Shazier!

[deljzc]

To me, Shazier is a piece of an 11-man group. If Shazier is being successful, but the group isn't what's the point?

It wasn't that bad on defense. We bent but didn't break. We held them to 6 points on two red zone possessions. That's good.

We got a great turnover. That's good.

But the other aspects of defense were NOT good. We were not good on 3rd down conversion. We were not good on getting them off the field. We allowed their run game to develop.

Is anyone really disputing these points?

Who cares about one player when THIS is the main point of football? Shazier does make us better. No doubt about it, let's watch a few more weeks and into the season before we see if the DEFENSE gets better, okay?

And please, if one more person says we "technically" traded this year's 3rd round pick for Shamarko Thomas and NOT Landry Jones, I will ******* have a fit. Thomas WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE two picks later. It is silly to think otherwise. The trade was for an EXTRA PICK TO GET LANDRY JONES TOO!!!! You do not make a trade-up like that to just get ONE of the guys. You do it because you have two guys on your radar you don't want to miss out on. One of those was Landry Jones.

It was a ******* horrible, horrible trade. Awful. Anyone that says otherwise is an idiot (including Kevin Colbert).

But who cares, what do I know. I can't POSSIBLY be better than Kevin Colbert. I didn't decide to bullshit my way into BLESTO because I had nothing better to do after college. I didn't suck up to a senile Don Shula and provide NO ******* help to Dan Marino for 7 years. Or go to Detroit the YEAR AFTER Barry Sanders was drafted and help an organization decide to run the run-and-shoot around the most gifted running back ever to lace up cleats. No, I would never do that.

Colbert is a YES MAN everyone. He's sucked up to more ******* owner/coaches cocks than the strippers in Dallas. The guy offers nothing except a WR scout. **** him. A monkey could throw darts and do as well as him since Cowher has left. He's ******* yes-manned Tomlin and his vision of this team for 7 years now and we are about to waste the last 5 years of Roethlisberger's career vacillating between how good we think we are and how we aren't accepting average.

Colbert should have been fired this off-season, but he's wasn't and now I see nothing but "good enough" for the rest of the Roethlisberger era. Maybe I'm not better, maybe I would be. We'll never know. You don't know either so **** you. If you don't believe in something as strong as I believe in my football knowledge, than go home. Stop commenting, because you suck at football. That's kind of what you are implying. None of us are good enough to comment on the all-mighty Kevin Colbert. God forbid anyone on this message board is smarter than a god-damned jock from Robert Morris University that barely had a major and became a "graduate assistant coach on the basketball team" after college. Excuse me if I enjoyed my engineering degree and got a 35k job after college as a 23 year old. I could NEVER be as smart as that guy....

What a ******* joke.

 

[Litos]

I hated Landry Jones pick, but this season's draft looks pretty sound

 

[Steel Not A Player]

I agree completely with the OP.

Really, with McCullers and Tuitt coming on strong, we are just 2 players away from perinnial dominance:

1) We still need a high powered rush backer on the right side. I still think Jones is highly suited to playing on the left where his relentlessness is a strength and is lack of explosiveness less a liability. But there's no Lloyd/Porter/Harrison presence to play opposite him and that's a problem.

2) An impact corner. We haven't had one since Woodson left. Chad Scott was as gifted as they come, but never developed all that potential. With all the new pressure being put on defenses by the bullshit competition committee's desire to make the NFL into Arena Football, we won't be able to dominate with a tremendous front 7 as we have in the past.

 

[thesteelcity]

I agree completely with the OP.

Really, with McCullers and Tuitt coming on strong, we are just 2 players away from perinnial dominance:

1) We still need a high powered rush backer on the right side. I still think Jones is highly suited to playing on the left where his relentlessness is a strength and is lack of explosiveness less a liability. But there's no Lloyd/Porter/Harrison presence to play opposite him and that's a problem.

2) An impact corner. We haven't had one since Woodson left. Chad Scott was as gifted as they come, but never developed all that potential. With all the new pressure being put on defenses by the bullshit competition committee's desire to make the NFL into Arena Football, we won't be able to dominate with a tremendous front 7 as we have in the past.

we will have to hold our breathe that Ike and Co holds down the fort this season. I'd hope someone is there next draft to address the corner position for awhile.

 

[insaniti]

To me, Shazier is a piece of an 11-man group. If Shazier is being successful, but the group isn't what's the point?

It wasn't that bad on defense. We bent but didn't break. We held them to 6 points on two red zone possessions. That's good.

We got a great turnover. That's good.

But the other aspects of defense were NOT good. We were not good on 3rd down conversion. We were not good on getting them off the field. We allowed their run game to develop.

Is anyone really disputing these points?

Who cares about one player when THIS is the main point of football? Shazier does make us better. No doubt about it, let's watch a few more weeks and into the season before we see if the DEFENSE gets better, okay?

And please, if one more person says we "technically" traded this year's 3rd round pick for Shamarko Thomas and NOT Landry Jones, I will ******* have a fit. Thomas WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE two picks later. It is silly to think otherwise. The trade was for an EXTRA PICK TO GET LANDRY JONES TOO!!!! You do not make a trade-up like that to just get ONE of the guys. You do it because you have two guys on your radar you don't want to miss out on. One of those was Landry Jones.

It was a ******* horrible, horrible trade. Awful. Anyone that says otherwise is an idiot (including Kevin Colbert).

But who cares, what do I know. I can't POSSIBLY be better than Kevin Colbert. I didn't decide to bullshit my way into BLESTO because I had nothing better to do after college. I didn't suck up to a senile Don Shula and provide NO ******* help to Dan Marino for 7 years. Or go to Detroit the YEAR AFTER Barry Sanders was drafted and help an organization decide to run the run-and-shoot around the most gifted running back ever to lace up cleats. No, I would never do that.

Colbert is a YES MAN everyone. He's sucked up to more ******* owner/coaches cocks than the strippers in Dallas. The guy offers nothing except a WR scout. **** him. A monkey could throw darts and do as well as him since Cowher has left. He's ******* yes-manned Tomlin and his vision of this team for 7 years now and we are about to waste the last 5 years of Roethlisberger's career vacillating between how good we think we are and how we aren't accepting average.

Colbert should have been fired this off-season, but he's wasn't and now I see nothing but "good enough" for the rest of the Roethlisberger era. Maybe I'm not better, maybe I would be. We'll never know. You don't know either so **** you. If you don't believe in something as strong as I believe in my football knowledge, than go home. Stop commenting, because you suck at football. That's kind of what you are implying. None of us are good enough to comment on the all-mighty Kevin Colbert. God forbid anyone on this message board is smarter than a god-damned jock from Robert Morris University that barely had a major and became a "graduate assistant coach on the basketball team" after college. Excuse me if I enjoyed my engineering degree and got a 35k job after college as a 23 year old. I could NEVER be as smart as that guy....

What a ******* joke.

So you're saying that Colbert is an idiot, and you are smarter than he is? Is that what your getting at? You feel that if we take Colbert out, and insert you, we still have two super bowl titles and a trip to a third? Just so I'm getting all of this correct.

 

[jitter77]

Shazier definitely looks good, but its only one game and it was a preseason one. When we play a real QB i think we will be in trouble. Troy, Timmons, Shazier and Tuitt looked good, the rest was just meh. Allen has been disappointing, I had real high hopes for him. Worilds has not made an impact, and what happened to Jarvis (is he injured?) I think we will beat the browns easy, and maybe by that time the D will have had time to gel for the Ravens. I think the O can carry the team this year, but we maybe in our fair share of shootouts.

 

[Spike]

I watched the game and Shazier was making plays all over the field, he has good speed and can stay with TE's.

...and he can tackle....

Unlike that #54 stiff - Carter is a bum - cut him - I saw 4th stringers with more game

 

[deljzc]

So you're saying that Colbert is an idiot, and you are smarter than he is? Is that what your getting at? You feel that if we take Colbert out, and insert you, we still have two super bowl titles and a trip to a third? Just so I'm getting all of this correct.

Actually, if the Steelers had me since I was 25 or 30 and I LEARNED and devoted 100% of my energy to being the best general manager possible, and I had access to all the information he has that I don't, we would have more success under me than Kevin Colbert. Yes.

I just don't think Colbert is all that special.

But maybe I don't kiss *** enough like he did with the Rooneys and Cowher or whatever owner I ended up working with to stick around.

I'm convinced the NFL is just about making yourself look good, staying part of the "good old boys club" by not pissing off your bosses or having strong opinions. And I also think 50% of general manager work is just getting plain lucking on the quarterback front. I have see NOTHING to suggest some GM's are that much better at scouting QB's than others. In fact Colbert plain sucks at scouting quarterbacks. He's so far off it's pathetic.

But he got incredibly lucky when he yes-manned the owner over Cowher (what a surprise) and agreed with Rooney to draft Roethlisberger, thus changing this organization for a 15 year stretch and all of a sudden giving Colbert some sort of credibility he neither deserves nor earned.

If you think it's so hard to put a winning team around a franchise quarterback like Roethlisberger, you are more of an idiot than I thought and selling your football knowledge WAY short of where it actually it. Most intellectual, motivated people could learn it in about 3-4 years. They might not be SCOUTS, but that is not what a GM is. A GM takes that information (and if you have good scouts you have good information) and uses it correctly to build a roster.

It's almost embarrassingly easy what a general manager really needs to do compared to other highly stressful, quick-thinking jobs. You don't think a lead project manager on a $100 million construction project doesn't have more variables and problems and people to shuffle than Kevin Colbert? Or an emergency room nurse? Or a investment banker?

Christ people, quit thinking this is HARD. Just because there are only 32 NFL general managers does not make is HARD!!! It just makes it exclusive. They are not the same things.

 

[ark steel]

And please, if one more person says we "technically" traded this year's 3rd round pick for Shamarko Thomas and NOT Landry Jones, I will ******* have a fit.

You should have your fit, then, because that part is true.

Thomas WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE two picks later

Quite a bit of certainty there, but later....

and I had access to all the information he has that I don't

 

[ark steel]

So, Shazier is a piece of an 11 man group. If he can man his position (and, gasp, even do it well), then others on the D can worry only about their positions and not have to worry about what the **** else can go wrong in the position next to them.

If Player X knows that the player next to him cannot do his job any better than average (or less so), Player X may shade a little more to that side than necessary or keep his eyes a little less on what he needs to be doing. In the back of his mind, he knows he has to try to make up for that deficiency. Other players probably do it too. Player Y changes the way he plays too because he is trying to cover over what Player X can no longer do. and so on. When the "player next to you" happens to be more than one player, it can be a cluster.

Now, when the regular season comes around and Player X knows he can rely on the guy next to him, Player X can concentrate only on his job and not try to compensate. Player Y doesn't have to help someone else and can concentrate on his job, etc.

It ain't just on the field, it happens in every job.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

A monkey could throw darts and do as well as him since Cowher has left. He's ******* yes-manned Tomlin and his vision of this team for 7 years now and we are about to waste the last 5 years of Roethlisberger's career vacillating between how good we think we are and how we aren't accepting average.

Well this could explain ziggy hood,, and Woodley, etc.. and some other draft picks that were cut but playing elsewhere.. And if Colbert is a WR Scout,, what was that thing with Sweed all about?

 

[Omar10213245]

To me, Shazier is a piece of an 11-man group. If Shazier is being successful, but the group isn't what's the point?

It wasn't that bad on defense. We bent but didn't break. We held them to 6 points on two red zone possessions. That's good.

We got a great turnover. That's good.

But the other aspects of defense were NOT good. We were not good on 3rd down conversion. We were not good on getting them off the field. We allowed their run game to develop.

Is anyone really disputing these points?

Who cares about one player when THIS is the main point of football? Shazier does make us better. No doubt about it, let's watch a few more weeks and into the season before we see if the DEFENSE gets better, okay?

And please, if one more person says we "technically" traded this year's 3rd round pick for Shamarko Thomas and NOT Landry Jones, I will ******* have a fit. Thomas WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE two picks later. It is silly to think otherwise. The trade was for an EXTRA PICK TO GET LANDRY JONES TOO!!!! You do not make a trade-up like that to just get ONE of the guys. You do it because you have two guys on your radar you don't want to miss out on. One of those was Landry Jones.

