BTSC Community Predictions for 2008 Steelers

by Michael Bean on May 30, 2008 4:48 PM EDT

Many thanks again to Stan Savran and maryrose for the lenghty, interesting interview yesterday. Now, I want to hear some of your guys' thoughts about the upcoming 2008 season for the Steelers. I will pose a question, you fill in the blank, hopefully with an explanation. Let's get on it.

1) Which newly acquired veteran will have the biggest impact in 2008?

My take: I'm going with Justin Hartwig. As much as I'd like to say Mewelde Moore, I think Hartwig could be the key to our success this coming year. We've voiced our concerns about the offensive line time and time again, but I believe it's possible that solid play at center could have a domino effect of sorts along the rest of our line. Hartwig's no world-beater, but he's a legitimate and capable NFL center that should be an upgrade over Sean Mahan.

2) Which veteran is most likely to replaced in the starting lineup?

My take: This is a tough one. James Farrior is an option, and according to Jim Wexell, Lawrence Timmons is making huge strides this offseason. That said, I think Farrior will probably start, and it's not really all that important, as both he and Timmons will see plenty of playing time in 2008 if they're both healthy. Mahan's an option, but I think that's somewhat obvious. DeShea Townsend is also an option, as we've discussed that Bryant McFadden is hoping to break through and secure a starting role prior to his free agency. Any others?

3) Which veteran will have a breakout year in 2008 (think James Harrison in 2007)?

My take: Tons of choices here: Santonio, Heath Miller, Anthony Smith, Brett Keisel, et. al. I'll go with Keisel simply because he'll have LaMarr Woodley garnering attention on his side of the line. That should leave him in one-on-one situations all the time and likely no running back chipping at him if he gets a step. Keisel was close to having a great year in 2007, but could never -quite- get to the QB in time. He batted down plenty of passes, hurried the quarterback lots, and helped the rush defense be solid once again last year. Perhaps he'll have a more impressive season statistically in 2008.

4) Which veteran is most likely to have a rebound year in 2008?

My take: I'm going to go with Troy Polamalu here. I was tempted to go with Ryan Clark, a risky pick, but he's had his back against the wall many times in his career and rebounded nicely in each instance. Polamalu though, has nowhere to go but up following a year where he didn't have an INT or sack. I like the fact that he's on a workout regiment that he feels comfortable with, and he's at that age where it's time to reestablish himself as one of the unique and great players in this league or become one of many in sports who never could quite reach the level of excellence he seemed so destined for. I have faith in Troy. Aaron Smith is another choice. As is Marvel Smith.

5) Which low-profile, non-rookie is most likely to come out of nowhere to make a significant impact in 2008?

My take: I would go with William Gay here, our second year CB out of Louisville, but I think the CB position is a bit too crowded this year for him to make too much of an impact. Perhaps next year if BMac walks and DeShea gets even older. Willie Colon and Chris K are both sound choices as well. Sure, we may talk about them lots simply because they're on the line and that's a hot-topic issue for discussion, but let's face it, those guys are low-profile football players in the NFL, and both have a chance to really help our team this year. Matt Spaeth is also an option, and he has been mentioned by the media as another player who's had a great offseason. I wish him all the best, but honestly, I'd be a bit confused if he was getting his number called over Heath Miller. I think Heath is under-utilized, so before Spaeth can become a big-time offensive threat, I'd first like to see us get Miller the ball more. I'm going to go with Chris K. If Marvel Smith is healthy, and if Hartwig holds his own at center, Chris K could help Steelers fans, and the rest of the football loving country, forget about Alan Faneca more quickly than we expected.

*********************

What do you think? We'll do this again, with a new set of questions, soon enough.

Discuss.

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Good questions

1) Since there were very few newly-acquired vets and only one starter, Justin Hartwick wins this one by default. I do think and hope, however, that he will really help us.

2) Please dear God, let this be Sean Mahan. If it’s not we’re in trouble. I just read where some minor league player got traded for 10 premium bats. For Mahan, I will take one of those punting nets that he caused us to wear out last year.

3) Marvell. Unless my bias has jaded my thinking beyond repair, I look for him to have a pro bowl type year. That man played with severe back pain last year and refused to give up until the end. That is now fixed and he admits to being a new man. He never made excuses in the first place. This season he won’t have to.

4) Max Starks. If there is any sense to this world, our newly-enriched right tackle will be back in that spot, and will rebound to make us all happy. If this hold true and is combined with my answer #3 above, think of how sweet those bookends could be.

