Alec Ogletree, Inside Linebacker, University of Georgia

The Steelers are aging on defense and no one knows as well as Dick LeBeau that you can never have too many linebackers. Pittsburgh will be looking to add a young inside linebacker early in this years draft and Ogletree could be that guy. Another name to keep an eye on would be Alabama’s CJ Mosley and you can never count out a developmental quarterback.

Ogletree has had a fantastic Junior season. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

 

If the Steelers do indeed select Ogletree (or C.J. Mosley for that matter) in Round 1 next April, I will do cartwheels in my living room.  As a close follower of the Steelers, I believe that Sanchez is right on the money with his assessment regarding Pittsburgh’s current situation at Inside Linebacker.  Thus, a pick like Ogletree or Mosley would do this team good and would fill a tremendous need.  Don’t believe me?  Let’s look at Pittsburgh’s current “2-Deep” Depth Chart at the position for a moment:

• Larry Foote will be 33 years old in 2013, is a 2-Down player at this point in his career despite his fine season so far (84 Tackles, 4.0 Sacks, 2 FF’s, 2 FR’s), and will be an Unrestricted Free Agent when the 2012 campaign ends.

• Lawrence Timmons is still a stout force in the middle (73 Tackles, 1.0 Sack, 1 FF, 3 INT’s, 1 TD).  However, he will likely have to transition to Foote’s “Buck/Strongside” position in a few years, and has had his fair share of issues in pass coverage Subpackages this season to boot.

• Stevenson Sylvester seems to be prone to injuries, Special Teams miscues, and will be a RFA after this season.

• Rookie Sean Spence was thought to contribute as a 3rd Down & Subpackage Linebacker until his knee was shredded during the final preseason game.

I for one am a big fan of Pittsburgh selecting an Inside Linebacker in one of the first two Rounds.  In addition, I am also a fan of Ogletree, and I believe he could be a solid solution as the heir apparent to Timmons at the “Mack/Weakside” Inside Linebacker position.  The former Safety has showed off some solid pass coverage skills during his stint at Georgia, and has flashed the ability to be a “3 Down” Linebacker at the professional level.  Unfortunately, Ogletree has had to overcome some injury and off-field issues over the last two seasons.  This year however, Ogletree has enjoyed a breakout 2012 campaign.

Pittsburgh G.M. Kevin Colbert will hopefully preside over another successful Draft in April. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

In only 9 games, Ogletree has already put up 99 Tackles, 2.0 Sacks, 4 Passes Defended, 1 Interception, and scored on a Blocked Field Goal return in the S.E.C. Championship game!  The Bulldogs’ Tackling Machine also knows how to “lay the wood” to the opposition as well, and is already a menacing (6’3” 232 lbs.) presence in the middle of the field.

I should add of course that for the Steelers to even select Ogletree (as well as Mosley or L.S.U.’s Kevin Minter) in April, he must first forgo his final season as a collegiate player because he is a true Junior (Minter is a Redshirt Junior).  It would truly be a shame for Pittsburgh if both came back for their Senior seasons as I am sure that both Ogletree and Mosley would be Top-15 picks in 2014, and likely out of the Steelers’ range at that time.

The need for help at Inside Linebacker exists for the Steelers, and it will be interesting to see what direction the team goes in if Mosley and Ogletree are on the board when Pittsburgh is ready to pick in Round 1.    What Pittsburgh needs over the next few seasons is a compliment to Timmons on the Inside, and most importantly, a Linebacker who could help to form a heck of a duo with (a hopefully healthy) Spence on 3rd Downs and in Nickel & Dime packages.  Whether or not the Steelers will fill the void and attempt to upgrade at the position as early as the 1st Round has still yet to be determined.  But unless a top talent at another position of need falls to Pittsburgh like David DeCastro did last season, Ogletree or Mosley would be terrific BPA/Position of Need selections at Pick #21 in Round 1.

