... Ike Taylor Under the Gun

**SteelersWoman** · 04-12-2007, 05:06 PM

Posted Apr 4th 2007 11:14PM by JJ Cooper
As part of their continuing series analyzing every NFL team's draft needs, ESPN.com has posted their look at the Steelers. As they see it, this has been a tumultuous offseason for the Steelers (True), and Mike Tomlin will have to prove that he can live up to Bill Cowher's legacy (True). Jeremy Green also writes that the Steelers are still a team that could contend for division titles and even more this upcoming season, as the majority of the Super Bowl champions from 2005 are still here (True).
But the one place where I can't agree with Green's story or Mel Kiper's thoughts on the video that accompanies the report is that the Steelers' top need might be cornerback. Kiper has the Steelers taking Pittsburgh cornerback Darrell Revis, who would likely work his way into the starting lineup before too long.
But while the secondary struggled last season, it's hard for me to see cornerback as one of the Steelers' biggest needs. It all comes down to Ike Taylor. If he returns to the form he showed two seasons ago, everything's fine at CB--Taylor works as the No. 1, Bryant McFadden is a solid No. 2, Deshea Townsend still has enough to be a good No. 3 corner, and if healthy Ricardo Coclough is a much better No. 4 cornerback than he is a punt returner.
Now admittedly Taylor didn't live up to that role last year, but he wasn't that bad--he seemed more to be a scapegoat Cowher pointed at to signify the defense's larger problems. If he can get some of his confidence back and fix a couple of bad habits mechanically, he still has a chance to be a Pro Bowl cornerback in the future. And the Steelers need him to return to form--Taylor still has four years left on a deal that carries a cap number of $5 million and up for the rest of the deal.
So in my mind, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend a first-rounder on a cornerback, especially when there is plenty of depth at the position and quality corners can be found in later rounds.

http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/20...%2F&frame=true

**BB2W** · 04-12-2007, 05:15 PM

We really need him to bounce back...

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 04-12-2007, 05:23 PM

I can't wait to see Mel Kipers reaction when we don't take a CB in the first round, and then watch him try and dance around the subject.

**BBG7** · 04-12-2007, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by BB2W

We really need him to bounce back...

I think he will. I like how Tomlin is building him back up after last season.

**okiesteeler** · 04-12-2007, 06:05 PM

Ike Taylor will make a good comeback, and the Steelers will have the best defense in the league yet again.

**BlackGold4vr** · 04-13-2007, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by TOP GUN

I can't wait to see Mel Kipers reaction when we don't take a CB in the first round, and then watch him try and dance around the subject.

That's the problem with most of these sports 'experts', they are never held accountable for anything they say. They could be wrong 99.9% of the time and still end up on MNF like Joe Theismann did. What I have found is that very few of these guys is completely unbiased towards one team or another. They all have their 'favorites' who they always have nice things to say about and then the teams they 'don't like' who they reserve most of their criticism for. Not a lot of them are Steeler fans! But thats okay because I enjoy hearing them try to tap dance out of the predictions they often have for our demise.

**Blitzburghpete** · 04-16-2007, 04:22 PM

quote " I think he will. I like how Tomlin is building him back up after last season."

Just for the record what has Tomlin been saying about Taylor then to build him up?
I agree that we don't need to pick CB as top pick as we have two starters out of Taylor/Townends/Mcfadden, with Colcloguh not far behind that.

First pick should be for DE where Smith is awsome and Kiesel does a job but after that the talent dips dramatically.