they can develop as a backup. We probably won't get the "next Dak" since that happens once every 4-5 years.  More likely is getting a solid rookie backup who can play 1-2 games if Ben gets hurt. Then, after Ben retires and we stink (8-8) and get a top 15 pick, we take a QB.

 
Pre-AFC Championship Mock (extra 5th from Beachum leaving in FA):

  • 1. Zach Cunningham LB Vanderbilt - (ALT - Quincy Wilson CB Florida) - Timmons played well this year, but he's getting older and is a FA this offseason. I think we resign him to a 3-year deal, but it makes so much sense to draft his replacement if this talented player falls to us.  Pairing him with Shazier would allow for 2 playmaking ILBs to own the middle of the field. He has tackling issues, but I think he can easily be coached up. (Wilson is a top tier talent in a deeeep CB class. Could see us taking another CB in the first to lock down the backside of our D for years to come, Cockrell can be a liability on the outside when he gets handsy)
  • 2. Demarcus Walker EDGE Florida St - (ALT - Carl Lawson EDGE Auburn) - We need a pass rusher and with a talented 2017 class and lots of QB needy teams there's a chance that a talented one could fall to us in the 2nd. See unexpected talent falling to the second - Tuitt.
  • 3. Joe Mixon RB Oklahoma - (ALT - Jamaal Williams RB BYU) - First off, we won't draft Mixon. That video means the Steelers won't touch him in my opinion. Talent-wise he'd be a steal here and he could pair with Leveon for the best backfield in the country. Since we won't actually get him, we could get another RB here to backup Leveon and perhaps spell him a bit. Williams is very talented and underrated.
  • 4. Josh Reynolds WR Texas A&M - A tall redzone target to pair with Bryant could make all of our efficiency woes disappear.  He's been a top WR in the SEC for years now and would make our dynamic receiving corps even better.
  • 5. Josh Carraway EDGE TCU - We need to double dip on pass rushers in this draft. We can't have another Jarvis Jones situation where we get 1 guy who we hope is the answer and pray for the best.  We need to cover our bases and make sure that we have a good shot at landing a guy who can get to the QB. If both work out, all the better!  We could have a rotation and give the rushers some rest.  And, a little competition didn't hurt anyone.
  • 5. (Comp Pick for Beachum) - Davis Webb QB Cal (ALT - Chad Kelly QB Ole Miss) - We need to start taking lotto picks on Big Ben's future replacement. Webb has the talent, but makes some questionable throws (like all college QBs) and Kelly got hurt and had some issues before that. Both would be a shot in the dark with the hope that they can be serviceable backups that might become more.  I hope we draft a QB every year until Ben retires unless we hit on a pick and find our guy.
  • 6. Jeremy Sprinkle TE Arkansas - I'm hoping Green comes back in 2017 at full strength. Assuming that happens, I still think we take a chance on a TE late in the draft. James has been pretty good, and Grimble and Johnson have been serviceable, but late picks are just WAGs, so why not use them on potential playmakers.
  • 7. Collin Bevins D-Line NW Missouri State - This would be a typical Steelers pick. He's got a hell of a motor and he was a solid team leader. He's a solid, but not great, player who would have a good locker room presence.  He could turn into a solid DE backup behind Tuitt and Heyward.
Post-AFC Championship Mock:

