2011 Steelers roster talk

[darnik44]

Here's how I see things shaping up for this years Steelers roster. How do you all see it?


QUARTERBACKS
1. 7 Ben Roethlisberger
2. 4 Byron Leftwitch
3. 10 Dennis Dixon
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4. 16 Charlie Batch

RUNNING BACKS
1. 34 Rashard Mendenhall
2. 33 Isaac Redman
3. 21 Mewelde Moore
4. 27 Jonathan Dwyer
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5. 35 Baron Batch (R)
6. 38 John Clay (R)
7. 41 James Johnson

WIDE RECEIVERS
1. 17 Mike Wallace
2. 86 Hines Ward
3. 88 Emmanuel Sanders
4. 84 Antonio Brown
5. 81 Arnaz Battle
6. 80 Limas Sweed
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7. 19 Tyler Grisham
8. 11 Terrence McCrae (R)
9. 14 Armand Robinson (R)
10. 15 Wes Lyons
11. 8 Eric Greenwood (R)
12. 18 Adam Mims (R)

TIGHT ENDS
1. 83 Heath Miller
2. 85 David Johnson
3. 44 Wesyle Saunders (R)
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4. 45 Jamie McCoy (R)
5. 89 John Gilmore
6. 87 Eugene Bright
7. 49 Vaughn Charlton (R)

OFFENSIVE TACKLES
1. 74 Willie Colon
2. 65 Marcus Gilbert (R)
3. 72 Jonathan Scott
4. 61 Chris Scott
5. 66 Tony Hills
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6. 55 Trevis Turner (R)
7. 67 Kyle Jolly

GUARDS
1. 68 Chris Kemoeatu
2. 73 Ramon Foster
3. 62 Keith Williams (R)
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4. 72 John Malecki
5. 69 Nevin McCaskill

CENTERS
1. 53 Maurkice Pouncey
2. 64 Doug Legursky
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3. 54 Colin Miller (R)


DEFENSIVE ENDS
1. 91 Aaron Smith
2. 99 Brett Keisel
3. 96 Ziggy Hood
4. 95 Cameron Heyward (R)
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5. 77 Ra'Shon Harris
6. 69 Steve McLendon
7. 71 Corbin Bryant (R)
8. 65 Miguel Chavis (R)
9. 61 Ty Boyle (R)

NOSE TACKLES
1. 98 Casey Hampton
2. 76 Chris Hoke
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3. 67 Anthony Gray (R)

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
1. 92 James Harrison
2. 56 LaMarr Woodley
3. 97 Jason Worilds
4. 54 Chris Carter (R)
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5. 90 Chris Ellis
6. 47 Baraka Atkins
7. 46 Chris McCoy

INSIDE LINEBACKERS
1. 51 James Farrior
2. 94 Lawrence Timmons
3. 55 Stevenson Sylvester
4. 44 Mario Harvey (R)
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5. 50 Larry Foote
6. 48 Mortty Ivy

CORNERBACKS
1. 24 Ike Taylor
2. 22 Willie Gay
3. 40 Curtis Brown (R)
4. 23 Keenan Lewis
5. 39 Cortez Allen (R)
6. 28 Crezdon Butler
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7. 20 Bryant McFadden
8. 30 Donovan Warren
9. 27 Niles Brinkley (R)

SAFETIES
1. 43 Troy Polamalu
2. 25 Ryan Clark
3. 29 Ryan Mundy
4. 26 Will Allen
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5. 35 Brett Greenwood (R)
6. 42 Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith


SPECIALISTS
1. 6 Shaun Suisham (K)
2. 9 Dan Sepulveda (P)
3. 60 Greg Warren (LS)
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5. 13 Jeremy Kapinos (P)
6. 5 Swayze Walters (K)


2011 PITTSBURGH STEELERS PROJECTED ROSTER
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT EXP COLLEGE

4 Byron Leftwitch QB 6-5 250 9 Marshall
6 Shaun Suisham K 6-0 200 7 Bowling Green
7 Ben Roethlisberger QB 6-5 241 8 Miami (OH)
9 Dan Sepulveda P 6-3 230 5 Baylor
10 Dennis Dixon QB 6-3 209 4 Oregon
17 Mike Wallace WR 6-0 199 3 Mississippi
20 Curtis Brown CB 6-0 185 R Texas
21 Mewelde Moore RB 5-11 209 8 Tulane
22 Willie Gay CB 5-10 190 5 Louisville
23 Keenan Lewis CB 6-0 208 3 Oregon State
24 Ike Taylor CB 6-2 195 9 Louisiana-Lafayette
25 Ryan Clark FS 5-11 205 10 Louisiana State
26 Will Allen FS 6-1 200 8 Ohio State
27 Jonathan Dwyer RB 5-11 229 2 Georgia tech
28 Crezdon Butler CB 6-1 191 2 Clemson
29 Ryan Mundy S 6-1 209 3 West Virginia
33 Isaac Redman RB 6-0 230 3 Bowie State
34 Rashard Mendenhall RB 5-10 225 4 Illinois
39 Cortez Allen CB 6-1 196 R Citadel
43 Troy Polamalu SS 5-10 207 9 Southern California
44 Wesyle Saunders TE 6-5 270 R South Carolina
51 James Farrior ILB 6-2 243 15 Virginia
53 Maurkice Pouncey C 6-4 304 2 Florida
54 Chris Carter OLB 6-1 248 R Fresno State
55 Stevenson Sylvester ILB 6-2 231 2 Utah
56 LaMarr Woodley OLB 6-2 265 5 Michigan
57 Mario Harvey ILB 6-0 250 R Marshall
60 Greg Warren LS 6-3 252 7 North Carolina
61 Chris Scott RT/OG 6-4 319 2 Tennessee
62 Keith Williams OG 6-5 310 R Nebraska
64 Doug Legursky C/OG 6-1 315 3 Marshall
65 Marcus Gilbert LT 6-6 330 R Florida
66 Tony Hills LT 6-5 304 4 Texas
68 Chris Kemoeatu OG 6-3 344 7 Utah
72 Jonathan Scott OT 6-6 318 5 Texas
73 Ramon Foster RT/OG 6-6 325 3 Tennessee
74 Willie Colon RT 6-3 315 5 Hofstra
76 Chris Hoke NT/DT 6-2 305 10 Brigham Young
80 Limas Sweed WR 6-4 220 3 Texas
81 Arnaz Battle WR 6-1 208 9 Notre Dame
83 Heath Miller TE 6-5 256 7 Virginia
84 Antonio Brown WR 5-10 186 2 Central Michigan
85 David Johnson TE/FB 6-2 260 3 Arkansas State
86 Hines Ward WR 6-0 205 14 Georgia
88 Emmanuel Sanders WR 5-11 180 2 Southern Methodist
91 Aaron Smith DE 6-5 298 13 Colorado State
92 James Harrison OLB 6-0 242 8 Kent
94 Lawrence Timmons ILB 6-1 234 5 Florida State
95 Cameron Heyward DE 6-5 288 R Ohio State
96 Ziggy Hood DE/DT 6-3 300 3 Missouri
97 Jason Worilds OLB 6-2 262 2 Virginia Tech
98 Casey Hampton NT 6-1 325 11 Texas
99 Brett Keisel DE 6-5 282 10 Brigham Young

[K Train]

i think dwyer is falling out of favor, and im not sure id be comfortable with keeping gay and lewis over mcfadden

[darnik44]

i think dwyer is falling out of favor, and im not sure id be comfortable with keeping gay and lewis over mcfadden

Gay is more than likely going to be the starter opposite Ike Taylor. Lewis has a lot of potential and has shown improvement and is young. McFadden played pretty bad last season. CB is certainly the most up in the air position with a ton of competition, which is a good thing. I think McFadden, Butler, and Lewis will all battle it out for the last 2 spots there. Taylor, Gay, Brown, and Allen will all make the roster.

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Good to see ya back Darnik, always like your analysis dude!

- I agree for the most part on how you see it, however a few key points/changes I would consider.

- I think Batch makes it over Dixon. I think they are more comfortable with Charlie being the 3rd backup and letting Dixon walk. Dennis has had very little playing time and missed all of last year.

- I think Batch makes it over Dwyer, and then Clay probably makes the PS.

- I really this young Saunders kid, he's got a chance to make the roster, no question.

- I wouldn't be surprised if Tony Hills stays on the roster, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's cut either. Jolly could edge him out.

- Chris Carter is a bit on the small side compared to the other OLB's on the team. He's got a ways to go to be field ready from what I understand but they make take him on as a project.

- Foote makes the roster over Harvey at this point. Given the Steelers love for veterans I can see Larry sticking around again for ST and backup roles.

- Cornerbacks are the big question, I agree with most of your assessments with the exception of McFadden. Personally I'd like to see all the young guys take control of their future and edge the veterans that have had questionable success recently. I think BMac will probably still make the roster but it wouldn't shock me if he's gone.

- Cromartie-Smith is an interesting player. If he has a good camp and preseason, I could see him edging out Will Allen. The only thing that might keep Allen on the roster is that he is experienced and with Polamalu hurt a lot they may want an older player backing him up.

- Specialists, this one is a toss up. Nobody is safe at this point, except Greg Warren. I like Sepulveda but I'm tired of the team having to search for a Punter, mid season every year.

[darnik44]

The Steelers showed pre-draft interest in Mario Harvey. He was a tackle machine at Marshall, and a prototype ILB for the Steelers defense. Larry Foote's best football is behind him and the roster is full of veteran leaders. The defense needs to get younger. With Worilds, Carter, Sylvester, and Harvey there is a young backup (all with high potential) being groomed behind the seasoned vets in Harrison, Woodley, Farrior, and Timmons.

