Pittsburgh Steelers Sign T Jamon Meredith, Place Colon On IR
by Neal Coolong on Sep 13, 2011 4:27 PM EDT
in Steelers Roster
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PrintThe Steelers have officially placed RT Willie Colon on Injured Reserve after his surgery Tuesday. The team announced the signing of former Bills T Jamon Meredith.
Along with the immediate christening of the nickname "Dandy" Jamon Meredith, he will wear No. 69, and is the second offensive lineman in two seasons to sign with Pittsburgh who played with Buffalo in 2009. Former Bills and current Steelers offensive line coach, Sean Kugler, had both Meredith and current starting LT Jonathan Scott, that season.
Meredith made four starts in his rookie year in Buffalo after Green Bay had drafted him in the fifth round, only to release him at the end of training camp.
He was released from Buffalo in 2010, and played for a spell with the Giants before being released.
The move makes sense in that he has some game experience, and has played under his new position coach previously. Apparently made enough of an impression on Kugler and the Steelers despite not having been on a team since Week 13 of last year.
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Hopefully he becomes just as good as Scott but that would be pushing it
My hope is that he is a solid backup tackle
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by seton hall and steelers on Sep 13, 2011 4:33 PM EDT reply actions
as a bills fan
He wasn’t great, not as good as Scott. He actually couldn’t beat out Bell, who while Bell has gotten better, he isn’t great either, for the job. We tried him primarily as a LT if I remember correctly though, and he didn’t make it over there. As for RT, I am not entirely sure. He has the right kind of build and size, and the kid is no slouch. As a backup tackle, he would be good, as a starter, well, he won’t get Ben killed, but don’t expect much.
This is all based on his time in Buffalo, I believe he spent training camp with the Giants, so he might have gotten better. Best of luck.
by EskimoAlva on Sep 13, 2011 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
thanks for the info. i think that he chance with the steelers will be at RT. If Scott can play as well as he did towards the end of last year (not great but servicable) and stay healthy, Gilbert can work at holding down RT for this year. I’m guessing that the steelers will be drafting linemen this year as well as working the FA market much more tan they have in the past.
by fbrrocket on Sep 13, 2011 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I hope so
I really do
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 14, 2011 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Hopefully
But did you just call Scott good? I think that’s a strong word for Scott…serviceable, I’d concede…
Or am I being too hard on him? Time will tell. He was 1/5th of an awful performance on Sunday, and my main memory of him is T. Suggs abusing him last January, but maybe he surprises this year…
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 14, 2011 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
In not shocking news, Terrell Suggs is on ESPN talking about how great they are going to be this year
and how they whooped our asses on Sunday. I love it. Keep them distracted and let us fly under the radar
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by seton hall and steelers on Sep 13, 2011 4:40 PM EDT reply actions
ok realistically
Can this guy be a solid starter or is he just another guy Krugler picked up from his old crew. If he isn’t better than J Scott we are in trouble. Give Starks or Adams a call.
James Harrison~ "We are not trying to hit nobody hard. We don't want to get fined" *blank stare* /end sarcasm.
by H-burgSTEELfanatic on Sep 13, 2011 5:05 PM EDT reply actions
I’d rather see what this guy has. Starks and Adams both have their own issues and the cost is too steep for what everyone knows would be short term. If this guy has any talent and still being young……i’d go that route.
True
But the greater cost is for a reason- they are established talents. Agree with H-burg that we want to try out multiple options here. Maybe Jamon (great name) surprises; but we need to start getting some more top-flight tackles, not just everyone else’s castoffs to try and make it go.
See what he has, but if he’s not CLEARLY better than some of our other guys already on the roster, it’s time to make more phone calls.
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 13, 2011 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions
i don’t disagree with you in that we need to keep looking if he doesn’t have real talent to use and develop even more. However, there is the issue of cap room so who do you cut to get that top flight tackle? Hopefully Gilbert will be one. Other teams have young linemen starting….we have change our thinking or upgrade or scouts and coaches if we can’t manage the same. Also keep in mind that Adams and Starks are castoffs. Even worse…their ours.
game broadcast
hey all, missed the game on Sunday (I guess it was a good one to miss) and was wondering if anyone had ideas of how to watch it online now. Would love to go back and get a sense of what caused the carnage.
Don't bother
Some losses are watching to learn something about the team, or catch a bright spot. This is not one of them.