  • 1.  Taco Charlton EDGE Michigan - (ALT OJ Howard TE Alabama) - I think we take an edge player here or a top TE prospect. A main reason we lost in the playoffs was no pass rush pressure and no reliable red zone target. Even if Green comes back healthy, he's shown he's unreliable and we could move on after next year.
  • 2.  Evan Engram TE Ole Miss/David Njoku TE Miami - (ALT DeMarcus Walker DE Florida St) - Whatever we don't take in the 1st, we should take in the 2nd.
  • 3.  Kevin King CB Washington - (ALT Fabian Moreau CB UCLA) - Another Safety/CB hybrid that could allow us to leave more DBs on the field in packages meant to thwart today's pass happy league.  Was a consistent playmaker on a team with a great defense, needs to work on tackling (see Sean Davis).  Moreau could go much higher due to a solid senior bowl week, but he's a very solid value if he falls to the third (current CBS projection).
  • 4.  Nathan Peterman QB Pitt - (ALT - DOnta Foreman RB Texas/Joe Mixon RB OK) - We need to start taking QBs yearly until we hit on a solid replacement.  We could also go RB here if there's no confidence in Karlos Williams' ability to stay on the field and backup Le'veon.
  • 5.  Josh Reynolds WR Texas A&M - (ALT Jamaal Williams RB BYU) A tall, reliable red zone target.  Adding 2 red zone targets in the first 4 rounds could vastly change our offensive capabilities next year. We struggled in the RZ even when Le'veon was healthy. Imagine a package that spreads out the offense with Le'veon, Brown, Howard, Bryant, and Reynolds, a 6' 5" WR with the ability to high point the ball.  It would be almost impossible to cover adequately.  And if they only rush 3 to be able to cover everyone, Ben can sneak it in.
  • 5.  Josh Carraway EDGE TCU - We need to double dip on pass rushers in this draft. We can't have another Jarvis Jones situation where we get 1 guy who we hope is the answer and pray for the best.  We need to cover our bases and make sure that we have a good shot at landing a guy who can get to the QB. If both work out, all the better!  We could have a rotation and give the rushers some rest.  And, a little competition didn't hurt anyone.
  • 6.  Ben Boulware ILB Clemson - (ALT Tony Connor S Ole Miss) - Taking some crap-shoots late to upgrade our D. Boulware was a team leader on the championship defense and has great instincts. Reminds me a lot of Chris Borland who everyone underrated coming out of school.
  • 7.  Collin Bevins D-Line NW Missouri State - This would be a typical Steelers pick. He's got a hell of a motor and he was a solid team leader. He's a solid, but not great, player who would have a good locker room presence.  He could turn into a solid DE backup behind Tuitt and Heyward.
 
This is so ridiculous. It's like when one of my students says "I didn't know we had a test today" yet it was on the calendar all term, we had been reviewing for it, and they have taken tests like this a dozen times before. Except that the petulant students are Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin, they both get paid a lot of money for doing what they do, and they are supposedly grown men. The team has lost to the Patriots in exactly the same way ten times out of eleven (or whatever it is). I am nowhere near Pittsburgh talk radio but I certainly hope they are being lambasted to the nth degree. Absolutely inexcusable and pathetic especially in stark contrast to the uber-preparation from the other team.
I think there's some merit to Dupree's statement if you read this report:

http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4800338/after-unveiling-four-wr-package-patriots-explore-super-bowl-options

The pats has run 12 plays out of 1,187 on the season out of the 4 WR set. NE then went bezerk with it and went up tempo. They just hadn't done that all year so it's certainly not on the film they  were watching. 

I'm confident that NE has used this against PIT in years past so you could argue Tomlin should have prepared for this.

That said, not many teams make this type of reversal. Actually, maybe none other than NE.

 
I think there's some merit to Dupree's statement if you read this report:

http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4800338/after-unveiling-four-wr-package-patriots-explore-super-bowl-options

The pats has run 12 plays out of 1,187 on the season out of the 4 WR set. NE then went bezerk with it and went up tempo. They just hadn't done that all year so it's certainly not on the film they  were watching. 

I'm confident that NE has used this against PIT in years past so you could argue Tomlin should have prepared for this.

That said, not many teams make this type of reversal. Actually, maybe none other than NE.
It's not rocket science. You see what the other team is doing and you adjust. Fine, the first drive caught everyone off guard but they were held to a FG. You pull out that Microsoft Surface and show what's happening and then you change the defense. You don't keep doing the same thing and say, gee, we didn't think they'd keep throwing against us. It worked pretty well two of the first three drives. It's called coaching and strategy.

 
It's not rocket science. You see what the other team is doing and you adjust. Fine, the first drive caught everyone off guard but they were held to a FG. You pull out that Microsoft Surface and show what's happening and then you change the defense. You don't keep doing the same thing and say, gee, we didn't think they'd keep throwing against us. It worked pretty well two of the first three drives. It's called coaching and strategy.
I turned the game off in the middle of the 3rd quarter.  I knew what the outcome would be after the first drive.  Our caching staff isn't as smart as New England's.  Nobody's is.......