5) B-Mac. I think this low-profile guy will break it this season. I’ve always liked him, perhaps more than I should, because of one pass that Reggie Wayne wasn’t allowed to catch. I just keep thinking that if he can cover Wayne in that environment, against Peyton, even if just one play, he has the potential to do that more often and consistently. By hope is that this year is his spike year.

by maryrose on May 30, 2008 5:13 PM EDT reply actions

You've hit a lot of the possibilities

but I’ll give it a whirl:

1) It’s hard to go against Hartwig, but to create discussion, I’m going to say Keyaron Fox. He’s going to be the STs ace we’ve been hoping for and nail all those KRs and PRs that we’ve been giving too many easy yards to.

2) I’m with rose on this one, please be Mahan!

3) I’m going with Heath Miller. This will finally be the year that they start working him into the passing game more, for real.

4) Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I’m going for Hines Ward here. He didn’t have a bad year last year, but each of the last two have plagued by injuries. I’m looking for him to have one more injury free year, and break 70-80 catches for 1200 yards.

5) I’m going with Spaeth. He don’t think he’ll have a ton of catches, but last year, he had a TD in each of the first two games, got hurt, missed a few games, came back and had another TD in his first or second game back. He will become one of our big targets at the goalline (by big, I mean tall, I don’t think he will the primary target every time).

by WolfpackSteelersFan on May 30, 2008 6:22 PM EDT reply actions

Nice exercise Blitz

1.* I place an asterisk next to number one b/c hopefully we’re not finished acquiring veterans (think Booger). Hartwig’s the easy choice, but if he’s really effective he might not be noticed. I’m going with Moore (though I thought hard about Fox too, Wolfpack). I think between his returns and third down catches he’ll do great as teams focus on FWP and Mendenhall.

2. I’m gonna go with an offense and defense catagory here. Offense: Mahan (surprise!). Defense: Larry Foote.

3. Again, offense and defense. Offense: Nate Washington. He will consistently be matched against the opponents weakest defender, and it’s a contract year. Runner up, Kemo will help us get over the loss of Faneca. Defense: Ike Taylor goes to the Pro Bowl.

4. Offense: I like Hines too. He stays healthy this year, and also benefits from explosion of talent and options with the receiving corp. Runner up, Kendall Simmons. Defense: Troy is too easy. The more exciting story will be the runner up. Brett Keisel will be the beneficiary of the improved linebacker play provided by Woodley and Timmons. Dark horse; James Farrior (the presence of Timmons frees him up to be even more effective).

5. Stapleton comes out of nowhere and wins the starting center job. Runner up, Gary Russell.

by Ivan Cole (RickVa) on May 30, 2008 6:56 PM EDT reply actions

My 2 Cents

1. My guess is Justin Hartwig will be the most meaningful addition via free agency. He’s won the position by the sheer fact that his predecessor was horrible.

2. I’m guessing here, but I think at some point Max Starks gets his job back and Willie Colon moves to the inside and Kendall Simmons takes a seat. Just a guess and I’ll probably get skewered for it but given the money they are paying Starks I just don’t see him sitting.

3. Heath Miller is my guess for breakout player of the year. With a healthy FWP and an up and coming star in Rashard Mendenhall, defenses are going to focus more on the unning game which should open the door for Heath.

4. Troy Polomalu is my pick for rebound player. He appears to be healed up and has really dedicated himself to getting back in tip top form. I can’t wait to see the Tasmanian Devil back in action.

5. The low profile player who will have a monster year in my opinion will be Lawrence Timmons. Larry Foote is a solid player but I believe Timmons will push him aside.

Like everyone else, there’s room for error on my picks but the fact that we all have such varying opinions indicates that the Steelers are going to have a competitive camp!

by Steev1705 on May 30, 2008 7:02 PM EDT reply actions

Stepping outside the categories a bit

The players I see having more of an impact this season are Anthony Smith, Lawrence Timmons, Lamarr Woodley, Bryant McFadden, on defense, Santonio Holmes, Matt Spaeth, Gary Russell, Dallas Baker, on offense. Max Starks will be the comeback guy. Hines Ward and Ryan Clark will not be factors due to lingering physical problems. Mike Lorello, Doug Legursky, and Kyle Clement are the surprise newcomers., All of the draft picks except Ryan Mundy stick.

by robert ethan on May 30, 2008 8:51 PM EDT reply actions

i can see plenty of those things coming

No need to get back into the Clark debate, but what do hyou mean when you say Ward won’t have an impact. As in, he will only catch20-30 passes? Or that he’ll just have another solid, but unspectacular 50-60 catch season, 5-7 TDs and perhaps just one or two above average games?

by Michael Bean on May 30, 2008 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Ward will miss a lot of time due to injuries..

