Daniel McCullers

[Bigappleyinzer]

Every Golden Corral and Ponderosa franchise owner shat themselves when they heard that he was coming to the burgh...

6'7 and close to 400 lbs? Damn bro. May be the biggest player in the league...

At that size, he can be an average or even a poor technique player and still draw double teams....

 

[Superman]

I dont think he was well-coached under Dooley.
Butch may have coached him up some. He's a good sized project for our coaching staff.

 

[steelville]

They oughta bring Big Snack to training camp this year to coach him a bit on technique...

 

[Tibs]

Couple of good reads on McCullers:

The Biggest Thing in College Football? Literally, Tennessee's Daniel McCullers
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ootball-literally-tennessees-daniel-mccullers

Daniel McCullers: Tennessee's big man on campus
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/spor...llers-tennessees-big-man-on-campus/57768344/1

 

[TMC]

I questioned the fit of Shazier in the first. I thought he got bounced around too easily and needed to be in a defense that protected him more. Now, he was lighter in college than he is now (put on 15 pounds for the combine). Then, the Steelers drafted Tuitt, who has good power and speed and plays as a legitimate 310 pound DL. Still, to me, not quite enough oomph in front of the smaller linebackers. McCullers changes that. According to Coach Mitchell, they want him to drop another 20 pounds and get to 330, that is still massive. They also added Philon (who is a legit 300 pounder) and Mauro (who they list at 282). When you have Williams and Arnfelt coming back, that is a host of big defensive linemen and gives some belief that they can keep this smaller LBs clean.

McCullers pops up off the snap, but he still is so big and strong he rarely gets pushed out and you cannot just leave him on a center because when he wants to, he pushes single guys around. The Steelers could be looking at 3 big, strong, DL and two quick guys on the edges. Hard to double them, even harder to slide guys to the next level.

 

[Steel Not A Player]

I questioned the fit of Shazier in the first. I thought he got bounced around too easily and needed to be in a defense that protected him more. Now, he was lighter in college than he is now (put on 15 pounds for the combine). Then, the Steelers drafted Tuitt, who has good power and speed and plays as a legitimate 310 pound DL. Still, to me, not quite enough oomph in front of the smaller linebackers. McCullers changes that. According to Coach Mitchell, they want him to drop another 20 pounds and get to 330, that is still massive. They also added Philon (who is a legit 300 pounder) and Mauro (who they list at 282). When you have Williams and Arnfelt coming back, that is a host of big defensive linemen and gives some belief that they can keep this smaller LBs clean.

McCullers pops up off the snap, but he still is so big and strong he rarely gets pushed out and you cannot just leave him on a center because when he wants to, he pushes single guys around. The Steelers could be looking at 3 big, strong, DL and two quick guys on the edges. Hard to double them, even harder to slide guys to the next level.

Here's what I don't get. We need a Shazier outside, but coach is talking about playing him inside. Why? Doesn't it make more sense, with all this beef in the middle, to put Shazier's wheels at ROLB where they'd do the most damage?

 

[Steelers1356]

Looks like practice squad material to me...

I don't think he would clear waivers. Unless he totally bombs out in training camp I think this guy will need to be on the final roster in order to keep him.

 

[keslerclan]

IMO, they will play Shazier both inside and outside in situations. What he brings to the table is his quick burst (probably better than any LB we have had). They will use him for the 3 LB stunts we saw last year and the more traditional 'up the middle' blitzes we used to see all the time with Farrior. I'm not sure of Timmons at 'buck' (if he hasn't gotten it by now) but Williams was not the answer. The most important thing is getting Troy out of the box at 'faux LB'. We are a much better defense when he is allowed to improvise from further out. I would rather have him 'jumping' crossing routes than getting stuffed at the line by guys who are 100# heavier than him.

As far as the DL goes. I think we have gotten better. If Heyward stays healthy, McClendon will improve and I wouldn't be surprised to see Arnfelt and Tuitt rotating. If McCullers can get his 'beef' together, he could be intriguing as either a DE or a NT. He has the ability to collapse the pocket but needs better leverage to disengage on run plays. He's not better than anyone we have right now but like Nik Williams, he has an upside that is worth trying to develop.

 

[TMC]

Here's what I don't get. We need a Shazier outside, but coach is talking about playing him inside. Why? Doesn't it make more sense, with all this beef in the middle, to put Shazier's wheels at ROLB where they'd do the most damage?

Nope, because Shazier lacks the pop to beat blocks in one on one situations and he cannot hold the point of attack. Shazier needs to be covered up. They just spent a first round pick on Jarvis Jones and handed Worilds a little over $9M. Behind them, they will utilize Arthur Moats, who played DE for Buffalo and then moved inside, where he struggled. He was moved back outside to OLB, where he was better. Steelers consider him a backup OLB that can play ILB. Still have Chris Carter. He has all the raw tools but has never translated. Also have Terrance Garvin, who is position flexible.

I think the guy that everyone should pay some attention to right now is Howard Jones. Jones is a small school guy some had rated as a 4th round prospect. His measureables are 6024-235. He ran a 4.54 at the combine. His 10-yard split was 1.56 at his pro day and 1.61 at the combine. He had 21 reps, had a VJ of 40.5", BJ of 10'4", solid shuttle and cone times. He has an arm length of over 34". He is a put together kid. Played for the Rams, similar helmet to Colorado State, reminds me a lot of a young Joey Porter.

I think they are young, but I would not freak out about it yet. Of course, I do not have exceptionally high expectations heading into this season. This is a team in transition. The starting NT, DE, both OLBs, ILB, CB, and FS are all new or in their first two seasons. On offense, still have OL questions, holes at WR, and a young/new RB corp.

Those guys have to acclimate quickly if the Steelers plan on contending. Definitely not the make up of a team that needs to throw money at aging veterans to make a run.

 

[Steel Not A Player]

I agree that we're building through the draft and doing it the right way.

The possibility of dominance in a couple of years does seem realistic.

 

[Hines57]

We may lack depth, but our starters on defense are going to have to produce. We've retooled this entire defense except for Troy and Ike now. Its time for the next generation of great Steeler defenders to grow up and stand out. This is their time. I believe next year's draft after we get a cornerback will be more about offense and adding depth at positions.

 

[slashsteel]

IMO, they will play Shazier both inside and outside in situations. What he brings to the table is his quick burst (probably better than any LB we have had). They will use him for the 3 LB stunts we saw last year and the more traditional 'up the middle' blitzes we used to see all the time with Farrior. I'm not sure of Timmons at 'buck' (if he hasn't gotten it by now) but Williams was not the answer. The most important thing is getting Troy out of the box at 'faux LB'. We are a much better defense when he is allowed to improvise from further out. I would rather have him 'jumping' crossing routes than getting stuffed at the line by guys who are 100# heavier than him.

As far as the DL goes. I think we have gotten better. If Heyward stays healthy, McClendon will improve and I wouldn't be surprised to see Arnfelt and Tuitt rotating. If McCullers can get his 'beef' together, he could be intriguing as either a DE or a NT. He has the ability to collapse the pocket but needs better leverage to disengage on run plays. He's not better than anyone we have right now but like Nik Williams, he has an upside that is worth trying to develop.

I was thinking it would be more of Cam starting and sprinkling Tuitt in........

 

[deljzc]

When I scouted McCullers, I actually thought he would be best losing 20-30 lbs and converting to a 3-4 DE. Especially on the strong side (left) where he can get matched up on tackles and use that reach to disrupt passing lanes. I compared him to a potential much lesser Calais Campbell.

I know people are tempted to look at him as NT, but his height might not be a great attribute there, where the guards/centers can get inside his length and get much lower leverage on him. They will also attack his body/legs to keep his hands down. Tackles are not as used to cut blocking and not using their length to their advantage. Someone like McCullers causes them fits.

He's a good rotational guy right now, but unless he can control his weight he won't hit his potential. The less belly we see on him at camp, the better he's going to do in pads.

 

[tjack]

I don't know much about Tennessee's surrounding cast he played with, but imagine how this guy could plug the middle with Heyward and Tuitt playing along side of him, And Worilds, Timmons, Shazier, and Jones right behind him? He would split time with McClendon no doubt but with a little grooming could be a monster in the middle.

Time to go hunting for QB's and RB's.

 

[freak]

They oughta bring Big Snack to training camp this year to coach him a bit on technique...

from big snack to big mac

 

[TMC]

I think he is capable of getting to 330. He was 420 when he came out of high school.

 

[keslerclan]

McCullers said at his Pro-Day that he expects to be at about 335# by the start of NFL training camp. He was 348# at the Senior Bowl and 352# at the combine (maybe the weighed him after breakfast). I think he can get his weight issue under control once he is in a strength program (not that the Steelers are known for this though). He looks like he will have more value at DE at this moment but he could get to show what he can do at NT if he can learn to use his hands better and stay low.

 

[TDX27]

He's a big boy. A 6'-7" lineman can handle 350 lbs. It'd be great to get him down to 335 but I'd be happy if he played at 340.

 

[SteelerAl]

we only ran our base D like 35% of defensive snaps last year, I'd like to see a guy with that size used as a DT on passing downs, instead of 2 DL like we usually use, go with him, heyward, and McClendon/Tuitt, 3lb's, then 5db's and tell McCullers to just push your man into the qb's lap, we really lacked any pressure up the middle last season.

I just don't see how our pass rush is aided by putting a completely immobile DT on the field. With McCullers on the field you just do the offense a favor by letting them know exactly where one of your defenders is going to be (exactly where he lines up) and what he is going to do (stand up and lean against the closest O-lineman for 5 seconds).

You been selling this idea for years (I'm not sure which of Casey Hampton's 9 career sacks made such a big impression on you). Is there another team in the NFL that benefits by putting an immobile, run-stuffing DT on the field on 3rd and long?

 

[Steelerfan81]

Our lineman are supposed to take up offensive lineman. Not get after the quarterback. Their sole responsibility in a 34 defense is to not let the offensive lineman get to the second level so that our backers can run free. Our pass rush comes from them not the lineman.

 

[SteelerAl]

Our lineman are supposed to take up offensive lineman. Not get after the quarterback. Their sole responsibility in a 34 defense is to not let the offensive lineman get to the second level so that our backers can run free. Our pass rush comes from them not the lineman.

You completely missed the point I was trying to make and I don't need a lecture on how the Lebeau 3-4 defense works. First off, I was talking about our nickel/dime defense. Coryea's suggestion is to keep a Casey Hampton-esque DT on the field in our nickel/dime defense rather than letting that player waddle off the field as we've been doing for many years. I don't agree with Coryea's suggestion.

 

[Superman]

there's nothing Casey Hampton-esque about McCullers
his height and wingspan will negate those short little over the middle crossing routes

 

[SteelerAl]

there's nothing Casey Hampton-esque about McCullers
his height and wingspan will negate those short little over the middle crossing routes

Coryea has been selling this idea for years. He wanted Hampton on the field on 3rd downs to "push the pocket."

Again, show me a team that puts an immobile, run-stuffer out there in its dime defense to great effect.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

there's nothing Casey Hampton-esque about McCullers
his height and wingspan will negate those short little over the middle crossing routes

That's assuming he can move, which he hasn't proven he can do.

I honestly think best case scenario he's s 2 down NT who comes off the field in favor of Tuitt and Heyward and an extra DB on third down. Maybe he frees up McClendon as a DE

 

[Hines57]

The league has changed with these spread offenses but at the end of the day stopping the run and getting teams into 3rd and long is where we should desire to be defensively. If this guy for two downs can clog up the middle and let our LBs roam around then I am more than ok with that and we will go to a sub-package on 3rd down. Where I am not ok is without new DBs we are going to get ******* scorched when we can't get to the QB.