You would see that we were overmatched at LT, and 2nd CB. The one sad thing was to see Deebo dominated by Love Boat McKinnie.
The team needed to make the difficult dcision to move on at backup NT and ILB, to free up room for a free agent OT or another CB. The FO blinked.
What are you talking about???
We all knew J. Scott would get abused by Suggs, we saw that last year in the playoffs he gave up a bunch of sacks. but he isn’t the first LT to do that against Suggs. McFadden actuallt played a pretty good games against Boldin. On his first catch (the 29 yard td catch) he got away with an offensive PI. He gave McFadden a stiff arm to get separation in the endzone and didnt draw a flag. Even still McFadden still only missed the ball by a finger tip. Take away that grab and he ends up with 3 grabs for 40 yards no tds. Only 10 of 29 balls were thrown at wrs, the rest were tossed to Rice and the TEs. To say the FO blinked coming off a miserable TEAM profformance this early is WAY OFF! Its only one game, the Seahacks and a Manning-less Colts are next on the schedule. Everyone needs to relax, take a deep breath. We will return to our regular form next weekend.
by HardPunkKore on Sep 13, 2011 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions
That's why the Ravens drafted those two TE's
More for their speed and receiving ability. They are like having two big possession receivers with speed. Leach and Rice or Williams can both pick up blockers if the TE’s release off the line.
I'm talking about unaddressed deficiencies
You begin by saying “we all knew that Scott would get abused”. Exactly. If a FO knows they have a huge problem and fail to address it, you have to say they dropped the ball.
The FO continues to disbelieve that you need a big-time LT in this league. I think they have concluded that good coaching can turn mediocre players – Pouncey excluded of course- into a serviceable line. They made no effort to sign any of the free agent tackles on the market. Frankly, I hoped Scott would have been cut, rather than promoted to starter. So, when Suggs devours our known weak link, the FO shares the blame. As for BMac, i guess we will have to agree to disagree. I saw no offensive pass interverence, and you cant expect to get that call against any veteran WR. What i saw is that he got beaten easily. But you’re right…the Ravens did not need to go there with their TE strategy, which was more effective because of the slowing of Harrison and Farrior.
what was the
second round pick again?
People don't ever seem to realize that doing what's right is no guarantee against misfortune.
- William McFee
by stillergorillar on Sep 14, 2011 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
I guess our FO just plain sucks
I wish we had the Panthers FO, they know how to build an o-line.
Pittsburgh Steelers fan - nuff said.
Miami Hurricanes fan - nuff said.
Georgetown Hoyas fan - nuff said.
Cleveland Cavaliers fan - um yeah, about that...
by StoneColdSteel on Sep 14, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I will say one thing
Cam Newton amazed me in his debut! I was among the many doubters. I am in SEC country and watched a lot of Cam in college last year and a little in preseason. I never saw the performance coming he had in his first professional game. It was always his accuracy and pocket poise I questioned. I never questioned his athletic ability and drive to win games, if he has the accuracy to go with it. Watch out for Cam.
by steeler fever on Sep 14, 2011 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
man....
Don’t do it…….its was not something I would ever want to see again. It was horrible! I had nightmares about it last night ; ) If you like horror movies, maybe…..but maan it was bad. If you are like me and get emotionally involved you just might throw your laptop out the window!
by steeler fever on Sep 13, 2011 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Some people like to watch a hurricane plow through a town
Some people just don’t feel the need to see it again.
by Neal Coolong on Sep 13, 2011 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
NFL rewind
At $40 this isn’t a bad deal for a whole season of every game you feel like watching when you feel like watching it—albeit two days after it’s played and with some blackout times for when games are being broadcast. (which makes no sense to me. If you could watch games when they were broadcast, you probably wouldn’t need this.)
And now there’s a free trial until September 19th so you could watch the game, then cancel before you get billed.
Oh and keep the towel in a safe place so you don’t end up weeping into it.
nfl rewind
i think it’s only $29 bucks… i work during all the sunday games this year, so good investment to be able to watch after 9:00 pm on sundays.
by BoiseSteeler on Sep 13, 2011 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions
29 a month or for the season?
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Sep 14, 2011 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Interesting name
Since “jamón” means “ham” in Spanish….
So Neal I think we can probably come up with a more appropriate name than “Dandy” (but I do understand the reference).
The last Ham seemed to work out pretty well, though. This could be a sign from God.
don't understand
The move…….I guess we just needed another warm body in case somebody else goes down!
Nothing to lose.
It’s not like Jonathan Ogden was out there on the waiver wire. If Coach Kugler has faith this guy can contribute something, I will buy it. After just one year on the job, I have a jillion times more faith in Kugler than I EVER had in Larry Zierlein.
by Craig Sager's Wardrobe on Sep 13, 2011 6:06 PM EDT reply actions
Ok
But you realize that when you multiply zero by a million, you still get zero, right?
Seriously though, I DO have faith that Kugler will help guys reach their potential, but we keep trying to go cheap on our OT’s, and it’s time to bring in some guys who have more potential.
I think Gilbert could be a GREAT RT. I don’t know that he has the same future on the left side. I think Jonathan Scott’s ceiling is to be average at best.
And, in hopes of winning another title or two, the FO has started to pay defensive veterans who are getting frighteningly near the end of their primes…
The sky is not falling. This team can win double digit games for sure. But they need to sort out a few things that have been problems for awhile, that they have not really addressed.
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 13, 2011 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions
We'll see.
Let’s not call this guy a “zero” before we’ve given him a chance to show something. The fact Kugler has worked with this guy in the past tells me this is more than just a “throw something against the wall and see if it sticks” move. Again, I don’t expect him to be elite, but at this point in the NFL calendar, I will accept serviceable.
by Craig Sager's Wardrobe on Sep 13, 2011 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't call Jamon a zero
I called Zeirlein one.
Agree that it’s important to see what this guy has, and see if Kugler’s hunch on him was right.
I’m just saying that, in general, most teams with a franchise QB don’t try to man the LT position, several seasons in a row, with bargain rate players.
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 13, 2011 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Ohhh I see what you did there.
Slow on the uptake, sorry.
by Craig Sager's Wardrobe on Sep 13, 2011 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions
And, in hopes of winning another title or two, the FO has started to pay defensive veterans who are getting frighteningly near the end of their primes…
???
Troy, Ike. Troy may never recover but Ike has 4-5 more years in him.
The other extensions on D were Wood and LT.
What am I missing. And I’m not angry but this sure reads that way.
If you buy a foreign made product you give money to a person who will not be buying an American made product that you get paid to make. Think about it next time you're at the store.
Glad it made you laugh
I didn’t just mean THIS year. I think resigning Ike was necessary and smart. Actually, the main people I was referring to were Troy, Deebo, and Hampton.
Troy may still be able to play at a high level for several years, but he is approaching an age range where, combined with his injury history, we may soon see significant decline.
Deebo, I totally understand taking a flyer on, because when they re-signed him, he was still THE dominant player at his position, and the back surgery was unforeseen. It’s the back surgery that has me concerned because that is ALWAYS a serious thing. Also, we’ve seen the difference in having him 100% and not in the last two games the team has played…
Hampton, also, got the 3 year extension. He looked good last year, and may prove to play out his contract and be VERY worth the money. And, certainly, they don’t have his replacement yet, so I get it.
Really, I think all 3 re-signings were understandable, but if at least 2 out of 3 don’t work out, it’s going to remind the franchise why that’s generally NOT their policy. Faneca was arguable THE top left guard in the NFL when they let him walk; two years later, a shell of his former self.
So, all I am saying is that they HAVE thrown money at some elite players approaching the end of their primes, leaving some holes here and there in the process. Why? Because the team had a window and the talent to win SEVERAL championships, and they’ve played in 3 of the past 6, and NEARLY one 2 of the last 3.
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 13, 2011 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Not sure I agree on the examples you have chosen
As you point out, Hampton and Deebo each have justified their contracts so far, especially given the Super Bowl appearance last year. That accomplishment would seem to justify any contract with only 2 years left at the end of it, i.e. Hampton or Keisel. Need a refresher, but I am pretty sure, were there an injury or decline, getting out from under Deebo’s contract should not prove too difficult either. Given cause, we have just done something similar with Starks, who I believe had two years remaining.
As far as Faneca, I think the general belief was that he was THE top LG, but if IIRC, his performance the second year was drastically declined, and I believe he was not great in the first year either.
If you want to pick a contract where we overpaid to keep a player, then you should look at Kemoeatu where we outbid to keep him away from the Jets.
"It's football the way it's meant to be played. That's who Pittsburgh is, and that's who Pittsburgh has always been."
-- so says Rex Ryan.
Sure
I would agree with Kemo.
As to the rest though, your logic for previous seasons is sound; it’s THIS season that I am worried about, though it’s still too early to tell. I’m not saying those players that you mentioned above couldn’t be gotten rid of after the season without wreaking salary cap hell: I am saying their performance this season may well not be up to par.
I hope I am wrong.
IIRC?
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 14, 2011 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Also love the math, that's the only funny Steelers related thing I've read all week.
If you buy a foreign made product you give money to a person who will not be buying an American made product that you get paid to make. Think about it next time you're at the store.
Yes, but...
When you multiply zero by a jillion, you get more than zero, don’t ya know!
"He has the best ability, which is availability." - Mike Tomlin
"You can't make the club from the tub." - Mike Tomlin
"We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo (1970)
Isn't Stinchcombe still available?
I like that move better than yet another OL project. That hasn’t worked out very well for us. That said, i did like Meredith coming out of college.
Off topic, sorry.
Does anyone have views on whether the Steeler receiver corps is as good as or better than New Englands?
It certainly was nice to see the Pats establish that all important running game Monday Night!
The NFL is turning into college football – division 4F!
Pass pass pass! And Brady has a great offensive line…and he can pass with it better than running!
Imagine that?
The Steelers receivers are better
But the Pats have the better o-line, and their two tight end set gives Brady an opportunity to create mismatches all over the place. Heath Miller is probably better than either of their TE’s, but they have two very good ones, which might be preferable to one great one.
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 13, 2011 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
we should probably include a better offensive mind as a difference also. I not sure who designs/calls their plays…..but that is an area where they are better.
brady has more football sense & knowledge than anyone but peyton
and he is better at delivering the “kill” shot, his timing is just impeccable. i guess a lot of that is belichick’s coaching but come on man it was like watching a ballet last nite. patriot receivers gracefully dancing into the end zone.
Play selection?
That MAY be all the problem is. While I’m not a big Bruce fan, I feel he’s got one of two (serious) problems.
First: Either he really doesn’t have a clue how to run an offense, which I really doubt – otherwise how did he ever get so far?
Second: Maybe more to the point, he’s TOO constrained under the Steeler “Tradition” of running the ball. That goes back to Noll and probably the “Chief.” It worked…then, because the Steelers always had an extremely good offensive line. Add to that some great backs. But when Bettis retired, there has been no one to take his place yet the Front Office persists in the dogma of “you HAVE to establish the run”, just like the thought of football from the 50s.
Times have changed. This IS college football whether the Steelers want to admit it or not. The QBs today are much better passers than those of even 20 years ago. The receivers are quicker and faster and there are few real good secondaries around the league to cover them.
The Steeler success the last few years has been because of an exceptional QB and very good receivers , but with a mediocre O-Line yet excellent defense.
That Defense is getting older and we haven’t had a decent secondary since Woodson. Troy can’t do it all. The Steeler linebackers seem to have made most of the tackles (and sacks) the last few years. But they may need walkers or canes, soon!
Again, I’m not a get rid of Bruce guy..yet, but look at the OC’s we’ve had. A few have gone on to coach some pretty good teams. Moore with Manning comes to mind. He couldn’t do a lot here but look what he did at Indy! College football! (Not saying I like the way the league is going!)
There may be another, more subtle bit of trouble with this team and that is the lack of discipline. Not in penalties but actions off the field.
It would seem that Tomlin has some difficulty handling some players who still think they’re in college. I said before, can you imagine the “trash talk” and idiotic comments going on today about other team’s, legal and illegal, under Noll or Cowher?
To me, it looks like Tomlin is fighting that kind of problem and doesn’t yet have a handle on the situation.
Just a thought.
My thought is that these are grown men. We may never know what all went on under Noll and Cowher. Different era. Lot’s happened…we just didn’t know about of it. Think about Ernie Holmes for a minute.I don’t see controling these guys as part of a head coaching job. You put forward guidelines and have the balls to get rid of them if a problem remains a problem. However, in the era of guaranteed and first year bionus money..we will see even less of that.
The Pats actually ran the ball effectively….set up by the pass. You hit the nail on the head though. To run or pass well, you need a better than average O Line.
hey buddy
The Steeler tradition of running the ball having and elite defense and a Championship calliber QB with great receivers has gotten 2, count em buddy, 2 SB rings in the last 6 years. I ain’t complaining.
We have the best franchise in the ENTIRE NFL. PERIOD!!! I expect #7 is coming our way. Pittsburgh FO has proven the ability to stay at the top. How many many more SB’s do you thing WE would have won if we would’ve had a Championship caliber QB. A lot thats how many. The point being that our FO has been consistently the best over a long period of time. What team has won the most games over the last decade? I don’t know man, but you just rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t know ya. R U a Steeler fan?
by steeler fever on Sep 14, 2011 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions
over last decade pats have won the most games
regular season only, excluding first game of 2011:
us (2001-2010): 66.25%
pats (2001-2010): 75.63
steel curtain (1971-1980): 70.55%
pats probably have one of the highest winning percentage of any decade, that number is just ridunkulous.
This is a little long, but try to stay with it (if you read it),.
The Steelers were fortunate to get the two, count ‘em, two Superbowl Rings the last six years. They played poorly on offense in both games while the defense bailed them out. But they won and I guess that’s all that counts. Just win, baby.
You destroy our own argument with the comment about them winning a "lot" more Superbowls "if we only had a championship QB." The years we won, for the most part, we also had good, BIG running backs along with a very good QB. Even when Bradshaw lit up the skys over Three Rivers to Swan and Stallworth, we had Franco and Rocky and one hell of an O-Line, not to mention the best Defense. That combination doesn’t exist today with Mendy and Mikey’s favorite, Moore or even today’s Defense.
The Front Office may be one of the best two in the NFL…lately and overall probabaly better than the others, but they’ve had more than their share of screw-ups the last 50 years. And being the best in loyalty doesn’t always translate into what’s best for the team.
You questioned whether I’m a Steeler fan. Probably longer than you’ve been alive. I watched Buddy Parker bring Bobby Lane here and turn around a team for a year or two at the beginning and end of his tenure – a team Walt Kiesling previously drove into the ground. Then Buddy, with the approval of the Front Office, traded away 6 of the next ten year’s draft picks! Their record shows what that did. (Who approves those decisions?) Let’s not forget the greats of that era; Mike Nixon and Billy Austin. They didn’t just walk on and start working, the FO hired them.
The Steelers were overall 31 games under .500 from ’54 until Noll took over in ‘69. Even Noll’s first year was residue from the previous Front Office decisions. Noll drafted properly. Something the previous coaches and FO couldn’t. Result?The Steelers win.
Tradition, some good drafts, a couple of great drafts and many mediocre ones in the past. The future is yet to be written. But unless the Steelers get a fabulous Offensive Line, a typical Steeler Defensive Line of the past, a decent Secondary, traditional running the ball in this day and age ain’t gonna cut it.
The Steelers are predictable. That can be a good thing with the right people in the right positions. That’s pretty much got them here. When you don’t have the people but continue to do the same things, other teams will take advantage, like NE and Baltimore ..and GB! When that happens, you either change your offense or defense or hope to stay lucky.
I think it was Parker who said that one of these days this team is going to get lucky. And that luck will last for ten years! It happened once.
With what they have now, they either have to change their ways or hope to get lucky again.
Yeah, I’m a long time Steeler fan, but that doesn’t mean I can’t criticize them.
+1
"If I could start my life all over again, I would be a professional football player, and you damn well better believe I would be a Pittsburgh Steeler."
-- Jack Lambert --
hey man
I apologize for questioning your fanship! Truly DO. Sorry. Just tired of seeing people down on my Steelers. Escuse me our Steelers! I do stick by my comments I made. But realize their can be a difference of opinion. The winning more games than anybody else for the last decade was a mistake. Actually I beleive the stat I was thinking of was most games won since the early 90’s after Cowher came on board. I stand corrected. Its just some stat I have seen on TV a few times over the last couple of years.
You are right I started watching the Steelers in 72 at the ripe old age of 4. Loved the 70’s teams of course. The 80’s were tough! At least I had teenage girls to distract me : ) during those average at best years. But those average years made me so grateful for the ability our front office has shown in the last 2 decades to stay competetive and near the top of the NFL. And you are damn right we are fortuanate to get the 2 SB wins. Any Franchise is blessed to get one at any time. I am thankful our FO keeps us in position to be in the running to make a playoff run and have the possibility of getting a SB any year. And a lot of that comes from the disappointment of not having that possibility in the 80’s.
by steeler fever on Sep 14, 2011 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
No problem
You were fortunate to at least get the opportunity to see a great decade of football.
