Nice Pick, Cowher » Video

Mike Tomlin On Steelers 2008 Draft

chris — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:57:32 +0000

That’s head coach Mike Tomlin basking in the afterglow of his first two picks in the 2008 NFL Draft. Tomlin and Director of Player Personnel Kevin Colbert have every right to be pleased with their work as the general consensus seems to be the Pittsburgh Steelers had themselves one of the finest hauls in this year’s draft. Scanning the interwebz, it appears many of the so-called “experts” graded our picks quite generously.

Jason Cole (Yahoo Sports) – A
Paul Zimmerman (SI.com’s Dr. Z) – Very Good
Larry Weisman (USA Today) – B+
Mel Kiper (Great Hair) – B
NPC (Me) – A

Wait, I gave our draft an A? Didn’t I say in my draft preview post that taking a running back like Jonathan Stewart would be a luxury pick? Didn’t I say a luxury pick is not something we can afford with so many pressing needs? Have I gone mad?

Not really. See, when you evaluate a team’s draft, you have to do so on a sliding scale. The teams picking early almost always have the “best drafts” because they pick the biggest name players. Of course, if those drafts were really the best, or if those big names always panned out, then the Detroits and Atlantas of the world wouldn’t be picking in the top 10 seemingly every year. As John Steinbeck would say, “…the best laid plans of Mice and Matt Millen…”

Mangling of classic English literature aside, I judge a draft by value. As in, what did pass up, what did you get, and what did you give up in getting what you got? By those criteria, the Steelers did a tremendous job this weekend.

Did the draft address our needs? Well, in a word, no. Our biggest needs were OL, WR, DL, and CB in that order. The Steelers only filled one of those four needs (WR). Looking at it that way, you’d think their draft was a total disaster. But this goes back to what I said about value. We passed up guys who’d fill our needs but didn’t have legit first round ability, we got players who are talented enough that most people think they should’ve went 10 to 15 picks sooner than when we got them, and we gave up nothing in order to draft them.

Pittsburgh could’ve gone a similar route as Carolina. The Panthers also needed help on the OL and when there was a run on linemen, they panicked and traded up to get Jeff Otah. As someone who saw him play in a few Pitt games this season, the idea of using one 1st round pick on Otah is questionable. Otah has raw talent and great measurables but he’ll definitely need a lot of coaching and is far from a complete package. Carolina, however, gave up not only several picks to draft him, but next year’s 1st as well. That’s far far too steep a price.

I’m glad the Steelers didn’t play that game. Gosder Cherilus and Sam Baker are nice players but they’re both 2nd round talent. Taking them in the first would’ve been dubious. Trading future draft picks to MOVE UP to take them would’ve been insane. Especially when legitimate first round talent was there to be had.

I don’t believe in drafting specifically to fill needs. That’s how you end up with Troy Edwards instead of Jevon Kearse. I firmly believe you take the best player available. Obviously, all things being equal, you try to fill your needs first but this year, things were not equal. Every offensive lineman of any ability, projected to go in the first OR second round, was gone by the time the Steelers picked at #23. What was sitting there was a running back who many considered the 2nd best back in the entire draft.

It’s a no-brainer.

Of course, like we learned with Huey Richardson, we’ll truly see how smart the Steelers are when these guys actually put on some pads and take the field.

Steelers 2008 NFL Draft, Day 2

chris — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:23:19 +0000

Day Two of the NFL Draft. Sorry, no awesome Kiperrific sound bite clips today as I had to watch the Pens lay some smack down on the Rangers and my computer doesn’t have enough memory to save the entire draft with my capture card.

3rd Round:

Bruce Davis LB UCLA

Height: 6-2^5/8
Weight: 252

Pros: Good athlete with decent speed (4.78 sec in the 40). Outstanding quickness off the blocks and is a great closer. Scary as an edge rusher. Very active with a motor that does not stop. Rangy player who will make plays in pursuit. Has played both DE and OLB so can play from either up or down position. Very much in the mold of James Harrison, except he hasn’t backhanded any women (yet).

Cons: Like Harrison, considered to be undersized. Also a liability against the run as he struggles to hold his ground or get a push when being run blocked. One reason he fell is his strength measured well below average. Considered a one trick pony as a pass rush specialist who only dominates against weak opponents.

4th Round:

Tony Hills OT Texas

Height: 6-5^1/8
Weight: 309

Pros: Huge man with ginormous frame and long arms. Considered a terrific athlete as he ran the 40 is 5.3 sec flat. Nifty feet with good balance and agility. Outstanding as a pass blocker. Is mobile and when put in space, is very good at lead blocking. Could possibly play guard. Thought to have quite a bit of upside potential.

Cons: Suffered a catastrophic knee injury in high school that required almost total reconstruction. Obviously that was a while ago but still raises concerns over long term durability. Combine was disappointing as he didn’t measure very strong and doesn’t play with a lot of power. Seems to lack the killer instinct all top notch OL have. Isn’t stout at the point of attack and doesn’t get a great push so needs work on his run blocking. Plays too upright at times and his technique is a bit rough. Considered an underachiever in college whom the Steelers are no doubt hoping will eventually play up to his potential.

5th Round:

Dennis Dixon QB Oregon

Height: 6-3^1/4
Weight: 195

Pros: Outstanding athleticism. Played minor league baseball for the Atlanta Braves. Is probably one of the best pure athletes in the entire draft. Reminded many scouts of another Vince Young, which I guess belongs in the Pros but I leave that up to you. Mobile in the pocket and makes plays with his feet. Decent height with the body to put on some weight. Decent arm strength but a quick release who throws extremely well on the move. Was having an awesome Senior year where he was widely considered the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy when a torn ACL ended his season. The Steelers love converting this type of mobile QB into a WR and that is very likely the plan with Dixon. If it works out, could potentially be their best pick this year.

Cons: Health and durability are obviously a concern. Claims to have his ACL completely rehabbed but that’s a major injury which sometimes needs 2 years to fully heal. Needs to bulk up and add some weight if he wants to survive in the NFL. Didn’t play a pro style offense with the Ducks so there will be a learning curve if they expect him to compete for a backup QB position. Much like another #10 for the Steelers, he has poor mechanics, erratic accuracy, and questionable decision-making skills as a QB. As a WR, will have to learn route-running and technique basically from scratch. Also timed at 4.6 sec in the 40 which is good for a QB but not particularly fast for a wide out (although to be fair, he ran it in 4.46 sec prior to the injury).

6^th Round:

Mike Humpal LB Iowa

Height: 6-2^1/2
Weight: 244

Pros: Good size with a non-stop motor. A real ball-hawk as he’s always where the action is. Sure handed tackler. Plays stronger than his size in shedding blocks while remaining stout at the point of attack. Chad Brown-like in demeanor and playing style.

Cons: Not a great athlete. All his measurables, especially timed speed and quickness, are considered below average. Doesn’t have the best footwork so can be twisted around making him a liability in pass coverage. Will probably be a special teamer and a career backup as he’s a solid worker but doesn’t have much upside potential.

6^th Round:

Ryan Mundy S West Virginia

Height: 6-1
Weight: 205

Pros: Adequate size and weight for a safety. Sure tackler. Not afraid of delivering the big hit. A true playmaker with good hands and will make the pick if given the chance. Very active with a non-stop motor. Despite attending WVU, Mundy is a smart player who is seldom fooled or out of position. Will contribute to the special teams immediately and will probably push Tyrone Carter and Anthony Smith for the backup S position a couple seasons from now. Born and raised in Pittsburgh (Woodland Hills).

Cons: Does not have great timed speed and lacks a burst. If beaten, not fast enough to recover. Also isn’t strong enough to cover tight ends or jostle for position with bigger wide receivers. Does not have great measurables but could be a solid backup while also contributing on special teams. (more…)

Steelers 2008 NFL Draft, Rounds 1 & 2

chris — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:24:00 +0000

1^st Round:

Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois
Height: 5-10^5/8
Weight: 225

Pros: Excellent size and strength. Big powerful back in the true Steeler tradition. Timed at 4.45 sec in the 40 which is tremendous speed for a back his size. Very natural runner with great vision who picks his hole and hits it fast. Has learned to keep those legs churning on contact to pick up extra yards. Has pretty good hands and can catch the ball out of the backfield in a pinch. More than holds his own as a blocker. Is only a Junior and played fairly sparingly his first two years in college so he doesn’t have much mileage. Reportedly a hard worker and team player with all the intangibles you look for in terms of character and attitude. Still improving and may even have a bigger upside than expected. Considered one of the top 3 backs in the draft, with many boards listing him as 2^nd only to Darren McFadden.

Cons: One year wonder. Was the workhorse counted on to carry the load only this past season. Has had some issues with ball security. Is not very elusive so will take hits and will need to be durable. Doesn’t always play to his timed speed so while he can break runs, don’t expect him to do so with any regularity. A between the tackles type who will probably be unable to successfully turn the corner in the pros.

2^nd Round:

Limas Sweed WR Texas
Height: 6-3^7/8
Weight: 215

Pros: At 6’4”, has the excellent size and a big frame with long arms the Steelers have lacked since Plaxico Burress took the money and ran. Very graceful athlete with good body control. Soft hands with above average ball skills. Awesome leaper. Tough and strong, definitely uses his size to his advantage in terms of beating the jam at the line. Only an okay blocker but so was Santonio Holmes and the Steelers coached that part of his game up and will do so with Sweed. Mostly an outside threat but not afraid to work the middle of the field, either. Timed at 4.52 sec in the 40 so has deceptively fast speed for a man his size. Again, supposedly a hard worker with all positives in terms of character issues. Very productive receiver who broke his wrist during training camp last fall so had to write-off the 2007 season which caused him to drop in the draft. If he had put up numbers similar to what he posted in 2006, would’ve been a mid to late 1^st rounder.

Cons: Has good speed but not elite speed. Isn’t real quick or explosive and lacks a first step burst which may cause problems in getting separation from corners. Has been known to come down with a case of the drops now and then. Relied heavily on his natural talent in college so willingness to learn techniques and perfect route running will be key as to how effective he is as a pro. Wrist problem required surgery which could raise some questions regarding how ready he will be by next season and his long-term health and durability.

NFL Refs Admit, “Steelers Got Hosed”

chris — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:02:03 +0000

Thanks for nothing, asshole.

Yesterday, at the NFL’s annual Spring Owners Meeting/Wet T-shirt contest down in sunny Palm Beach, the NFL’s head of officiating, Mike Pereira, conceded that, yes, perhaps there was a wee bit of holding on the play that ended the Steelers season in heart breaking fashion. Gee, ya think? Considering Jacksonville Jaguar quarterback David Garrard has the fleet-footed nimbleness of a rampaging bull elephant, I’m shocked to find out his Kordell-esque escape was aided and abetted by shenanigans along the offensive line.

So thanks, Captain Obvious. Thanks for acknowledging what everyone but the guys on the field standing FOUR FEET AWAY from the action saw. I understand professional football is a game of furious action and calls get missed so maybe nobody saw the one hold. Or the second hold. But, really, shouldn’t somebody have seen the third one? How many mulligans were they allowed on that play? Just give me an over/under here.

And while you’re in an apologetic mood, you should also admit they blew about 27 other holding calls as linebacker James Harrison had Jaguar players hanging around his neck and dragging him down like they were married all game. But thanks for the apology, Mike. I always enjoy hearing refs say three months after the fact, “Hey, we blew the call on the play which kiboshed all your playoff hopes and all your playoff dreams. Our bad.”

You know, is it just me or do the NFL refs apologize to us for blown calls an awful lot? I remember they apologized during the Super Bowl run when they blew the call on the Polamalu-intereption-that-wasn’t in the Indy game. They apologized for that stupid motion penalty that cost us the Atlanta game during Bill Cowher’s last season. Every year it seems like they’re apologizing.

Which is odd because if you ever peruse general football forums, there is a crazy perception that the refs always favor the Steelers. This asinine theory seemed to pick up steam after Super Bowl XXL when sad-sack Seattle fans couldn’t come to grips with the fact their team lost. Now, over two years later, the Seapigeon faithful continue to favor us with their bird droppings of “wisdom” by pounding their hairless, sunken, Emo chests and crying about the way they were screwed in the big game. They even resorted to spitting in the food of people who dared to wear Steeler jerseys, as if it’s a crime for wanting to associate oneself with a winner.

Of course, the fact that if the Pigeons were really the uncrowned champs, why didn’t they, oh say, accomplish something in the playoffs the last two years seems to escape their caffeine-addled brains. But by all means, continue to bitch and moan about a couple questionable calls like your team is the only one that’s ever had some bad officiating go against you. And by all means, continue to spread the misconception that the Steelers are the NFL’s chosen ones, mysteriously given the benefit of questionable calls or disputed penalties because the league “wants Pittsburgh to win.”

We don’t mind. Really we don’t. Because unlike your lone brush with greatness, those of us here in Steeler Nation are secure enough to know if we lost an important game, we’ll win another. If we get hosed in the playoffs, we’ll try again next year. If we blow a Super Bowl, we’ll eventually win another. Hell, we’ve even forgiven Phil Luckett.

Mostly.

Steelers-Fins Recap: Being A Stick In The Mud

chris — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:56:57 +0000

That about sums up last night’s “game” against the Dolphins. As much fun as pulling for a 0-0 tie or watching a punt land on the ground and get stuck like a lawn dart was, there’s no way professional football should be played on a piece of shit like Heinz Field. I’m no grass growing expert, but 11 games in 7 days in late November in the Northeastern United States couldn’t possibly end well, even without the downpour. I hope Roger Goodell really comes down on the Rooneys about this fiasco, just like the league slapped down the Patriots a few years ago over their shitty field conditions for a playoff game against Indy. Then again, knowing that paragon of righteousness and fairplay, Bill Belichek, they probably Bull Durham’d the field on that one. But we’ve known for YEARS that Heinz had the worst surface in the league and yet all they do is talk and discuss and plan and never actually DO anything to fix the problem. They can grow fungus in outer space and hair on Cy Sperling, they can’t plant decent grass in Pittsburgh?

At this point, I would offer up some analysis of the game last night but given the conditions, I’m not sure we can really learn anything from that performance. Joey Porter played a great game for the Fins, almost single-handedly trying to will them to victory. His shouting “You still love me” over to the Steelers sideline was pretty funny. I kinda missed ‘ol J-Peezy for a few minutes there…at least until James Harrison absolutely OBLITERATED John Beck on a sack/fumble play and I realized we’re just fine at linebacker, thank you very much.

I wonder if Dolphin fans would’ve been content with a tie? Technically, they’d still have a winless season, but it’s better than nothing. Cam Cameron seemed pretty intent on testing that theory as his ultra-conservative offensive calls pretty much ensured the entire game would be played at about mid-field. Don’t get me wrong, our defense played well but it helps when the other team doesn’t even appear to be trying to score. In fact, I think they called more plays which went horizontally down the field than vertically. And I got a good chuckle out of the Worst Commentators Ever™ hyping Ted Ginn as an electrifying return man. I could sure feel the electricity when he’d wave his hand frantically to signal for a fair catch.

Offensively, what can I say? Willie Parker had about 85 yards to go over 1,000 for the year. A fine accomplishment but once again he didn’t really bust anything or make the home run play we’re used to him making. Obviously, the field probably killed any ability to cut back or whatever. Hines Ward had his best game of the season, which is what you expect from a possession receiver in a game like this. Ben played okay, the interception to Porter was a terrible throw and a couple sacks were caused by him holding the ball way too long, one of which killed a nice drive we had going on early in the game.

As for the line, oh, you wonderful line you. Again, it’s hard to really tell much but we did surrender another 5 sacks to a team that only had like 12 coming in. Sean Mahan turned his back to me more times than the cheerleaders in high school which tells me he’s still getting blown by like a fat orange pylon. Seriously, did Chukky Okobi tell Mike Tomlin he loved him in “Jerry McGuire” on the first day of training camp? How bad could he possibly of been if Mahan beat him out? Heath Miller got two really costly holding penalties which looked to be because instead of out running a route, Tomlin is now holding him back as an extra pass blocker. Keep our best red zone threat at the line because we can’t protect our quarterback. Great.

Anyway, so ends the saga of Sod Bowl I. My only regret was we don’t have a scoring system like they have in the CFL because a game like this deserves to end with a final score of 1-0.