BlitzburghNation
07-16-2008, 06:14 PM
After Impressive debut,Tomlin gets no help from schedule in second act,,,
When mike took the reins from bill last season,he said he was taking over a playoff team with the talent and desire to return to the post season ,,,,,,:tt02:
He said he had a marquee qb in Big Ben who could put the disaters and mishaps of '06 behind him and return to the form he had displayed in his first two season,,,,,,,,:tt02:
As it turned out the rookies coach was right.....Tomlin also said he would run willie parker,"until the wheels came off",and one of them did-in the 15th game of the season,,,,,,,Tomlin enters his 2nd seasn much the same as he did his first :popcorn:
Confident in his ability,trusting of his players and eager for the challenge,
even though the steelers have the toughest schedule in the league,But he's not takin anything for granted,,,,,,,:tt02:
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Lamar Woodley
Will be replacing haggans at left outside linebacker,,,,,,:tt02:
Woodley ~~ a converted DE who has the strength to bull rush along with the quickness and technique to beat tackles to the outside.
Quarterback : Big Ben
The good news is big ben is coming off his best season,at least statiscally
suggesting that his '06 season was nothing more than an anomoly,,,,,
The bad news is he has been sacked 93 times the past two seasons and might have a short shelf life if that trend continues,,,:evilshake:
He's been more involved in Arians'offense,helping to formulate game plans and free to call audibles,something he rarely,if ever,did his first 3 seasons.
The coaches would still like to see Big Ben be more patient in the pocket,
even though he might make plays on the run better than any other QB
in the league,,,,,,,:tt02:
His ability to improvise can be a good thing,but he sometimes bails from the pocket before his receivers can get open,,,,,:popcorn: Grade: A
Running Backs:
Willie Parker was leading the N.F.L. in rushing before his injury,but now he no longer has to worry about being the workhorse.
The decision to draft Rashard Mendenhall gives the team a 224-pound back who can pound out the tough yards inside and has the speed to cutback ability to make big plays on the outside.
Mendenhall was not brught in to replace willie,instead to complement willie
and possibly see time as a third-down back.
Less of an opportunity for Gary Russell,a rookie free agent who impressed the coaches with his running ability,,,,,:tt02: Grade: A
Receivers:
Arians was looking for candidates to fill the 4th spot and was glad to get
Limas Sweed who will stengthen an already strong crop of wr's,,,,,:cabbagepatch:
Sweed runs great routes and has the speed to beat defenders down the field,,,,,,:clap:
Miller who's developed into one of the best TE's in the league and who's
a devastating blocker in the run game,,,,,:tt02: Grade: B
Offensive Line: Grade: D+
Special Teams: Grade: D
Guess I'm a homer and don't want to type our bad grades~~~:greengrin:
Defense: Grade: B
The Defensive line's only hope for improvement is to stay healthy and hoping Mcbean,a 4th rounder in the '07 draft who spent most of the season on the practice squad.
Smith is the teams most consistent lineman and it's best at stopping the run,because he holds up the end at the point of attack,something they sorely missed last year.
Hampton remains one of the best Nose Tackles in the game,simply because he's so hard to move.
Keisel does a goodjob providing pressure,but he needs to finish more plays and produce more sacks,,,,,,,,,,,
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Linebackers:
This position has the best young talent on the team~~~:tt02:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Secondary:
Depth,mistakes and an injury riddled season from Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu combined to turn the secondary from an efficient unit for 12 weeks into a confused and inefficient one during the final month,,,,:evilshake:
Surprisingly Deshea Toensend played strong for the team and they also allowed few long passes,but they were tied in the league for the fewest
interceptions,,,eleven (8 by the secondary) :evilshake:
Ike Taylor can run with recievers but drops alot of balls and smith was benched for blowing assignments,,,,,,,:cursin:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bottom Line:
As long as the steelers have Big Ben,they will be in every game.
:tt02: :helmet: :tt02:
Throw in Parker,a two time Pro Bowler,and good receivers in Hines Ward and Miller, and the offense has a chance to be very productive.
:helmet: :tt02: :helmet:
With the tough schedule,the steelers must get off to a fast start ,,,,
If they don't,repeating as division champs will be difficult !