Yeah, the 80s sucked. Too many times they seemed to try to do what they did in the 70s but the draft just wasn’t really there. I doubt ANYONE will ever have a draft like Noll did. His guys really knew players!
The 90s had a lot of potential but no real QB. Maybe if Neil wasn’t the QB…
I am worried about this team. The old Steeler adage of drafting the best player available hasn’t worked out for the overall performance of the team recently. They haven’t done badly lately but it seems they haven’t concentrated on what they really need.
I just wish we’d see more diversity in the play selection and at least get a Bettis type back. It might be nice to baffle the opponents at least more than once a game!
They can probably muddle through with their current defense. They SHOULD be able to score a lot more than their opponents if Ben and the receivers get on the same page and MAYBE we try somethign at least a LITTLE different. Look at the Pats – scored 38 but gave up 24, same with GB.
If GB opens against a decent team, I don’t think they win that game, but N.O. is on the way down.
Going to be an interesting season, to say the least. They could still do it, but it’s going to take determination like the ’76 club to get there.
Later.
If the Steelers TE's ever get to go out for a pass without having to help block first
we could find out.
lottwasgangsta is correct though.
If you buy a foreign made product you give money to a person who will not be buying an American made product that you get paid to make. Think about it next time you're at the store.
I think Jamon is the spanish word for ham.
Follow me on twitter. @steelcurtain67
by DwightWhite's Missing Tooth on Sep 13, 2011 7:23 PM EDT reply actions
Es la verdad!
Stay thirsty my friends.
by SteelerMessican on Sep 13, 2011 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Unreleated
Jamon IS the Spanish word for Ham.
"The standard is the standard" - Mike Tomlin
by MDSTEELERSFAN on Sep 14, 2011 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
EVERYTHING
is better with Bacon
"The standard is the standard" - Mike Tomlin
by MDSTEELERSFAN on Sep 15, 2011 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Get the kids ready ...
Not convinced that A. Smith and C. Hoke have much left.
by datruth4life2.0 on Sep 13, 2011 7:42 PM EDT reply actions
i agree on Aaron. Not sure about Hoke only in that haven;t seen much of him. I wonder about Keisel as well.
Don't forget Casey Hampton....Get the kids ready
He gets winded after a few plays. Did you check Ngata? He was one of the tacklers on a play that was about 20 yards downfield. I would NOT include Troy or Deebo in this group. I am reading all of this flak about how Mckinney “handled” Deebo. He is 100 pounds heavier and he had to hold him on the majority of the plays. Can’t wait for November 6th. The “shit is going to hit the fan”. I hope that our defense is good and pissed off. Now if we can get our Offensive line “pissed off”.
Ngata should not be compared to Hampton
Ngata is a freak. He played rugby at one of the best high school programs in the US, Highland in Utah, and he played 8. For those unfamiliar with rugby, there are basically two groups on a team, forwards and backs. The forwards are usually the bigger, stronger, and more physical. Ngata was playing the position usually reserved for the smallest and most athletic forward. Pictures are pretty hilarious to see.
"It's football the way it's meant to be played. That's who Pittsburgh is, and that's who Pittsburgh has always been."
-- so says Rex Ryan.
Harrison doesn’t have his speed rush because he isn’t in football condition yet. Come November 6th we will likely see different results.
James Harrison~ "We are not trying to hit nobody hard. We don't want to get fined" *blank stare* /end sarcasm.
by H-burgSTEELfanatic on Sep 14, 2011 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Ngata
Also lost 20Lbs in the offseason – he wanted to gain a “burst”, his work paid off.
"The standard is the standard" - Mike Tomlin
by MDSTEELERSFAN on Sep 14, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe Casey should have done the same
Ngata looked great and was considerably “quicker”. Casey is still fat, slow and plodding. There is no excuse for him sweating and being tired after a few plays. We should have given Hoke and McClendon some playing time. Casey has very little lateral movement. He engages his man and tries to use his girth to “push” (not fire) his way into the backfield. He cannot penetrate too deep on a regular basis because of draws and delayed passes over the middle. Once it is established that it is a running play, he needs to “disengage” and follow the ball (lateral pursuit). McClendon would be a better option on obvious passing plays because he is much quicker and will follow the ball better.
Agreed
but I think we are past the point in Casey’s career that we can expect him to make a move like that.
