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With the season 25% over here are my Quarterly grades. All starters, plus key subs that played enough snaps to mention. If I missed player let me know and I'll grade him.
OFFENSE:
QB: Roethlisberger. A- Ben has a 100.8 QB rating 11 TD's and 4 INT's, however, he did have one really bad game and his accuracy at 63.4% is a little low by his standards. In his defense, Ben goes deep more often than most. IMO he " makes " his receivers " better and is the best deep passer in the game today. With him we are a 11-5 type of team or better, without him .500 at best.
RB: Williams B+. At 33 he still runs hard and has been productive in the red zone. Williams hits the hole quickly and runs with speed and power. Still 2nd on the team for total receptions.
RB: Bell. B. Being suspended 3 games didn't affect his ability to play well. But he did miss 3 games, so his grade is lower than his actual performance in the one game he played.
TE: James. B- Hardly a weak link, James has been a very reliable receiver, capable of making tough catches. My main issue with him is pass blocking and not getting enough yards after the initial catch.
TE: B+ Grimble has been a big play 2nd Tight End as a receiver. Very rare. An intriguing role player who needs to play a bit more.
WR: Brown. A+. He's the best at what he does, physically in mentally on top of his game. Just limit the celebrations, please.
WR Coates. B+. Coates has become the deep threat for the team. He's still bit raw on routes and the finer points of the game.
WR: Rogers: C-. After a decent first game, I expected more. Perhaps his camp feats and pre-season performances were a bit of false read.
WR: Wheaton C- Very disappointing. Dropped a key pass vs the Eagles, and has not been a factor. Just two catches this season.
WR. Darrius Heyward-Bey. B. As the 4th or 5th receivers, he's too fast for the 5th or 6th DB on the other team. A bit of s secret weapon type.
RT: Gilbert. A - You could argue he's our best offensive lineman and not be wrong. Currently injured.
RG: DeCastro. B+ Still dominant, particular on the move this year he has had too many penalties, and was particularly bad vs the Eagles. Very good in the other games, though.
C: Pouncey B. I have not heard his name called, nor have I seen him featured as much as he used to be. When healthy he's clearly good, but overpaid.
LG: Foster. B- Usually, healthy ready to play, Foster has been solid for years. He's currently injured. Major drawback is he's too slow to feature on anything but in-line blocking plays
G: Finney. B+ Very impressive in his first pro start. He's may be the best on the team at interior run blocking / the ability to move his man. It was only one game, but we could have a future starter. If he plays this well again, Tomlin will have a decision as to who to start at LG
LT Villanueva. C+ Villanueva is good enough to win with at the key left tackle spot, but has issues with speed rushers, and will always have issues here. Much better as a run blocker.
K: A-. Boswell has been money all on of his kicks, save the one that was blocked. He's our best kickoff man, maybe ever. I have full confidence in him to make the tough conversations and think he could be a pro bowl level kicker.
DEFENSE:
DE: Heyward. A- Hampered a bit by an injury at the start of the season, Heyward is likely our best overall player on defense. Solid vs the run, very good as a pass rusher. He also offers leadership.
NT: Hargrave. C- Like Rogers, perhaps Hargrave was a bit of a false read in the pre-season. He has not done much as a pass rusher, not has he made many plays vs the run. With serious ability on either side at DE, I thought he would win more one on one type of battles. Yes--He's only a rookie.
NT: McCullers C- As a pure two-gap vs the run, McCullers is good. But he offers very little outside of that
DE: Tuitt. B-. Tuitt had a slow start to the season. He has underachieved relative to his ability. Not as active vs the run or pass as I expected.
DE: Mathews. D. He hasn't done anything when offered the chance. We are very thin at DE.
OLB: Harrison. B. Harrison is still a good player at age 38. You can argue he's our 2nd best pass rusher even if he's lost his speed.
OLB. J Jones. C In his contract year, he's 8th in tackles among the defenders ( Jones would be lower if others were not injured ) and offers little as a pass-rusher. They best thing you can say he is assignment sound. Jones is a bit suspect in coverage but hasn't been exposed there yet. Almost he was badly beaten in the KC game for a score, but the receiver dropped an easy one.
OLB Moats. C. A veteran guy who looks the part but seldom delivers the goods. He's starting because Dupree is hurt.
OLB: Chickillo C. Has not gotten the same amount of snaps as other OLB's but has not stood out either. If he did, would we see more of the same, or would he impress like Finney and Dangerfield did in their 1st start? Unknown, and with the OLB's being very weak, I'd like to find out.
ILB. Shazier A-. When he plays, he's great vs the run or pass. A true game changer. If he was only more durable.
ILB Timmons. B Don't ask what his cap number is this year. Years back you could argue he was our best defender. He's lost some speed and quickness. Still solid, though but needs to be carefully matched in coverage.
ILB Williams. B. Terrible in coverage. Great as an in the box run defender. Wraps his man up and can hit. An old school type of ILB.
ILB Fort. B He has not played much, but I think he's our 2nd best coverage linebacker after Shazier. Graded as a role player only.
CB: Gay. B Still very solid and reliable, as the outside corner or the slot man. If Gay were to get injured, the entire DB unit would have a domino effect. The only knock is he has not made many plays so far with only two passes broken up, possibly because there are softer targets deployed.
CB: Cockrell. C+ An improved player, Cockrell is holding his own. The coaches need to be careful about giving him man coverage vs the faster receivers, but he's smart and plays withing the system.
CB: Burns. B- Maybe a little high of a grade, but his ability to play the ball when he's in position has been impressive. Burns has already broken up 4 passes. The arrow is pointed up. However his tackling has been an issue, and as a rookie, he has a lot to learn.
S. Mitchell. B- Mitchell has been solid vs the run but hasn't made enough plays on the ball. Only 2 pass breakups so far.
S: Golden. B Very active vs the run, a solid tackler and solid in coverage. To rate higher he'll need more splash plays. Golden could be our best safety on the team.
S: Davis. D+ Davis has been a real liability as a tackler, giving up two scores alone in this department and leading the team in missed tackles. As a coverage man, he has yet to make one play on the ball.
S. Dangerfield. B. Like Finney, he only played one game, but he stood out. Very active and sound as a tackler. I think he is the type that inspires others with his play.
P: Berry. A-. At the opening of camp, I wanted to see if Will Monday could take his job. Berry has been excellent with distance, hang time and dropping them inside the 10-yard line. Pass the crow, please.
OFFENSE:
QB: Roethlisberger. A- Ben has a 100.8 QB rating 11 TD's and 4 INT's, however, he did have one really bad game and his accuracy at 63.4% is a little low by his standards. In his defense, Ben goes deep more often than most. IMO he " makes " his receivers " better and is the best deep passer in the game today. With him we are a 11-5 type of team or better, without him .500 at best.
RB: Williams B+. At 33 he still runs hard and has been productive in the red zone. Williams hits the hole quickly and runs with speed and power. Still 2nd on the team for total receptions.
RB: Bell. B. Being suspended 3 games didn't affect his ability to play well. But he did miss 3 games, so his grade is lower than his actual performance in the one game he played.
TE: James. B- Hardly a weak link, James has been a very reliable receiver, capable of making tough catches. My main issue with him is pass blocking and not getting enough yards after the initial catch.
TE: B+ Grimble has been a big play 2nd Tight End as a receiver. Very rare. An intriguing role player who needs to play a bit more.
WR: Brown. A+. He's the best at what he does, physically in mentally on top of his game. Just limit the celebrations, please.
WR Coates. B+. Coates has become the deep threat for the team. He's still bit raw on routes and the finer points of the game.
WR: Rogers: C-. After a decent first game, I expected more. Perhaps his camp feats and pre-season performances were a bit of false read.
WR: Wheaton C- Very disappointing. Dropped a key pass vs the Eagles, and has not been a factor. Just two catches this season.
WR. Darrius Heyward-Bey. B. As the 4th or 5th receivers, he's too fast for the 5th or 6th DB on the other team. A bit of s secret weapon type.
RT: Gilbert. A - You could argue he's our best offensive lineman and not be wrong. Currently injured.
RG: DeCastro. B+ Still dominant, particular on the move this year he has had too many penalties, and was particularly bad vs the Eagles. Very good in the other games, though.
C: Pouncey B. I have not heard his name called, nor have I seen him featured as much as he used to be. When healthy he's clearly good, but overpaid.
LG: Foster. B- Usually, healthy ready to play, Foster has been solid for years. He's currently injured. Major drawback is he's too slow to feature on anything but in-line blocking plays
G: Finney. B+ Very impressive in his first pro start. He's may be the best on the team at interior run blocking / the ability to move his man. It was only one game, but we could have a future starter. If he plays this well again, Tomlin will have a decision as to who to start at LG
LT Villanueva. C+ Villanueva is good enough to win with at the key left tackle spot, but has issues with speed rushers, and will always have issues here. Much better as a run blocker.
K: A-. Boswell has been money all on of his kicks, save the one that was blocked. He's our best kickoff man, maybe ever. I have full confidence in him to make the tough conversations and think he could be a pro bowl level kicker.
DEFENSE:
DE: Heyward. A- Hampered a bit by an injury at the start of the season, Heyward is likely our best overall player on defense. Solid vs the run, very good as a pass rusher. He also offers leadership.
NT: Hargrave. C- Like Rogers, perhaps Hargrave was a bit of a false read in the pre-season. He has not done much as a pass rusher, not has he made many plays vs the run. With serious ability on either side at DE, I thought he would win more one on one type of battles. Yes--He's only a rookie.
NT: McCullers C- As a pure two-gap vs the run, McCullers is good. But he offers very little outside of that
DE: Tuitt. B-. Tuitt had a slow start to the season. He has underachieved relative to his ability. Not as active vs the run or pass as I expected.
DE: Mathews. D. He hasn't done anything when offered the chance. We are very thin at DE.
OLB: Harrison. B. Harrison is still a good player at age 38. You can argue he's our 2nd best pass rusher even if he's lost his speed.
OLB. J Jones. C In his contract year, he's 8th in tackles among the defenders ( Jones would be lower if others were not injured ) and offers little as a pass-rusher. They best thing you can say he is assignment sound. Jones is a bit suspect in coverage but hasn't been exposed there yet. Almost he was badly beaten in the KC game for a score, but the receiver dropped an easy one.
OLB Moats. C. A veteran guy who looks the part but seldom delivers the goods. He's starting because Dupree is hurt.
OLB: Chickillo C. Has not gotten the same amount of snaps as other OLB's but has not stood out either. If he did, would we see more of the same, or would he impress like Finney and Dangerfield did in their 1st start? Unknown, and with the OLB's being very weak, I'd like to find out.
ILB. Shazier A-. When he plays, he's great vs the run or pass. A true game changer. If he was only more durable.
ILB Timmons. B Don't ask what his cap number is this year. Years back you could argue he was our best defender. He's lost some speed and quickness. Still solid, though but needs to be carefully matched in coverage.
ILB Williams. B. Terrible in coverage. Great as an in the box run defender. Wraps his man up and can hit. An old school type of ILB.
ILB Fort. B He has not played much, but I think he's our 2nd best coverage linebacker after Shazier. Graded as a role player only.
CB: Gay. B Still very solid and reliable, as the outside corner or the slot man. If Gay were to get injured, the entire DB unit would have a domino effect. The only knock is he has not made many plays so far with only two passes broken up, possibly because there are softer targets deployed.
CB: Cockrell. C+ An improved player, Cockrell is holding his own. The coaches need to be careful about giving him man coverage vs the faster receivers, but he's smart and plays withing the system.
CB: Burns. B- Maybe a little high of a grade, but his ability to play the ball when he's in position has been impressive. Burns has already broken up 4 passes. The arrow is pointed up. However his tackling has been an issue, and as a rookie, he has a lot to learn.
S. Mitchell. B- Mitchell has been solid vs the run but hasn't made enough plays on the ball. Only 2 pass breakups so far.
S: Golden. B Very active vs the run, a solid tackler and solid in coverage. To rate higher he'll need more splash plays. Golden could be our best safety on the team.
S: Davis. D+ Davis has been a real liability as a tackler, giving up two scores alone in this department and leading the team in missed tackles. As a coverage man, he has yet to make one play on the ball.
S. Dangerfield. B. Like Finney, he only played one game, but he stood out. Very active and sound as a tackler. I think he is the type that inspires others with his play.
P: Berry. A-. At the opening of camp, I wanted to see if Will Monday could take his job. Berry has been excellent with distance, hang time and dropping them inside the 10-yard line. Pass the crow, please.
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