Pittsburgh Steelers offseason

• BR1986FB

  So you think Tate can step in as a rookie and put up the same numbers that Holmes did THIS year?
• killer_ewok

  

  BR1986FB wrote: So you think Tate can step in as a rookie and put up the same numbers that Holmes did THIS year?

  No. But you said that you thought he "won't make near the impact." I disagree with that. He wouldn't step in and give them Holmes-like production but I think it wouldn't be as far off as you think. I don't think he'll have that same Holmes impact if drafted by the Steelers but I think it would be relatively close. Wallace/Ward will be the #1/2 and Tate #3. I think he could have a big impact in the slot with Ward and Wallace on the outside. Tate is great after the catch. Get him the ball and watch him go.
• BR1986FB

  Ehhh...another moot point because if they are smart they will take the Pouncey kid.
• killer_ewok

  

  BR1986FB wrote: Ehhh...another moot point because if they are smart they will take the Pouncey kid.

  Moot point because he might not be there.
• killer_ewok

  

  killer_ewok wrote:

  BR1986FB wrote: Ehhh...another moot point because if they are smart they will take the Pouncey kid.

  Moot point because he might not be there.

  This is a moot point too because it appears that replying with "moot point" became cool all of the sudden.
• Non

  

  I was in favor of trading Ben about a week ago but only if they could get a huge deal. I don't think that's a possibility so they should just forget about it and see what happens over time. Focus on the rest of the draft.
  
  I'd be perfectly fine with Pouncey at No. 18, although he's not valued quite that high around the league. He's always been more in the 25-32 range except for the Steelers who need that center/guard. Kevin Colbert has been pretty clear that the Steelers will likely take the best available player -- and not reach -- which could open up some possibilities besides Pouncey. They may elect to trade down and try to pick up an additional pick.
  
  I hate the idea of the Steelers picking a wide receiver with their first pick whenever that is. But I also wish they could get Golden Tate somehow. He would be a perfect fit for the Steelers. Sometimes you just have to know it when you see it. I can't imagine the Steelers front office missing the boat here. So it just comes down to figuring out how to play it and get in position.
• killdeer

  

  Ben will not be traded. Not that he doesn't deserve to be. The Rooney's are just too classy.
  
  The Steelers will not sniff the playoffs. They are broke. Ben must share the blame for that.
  
  someday Ben will be mentioned in the same breathe as Art Schlichter and Jeff George and Todd Marinovich.
  
  tragic.
• Non

  

  I'm not sure how the season will go now. It's tough to predict with the QB situation.
  
  But I still think if the defense bounces back and plays like a top 5 unit the Steelers could still sniff the playoffs. Another 9-7 type year where they're needing help down the stretch.
• sonofsam

  

  Pittsburgh has a few issues on their plate... They WILL trade Ben if they get the draft pick for a QB they want. My guess is you will know tomorrow by 4pm if Ben will stay with the Steelers or not. If he does stay, they need to think WR. Pouncy is not the answer... WR is. Just watch the draft tomorrow. WR will be first pick... Someone that Ward can groom. Do I hear Golden Tate anyone???
• Non

  

  They did create too much of a buzz about Ben possibly being traded. Even if it was intended to be a scare, Ben and his agent may have responded by asking for a trade and a change of scenery. Now you have ESPN believing it has some teeth and they're running with it. All that extra attention could lead to something happening, possibly another team figuring out a way to get him. I still think it will end up being a bad return for the Steelers.
• BR1986FB

  I posted on the other Roethlisberger thread that PFT was reporting the Raiders approached the Steelers about Ben. Pittsburgh wanted the #8 pick which the Raiders scoffed at when the Steelers wouldn't throw in the #18. I think he stays because, right now, in the leagues eyes he's viewed as radioactive. They will never get the compensation that they feel he's worth. In fact, I don't think they would get better than a 2nd rounder unless there was a team in the back end of the draft that needed a QB. With the way the Raiders throw away draft picks, they should have taken that deal.
• BR1986FB

  killdeer wrote: Ben will not be traded. Not that he doesn't deserve to be. The Rooney's are just too classy.

  I disagree.
  
  I think the Rooney's ARE classy but I DO think they want to move him. I think this "they are just dangling him out there to scare him" stuff is bullshit. I think they are seething that they forked out the largest contract in Steeler history and this drunk basically pissed on them.
  
  I personally think if they could get fair value for him they WOULD move him because they wouldn't want to pay the ingrate another dime. And who could blame them?
• ytownfootball

  

  Plus, any team that would pick him up would be expected by the Steelers to pick up a good chunk of the gauranteed contract money it can be assumed, most would be unwilling to do so I'd imagine.
• Non

  

  You really don't see many centers going in the Top 18 of the draft. Damien Woody went to New England at No. 17 in 1999. Cleveland has chosen three centers in the top 21 picks since 1993 -- Steve Everitt (14), Jeff Faine (21) and Alex Mack (21).
  
  Pouncey does bring versatility being able to play guard but the Steelers probably need to be sold that he's a perennial Pro Bowl-caliber center to draft him that high.
  
  A defensive back like Joe Haden or Earl Thomas, if they can get one of those guys, could bring in a lot of playmaking to the 3-4 defense. More like a Rod Woodson type of all-around player rather than the players they have now who drop everything and never seem to create turnovers.
  
  Tate would add a receiver and playmaker to the offense but also it would be a positive jolt getting a player with his attitude and competitiveness. After all the negative press lately you would be getting a player that loves to play and understands the big picture, being a good fit with the Steelers and being compared to Hines Ward, and trying to work hard and live up to that.
  
  Just saying. Those are some things to consider.
• BR1986FB

  I'm now thinking that Pouncey will go before the Steelers pick and they will end up with Haden.
• Non

  

  I believe Dennis Dixon can be a good starting QB. There is a chance that the players rally around him. Maybe a little bit because he's a black QB. But really just because they know he's been thrust into this position and needs everyone else to provide good support.
  
  Where they can't replace Ben is on third downs, in the clutch, when he's able to create something out of nothing. There are a lot of those plays where the defense has the right play called and it should be stopped but Ben is able to convert and move the chains under that pressure. A mediocre guy like Jason Campbell will keep throwing it away and settling for punt after punt instead of making the play that burns the defense up. Dixon will be able to make some of those with his legs but against a good defense like Baltimore or New England they'll just call the right play and intercept the pass and that will be the game.
• Non

  

  Chet Gladchuck was the last center the Steelers took in the first round back in 1941, according to the Post-Gazette.
• thavoice

  steelers had a long line of great centers....mansfield, webster, Dirt, hartings for a short time, and then.....well.....it fell off with an undersized Mahan and now hartwig..who isnt terrible.
  
  the center is the QB of the OL. If they can find one....i say go for it..........but dont overreach of course.
• thavoice

  Non wrote: I believe Dennis Dixon can be a good starting QB. There is a chance that the players rally around him. Maybe a little bit because he's a black QB. But really just because they know he's been thrust into this position and needs everyone else to provide good support.
  
  Where they can't replace Ben is on third downs, in the clutch, when he's able to create something out of nothing. There are a lot of those plays where the defense has the right play called and it should be stopped but Ben is able to convert and move the chains under that pressure. A mediocre guy like Jason Campbell will keep throwing it away and settling for punt after punt instead of making the play that burns the defense up. Dixon will be able to make some of those with his legs but against a good defense like Baltimore or New England they'll just call the right play and intercept the pass and that will be the game.

  I thought the playcalling hampered him quite a bit in his start at baltimore...but you cannot blame him. Balt is a tough place for even BR to go in and try to win by throwing the ball. they were very protective of Dixon. he started welll...and tailed off. If he is going to start for 4-6 games, and I dont think he will, they will need to count on him to do more.
  