 
Don't see WR as a need because I think a combo of Brown, Bryant, Rogers, Heyward-Bey, and some new WR will be fine.
Couldn't disagree with this more. We were down to counting on Cobi Hamilton to make plays in the AFCCG. Repeatedly. That can not happen again IMO -- he really shouldn't be on the field much at all. The huge drop and the running out of bounds in the endzone were just killers (although given the defense, it really wouldn't have mattered anyway in this game). Bryant clearly can't be counted on IMO, Coates just can't catch, DHB is a good special teams guy. I like Rogers, but ideally he is a 3rd or 4th WR IMO and is miscast if we use him as a #2. We could also just resign Wheaton -- but we definitely need something more than what we were trotting out there last Sunday in the passing game.

I definitely agree that pass rushing OLBs (multiple) and DBs (also multiple) need to be the primary focus in the draft, but there are some decent UFA WRs out there that I'd like to see the team make a run at. Obviously a guy like an Alshon Jeffrey is going to be way out of our price range, but there are plenty of guys on the UFA list (http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/wide-receiver/) that would be big upgrades over the likes of DHB, Hamilton, and Coates without breaking the bank in case Bryant can't resist the bong (for the 6th time since entering the league).

I'd also be happy if we added an athletic receiving-type UFA at TE instead of a WR (Gresham, Cook, Davis) at a decent price, but that seems less likely given the contract that we just gave Green. I do like Green as a player, but again, just can't count on him IMO due to the repeated concussions. It sucks, because he could be a major weapon down the seam if he stays healthy, but it is what it is.

 
What about Coates and Wheaton? I assume Wheaton is gone (I'm not sure why, but that feels true), so we'd have AB, Bryant, Eli Rogers, Coates, DHB. That's a formidable five. Add Wheaton (if I am wrong), not to mention some practice team scrub who I don't currently know and/or some late round flyer or free agent. Seems like WR should be way down on the list of needs.

Now if the Steelers are writing off Bryant, and that would be fair, then yes there is a case to spend a mid-round pick on WR. I could get behind that. I guess we just don't have enough info. But when I weigh the options of a "Cockrell, Gay, Burns, Davis, Mitchell" secondary against those five wide receivers, the need is glaringly on the defensive side of the ball by a significant factor.

 
What about Coates and Wheaton? I assume Wheaton is gone (I'm not sure why, but that feels true), so we'd have AB, Bryant, Eli Rogers, Coates, DHB. That's a formidable five. Add Wheaton (if I am wrong), not to mention some practice team scrub who I don't currently know and/or some late round flyer or free agent. Seems like WR should be way down on the list of needs.

Now if the Steelers are writing off Bryant, and that would be fair, then yes there is a case to spend a mid-round pick on WR. I could get behind that. I guess we just don't have enough info. But when I weigh the options of a "Cockrell, Gay, Burns, Davis, Mitchell" secondary against those five wide receivers, the need is glaringly on the defensive side of the ball by a significant factor.
Wheaton is a FA who hasn't been fully healthy in 2 years, doubt they resign him.  DHB and Coates have major hands issues, but Eli Rogers is JAG in the slot.  What we really have is 2 great WRs with possible character issues, 1 ok WR who can blow up or disappear from games, and 2 WRs who flash greatness and drop a frustrating amount of balls (Hamilton can be added to the last group as well).  Ayers could be interesting. In a full offseason he might be able to make progress and become an asset.

WR is definitely a need, especially since they can't quite rely on Bryant (at least not yet, until he's proven himself to be reliable).  I'd vote for a tall WR who will be a RZ asset.

The Steelers should add another talented CB and Safety, but I think they're pretty happy with Burns, Davis, and Mitchell.  Mitchell could definitely be upgraded, and made some key mistakes that let up huge plays this year, but he also made some plays that won us games through breaking up passes in the middle of the field.  Rookies rarely start on defense for us, so getting anything out of Davis and Burns is a big step up from the norm, there's no reason to think they won't improve after an offseason of practice.

The biggest needs appear to be OLB, TE, and RB (if we're not ok with rolling out Karlos).

 
I hear what both of you are saying.   I'm not enamored with the idea of getting another WR when we could have a lot of depth there potentially but relying on Bryant is risky and Coates just disappeared after the first 1/3 of the season.  I know it was largely due to injury but do we really know how good he is?  