Share Your Thoughts:  Do you readers like Sanchez’s projection?  Is Inside Linebacker a route you would like to see the Steelers go in during Round 1?  Or are there other positions of need that must be addressed?  Would you rather see Pittsburgh select another future “Mack/Weakside” on Day 2 like Minter, Rutgers’ Khaseem Greene, Stanford’s Shayne Skov, or another prospect?

Figures, Stats, Contract Information, and Player Profiles Courtesy of: ESPN.com, Alabama & Georgia Official Team Sites, Spotrac.com

Do you have any idea what we're supposed to call? Nope. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

What We Learned this week in the NFL Preseason:

• NFL and Refs have some unsuccessful negotiations
• MJD ends holdout and reports to Jags
• Steelers cut roster to 53

Well Steeler Nation the regular season is finally upon us.  September is here and if you’re like me you’re still recovering from the college football overdose from Saturday.  Football is back and the air smells sweeter.  There are so many things to look forward to for the NFL regular season, if you try to ignore the black cloud hovering over the whole thing which is the NFL ref’s labor dispute and the fact that the NFL will use replacement refs for real, regular season games for at least Week 1.  This could be a disaster. (more…)

Thankfully, it has seemed like Dick LeBeau, the rest of the Defensive Staff, and the Front Office have decided to do something about the Steelers’ Defensive struggles during the last couple of seasons.  With the Steelers’ evident Defensive weaknesses on tape, and the League moving more towards a pass-first game, improvements have been made to the roster, and it appears that the wheels have been set in motion to bolster and fix Pittsburgh’s Pass Defense for years to come.  Thus, today I would like to list what I believe are the Top Three Reasons that the Steelers will be an improved Defense against the pass and explain why I feel this way.

Hopefully Pittsburgh's pass defense will improve in 2012 and beyond. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

Introduction

Now I am sure that many of you readers are saying, “Improvement?  What improvement?  This team ranked 1st against the Pass in terms of Passing Yards last season?!”  Let me just stop you right there and say that when a team plays the likes of Blaine Gabbert, Tyler Palko, a late-30′s Matt Hasselbeck, Alex Smith, Tarvaris Jackson, Curtis Painter, Kevin Kolb, Kellen Clemens, a Rookie “Ginger Spice” and Colt McCoy both twice, like the Steelers did in 2011, you are bound to have success as a Pass Defense simply because the Quarterback play for Three-Fourths of your schedule is either below-average to bottom of the barrel talent-wise, past their prime, young and inexperienced, on a team with a “run-first” Offense, or some combination of any of these things.  I hate to take anything away from what this Defense accomplished (LeBeau finally had a solid man-coverage game plan against the Patriots), but the overall statistics did not tell the whole story.  Anyways, before I go off on a tangent let’s get to the countdown:

3. Outside Linebackers Should (Hopefully) Be Healthy

This is a big one because at some point last season Pittsburgh’s Top Three pass rushers in the forms of LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, and Jason Worilds were all injured, not at full-strength, or in Deebo’s case suspended for one game.  At 100 percent, this rotation of Outside Linebackers forms one of the most formidable trios in the League, but when Lawrence Timmons is forced to play out of position and pick up the slack because one or more of these guys is on the bench, the team, and most of all the pass-rush suffers.

The Steelers logged only 35.0 Sacks last season, 13.0 less than in 2010 (48.0) when they went to the Super Bowl.  Harrison and Woodley both notched 9.0 Sacks apiece but Deebo only played in 11 games all regular season, and Woodley only played in 10 himself.  Worilds stepped in and showed some nice ability when called upon and registered 3.0 Sacks, but he was limited to only 12 games and was hindered by the fact there were no OTA’s and offseason workouts as he continued his transition from Defensive End to Outside Linebacker before his second season.