"The standard is the standard" - Mike Tomlin
by MDSTEELERSFAN on Sep 15, 2011 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree with that.
But I want to se him really “rule the middle” and keep the Center “backpeddaling” to the QB. It is not his duty to penetrate on all plays, just to force plays outside where the runner will meet head on with either Troy or a LB. He has to stay in that Centers “head” and be able to react to running plays that are trying to get outside (lateral pursuit). I did see him do that on a couple of occasions. We have backup for him if he gets tired. But, he needs to keep hustling. We have enough capable backups in case ANY of our starters get tired, so there is no excuse for any of them to be “dogging it”. McKinney was constantly on the run trying to keep up with Deebo. Then he would hold him when Deebo “out quicked” him. Deebo still has not gotten back to being where he was last year, but it will get better with more competition.
Hood and Heyward played snaps on Sunday.
I didnt see the defense perform any better with them in there. Hood also did not have that great of a preseason. I would temper any thoughts that starting these 2 guys will turn around the situation.
Stay thirsty my friends.
by SteelerMessican on Sep 14, 2011 6:30 AM EDT up reply actions
maybe, but I didn't see them playing worse either
and with youth you can expect improvement with experience. With age you can expect injuries and decline with more snaps…
So...what next?
What other moves do you think are in store (not injury based)? It may be in the form of cuts to add more bodies! May just be changes in the starting lineup? Any ideas?
Not exactly thrilled.
Those other teams obviously saw something lacking in Meredith. Hope I’m wrong but I don’t see that he brings much except possibly as an emergency backup.
We’ll just have to wait and see. Not a lot available out there right now. Hopefully there is at least enough that he could play a series if needed. One thing I regret is the musical chairs we played thsi year trying to decide on a RG. One true thing is that an O Line needs time playing together. Without OTAs…how much have these guys really played together?
Baltimore's line seemed to do just fine
without having played together – I doubt our scheme’s are that much more complicated. It is the talent.
"The standard is the standard" - Mike Tomlin
by MDSTEELERSFAN on Sep 14, 2011 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Aaron Smith Colon's Mentor
Aaron Smith, 1 preseason tackle, 1 assist Ravens. Retire & play Cameron. Smith has played how many games the last 2 years? Must be Colon’s mentor. Ask Starks to take less & get in shape like Dwyer. Scott is mediocre. BMac to bench for a young guy.
Correction
You mean and play Ziggy. Heyward will be Keisel’s replacement – also give him some snaps. And give some snaps to McClendon at NG. There was absolutely NO pressure up the middle on Flacco. I hope that this was just an “off game” for Scott. He was really coming along at the end of last year. We need to also re-evaluate Legursky at Guard. I think that he is a better Center than he is a Guard. Back to basics against Seattle. Don’t take them for granted and think they will just lay down against us. Also we don’t need to “beat our chests” if we handle Seattle easily. We are supposed to beat them. Let’s just play mistake free ball and execute correctly.
Is it College or Arena......???
either way i’m not liking the trend.Recent rule changes all seem to favor the offense. I think that we will all burst into flames before the leaque does something about the wrestling match that develops on every snap. We are way into degrees of holding.I surprised that we’ve reached the point where holding is just expected.
More of a WEEK ONE comment but...
I was encouraged after Tomlin’s presser today AND being able to watch most of the games online.
What struck me was that SO many offenses had their way with traditionally good defensive teams. My general feeling was that the lockout and ramp up this year REALLY affected defensive units and getting them to a certain level to be effective, and week 1 was a feast for offensive units that had either simplified play books (for young units) or executed their bread and butter really well.
Obviously, we didn’t execute on offense, but have been known to be a team that has off games and relies on the defense to win. No biggie.
And observing that most defensive units are not up to par due to the above, should not be a surprise that Flacco and company rung up points.
(I guess what really sparked this for me was listening to the media crown Brady for 500+ yards, then thinking to myself that, “hey, the dolphins rung up 24 points on the Pats/Cheaters. Pretty damn good”. Hmmm.
All you guys understand pro football much better than me, but when Coach said that “we couldn’t leverage anything on the defensive end because we couldn’t make them one dimensional anywhere” in his presser, it seemed to make much more sense of the game to me.
Defense not ready for Prime Time, Offense had an off day (and the O-Line sucked).
Faith in Coach, Coach Dad, etc… We’ll probably be okay. maybe. faith again.