Lion is right:   we can't get stuck with the likes of Cobi Hamilton opposite of AB.  I don't have a problem resigning Wheaton because I think he would come cheap but how much of an upgrade is Wheaton?    The Steelers have a decent track record on evaluating WR talent so I think you just have to put your faith in they know what they are doing.  

 
A lot of mock drafts are projecting that the Steelers take Tim Williams OLB Alabama in the 1st.  I doubt he'd get past Baltimore if he's worth a 1st round pick (since Ozzie loves him some Bama), but I've also seen Williams go as late as the 3rd.  He seems incredibly raw, and could be a huge liability in the running game.  Worth the risk for a possible pass rushing monster?  At this point I'd almost rather we took the safest pick possible at 30 instead of a gamble.

 
don't want Wheaton or Jarvis back.      

Assuming M Bryant is reinstated, I'm ok with AB/MB/ER/SC/DHB as our 1-5 WRs.   Sure you'd like better depth there but there are other areas of need much greater imo.  

I know a lot of people think Timmons is going to command too much money but I think our Defense loses a lot if we let him walk.    

I'd be ok with a QB at #30 assuming the value is there.     They're saying that all of the projected 1st round QBs are all guys who are going to need time to develop.    Good.   Get a guy with the tools and the right attitude and let him play behind Ben for a couple.      --  I do NOT want to play another round of DennisDixon/BrianStPierre/LandryJones/OmarJacobs/TeeMartin  roulette.

 
AhrnCityPahnder said:
don't want Wheaton or Jarvis back.      

Assuming M Bryant is reinstated, I'm ok with AB/MB/ER/SC/DHB as our 1-5 WRs.   Sure you'd like better depth there but there are other areas of need much greater imo.  

I know a lot of people think Timmons is going to command too much money but I think our Defense loses a lot if we let him walk.    

I'd be ok with a QB at #30 assuming the value is there.     They're saying that all of the projected 1st round QBs are all guys who are going to need time to develop.    Good.   Get a guy with the tools and the right attitude and let him play behind Ben for a couple.      --  I do NOT want to play another round of DennisDixon/BrianStPierre/LandryJones/OmarJacobs/TeeMartin  roulette.
I can't imagine why not.

 
JoeSteeler said:
Roosevelt Nix and Cobi Hamilton signed to 1-year deals.
Championship!

Seriously signing Rosie is cool.  Cobi Hamilton's are a dime a dozen so not sure I would have went that route.   Of course they can always cut him without any damage.

 
JoeSteeler said:
Roosevelt Nix and Cobi Hamilton signed to 1-year deals.
Really glad we wrapped up Nix. Hamilton, meh. He's flashed, but has concentration issues. If he can fix those, he could be a contributor. 

 
Seen a ton of "analysts" talk about how we need a WR since Bryant's contract expires after next season.  It doesn't expire until after the 2018 season due to his season long suspension. Get yo facts straight!

 
Seen a ton of "analysts" talk about how we need a WR since Bryant's contract expires after next season.  It doesn't expire until after the 2018 season due to his season long suspension. Get yo facts straight!
I saw Bouchette list WR as one of the primary team needs the other day, did not reference Bryant's contract as reason because as the team has said a few times I think the way they go about planning this off-season is that he's not available. 

No team does a better job of picking WR's in mid to late rounds, with our other needs that align so well with this draft, mainly pass rushing, CB and TE I'd prefer they addressed WR in round three of later if they go that route but I think they know what they are doing.

Also I'm one of the last Coates supporters left on earth it seems. He was a zero after he broke his hand and a broke hand is not a reason to misplay the trajectory of the ball last week. But consistency will never be a strong suit of his, but before he broke his hand he was making chunk plays every single game and is an ideal guy to take some of the attention from AB. Now we read he might need surgery, dude had a pretty messed up hand and struggled with catches before. I think he continues to grow but ideally if Martavis makes it back and pushes Coates to basically WR4 I for one would consider WR the least of our needs.

 
I saw Bouchette list WR as one of the primary team needs the other day, did not reference Bryant's contract as reason because as the team has said a few times I think the way they go about planning this off-season is that he's not available. 