But with all three hopefully healthy, only good things can come of it.  Because with all three at full strength, all three can bring pressure and help collapse the pocket.  The more heat brought on the opposition’s Quarterback, the more liable they are to either fold like a lawn chair or make bad decisions.  The more this happens the more pressure is taken off of the Secondary to make plays and stay on their men, and frees them up to make plays and play the ball.  When this happens, well, we all know that good things happen when Polamalu is allowed to do what he does.  With two Pro Bowlers and one young and talented edge rusher to spell them when need be healthy, Pittsburgh’s Defense should reap the benefits, especially when playing against the pass.

2. New Inside Linebackers Can Pass Cover

While they have been a bit under the radar, the Steelers have made a couple of acquisitions at the Linebacker position which should help them defend the pass in the coming years.  One such acquisition is Brandon Johnson, and I was a fan of the team signing him when they stated that they were interested.  If you would like to read my post from last month on why signing Johnson would be a good move for the Steelers, follow this link here.  But if you do not want to read it and want an abridged version, one of the biggest reasons I thought Johnson would be a good addition is the fact that he can help out on passing downs and did a solid job against the pass for the Bengals during his career there.

At 6’5″ 245 lbs. Johnson is an imposing figure which has the size and strength to matchup with some of the more physical Tight Ends and be an imposing figure to clog up passing lanes.  And hey, Johnson might even give the team a Sack or two if asked to come through the A-Gap once and a while on passing downs if some sort of Zone-Blitz is employed.  Overall, the addition of a veteran with a skill-set that Pittsburgh definitely is in need of (including Special Teams) puts a smile on my face.

Although Johnson acquisition may help in the present, the player which many in “Steeler Nation” have become particularly excited about is Rookie Linebacker Sean Spence.  And Spence’s athleticism, upside, and ability to play the pass are reasons to get any Steelers fan excited.  At 5’11″ 231 lbs., Spence might not be the most physically imposing specimen, but make no mistake, this guy is speedy and can be a great equalizer against the opposition’s more athletic Backs and Ends in the short and intermediate passing games.  If Spence pans out and is an effective option on 3rd Downs and passing situations, it could be a huge weight off of the shoulders of the other Linebackers and the Secondary in general.

No more will Tight Ends be running free across the middle, and no more will Quarterbacks have their safety valves to go to with eons of space after getting rid of the ball before being flattened by Deebo or Woodley.   Granted, Spence is likely a year away from contributing on a consistent basis on the Defensive side of the ball as he will likely spend his first year on Special Teams and transitioning to a 3-4 Defense.  However, Spence has the tools to be a very effective weapon for Pittsburgh and should factor in greatly into their future plans to stop opponents’ passing games.

1. Cornerback Position Finally Has Talented Depth

Across the board, the Steelers have some imposing and talented players at the Cornerback position for the first time in a very long time.  Going four-deep with Ike Taylor, Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen, and Curtis Brown, each player is at or over 6’0 and is in the neighborhood of 200 lbs..  Each player understands how, or is learning how to play Zone in LeBeau’s Defense.  All are big enough and more than physical enough to lock up and play man against Receivers if need be.  And best of all, every guy is tough enough to help support in the run game when the time comes.

While the Steelers appear to have four solid and emerging Corners now, it was not always the case.  In fact, two years ago it was not even like that, and the Steelers paid a heavy price when teams like New England, Green Bay, and New Orleans would spread the Defense out and attack Bryant McFadden, William Gay, Anthony Madison, and the rest of the Secondary.  To those teams it was: Why bother challenging Ike Taylor unless it is necessary when you can get an easy 7 Yards per pass going after the other players?  Well now, it is not so much the case as the three Corners behind Taylor are hungry for playing time and to prove themselves.

Lewis seemed to finally get his head on straight last season, and is the front-runner to replace William Gay for the #2 Cornerback spot after spending last season as the Nickelback.  Allen, whose size and coverage ability could be best used against Tight End heavy teams like New England, Cincinnati, and Baltimore, figures to compete with Lewis for the #2 role and should see some more snaps than in his Rookie year where he did a nice job in some Dime sub-packages.  And Brown is a tough guy who should be able to help out in the slot and get physical with some of the more smaller, possession-type pass catchers.

The upgrades have been made talent-wise, and hopefully the younger guys are able to step up this season.  The pressure will likely be on Lewis the most as he will be an Unrestricted Free Agent, and playing for a new contract in 2013.  Thus, holding off 2011′s 3rd and 4th Round picks will be an absolute must.  Pressure aside, if two or all three of these guys behind Ike can improve and show up on a consistent basis this year, the opposition will have think twice before immediately beginning to dink-and-dunk on this Defense down the field.

Final Thoughts

Are Pittsburgh’s problems against the pass all solved?  Heck no, and if they were I probably would not be writing this article.  The Cornerback depth might be talented, but they are still a bit young at the position and Allen and Brown will have much more on their plates this year in terms of responsibility.  Plus, there is almost zero experienced depth behind Polamalu, Ryan Clark, and Ryan Mundy at the Safety position.  Spence is only a Rookie as well, and we will likely have to wait close to a year to see what he can do if LeBeau decides not to play him or does not believe he is ready to play in Nickel and Dime sub-packages yet.

Regardless of the fact that there is still work to do, one thing is clear: the Steelers have begun to fix their issues defending the passing game and seem to be headed on the right track.  Only time will tell if my optimism is either spot-on, misguided, or somewhere in between.  However, I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Pittsburgh’s pass defense and whether or not the upgrades will work.

So what do you readers think?  Do you think the Steelers’ pass defense will improve?  Are there any reasons I did not discuss?  Let me know.

Statistics Provided By: ESPN.com and Pro Football Reference.com

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ILB Larry Foote begins his season as the Steelers "Man in the Middle"

While fans will have very limited access to the happenings this week on the South Side, the Steelers first Organized Team Activities (OTAs) of the 2012 season should bring out the newshounds in the traditional media who have been stumbling through hockey and baseball highlights for the past four months while reporting every miniscule Steelers tidbit as if the season were starting tomorrow.

The OTA season is upon us, and that means very little to us – the “media” or to you, the fan.  Other than giving the football-starved folks of western Pennsylvania some Steelers gossip to chew on between gulps of depressing Pirates game nights, very little happens during the OTA’s.  In a normal year for the Steelers, the team would simply gather a third of their roster – mainly newly signed rookies and free agents – and bring them into the fold to start learning playbooks and terminology.  This is not a “normal” year for the Steelers.  New offensive coordinator Todd Haley has arrived with an entirely new offense that has turned a simple coaching change into a certified Black and Gold emergency, taking fans back in time to the year 1999, when Head Coach Bill Cowher brought offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride into Steeler Nation and helped make the final two seasons at historic Three Rivers Stadium two of the worst campaigns the team ever enjoyed at the old concrete bowl.  Change is a curse word in Steeler Country, a term rarely heard uttered around the most consistent organization in football.  For a team that has had three head coaches since 1969, fans are used to just tuning out anything that happens before the players move into their dorm rooms at St. Vincent College in late summer.  Not this year, folks.  Change is upon us – at least in theory – and both fans and players alike have hit the panic button already in late May.  Since Phase One of the OTA sessions are basically conditioning practice, the only real news we will hear will be if someone shows up grossly overweight (my money is on RB Jon Dwyer) , but it is football so we will be thrilled to hear about it.

Nobody knows who will show up for these OTA sessions, as they are not exactly mandatory for the veterans.  We know that first and second round draft picks OG David DeCastro and OT Mike Adams won’t be there, as they are still putting the finishing touches on their final year of college.  S Troy Polamalu won’t be there because he trains on his own until camp starts.  WR Mike Wallace won’t be there because he is still pouting over his failure to land a “Larry Fitzgerald-sized” contract in his restricted free agency period.  There is a chance Wallace will milk this contract business until he is mandated to be in Latrobe, and his story will be a source of endless debate all year.