  
  In a sick, and twisted way, I could see Bens suspension making this team better down the road. The defense will know it has to step it up, pluse all training camp the OL and OC knows they will need to run better. look for them to rededicate to the run, even moreso than Rooney proclaimed in the offseason. They were goin to do more but look for even a bigger emphasis.
  
  they will run it better...then when ben comes come for game 5 after the bye week ittll take a few weeks for the passing attack to get back but the running game will be better for the stretch run.
• Non

  

  I'm thinking maybe Dorin Dickerson as a mid-round pick.
  
  Pittsburgh native and Pitt product is a hybrid TE/WR/H-back.
  
  He's 6'2 226 and ran a 4.4, did 24 reps and had a 43 1/2 vertical. Great athlete that played WR and LB in college before emerging as a tight end last year.
  
  Plus early in the season they could have Dennis Dixon to Dorin Dickerson.
• THE4RINGZ

  

  If Dixon gets the starts in BR's absence I look for the team to get the running game going early, and not rely on his arm or rather his decision making ability at least in the first few starts. They are going to have to game plan in a manner that will build some confidence in Dixon.
  
  I am inclined to believe Byron is the starter in week one, unless Dixon really kicks ass in camp. Byron is a proven starter who isn't going to hurt you too often with bad decisions.
• Non

  

  There aren't really any lunchpail blocking fullbacks worth taking. But Dickerson given his athletic ability and decent strength might be able to transform into a longterm fullback with the ability to catch passes.
• thavoice

  BR will be able to practice during preseason but not practice or work out at the facility while suspended.
  
  i imagine when it is over even if the bye week is in there he may not be able to start right away.
• BR1986FB

  Take this fwiw....
  
  Ben Roethlisberger to Oakland Raiders a Done Deal?
  
  AUTHOR: Derek Peiffer | IN: AFC | COMMENTS: 25 C
  
  Could Big Ben be on his way to the Black Hole?
  
  According to “Kobe,” a former radio jockey in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders have completed a deal, pending league approval, that would send suspended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Oakland for Nnamdi Asomugha and a swap of first-round picks.
  
  Reports early this week had pointed to the Steelers openly shopping Roethlisberger, and even going as far to call teams with top 10 picks in Thursday’s NFL draft to gauge interest.
  
  More specifically, Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, had hinted at trade talks heating up between the Steelers and Raiders, and they may have finally come to fruition.
  
  After his most recent run-in with the law, Roethlisberger seemed to have fallen out of favor with not only the fans in Pittsburgh, but the almighty Rooney family which eats, sleeps, and breathes everything associated with Steeler football.
  
  The deal, if true, would help both sides fill an immediate need, while allowing both to maintain a first-round pick to further help their team through the draft.
  
  Oakland has been a team in shambles in recent years, and has been in search of a franchise quarterback since the departure of Rich Gannon. Roethlisberger fills that need, and allows Oakland to move on from the disaster that was Jamarcus Russell.
  
  Meanwhile, the Steelers, who have had one of the less-than-stellar secondaries over the last few seasons, gain one of the best corners in the NFL (2nd best by my count) in Nnamdi Asomugha, while also ridding themselves of the dark cloud hovering over the franchise stemming from Roethlisberger’s recent behavior.
  
  The move also allows them to move up ten slots, to the number eight pick, where they could get their hands on the next franchise quarterback in Jimmy Clausen.
  
  It’s rare to trade a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, but it’s even more rare to replace him immediately, and the Steelers have a chance to do that here. It is a must for the Steelers to move Roethlisberger this off-season, and this may be the best deal they get to do so.
  
  It’s also rare that you can trade for a franchise quarterback. Well, at least before this season with Donovan McNabb going to Washington. You don’t get these opportunities everyday so, if the rumors are true, both teams must jump at this chance.
  
  
  http://nflspinzone.com/2010/04/22/ben-roethlisberger-to-oakland-raiders-a-done-deal/
• Al Capone

  I would be ok with that deal.