Otherwise he will be an important part of the offense. Similar situation with Clark. When younger players replace established veterans in the lineup, it is almost always the result of injury. Then if they play well enough they hold onto the position and the veterans slip into the background. In order for some of the younger players to be more prominent, some of the established players have to give up playing time. At this time, Ward and Clark seem the most vulnerable physically. Ward has shoulder problems, two bad knees, and plays very physically. Same with Clark.

by robert ethan on May 30, 2008 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Gary Russell?

I think Russell may eventually be a good player, but having an impact next season? Not with Parker, Moore, and Mendenhall above him on the depth chart (at least).
Also Dallas Baker?
Are you serious? Or do you just like to root for the last people at their positions? The Steelers will throw to Holmes, Ward, Washington, Sweed, Miller, and Spaeth with Moore and Mendenhall catching out of the backfield and you expect the 5th WR, if he even makes the team, to make an impact.
Not going to happen.
All the same, I hope that Baker and Russell are good players but their impact next year will be minimal. Unless, of course, the Steelers implode.

by Cols714 on May 30, 2008 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Supposed to be a reply to the above

Oops.
Also, there is no way that Clement, Legursky and Lorello all make the team. Sorry.

by Cols714 on May 30, 2008 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I said "more of an impact"...

Which isn’t really going out on a limb as far as Russell and Baker are concerned, since they are both starting from scratch. Same thing with most of the others I mentioned, with the exception of Holmes, Smith, and Woodley who all saw a fair amount of playing time last season. Clement, Legursky, and Lorello all play positions where there is more chance of an opening occuring. Clement and Legursky both had numerous free agent offers, but chose the Steelers because they fancied their chances better there. Lorello has been with the team a couple of years, but is still young (23), and he has matured physically. I don’t think Dick Lebeau is satisfied with the group he had playing safety last season. The two starters Polomalu and Clark both missed significant playing time, Anthony Smith was hot and cold, Tyrone Carter was overmatched, undersized, and getting on the wrong side of 30.

by robert ethan on May 31, 2008 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Timmons...

Sure looks a lot like the more famous “LT” of days gone by. He is about the same size as well. Hopefully he can have a similar career.

by robert ethan on May 30, 2008 8:56 PM EDT reply actions

LT

According to all reports, he has looked pretty good so far.

by Cols714 on May 30, 2008 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Too bad Timmons wasn't the 6'3" he was supposed to be in college..:)

He would be the identical size to Taylor, as well as resembling him in appearance. Interestingly enough, the original LT moved around on defense a lot at N. Carolina, and didn’t really break out as a star at linebacker until his senior season. He was a bit older than Timmons is now when he broke into the NFL.

by robert ethan on May 31, 2008 1:34 AM EDT up reply actions

50 Says

1) Mewelde Moore
2) Mahan / Foote.
3) Heath Miller / Lamarr Woodley
4) Troy
5) B Mac

Also regarding comments above; Timmons looks like a player and I think he will unseat Foote or at least get some PT and contribute with Woodley next year to improve the pass rush. Think Hines will do great in 08. Gary Russell will be a 5th RB and never see the field. Lorello will see the practice squad unless there is issue with Clark health then he has a shot. I’ve heard great things about Mundy from some WVU alum.

When You Run The Ball Good Things Happen

by 5020 on May 31, 2008 9:54 AM EDT reply actions

Lorello and Mundy are similar

Similar size, same age, both played at West Virginia. But Lorello was much more impressive there. He was a two time all conference first team selection. Mike has had two years to learn the system and comes with the rep of being a special teams demon. Mundy didn’t like to play on special teams.

by robert ethan on May 31, 2008 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I've Watched

Lorello the last couple preseasons. He has impressed me in that he has hung around but hasn’t made any plays on the field including ST. If everyone is healthy B Mac, DeShea, Ike, Gay, Troy, Clark, Carter and Smith are the 8 DB with Madison, Mason, Mundy, Lorello and other FA battling for the last 1 or 2 roster and PS spots.

When You Run The Ball Good Things Happen

by 5020 on Jun 1, 2008 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions