DIESELMAN
12-14-2007, 10:16 AM
PITTSBURGH – Aaron Smith was once a fourth-round pick who got a late-season chance because of injuries. Now Ryan McBean (http://pit.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=8&c=1&nid=3129930) is that fourth-round rookie getting a chance with the Steelers because of Smith’s injury, and McBean says he’s ready.
“I feel like I’ve gotten more comfortable in my stance and my explosion off the ball,” said the 6-foot-5, 290-pound rookie out of Oklahoma State (http://oklahomastate.scout.com/). “I had to change it all up to being flat-footed. I’m also using my hands a whole lot more and getting them quicker and directing blockers. I’m making progress.”
A flat-footed stance?
“With the flat-footed stance you’re moving laterally – upfield, but laterally,” McBean explained. “You’re not getting off the ball like you’re in a speed stance. They don’t want that. They want your hands inside while you read and move laterally. I used to get off the ball, hit you in the chest, get off and make tackles.”
And now he’s learning to take on blockers and allow the linebackers to make plays.
While McBean showed strength and quickness this preseason, he had little technique. He said the transition has been difficult.
“Oh, very hard,” he said, “because guys like to go back to what they did in college, stuff that they’ve known for a long time. But I’ve grasped it and now I feel comfortable in it.”
The Jamaica-born McBean played both tackle and end at Oklahoma State and recorded 25 tackles with 4.5 sacks as a senior. He won’t start for the Steelers
– Travis Kirschke (http://pit.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=8&c=1&nid=2981453) and Nick Eason (http://pit.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=8&c=1&nid=3129882) will split the job -- but neither did Smith as a rookie in 1999.
The first of Smith’s 121 regular-season starts was the opener of his second season. McBean will sit the bench and hope to collect the same scraps that Smith did late in his rookie season: one assist and three appearances in the final three games.
“That’s okay,” McBean said. “It’s a we thing. It’s a team game.”
By Jim Wexell (http://javascript<b></b>:location.href='http://search.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=4&c=1&search=1&sskey=%22' + escape('Jim Wexell') + '%22&sssiteid=68';)
SteelCityInsider.com
Posted Dec 13, 2007
All he has to do is hold his own if/when he gets in there. I'm not asking for big plays, just don't get run over.
“I feel like I’ve gotten more comfortable in my stance and my explosion off the ball,” said the 6-foot-5, 290-pound rookie out of Oklahoma State (http://oklahomastate.scout.com/). “I had to change it all up to being flat-footed. I’m also using my hands a whole lot more and getting them quicker and directing blockers. I’m making progress.”
A flat-footed stance?
“With the flat-footed stance you’re moving laterally – upfield, but laterally,” McBean explained. “You’re not getting off the ball like you’re in a speed stance. They don’t want that. They want your hands inside while you read and move laterally. I used to get off the ball, hit you in the chest, get off and make tackles.”
And now he’s learning to take on blockers and allow the linebackers to make plays.
While McBean showed strength and quickness this preseason, he had little technique. He said the transition has been difficult.
“Oh, very hard,” he said, “because guys like to go back to what they did in college, stuff that they’ve known for a long time. But I’ve grasped it and now I feel comfortable in it.”
The Jamaica-born McBean played both tackle and end at Oklahoma State and recorded 25 tackles with 4.5 sacks as a senior. He won’t start for the Steelers
– Travis Kirschke (http://pit.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=8&c=1&nid=2981453) and Nick Eason (http://pit.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=8&c=1&nid=3129882) will split the job -- but neither did Smith as a rookie in 1999.
The first of Smith’s 121 regular-season starts was the opener of his second season. McBean will sit the bench and hope to collect the same scraps that Smith did late in his rookie season: one assist and three appearances in the final three games.
“That’s okay,” McBean said. “It’s a we thing. It’s a team game.”
By Jim Wexell (http://javascript<b></b>:location.href='http://search.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=4&c=1&search=1&sskey=%22' + escape('Jim Wexell') + '%22&sssiteid=68';)
SteelCityInsider.com
Posted Dec 13, 2007
All he has to do is hold his own if/when he gets in there. I'm not asking for big plays, just don't get run over.