So what can fans look for once the news starts pumping out of the South Side Complex this week?  Here are a few items that are worth investigating this week.

1.  Larry Foote takes over the starting “Buck” ILB slot for the departed James Farrior – The last time the Steelers entered a season without #51 calling the defensive plays was 2001.  Foote has been with the team since 2002 – minus a one-year stint with his hometown Detroit Lions – and is going to be counted on as the leader in the middle of this Steelers defense.  The team will be without Farrior, DE Aaron Smith, and DL Chris Hoke – three of the respected, grizzled veterans of the past decade – and will need Foote to divide his time between making a ton of tackles against the run and trying to help develop young ILB Stevenson Sylvester and Sean Spence (who though unsigned, will most likely be in Pittsburgh this week).  For his part, Foote has always been a steady hand as a player.  As a starter between 2005-2008, Foote was a productive linebacker who was always better than he was given credit for.  As a back-up, he has been a consummate professional, understanding his role and just happy to be the Steeler.  It will be interesting to see how he reacts to becoming a major piece of the puzzle again, and taking over the former slot of his legendary buddy, James Farrior.  His battle to become a respected leader can begin this week.

CB Keenan Lewis will be competing for a starting CB spot this summer.

2.  The Cornerback position derby begins – Let’s just call it like it is – not many people are crying their eyes to sleep at night over the though of a Steelers secondary sans William Gay.  Gay took his ball and a nice contract and headed to Pittsburgh-West, leaving the Steelers with only Ike Taylor as a CB with any kind of game experience.  Since Ike can’t “swag” alone, he will need a new “swagging” partner in the defensive secondary.  That player will come from a group that includes Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen, Curtis Brown, and newcomer Terrence Frederick.  The odds-on-favorite for the job is Keenan Lewis, who heads into his fourth season and at 6-foot tall and 208 lbs., has a natural build for the position.  Lewis will be pushed hard for the job by both Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown, second-year players that both turned heads last year.  Frederick comes in as one of the Steelers 7th rounders and has a real chance to make the roster for special teams duties.  No matter who wins the starting job, the Steelers finally seem to have some legit depth in talent at cornerback – a spot they have lacked solid backups for some time.  We should see all four players at OTAs this week, and it will be a good chance to see how their off-season conditioning either thrusts them into the limelight or turns them into the next Joe Burnett.

3.  The new Defensive Line takes shape – The first true team activities without Aaron Smith and Chris Hoke are upon us, and NT Casey Hampton is still nursing his ACL injury.  That means the Steelers will be looking at a defensive line potentially featuring DE Cameron Heyward, DE Ziggy Hood, and NT Alameda Ta’amu -not just for OTA action, but for the start of the season.  We won’t count out another stellar season coming from “The Diesel” Brett Keisel, but at 33-years old he should begin to be phased out this season.  It is a transitional period for the Steelers front three, and we should get a good look at how the young guns on the defensive line are looking this week.  While they won’t be wearing pads, just seeing the new players out there sweating and pushing around offensive linemen should be a sight that warms Steeler fans hearts.

DE Ziggy Hood will be starting for the Steelers in 2012

OK, I know…..this is just an OTA.  There won’t be much actual football taking place this week, but the excitement of seeing the Steelers doing anything is a sight for sore pigskin eyes in May.  The bitter taste of that loss in Denver is still in the mouths of most fans, and certainly the players are ready to move on from that debacle.  This is a minor step towards the new season, but hopefully it is enough to end the “sky is falling because Todd Haley threw out the Arians playbook” garbage we have been shoveled endlessly over the past month.  Let’s hope for some positivity out of the South Side this week, and start the push towards a very interesting and potentially Earth-shattering 2012 season.

