Casey's Replacement - The Big Zig

Only thing I might add is i am not sure we see big snack again, he always had weight issues, how is a knee injury going to help in that department?

I like this but are we the tinkering type. The “new steeler way” would suggest we are but at the end of the day the only thing new I see is our desire to splash play teams to death. I like Evander, want to see him get a little more nastier but feel we have a solution and like you said, have big boy rotate with evander to spell him. Think Heyward could be a beast for sure. I am lot more at ease when we speak about our defense because Dick L and K Butler use the talent the right way.

Chapman, Ta’amu, Poe. One of those guys should be a Steeler next year. Ta’amu is falling and falling fast, we may be able to trade up in the third and get him. I’m feeling like that is the value right there, the guy had a bad game against Standford and Baylor and now everyone acts like he is lunch meat. If the coaches can look at the tape and see something that is fixable as in technique or strength then trade up in the third and get him. Even if its just trading your 3rd and 5th to move up and get him.

Why put him at a tougher position?

in his contract and I expect him to play it out. I still think he is effective on 1st and 2nd downs. (also his knee injury isn’t as significant as was first reported.) I also like the way McLendon has filled in and between the two of them, you have your NT’s for next season.

And I like the rotation of hood, Keisel and Hayward on the DE’s. As many have already mentioned, moving Hood to DT would leave a serious gap there.

We need to draft a long term replacement for Hampton either this year or next year, but other than that I like the personnel we have headed into next year. I don’t see any reasons to mess with it.

Then how is he going to handle them at NT? And how are you certain that Ziggy will be able to put on enough weight to handle the position every down? You cant make sense out of that because it doesn’t make sense and there is no evidence to support that it will work, especially if you watched him vs good running teams this year.

I can tell you for certain that this will not happen, because it doesn’t happen anywhere else across the league. The problem with Ziggy is that he is so used to being a 1 gap pass rusher that he is struggling to adapt to his new role. Putting him at NT is a sure fire way of making our run defense much worse. Just not a good idea.

…has entered bust territory as a DE drafted in the 1st round, and it can only be saved by attempting a second experience at NT. Looks like the first experience of turning a 4-3 DE into a 3-4 DE did not produce much, at least to the extent that Ziggy cannot fill the ample shoes of either Messieurs Smith or Keisel.

When one considers that part of the job description of a 3-4 NT is the ability to play low, attract and beat double teams, and do so well in order to expand the talents of both DEs, I’m not too optimistic that Ziggy can now be coached into it. From what I can tell, the negatives I read about him in the pre-draft publications of that year have not been curtailed to the extent that they justify his selection in the 1st round.

We should probably get more athletic at the NT position anyways instead of the big man clogging the middle. We also can’t afford to use a top pick on a NT, to much money tied up on the DL.

Not so sure if Ziggy is the man for the job. I do my best to watch him and the other DL guys and observed the following this season.

Casey Hampton is outstanding in his technique. He plays low and just doesnt move. When double teamed, he holds his ground from a low center of gravity.

Ziggy when doubled is not as effective as Hampton. He is taller, a slight disadvantage, but when double teamed I noticed his head lifts a lot which results in him driven backwards/out of the way.

I expect Casey to be back anyway. I think a front 3 of Keisel, Hampton and Heyward is a good front, Ziggy the backup and hopefully we draft Hamptons heir apparent in the upcoming draft.

NT is less of a need this year for teams than it has been in the past, so we should have a good chance at a solid, future starting prospect

Can someone please advise me of some good plays by Ziggy Hood this season and what it involved him doing? Im not being sarcastic, he is just the last person i focus on each play….My focus is usually on the rush from Woodley and Harrison or whatever Heyward is doing when he is out there. I’ve never been sold on Ziggy mainly because I dont witness really any “splash plays” from him. Heyward I was sold as soon as he got picked infact i was hoping they would get him leading up to the draft, kid looks more athletic and definitely more football intelligent. I saw more from him this year than i did from Ziggy in the extremely limited time he got. Heyward actually should of had 2 sacks had hasselbeck not intentionally grounded the ball which is more pressure than I’ve seen Zig produce.

Don’t get me wrong, i really want Zig to improve, im hoping he’s been a Keenan Lewis the last two years and next season will be the year he gets it. Therefore while this post is thought provoking, I’d rather have a slightly less effective hampton back in there than putting Zig in there when he might really come into his own at DE next season cause lets face it, he hasnt rapidly learnt the position enough to be effective just yet, Heyward however, has from what i’ve seen IMO.

I can’t add a lot here but something needs to happen – that’s my biggest point, do something. Between Hampton, Hoke and A. Smith you have 3 high mileage and injured D Line players. 2 of the 3 are almost certainly done and Casey is not going to add much early in the season given his injury. Also, his contract needs to be renegotiated if at all possible.

Ziggy is average as a 3-4 DE, maybe below average at times. He could move to NG or be used as the NG situationally. Whether he embraces that or is any good is yet to be seen. One thing we know – he isn’t special as a 3-4 DE, so experimenting with him is reasonable. McClendon did what he could but it was his first real opportunity, so he will likely get better if not spectacular. He can also be used as a DE perhaps.

In the draft, I would say OG is pretty much priority number 1. NG is likely #2, ILB #3. Good linemen make those behind them look good but that is not true inversely. Beyond those first 3 picks, BPA will likely occur unless they use those picks to move up or bundle with a trade.

Keisel had a bigger impact on games than any D Line guy over the season. He and Heywood are the obvious starters at DE next year.

Dude played 7 games with a torn ACL on the best defense in the country. Why this guy isn’t a first rounder is purely because of his size, but the kid can ball. If he can play at a high level through an injury like that, he should be even more impressive when healthy. Love toughness like that, get him in the 3rd round for a bargain!