Baron batch could make the squad over Dwyer. He can block and could in time fill the role of Mewelde Moore. That's definetly a spot to keep an eye on. One week into camp though, Dwyer has to have the edge.

Tony Hills can play both LT and RT. Jolly is more of a RT only, and Trevis Turner is more of a LT only. That's where I see Hills having a slight edge over those two.

I think Will Allen will gain favor over Cromartie-Smith because of the durability issues with all the Steelers current safeties. Allen has game experience. I'm not sure they would feel comfortable throwing Cromartie-Smith into the fire if a couple injuries happen at safety (which is almost inevitable).

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Dwyer hasn't had a real good camp so far. I have to imagine he's already in Tomlin's dog house after showing up over weight and not being able to finish the run test. I can definitely see Batch taking over Mewelde's role, but if it came down to Moore making the team and then Dwyer or Batch, I'd give the edge to Batch, as of now atleast.

I agree that Foote's best days are behind him, and I would love to see the team get younger in key areas like backup linebacker. Outside, I think the team is looking good with Worilds waiting in the wings. On the inside though, I'm not convinced that Foote won't have a roster spot. He's still pretty productive and can play pretty well on ST too. I love Sylvester in the middle, I think he's got a great future. I just think Harvey is going to have to have a great camp and preseason to unseat Foote, who can still bring it.

[Rampage]

At this point I agree with your list for the most part, with a few moves:

RB: Baron Batch over Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer doesn't seem to do much, and it looks like Batch is really trying to make a name for himself. I would like to see him rewarded with the roster spot.

WR: Tyler Grisham over Arnaz Battle. Battle contributes very little to the team and I have always like Grisham; I would love to see what he can do for the team. He sure has more upside that Battle.

CB: McFadden over Gay/Lewis/Allen. I would love to see one of the younger guys push for a roster spot over McFadden, but I don't see the team doing it.

[igor0190]

I wish the front office would remind the coaches again about needing to develop the young talent on the roster quicker. We need guys like Marcus Gilbert, Curtis Brown, and Crezdon Butler to be given opportunities to step up and contribute.

[Root4Stlrs]

I think Baron Batch makes team over Jonathan Dwyer. Of course, this is all second hand but NFL radio guys were talking last night about how Batch actually likes to pick up blitzers. They had nothing but good things to say about him. Also the comments they were quoting from Mike Tomlin made it sound as if he likes Arnaz Battle to make team. Described his "high football IQ" and fact that he was a QB. They were lavishing the most praise on Antonio Brown.

--- Added 8/6/2011 at 04:50 PM ---


I wish the front office would remind the coaches again about needing to develop the young talent on the roster quicker. We need guys like Marcus Gilbert, Curtis Brown, and Crezdon Butler to be given opportunities to step up and contribute.

It sounds like all the young corners are spending more time off practice field b/c of injuries/illnesses, etc.

[andyg1984]

Dwyer has to be an impostor .. does not even look at all like the guy we saw at GT.. total POS ... i have never in my life been intrigued by Memo so imo if batch is average he is on the team week 1 ..

i expect to see ziggy at NT a bunch too, so i almost think he is our #2 there over hoke ..

[K Train]

sylvester saying he put on 25 pounds of muscle and is not 255ish, any concerns i had about him playing next to timmons are now erased, those 2 are going to eat babies

[Farrior Fan]

Love Sly, agreed that he is gonna be a monster. Perfect timing, he may be starting by mid season.

[Black@Gold Forever32]

sylvester saying he put on 25 pounds of muscle and is not 255ish, any concerns i had about him playing next to timmons are now erased, those 2 are going to eat babies

Yea Train I agree with you man....I was impressed with him last year and really I hope Sly starts.....But I still see Farrior and Timmons as the starters....But I expect to see Sly play a ton this year....He will have a role on this team this year......

[Zachintosh66]

QUARTERBACKS - who is cheaper? Batch or Dixon...

RUNNING BACKS
Dwyer is done. Batch makes it, Clay to PS.

WIDE RECEIVERS - if we sign Jericho, then Sweed is gone. Battle is good for the ST's but remains to be seen if he makes the overall. I have a soft spot for Grisham, not sure if hes good for our system tho.

TIGHT ENDS Gilmore makes tthe cut, Saunders to PS

OFFENSIVE TACKLES - HATE this group! Hope we sign a recently released vet. Prolly not tho.

GUARDS - Ditto hate this group too

DEFENSIVE ENDS - Harris prolly PS again, McClendon is close to making this team...

LINEBACKERS - Foote makes it

CORNERBACKS - McFadden isnt going anywhere

SAFETIES - Would like to see Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith make it.

[igor0190]

Well Keyaron Fox just signed with the Redskins, so i'd say that partly because they realize Sly is a monster and needs to be on the field more.

[uclkyle]

I agree with all points. Dwyer is in real trouble. I don't see McFadden getting cut, they will find a spot for him. Not sure about Sweed either. I'd like to see Sepulveda GONE and Kapinos in.