Cheers, Craig in Boise (but ex-Greentree’er)
PS. It’s okay to rip my line of thought apart, no hard feelings will be harbored. :-)
the guy flys head first
through a windshield with out a helmet on and then has an appendectomy(sic) and lives to play another day. The man is a hard one to kill! If ever there was a QB that can survive and even thrive with a subpar O-line its Big Ben.
by steeler fever on Sep 14, 2011 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Bills?
What’s with all the bills olineman. I get that Kugler is a former staffer but….
Is this really the best we get?
I was wondering if anyone out there knows about that Malecki lineman. Is he worth bring up, seems like he has all the measurables
by ALDOG on Sep 14, 2011 10:43 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Steelers.com has him listed at 6’2" and 298lbs. Maybe it’s incorrect? Relatively speaking, that seems a bit small for a guard spot.
but of course size isn't everything
if the guy has some intelligence then he can make up for a lot of size difference. Take Kemo for example – yes he’s huge, but at least 50 lbs of that size is in the sawdust he has between his ears.
LOL
still LOL…..man I like your comments on here……just hope they are never directed at me.
by steeler fever on Sep 14, 2011 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions
4 days later and that beatdown still sucks ...
How in the Hell can they come out and perform like that against their biggest rivals? Not only that they lost, but they were dominated. To me, I could care less what they do against the lesser teams in the NFL. This season and pride won’t be restored until they show up and get some get-back during that rematch. Am I the only one on here that feel that way? Damn, this feeling sucks. The front office dropped $200M in the offseason on new contracts and you stink up the place like that?
by datruth4life2.0 on Sep 14, 2011 12:17 PM EDT reply actions
Pretty sure that you are not alone in the way you feel.I think that a lot of people wondered why more attention(draft picks aside) wasn’t paid to O Line and CB positions.
Yup
I feel like i’ve been bemoaning it for the past 3 years, though their post-season record during that time has made a lot of people say “well you can’t argue with success.” The won DESPITE those things being bad, not because of it.
This might be where the bill comes due on neglecting those things…still a talented 10+ wins team, but that stuff needs fixing.
"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will
by lottwasgangsta on Sep 14, 2011 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s frustrating to have watched and bitched about the lack of a good secondary draft for years when drafted lineman after lineman comes up wanting, yet somehow, they manage to win…almost everything.
Lots of mixed emotions about this team. Ya wanna get on board, yet there’s always that little nagging question of why they didn’t do something or why they DID do something that didn’t quite work out. Let’s root, root, root for the home team…but couldn’t they just…do this instead or that instead? Because we all know they could be or could have been better if such and such happened. That’s what makes Monday mornings so much fun!
Milton Berle used to joke about mixed emotions like we’re having. He said it was like watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your new Cadillac!
I’ll still be watching, though, even if Bruce or Dick or Art or Mike is driving that car.
I guess that what makes us fans. But next year…they better be perfect! LOL!
Depth chart, etc....
Foster is listed as the back up LG. I thought that he had played well overall last season. Maybe i’m wrong in that. What happened with this guy? He never really seemed to be in the picture when the RG slot was tossed up for grabs.
Why did we cut Hills?
He was finally showing promise after 2 injury riddled seasons, and 2 attempts at LT. When placed at RG, he looked like a different beast. By no means was he a pro-bowler in the making, every run I saw when he was at RG, he was at the second level right next to Pouncey. At 6’5’ 304 and showing some skills, did we give up too soon on that? He came in to camp @ 13% body fat……he has to be stronger than Legursky right? I just don’t see how he wouldn’t be a better fit to go up against Ngata than The Big Legursky. I just wonder if anybody else saw what I saw in the pre-season?
I would have kept Hills and not picked up Essex.
Also it is now known that Legursky is a better backup Center than he is a starting Guard. I still like having him on the roster because he is versatile. And. he played good ball for us in the playoffds and the SB. Why is no one talking about Ramon Foster anymore. He played decent ball at the end of last season also. I’m hoping the the Ravens game was just a “fluke/off day” for Jonathon Scott. I had started to believe in him towards the end of last season.
Giants ended last season down 5 OL
Meredith still could not get a start. That should tell you something. All he ever did for us was serve as a blocking TE on goal line situations. He was not bad, just not good.
Gilbert should be a great RT. I liked what I saw from him in college.
"Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue."
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