August 30, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers strong safeties Troy Polamalu (43) and Ryan Clark (25) take the field to play the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark have been dominant safeties for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Both are in their early thirties and have been in the league over a decade.  That’s a long run for any player, let alone a defensive player.  No one can argue their strengths.

Troy Polamalu plays the game not just physically, but mentally.  He watches the quarterback and anticipates plays.  Polamalu gets inside the heads of quarterbacks because they always focus on where he is.  It makes him a double threat.  He has a quick sprint speed, when he is healthy, that no other safety really seems to copy.

Ryan Clark also has impressive numbers and even with the sickle-cell trait issue, which cost him his spleen and gall bladder in 2007, he doesn’t back away from playing physically.  Ryan Clark has made some headlines because of comments over the years, but his work off the field with charities and as the NFLPA player rep for the Steelers has contributed to his value to the Steelers.

However, now that they have earned the “veteran” tag, the Steelers have to be wondering if Clark and Polamalu can stay healthy.  The Steelers may need to plan to use their expertise but perhaps not for every down.  Polamalu’s track record with injury makes sense when you look at his style of play.  It’s what is unique about him and makes him hard to plan for, but it can take a toll.

I don’t think the Steelers should get rid of either player, but can they still both be workhorses?  Will training camp be a good indicator?  Well, a lot of veterans don’t get the playing time in the camps because they don’t need it the same way that younger players need to learn and be evaluated.  Also, the Steelers won’t want to see them risk injury in the pre-season.  Clark and Polamalu’s injury risk is a concern.  Where’s the balance going to be?

Looking the Safeties on the roster, the Steelers have a mix of very experienced and very young.  The other two safeties on the roster are Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith and Robert Golden.  While I’m sure both have potential, it’s the lack of anyone in the middle on the experience level that concerns me, particularly with veteran players with an injury history.  Cromartie-Smith has been with the organization since 2011, mostly on the practice squad and played six regular season games over the last two seasons.  The Steelers re-signed him to the roster on Dec 26^th, 2012.  Golden played for the Steelers last year and was in 15 games and is credited with six solo tackles and two assists.  He didn’t start any games and I’m not sure exactly how many plays he was in for.

In the days of salary cap issues and contract negotiations that seem to go haywire, it is probably impossible to keep a depth chart on any one position that has a graduated level of experience.  Also, years in the league or even lack of years in the league guarantee nothing.  However, conventional wisdom suggests that the Steelers may not have the right mix for depth at the Safety position.  This isn’t a problem to fix in the draft and unfortunately there are a lot of other holes to fill first.   So, even though the Steelers should be concerned about their aging Safeties, it is not the biggest problem.  It looks like we just have to cross our fingers that neither Clark nor Polamalu become injured and Golden and Cromartie-Smith get some more experience.

Adrian Robinson went from UDFA to member of the 53-man roster in only a matter of months. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Am I the only one which saw shades of Joe Theismann’s horrific injury when the replays of Sean Spence’s knee were shown?  ACL, LCL, and Dislocated Knee Cap are never a good combination, and to think Spence will contribute anything to this club by the time 2014 rolls around is a bit of stretch.

But instead of adopting a “Negative Nancy” attitude about the recent injuries, I would like to focus on some more positive things, namely the 53-man roster which the team will be taking into the 2012 campaign.  I do not know about you readers, but the most interesting and intriguing thing to me about how the final roster broke down were the number of UDFA’s which made the final 53.  With the UDFA’s in mind, I thought I would take time out to recognize those which made the most of their efforts, and discuss what they could contribute to the team now and hopefully over the course of their careers’.

Drew Butler

Granted, Drew Butler did not have any competition for his job as Jeremy Kapinos missed the entirety of the preseason due to injury.  Yet Butler did a consistent enough job to not only keep the position, but prevented the Coaching Staff from scouring the waiver wire for somebody else.  On the preseason, Butler punted 28 Times for an average of almost 46 Yards (45.8), and now enters the season with the Punter job all to himself.  The Steelers have not had a Pro Bowl Punter since Bobby Walden garnered the honors back before there was a League merger, and could sure use some consistency and stability at the position.  Butler is young, has a strong leg, and appears to have the confidence of the Coaching Staff heading into this season.

Robert Golden

As for Golden, despite the fact that he injured his hamstring against the Panthers, the former Wildcat definitely played well enough on Special Teams and on Defense to earn a job on the Practice Squad.  I liked Golden’s skill-set coming out of Tucson, and I was especially fond of the fact that he had a great deal of experience playing Cornerback and Safety in the Pac-12 pass-happy conference.  Golden made 8 Tackles and 1 Interception on the preseason, and leapfrogged ahead of Da’mon Cromartie-Smith for one of the final roster spots.  Ryan Mundy and Will Allen had better be on notice during the next couple of seasons, because Golden will be jockeying for chances to prove himself on Special Teams and in Nickel & Dime sub-packages on Defense as well.