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One of Spence's greatest strengths is his speed and ability to chase down ball carriers. Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Nice alliteration in that title, right?  3rd Round Draft pick, Sean Spence, was drafted by the Steelers with the intent of having him eventually fill the void at inside linebacker with the departure of James Farrior.  Deemed a bit undersized and inexperienced at this position, many have given the Steelers a lower grade for picking a guy like Spence.  However, I feel that there could be some sort of ‘super project’ taking place on the South Side being conducted by Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau involving newly drafted Sean Spence.

It’s no secret that offensive schemes in the NFL have changed from the grind’em out on the ground run game to a speed kills pass happy one.  Seemed like just about anytime you looked at the Steelers defense you saw them in some sort of nickel or dime package to cover 3-4 wideouts.  Throw an athletic tight end into the mix and that spells trouble for any defense that relies heavily on their linebackers for coverage over the middle of the field.  Farrior, Foote and Timmons were all guilty of getting burned numerous times in the open field.  The Steelers were desperate to find a guy who had the speed and pursuit to cover the middle.  I say ‘were’ because the Steelers found that type of player in Spence.  But I think the Steelers are at a crossroads already with Spence as to what kind of player they want him to be.

This is where the ‘super project’ comes in.  The Steelers have a choice – and it will come out early in camp – whether to have Spence try and bulk up (without slowing him down too much) to play the inside linebacker position OR they will have Spence slim down by just a few pounds, gain more muscle mass, and move him into the safety position.  Hold on now before you start cursing my name out.  I’m not saying that Spence is going to replace Polamalu.  What I am saying is that Spence may very well replace Polamalu in the next few years.  Still think I’m insane… hear me out.

Polamalu is slated to stay with the Steelers through 2014.  That will make him 34 when his next contract comes up, and will probably put him into retirement.  He may even end earlier depending on how his noggin’ holds up over the next few seasons.  Anyone familiar with Dick LeBeau knows that it takes a couple of seasons to truly learn and master his defensive schemes.  Seems like that will be just enough time for Spence to move into that position.  Ok, so the ‘timeline’ would work out.  But, can Spence actually play strong safety?

Well let’s look at the type of player Polamalu is:

5’10″ 207 lbs.

Ran a 4.5 in his early years, and is still pretty speedy now.

Is amazing at pursuing the ball carrier – either in run defense or passing defense

 Great instinct at the line of scrimmage when blitzing – can read blocking coverages and find the gap quickly

Now let’s look at Spence:

5’11″ 230 lbs.

Ran a 4.6 in the combine.  One of the fastest linebackers in the class.

Known for his great speed and pursuit of the ball carrier

From NFL.com: He can quickly diagnose a play and use his explosive hips to meet running backs and deliver the blow. He has fluid hips in coverage and uses his arm strength to shed blockers when he gets engulfed by bigger players. He is an experienced starter at a high level, and this should allow him to play fast and instinctually from early on at the next level. He has natural athletic ability to fit in a 4-3 scheme where he is playing freely and flowing to the ball. He is an active player and almost always involved on run plays.

Hmmm.... this could be on to something.

I don’t know about you, but if you read Spence’s profile, he sure as hell sounds like Troy Polamalu.  Whether or not all of that can translate into being a beast in the backfield like Polamalu can only be found if and when Spence is playing in that position.  I certainly like the idea of it, and feel that this is far from a ‘reach.’  If Sylvester, Foote, Timmons, and Worilds all have strong camps and starts to the season, where does that leave Spence?  Sure, he will be on special teams for most of the season, but what if he started to take over the back up role over Will Allen and Cromartie-Smith for Polamalu?  He could become some sort of super-hybrid defensive player – Strong Safety/Linebacker…. a Strong Lafety… a Strong Safebacker…..

There’s a large part of me that senses that the coaching staff know this as well and might even be willing to entertain that idea.  Guess we’ll only find out once camp starts and the season rolls along.

What do the rest of you think?  Am I outta my gourd?