Ok, so with camp under a week away heres what i think about the steelers this year. Everyone is so quick to jump all over the offensive line right away, they say it sucks so bad and has only gotten worse with losing faneca....well faneca was a good player for us for a long time but guard is hardly an irreplacable position and he wasnt among the elite last year anyway...we lost joey porter last year, we lost his game, his leadership, his motivation....then what? james harrison comes in and makes the probowl and is names team MVP despite ben throwing a franchise record 32 TD passes...even better than the immortal terry bradshaw :icon_rolleyes:. we'll be fine and heres why. Sean mahan is a snitch, he got eaten alive and the only reason hes on the team is because hes 1) Expensive and 2) "versatile"....he might have a future as a guard but i doubt it, hes a servicable backup though...it must suck being known as the guy that makes your line better when he leaves....ask tampa. Id rather have 4 olinemen than have mahan snapping the ball this year. Justin hartwig doesnt even have to show up for camp to take that spot from him and im not gonna lie i would like us to take a look at bentley. Guard becomes interesting. Both spots are up for grabs, we have kemoeateveryfreakingthinghesees, who is a mauling run blocker, but thats about it...he cant pull or pass protect. we have Kendall simmons who sometimes looks good and sometimes looks like a waste of a roster spot, he has lost some strength since he got diabetes and he hasnt been the same since the knee injury...hes not terrible as a RG though, average pass blocker and a solid run blocker. Then my favorite of the group is willie colon, hes a nasty motherhecker and it shows when he plays...he was thrown into the fire last year as a tackle despite not being a prototypical sized tackle he did a great job, his arms are short but he made up for it with athleticism . i really would like to see him take fanecas spot or at the very least slide over one spot to RG...i think tomlin likes him and wants him on the field. Starks better show he can start at RT this year....i dont freaking get this guy, has all the tools you could ask for to play pro football and hes such a freaking snitch. He goes from incredibly dominate against shawne merriman and julius peppers to getting raped by no name guys that dont matter, i just dont get it and hes shown why florida players are failures lol. Hes making alot of money, lets get it together now you hecktard. Marvel smith is gonna be healthy and play LT for us again and i dont want him to go i think he gets resigned next season because hes got the mindset that faneca didnt. Tony Hills is sitting this year but hes gonna be a baller, hes a terrific pass blocker and a franchise LT in the making...its only a matter of time. Trai essex....bust, darnell stapleton....bum, jason cappizi.....mammoth bum, mahan....can go die. sometimes at night i dream about guys like Michael Oher or Andre Smith playing tackle for the steelers. Ben got his money because he showed hes among the leagues best. Brady or manning wouldnt have done crap with that line last year other than die....ben is so damn elusive and thats what made him so successful last year. Now i have a love hate relationship with hines ward, i love him because he makes important plays, i hate him because hes getting top WR money and plays primarily in the slot which is an awesome place for him, but hes got bad knees and bad hamstrings and misses games every year now after years of being that durable guy you could count on to be there, but nate and holmes were great when ward was out. He got paid, got the superbowl MVP....its time to take a paycut and do whats best for the team or plan on not being a steeler next year. Im not gonna lie, when i see holmes throw a nasty block on kamerion wimbley or go up and get a ball like ward does i get chills, hes done great things for holmes and i love it. nate has been progressing every year and is becoming a more polished WR and imo is one of the best 3rd or 4th options out there, hes incredibly fast too. And then theres sweed....ben wanted his tall wr and we got the only one i gave a damn about, height is so overrated but we got a good one who happens to be pretty tall, i hope we get him signed and he learns the playbook quick so he can be a factor sooner rather than later, he was drafted to replace holmes when holmes replaces ward (officially since hes kinda already the #1). And heath miller is a baller, one of the best TEs in the league and not many people know it, he wont kill you with his speed but hes got great hands and runs pretty routes. Spaeth is a vicious blocker and at 6-7 hes a huge redzone target...gotta love it. We got a good problem at RB, willie is not a feature back, he never will be. Hes fast and hes got good power but he lack big time in vision, patience, hands, and stamina...hes not a guy that gets better as the game goes on, he wears down....but hes been very durable over his career and i do like him, i just hate having to rely on him. Hes what i would call the perfect backup, its mean to say backup but by backup i mean complimetary guy with 10-12 touches a game...thats where hes at his best, id rather see him burn someone for 80 yards in the 4th than go 3 yards on 3 carries in the first. We should be very disappointed if mendenhall doesnt take over the starting job in 1-2 years. I think him and willie are gonna be nasty, weve seen good duos before with preist and LJ, taylor and MJD, rhodes and addai and i think this duo is gonna be special, especially with both of them on the field...even though both are god awful at pass blocking lol. Memo should be sick on 3rd down, good blocker and great reciever...hes drawing kevin faulk comparisons (minus the weed) which is something ben really needs. And the defense...they defense is badass but it has its flaws. brett keisel has one year before i knock him to bum status...its a tough position to play and hes undersized but he CAN do it. Casey needs to get a little leaner, but hes still one of the best, and aaron smith is a master of the position, theres not a better 34end out there. If mcbean steps it up, it will take a ton of pressure off everyone, including the coaches for next years draft...but im not counting on it, i mean our day 2 picks usually fail. The linebackers are awesome...Harrison is a beast, and he is playing a position he shouldnt be playing, he should be inside but he makes the probowl outside....thats impressive. Woodley is starting and he will lead the league in sacks for LBs....im calling it, he couldnt be stopped when he was on the field last year. Farrior is still playing good and is the leader of the defense and foote even though on his way out is still solid....timmons will push hard for playing time, hes gonna be a good one. Hopefully Bmac takes the #2 corner spot this year because deshea is a nasty NB. Ike is very underrated, he cant catch but hes an awesome corner, tomlin was the best thing to happen to him. William gay is a baller in his own right i hope he sees the field more this year. I dont think ryan clark will ever be the same, he might bounce back but i have my doubts....i love anthony smith, even thougn everyone rips him apart for the pats game like it was all his fault and the pats werent gonna win anyway. he'll bounce back, thats what tomlin does with DBs, hes a cocky bastard but i love it...hes got the best hands on the defense, hes got good closing speed and hes a big time hitter...i have faith in him. then theres freaking troy....he better blow crap away this year and stay healthy...i hate him because he s semen puking butthole rodhead that trains like a female gymnist and eats like a hippi...i hope he can play like the worlds highest paid saftey this year and maybe not whiff so many tackles and maybe pick something off every once in a while....until he starts making big plays hes on my crap list because i refuse to like someone because of his hair..... the browns are the most overrated team ever steelers will win the division before failing against either the pats or jags in the playoffs....both of whom own us
Aaron Smith is much better than Seymour. You'd have to have only seen Seymour play and hear his name to think he was better. RS gets more limelight, but Smith is the best 3-4 DE in the league. Ben is better than Bradshaw at this point in Ben's career. Bradshaw is a Top 10 QB of All-Time, so Ben's got a long way to go. Bradshaw was doing crap in the 70's that no other QB could do. You can only appreciate that by watching him play. I hated the guy back then but have mad respect for him! The Steelers O-Line was awful. I think Hartwig could help, but the loss of Faneca won't help. Hines Ward is done. He's probably one of the better "#2" guys out there. I don't know about him playing in the slot, I haven't seen him recently, but when he was on his game, he was on. One of the most under rated all around talents at the WR postion. But he's on his down swing. I'd take him in Green Bay in a second. Holmes is monster!!! Sweed could be sick! Washington has butter fingers. Drops key passes from what I've seen. The Browns will win the division by one game. They have a slightly easier schedule, but the Steelers will sweep them.
ward is nasty in the slot, he could run underneath routes and throw nasty blocks all day long. Nate has incredible speed, he hasnt been the most polished WR but he was an undrafted FA from freaking tiffin lol what do you expect....hes gotten much much better seymour might be more versatile for the fact that he can play NT but aaron smith has the DE position down pat, his technique is damn near flawless