Adrian Robinson

Robinson to his credit showed a knack for getting to the Quarterback and creating pressure off of the edge over the last four weeks, and played much better than his stat line (3 Tackles and 1 Pass Defended) indicated.  While the former Owl Defensive End will have to work on fine tuning aspects of his game like defending the run and playing pass coverage, the skill set is there for Keith Butler to work with and develop.  And honestly, who better to learn from at a position than James Harrison and LaMarr Woodely, right?  Plus, the fierce competition between Jason Worilds, Chris Carter, and Robinson can only help this team in terms of stabilizing the position in the future.  On a team which will be purging veterans left and right over the next few seasons, these youngsters have walked into a solid situation where they can better themselves and eventually become N.F.L. starters and/or decent contributors over their careers’.

Final Thoughts

The Steelers have historically been a team which gives chances to, and develops UDFA’s on a more consistent basis than most.  I will definitely be interested in watching these guys develop over the next couple of seasons.  How long these three will stay on the 53-man roster is a mystery, but they did show enough promise to be kept around after only one Training Camp and preseason.  While they might not be household or recognizable names right now, these three players could make their presences felt earlier than expected.

Statistics Courtesy of: ESPN.com Steelers Page

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Robert Golden (Free Safety)

Like the player below him on this list, I believed all the way back in April that Robert Golden had a legitimate shot of at the very least making the Steelers Practice Squad during his Rookie season.  So far, Golden has helped himself with some nice performances, and could even find himself with a roster spot as a backup Safety and Special Teams player come Week 1 for this team.  Over three games, Golden has accumulated 5 Tackles, logged 2 Passes Defended, and had a nice break on an Interception which he returned 47 Yards last week.  While he projects more as a Free Safety, Golden played both Safety and Cornerback in college at Arizona, and could find himself in some sub-packages in a year or two if he indeed stays on the roster past the preseason.

Drew Butler might be the next Punter for this franchise. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

Corbin Bryant (Defensive End)

With a backup spot along Defensive Line available over the last week of the preseason, Corbin Bryant can seize the final 5-Technique position available with a strong performance.  Bryant has done a solid job over the last two preseason games, and notched 3 Tackles and 1.0 Sack against the Bills last Friday night.  Competition should be heated between Bryant and fellow youngster Al Woods, and both are sure each receive a decent amount of reps during tomorrow’s game to strut their stuff and win a job as the 4th 5-Technique in the rotation.

Drew Butler (Punter)

Do not get me wrong, Drew Butler has had a few inconsistencies here and there so far over his first three games.  But when he has been on his game, the former Bulldog has sent some boomers and punted well enough to put the injured veteran Jeremy Kapinos’ job in jeopardy.  So far, Butler has punted 19 Times for a whopping average of 47.7 Yards per boot, and stuck three of his 8 punts last Friday inside Buffalo’s 20 as well.  While there is still one week to go, Butler could all but nail down the job with a solid effort and send Kapinos packing.

Derrick Williams (Wide Receiver)

The veteran from Penn State has definitely helped his cause (TD grab last week) to be a member of the Steelers 53-man roster come the opening weekend of the season.  Wiliiams has accumulated plenty of experience on Special Teams during his career (42 Kick Returns 931 Yards in 2009), and could be used as the team’s 5th Wide Receiver if he beats out the younger players at his position.  To earn a roster spot, Williams will have to unseat David Gilreath, Rookie Toney Clemons, and Tyler Beiler, and play well on all of the Special Teams coverage units he is assigned to during the game.

David Paulson (Tight End)

Paulson might have an outside shot of making the regular season roster. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Because Weslye Saunders will be suspended, and David Johnson’s knee was shredded, the Steelers will be forced to carry a 3rd Tight End on their roster behind Heath Miller and Leonard Pope for the first four weeks of the regular season.  Due to Pittsburgh’s need at the position, Rookie David Paulson could be called upon to fill the void and should receive some extensive looks tomorrow.  Paulson (2 Catches for 11 Yards in 2012 Preseason) has very soft hands and could be developed into a complementary H-Back weapon in the Red Zone if he is deemed worthy to be kept long-term.  If the former Duck does stay, he could be stashed on the Practice Squad for a season, develop his blocking skills and be ready to compete and contribute full-time in 2013.

Final Thoughts

The players I mentioned above are just a short list of some which I will be paying particular attention to tomorrow.  Plenty of others like Woods, Gilreath, Clemons, Beiler, Cornerbacks Terrence Frederick and Josh Victorian, Safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith, and Guards Kelvin Beachum and Ryan Lee will be laying it on the line during this week too.  It should be at least intriguing to see how some of these hungry players duke it out over their final audition, and I am sure that the final roster will feature a few surprises.  So let us sit, watch, and wait, and in only 11 short days the regular season will start.  Then we will truly be: “Back to Football.”

Stats Courtesy of ESPN.com

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