FINAL GRADE~~~~~````````89```````:yesnod:
Steelers best ever linebackers ****** :shots: :popcorn::popcorn:
1. > Jack Ham ( 1971-82)
Almost flawless, Ham was a first-team All-Pro six straight seasons (1974-79) and was elected to the hall of fame in 1988, :tt02:
2. > Jack Lambert (1974-84)
What he was missing in front teeth (four), Lambert made up for in superbowl wins,Elected to the hall of fame in 1990,,He made nine straight
Pro Bowls, :tt02:
3. > Greg Lloyd (1988-97)
A sixth round pick out of a tiny Fort Valley State,Lloyd was practically unstoppable from '93 to '95,When he earned 3 straight first-team All-Pro selections, :tt02:
When mike took the reins from bill last season,he said he was taking over a playoff team with the talent and desire to return to the post season ,,,,,,:tt02:
He said he had a marquee qb in Big Ben who could put the disaters and mishaps of '06 behind him and return to the form he had displayed in his first two season,,,,,,,,:tt02:
As it turned out the rookies coach was right.....Tomlin also said he would run willie parker,"until the wheels came off",and one of them did-in the 15th game of the season,,,,,,,Tomlin enters his 2nd seasn much the same as he did his first :popcorn:
Confident in his ability,trusting of his players and eager for the challenge,
even though the steelers have the toughest schedule in the league,But he's not takin anything for granted,,,,,,,:tt02:
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Lamar Woodley
Will be replacing haggans at left outside linebacker,,,,,,:tt02:
Woodley ~~ a converted DE who has the strength to bull rush along with the quickness and technique to beat tackles to the outside.
Quarterback : Big Ben
The good news is big ben is coming off his best season,at least statiscally
suggesting that his '06 season was nothing more than an anomoly,,,,,
The bad news is he has been sacked 93 times the past two seasons and might have a short shelf life if that trend continues,,,:evilshake:
He's been more involved in Arians'offense,helping to formulate game plans and free to call audibles,something he rarely,if ever,did his first 3 seasons.
The coaches would still like to see Big Ben be more patient in the pocket,
even though he might make plays on the run better than any other QB
in the league,,,,,,,:tt02:
His ability to improvise can be a good thing,but he sometimes bails from the pocket before his receivers can get open,,,,,:popcorn: Grade: A
Running Backs:
Willie Parker was leading the N.F.L. in rushing before his injury,but now he no longer has to worry about being the workhorse.
The decision to draft Rashard Mendenhall gives the team a 224-pound back who can pound out the tough yards inside and has the speed to cutback ability to make big plays on the outside.
Mendenhall was not brught in to replace willie,instead to complement willie
and possibly see time as a third-down back.
Less of an opportunity for Gary Russell,a rookie free agent who impressed the coaches with his running ability,,,,,:tt02: Grade: A
Receivers:
Arians was looking for candidates to fill the 4th spot and was glad to get
Limas Sweed who will stengthen an already strong crop of wr's,,,,,:cabbagepatch:
Sweed runs great routes and has the speed to beat defenders down the field,,,,,,:clap:
Miller who's developed into one of the best TE's in the league and who's
a devastating blocker in the run game,,,,,:tt02: Grade: B
Offensive Line: Grade: D+
Special Teams: Grade: D
Guess I'm a homer and don't want to type our bad grades~~~:greengrin:
Defense: Grade: B
The Defensive line's only hope for improvement is to stay healthy and hoping Mcbean,a 4th rounder in the '07 draft who spent most of the season on the practice squad.
Smith is the teams most consistent lineman and it's best at stopping the run,because he holds up the end at the point of attack,something they sorely missed last year.
Hampton remains one of the best Nose Tackles in the game,simply because he's so hard to move.
Keisel does a goodjob providing pressure,but he needs to finish more plays and produce more sacks,,,,,,,,,,,
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Linebackers:
This position has the best young talent on the team~~~:tt02:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Secondary:
Depth,mistakes and an injury riddled season from Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu combined to turn the secondary from an efficient unit for 12 weeks into a confused and inefficient one during the final month,,,,:evilshake:
Surprisingly Deshea Toensend played strong for the team and they also allowed few long passes,but they were tied in the league for the fewest
interceptions,,,eleven (8 by the secondary) :evilshake:
Ike Taylor can run with recievers but drops alot of balls and smith was benched for blowing assignments,,,,,,,:cursin:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bottom Line:
As long as the steelers have Big Ben,they will be in every game.
:tt02: :helmet: :tt02:
Throw in Parker,a two time Pro Bowler,and good receivers in Hines Ward and Miller, and the offense has a chance to be very productive.
:helmet: :tt02: :helmet:
With the tough schedule,the steelers must get off to a fast start ,,,,
If they don't,repeating as division champs will be difficult !
FINAL GRADE~~~~~````````89```````:yesnod:
Steelers best ever linebackers ****** :shots: :popcorn::popcorn:
1. > Jack Ham ( 1971-82)
Almost flawless, Ham was a first-team All-Pro six straight seasons (1974-79) and was elected to the hall of fame in 1988, :tt02:
2. > Jack Lambert (1974-84)
What he was missing in front teeth (four), Lambert made up for in superbowl wins,Elected to the hall of fame in 1990,,He made nine straight
Pro Bowls, :tt02:
3. > Greg Lloyd (1988-97)
A sixth round pick out of a tiny Fort Valley State,Lloyd was practically unstoppable from '93 to '95,When he earned 3 straight first-team All-Pro selections, :tt02: