Gilbert just grateful to be here

[Litos]

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/justin-gilbert-14417/

So, I thought him being the #8 overall pick taken in the draft, that his contract would be hefty. But if I am reading this right, we are getting him for just $786k. Now, if he sucks, that's still not a good deal, but if he gives a real effort and offers decent play, that's a good deal.

nice post, keep'em up

 

[Litos]

Tim Benz of DK sports radio had draft expert Dane Brugler on talking about Gilbert, give a really good scouting report.

Then there is this
"...he's a former quarterback in highschool...he doesn't want to play corner...he's dreaming about the days in highschool when he was the quarterback..."

https://soundcloud.com/dkpittsburghsports/tim-benz-on-dk-sports-radio-dane-brugler-interview-9716

maybe he thought he could become the real life Willie Beamen

 

[Drink IRON City]

Foot work / interceptions / all are sounding good. Gilbert may not be the best CB in pro football but he will be a contributing factor, once he gets a little "system" under his belt. I think this is a great circumstance for us and him. Time will tell but a 6th(in two years) seems hard to go wrong.




Salute the nation

 

[Tibs]

Great read on Gilbert with some valuable background info on the kid > http://www.steelers.com/news/labrio...-Gilbert/580f9c7e-b099-4c35-b530-e32b434bde5e

* Tom Reed wrote a story about Gilbert for Cleveland.com in which he talked to Shane Martin, who was Gilbert’s coach at Huntsville High School in Texas. In the story, Reed quoted Martin as saying, “He's a quiet kid and he hated talking to reporters. I'd end up having to answer the questions for him. He just never wanted the attention focused on him."

* More from Reed’s story: “But had the Browns spoken with Martin they might have learned how important establishing trust is with Gilbert. They might have learned how much his small hometown means to him. The high school coach has heard the stories of the cornerback being a loner in the Browns' facility and not wanting to participate in community events. Martin doesn't dispute the report. But it also doesn't mesh with his memories of Gilbert's prep career and the player's willingness to help out around Huntsville. Martin described him as a selfless athlete, a kid willing to play any position to help the team … Away from competition, Martin recalled (Gilbert) volunteering time to read to children as part of an educational program and organizing a community basketball tournament following his first season with the Browns … ‘Justin enjoys structure and it has to be there,’ Martin said.”

* Gilbert will get structure here, the kind of structure that comes from the stability that starts at the top of the organizational chart and runs through every aspect of football operations. With the Steelers, it’s the same team president, the same general manager, and the same coach, all the way down to the same video director and the same head trainer who all now are part of Justin Gilbert’s professional life.

* Maybe he still doesn’t succeed, but he has been put into an environment created to help players succeed. What he will have to do is apply himself, act like a professional, work hard, and be accountable to teammates who will prove to him they have too much of themselves invested in this program to allow him to derail their efforts.

* When Justin Gilbert comes to work these days, he walks past the six Lombardi trophies that are lined up in a row at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and he goes to work for a team that lists competing for a championship as its goal for each and every season.

 

[SCSteeler4life]

Great read on Gilbert with some valuable background info on the kid > http://www.steelers.com/news/labrio...-Gilbert/580f9c7e-b099-4c35-b530-e32b434bde5e

Nice share Tibs.

 

[Tibs]

Nice share Tibs.

Thanks. I also found this blurb from the article interesting:

...the Steelers had invested the time during the scouting process leading up to the 2014 draft to get to know Justin Gilbert, which, according to reports from Cleveland, the Browns did not. That was the team that spent the eighth overall pick on a player it didn’t interview at the Combine, that it didn’t bring in for a pre-draft visit, that it didn’t work out at any time during the run-up to picking him.

* Maybe the Steelers’ decision came down to the fact they took some time and put in a little bit of extra effort to get to know Justin Gilbert as an individual, where the Browns did not.

 

[Steelerfan81]

Beat me to it Tibs. So far so good. I'll cry laughing if he does something impactful in a good way on Monday night.

 

[FordFairLane]

http://dailysnark.com/panthers-loss-browns-now-mathematically-eliminated-playoffs/

Lol

 

[Tibs]

Tomlin on the vetting of Gilbert....good read.

Q. As the 53-man roster was being formed, the Steelers acquired Justin Gilbert in a trade. During the preparations for the 2014 draft, what kind of young man did you find him to be?

A. Extremely talented, and when you’re talking about the first cornerback picked in the draft that’s a reasonable expectation. His height, weight, and speed were unique and still are unique. I flew into Stillwater and had an opportunity to take him out to dinner and spend some time with him on the evening before his Pro Day, and then spend time with him in a formal way – in a classroom setting talking ball – the day of his Pro Day. I found him to be a very sharp and engaging young man. I was highly impressed with him. He was a guy we would’ve definitely considered had he been available when we were on the clock. That being said, we weren’t shocked, given all the things I said, that he wasn’t available. But when you get an opportunity to boomerang back and maybe acquire a guy you have met, and he has the traits I described, particularly when you’re talking about what we had to give up, we felt pretty good about taking advantage of that opportunity.

Q. You said at your news conference that you didn’t talk to other people about Justin Gilbert about what happened in Cleveland, but that you talked to him about it. What were you looking to learn from that conversation?

A. I wanted to hear accountability for being here. A guy of his talents and his draft position shouldn’t be here. I just wanted to make sure that he was ready to accept responsibility for whatever or any part that he played in him being here and not trying to shift that responsibility to environmental things and some of the things people can do or say in the process of seeking comfort. I found comfort in the fact that he wasn’t seeking it. He really expressed exactly what I hoped he would express – that he was responsible for him being here, and that he was ready to move forward.

http://www.steelers.com/news/articl...-Gilbert/4febc22b-a649-498f-b086-44af142fb735

 

[Hines57]

Gotta also look at a guy like DHB, who was highly picked and didn't really meet expectations. If Gilbert can gain the confidence to get the job done we may have us a serviceable DB. It was a small gamble with the draft pick and yeah it eats up some cap space but the pedigree of a top 10 pick is hard to dispute. Just hope he isn't playing the Boykin role this year on the sideline.

 

[FordFairLane]

Nice. I agree with Tomlin giving up a 2018 6th round pick is nothing when you consider at 24 (almost 25) Gilbert is in his prime and if you look at recent drafts I can't think of a CB coming out who was more complete. Check the boxes 6ft 203lbs 4.38 forty nice arm length hands might be his least desirable physical attribute but 8 5/8" isn't bad either. Production- 7 INT's and 2 going to the house as a senior and 6 career kick return TD's. The only CB I can think that had a higher grade in my book was Patrick Peterson who was a once a decade type player. Worst case scenario I feel he is an awesome return man and finds a role in sub packages on defense much like DHB has found a special teams role and a good depth role player.