No team does a better job of picking WR's in mid to late rounds, with our other needs that align so well with this draft, mainly pass rushing, CB and TE I'd prefer they addressed WR in round three of later if they go that route but I think they know what they are doing.

Also I'm one of the last Coates supporters left on earth it seems. He was a zero after he broke his hand and a broke hand is not a reason to misplay the trajectory of the ball last week. But consistency will never be a strong suit of his, but before he broke his hand he was making chunk plays every single game and is an ideal guy to take some of the attention from AB. Now we read he might need surgery, dude had a pretty messed up hand and struggled with catches before. I think he continues to grow but ideally if Martavis makes it back and pushes Coates to basically WR4 I for one would consider WR the least of our needs.
I 100% agree that we need to get another WR, just wanted to make sure people knew that Bryant was still a Steeler (and cheap) until 2019.

And I'm still very hopeful for Coates. He's going through surgery for his hand, hopefully that helps some of the drop issues.  He's always been a boom or bust guy, but having broken fingers makes it even harder to catch the ball.  I look at him as mostly a Heyward-Bey replacement.  Can run deep and catch the ball about 50% of the time, good on special teams coverage, and hopefully good on run blocking.

 
Players I see currently mocked most often to the Steelers in round 1:

  • Takkarist McKinley
  • Tim Williams
  • Charles Harris
  • Corey Davis
Clearly people see the need at pass rusher as our biggest need. Which I'd tend to agree with.

 
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I 100% agree that we need to get another WR, just wanted to make sure people knew that Bryant was still a Steeler (and cheap) until 2019.

And I'm still very hopeful for Coates. He's going through surgery for his hand, hopefully that helps some of the drop issues.  He's always been a boom or bust guy, but having broken fingers makes it even harder to catch the ball.  I look at him as mostly a Heyward-Bey replacement.  Can run deep and catch the ball about 50% of the time, good on special teams coverage, and hopefully good on run blocking.
On Coates, and I've said this a few times in places around here, but he had a 40+ yard gain in 5 straight games to begin the season and I think he had a 40+ yard gain in the playoffs against Denver. That's an arbitrary measurement, but I'm not sure if people like Julio or Brown have done it that consistently.  Then he broke his hand in what was basically his breakout game and sucked the rest of the season, which is understandable. But I think someone like DHB getting a big gain every now and than is one thing, but doing it consistently over 5-6 games is something else entirely, it's not a fluke and to me stops being so boom or bust when he's doing it consistently.  I think had he been put on IR after he broke his hand, or tore tendons, after his Miami game people would be thinking of him a lot differently than the guy who played all season with a messed up hand and did nothing the rest of the way. What I'm trying to say is he's got way more to offer than DHB as a reciever, and I still think has immense upside. I'd just rather he got to  grow a little from the WR4 role, than as WR2 next season.  All of this, combined with their strong track record of identifying good WR's in the middle rounds is why I'd much rather see them hold off on WR early.

Players I see currently mocked most often to the Steelers in round 1:

  • Takkarist McKinley
  • Tim Williams
  • Charles Harris
  • Corey Davis
Clearly people see the need at pass rusher as our biggest need. Which I'd tend to agree with.
Agree with the need and another player I often see mocked to us is OJ Howard, which is also a need, but I don't think he makes it that far if they were so inclined. If we don't fix the pass rush this off-season, the off-season is a fail.

 
Timmons was our worst rated defensive player by PFF. I would be disappointed to see him back when Williams is probably a capable replacement.

 
I thought Timmons played well, especially the second half of the year.
Me too.   He had some breakdowns but overall thought he played pretty darn good.   Now Timmons is not someone I want covering a streaking WR but he was pretty solid inside 15 yards of the LoS.   I think Williams is a decent but I think he would have been a downgrade to Timmons last season.  

 
Overall, Timmons did play well.  He's basically where Ray Lewis was near the end of his career.  He's no longer fast enough to keep up with the offensive players, but he uses his instincts to make plays in the passing game, while still being a solid run defender.  That said, I think the Steelers should let him go in FA if he wants too much money.  It's better to let someone go before the decline, than after it. And he was very, very slow in 2015 but lost some weight and did better in 2016.  Vince Williams is the expected replacement (why he was resigned), but Timmons is apparently a favorite of Tomlin's as well as a leader in the locker room.  I could definitely see them resigning him past when they should.

Also, if they can draft one of the top 2 ILBs in the 1st or a top 5 ILB in the 2nd, I vote that they do it.  Pairing Shazier with Foster or Cunningham would help secure the run game, and make QBs wary of the middle of our defense.

 
 I could definitely see them resigning him past when they should.
This is my "fear" with them about Timmons.  He is clearly declining.  Doesn't mean he totally sucks, but he needs to take a pretty significant discount if he wants to remain on the team.

 
Well isn't that ironic.  If you put serious pressure on Tom Brady they become slightly less incredible.  If only a certain coaching staff knew about this.  

By the way I am even remotely thinking that the Steelers would have done much better.  Julio Jones would have had 200 yards by halftime.

 
Well, that sucked.  Not even that surprising somehow.  I dislike the Pats greatly, but they are pretty incredible.

Officially time to focus on next year!  First order of business, lock down playoff home field advantage!

 
Well, that sucked.  Not even that surprising somehow.  I dislike the Pats greatly, but they are pretty incredible.

Officially time to focus on next year!  First order of business, lock down playoff home field advantage!
Agreed.   It would nice if an AFC East team would help out, just for once.

 
Godsbrother said:
Agreed.   It would nice if an AFC East team would help out, just for once.
Agreed, agreed.

It would also be nice if we didn't #### the bed vs teams we're supposed to roll.  Would make HFA a bit easier to attain.

 
steelers1080 said:
Well, that sucked.  Not even that surprising somehow.  I dislike the Pats greatly, but they are pretty incredible.
Brady is a Montana level QB, no doubt.  Belechick (I hate to say), is the best coach - in terms of getting Ws - of all time.  He will continue to be a winning coach when Brady is being inducted because he is so fluid and can change an attack or counter attack, according to the players he has available, at any point.  Prep stage, mid-1st quarter, end of game, special teams. . .  To be that smart and also to arrange the talent smart enough to adapt with his schemes. . . Belechick doesn't assemble a team, he drafts an army.  Damn, I'm jealous.  Tomlin's stubbornness is my biggest issue with him.  The worst part is, I have no recommendations on who to replace him with.  This run we have had with Ben has been wonderful, and we could have been a dynasty if we weren't overshadowed by the most dominant dynasty ever during that timeframe.  Can't stand those bastards.  ETA - Except for Gronk.  How can you not like that guy?

 
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Brady is a Montana level QB, no doubt.  Belechick (I hate to say), is the best coach - in terms of getting Ws - of all time.  He will continue to be a winning coach when Brady is being inducted because he is so fluid and can change an attack or counter attack, according to the players he has available, at any point.  Prep stage, mid-1st quarter, end of game, special teams. . .  To be that smart and also to arrange the talent smart enough to adapt with his schemes. . . Belechick doesn't assemble a team, he drafts an army.  Damn, I'm jealous.  Tomlin's stubbornness is my biggest issue with him.  The worst part is, I have no recommendations on who to replace him with.  This run we have had with Ben has been wonderful, and we could have been a dynasty if we weren't overshadowed by the most dominant dynasty ever during that timeframe.  Can't stand those bastards.  ETA - Except for Gronk.  How can you not like that guy?
I just don't understand why Steelers fans would even considering replacing Tomlin.  He's been in the league 10 years, never had a losing season, averages 10+ wins a year,  been to 2 SBs and 3 AFC Championships,  has made the playoffs 7 times in 10 years and has a winning record in the post season.  This current team has advanced further each of the last 3 seasons and looks to be one of the favorites in AFC again next season.  

I realize he is not Bill Belechick but if that is the standard that you are grading head coaches by you're going to be hard pressed to find one.  Tomlin isn't perfect but he is among the best in the NFL right now.  He just isn't in Belichick's class but then no one else is.

 
I just don't understand why Steelers fans would even considering replacing Tomlin. 
tl;dr: Some people aren't happy having nice things.

Long version:  New year, same refrain.  It happened under Cowher too (and some folks back them would say "Well, I'd fire him and hire Norm Chow!" when asked who they'd replace him with :loco: ).  There's a small, vocal part of the Steelers fan demo that views any year where a SB isn't won as "a complete failure."  If Tomlin were fired tomorrow he'd have a job by the end of the week if he wanted it. 

Having extended success in the free agency era of the NFL is much more difficult than many fans realize, yet here we are 24 seasons after its inception, and the Steelers have been successful, by most any measure, for its entirety.  They've won nearly 67% of their regular season games (and you can't win a SB if you don't make the playoffs....something else some fans seem to have trouble remembering), have had only 3 losing seasons, have made 9 Conference Championship appearances with 4 wins, and the 2 Lombardis. 

Over that same time period the only teams you could definitively put ahead of Pittsburgh as far as "sustained success" goes would be New England and probably Denver.  The Packers are about on par.  The Cowboys had that great 4 year run at the beginning of the FA Era, but have stunk (generally speaking) since.  The Giants have a couple rings during the same period, and have typically been competitive, but have had some real dog seasons mixed in throughout the era.  Outside those teams? No one else is that close for sustained success for the past 25 years. 

Steelers are, at worst, a top 5 overall team for the last two and half decades, even with FA allowing top players to move on frequently.  A convincing argument for top 3 can probably be made too.   It sucks that they can't beat New England.  It sucks that Tomlin (and Cowher before him) were both stubborn and had foibles that probably cost the Steelers a couple more shots at SBs.  Doesn't change the fact that probably 25 or 26 other teams would swap places with Pittsburgh in a heartbeat.

 
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I think there's a couple knocks on Tomlin that I'm not sure should be on him, but people blame him nonetheless. 

  • Piss poor play calling at times (probably Haley or Ben's fault), needing 3rd and 1 and throwing a 40 yard pass that falls incomplete 80% of the time.  Or needing to run out the clock and milk a lead, and throwing incomplete passes. Or holding on to a slim lead and switch into prevent defense, instead of a pressure-based defense that was working great all game.  If it's working, KEEP DOING IT. Pretty frustrating.  But, that's usually on the coordinators, not head coach.
  • Poor time management.  Either through poorly timed timeouts, or by wasting time when we need to hurry, or not using enough time when trying to hold a lead.
  • Losing to teams we shouldn't.  Every year we lose 1-4 games to teams that are much less talented.  Games against teams that had many more losses than wins, who we're supposed to roll and we end up losing.
  • Losing to the Ravens almost all the time.  We beat them this year on a last second play, but we were a much more talented team (IMO).  Last year we lost to Ryan Mallet.  MALLET.  It seems like we're not prepared for the other teams, and they have a much better game plan than us.
  • Inability to change strategy mid-game.  I understand you use the week prior to put a game plan into place.  If that game plan is clearly not working, you need to be able to adjust. OR, if that team has shown a consistent ability to beat that plan in the past, maybe make a new plan.  If your personnel is only capable of running one type of defense, maybe you need different personnel.
  • Holding on to players past their prime. Not so much now, but we held on to Super Bowl Champs longer than we should have and that probably cost us 1-3 years of contention/growth.  Most Superbowl teams are guilty of this.
  • Taking risks when they're not necessary.  I love when they go for 2, but I also understand gambling. It makes you want to double down when you fail. Missing 4-5 2-point tries in 1 game is pretty ridiculous.  After 2, stop.
  • Doesn't command enough respect from the team.  Most of the team clearly respects the hell out of Tomlin, but some of the players clearly haven't bought in enough. When AB shot that FB video, there were other players not paying attention to what Tomlin, then Ben, were saying.  They were off doing whatever.  I can't imagine that happening in Bill's locker room.  Every Patriot has bought what he's selling.  It's one of the reasons they have success, even when Brady goes down.  They all respect the hell out of him, and follow his system, or get sent packing.  People often talk about how when one team insults the Steelers or the Terrible Towel they get fired up and try harder.  It seems like the Pats don't need to be fired up, they already give 100% on every play.
That said, I think Tomlin is clearly a top 5 coach in the league.  The only person I'd replace him with is Bill Belichick. The only reason I wouldn't replace him with Jim Harbaugh is because he's an a$$hole who would tear the team apart.  I do think he'd get them the #1 seed though.

I'd be willing to bet that the Steelers lose at least 1 game to the Ravens next year and lose to 2 teams with losing records.

 

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