It was a ******* horrible, horrible trade. Awful. Anyone that says otherwise is an idiot (including Kevin Colbert).

But who cares, what do I know. I can't POSSIBLY be better than Kevin Colbert. I didn't decide to bullshit my way into BLESTO because I had nothing better to do after college. I didn't suck up to a senile Don Shula and provide NO ******* help to Dan Marino for 7 years. Or go to Detroit the YEAR AFTER Barry Sanders was drafted and help an organization decide to run the run-and-shoot around the most gifted running back ever to lace up cleats. No, I would never do that.

Colbert is a YES MAN everyone. He's sucked up to more ******* owner/coaches cocks than the strippers in Dallas. The guy offers nothing except a WR scout. **** him. A monkey could throw darts and do as well as him since Cowher has left. He's ******* yes-manned Tomlin and his vision of this team for 7 years now and we are about to waste the last 5 years of Roethlisberger's career vacillating between how good we think we are and how we aren't accepting average.

Colbert should have been fired this off-season, but he's wasn't and now I see nothing but "good enough" for the rest of the Roethlisberger era. Maybe I'm not better, maybe I would be. We'll never know. You don't know either so **** you. If you don't believe in something as strong as I believe in my football knowledge, than go home. Stop commenting, because you suck at football. That's kind of what you are implying. None of us are good enough to comment on the all-mighty Kevin Colbert. God forbid anyone on this message board is smarter than a god-damned jock from Robert Morris University that barely had a major and became a "graduate assistant coach on the basketball team" after college. Excuse me if I enjoyed my engineering degree and got a 35k job after college as a 23 year old. I could NEVER be as smart as that guy....

What a ******* joke.

Now, now, del, no need to be pissy. Remember, we can't ALL be kevin colbert, just some of us.


....not you, though.

 

[Atlanta Joe]

I've been wondering about the premise that Del and others have put forward over the past several weeks - that some here on the board could do a better job of picking players than Tombert. It really started to bug me when I read a Simmons article on Grantland discussing how some NBA teams have gone to sophisticated GM management teams with top-level strategic planning/business/financial planning experience, while other teams continue to hire old boy network guys like Isiah Thomas - and these old boy leaders just aren't competitive. Simmons argues that the level of player analysis by the new guard is vastly superior to the retreads/old boy GMs.

When I look back at some of our major fuckups, like Hood, Starks, Rainey, Adams, Jarvis, lack of CBs - I'm really kind of stunned because I originally thought all of these Tombert moves were the correct ones. Then, I came here and read the analysis from many who really studied the film and had well thought out alternative opinions and thought "**** me, our GM team seems to do some shallow player analysys and don't seem to really grasp how all of the different parts of the player acquisition/salary cap all interconnect." Often times, it seems that we have message board qualiy (folks like me who read the blogs, watch some highlights, but don't really have a plan or spend hours looking at film doing the player selections and the personnel planing - for this draft and the impact of this draft on the next few years on field product/salary cap impact) making Steeler personnel decisions.

The Steelers have Ben and a stud QB covers up lots of mistakes. Just like the Falcons really - so many incorrect, short sighted personnel decisions covered up by a winning record because of superior QB play.

I have to say that this draft looks much better than the recent drafts. We still have no apparent CB or OLB plan and this is a real concern. I am hoping that Rooney has put Tombert on notice and this notice lead to mproved player analysis this draft. Maybe we just got lucky this draft. Maybe we don't really have a "Raiders-like front office team" leading our team. I can accept Tomlin as a good HC if there is a high quality GM team running player acquisition and salary cap planning, but I'm concerned that we do not.

I am thinking that a team of our best board GMs could have really improved on the Tombert team successes the past several years though. That is why I keep coming here to read and learn.

 

[Slaine]

I wish Shazier wasn't wearing Larry Foote's old number. It just looks wrong.

 

[slashsteel]

Actually, if the Steelers had me since I was 25 or 30 and I LEARNED and devoted 100% of my energy to being the best general manager possible, and I had access to all the information he has that I don't, we would have more success under me than Kevin Colbert. Yes.

I just don't think Colbert is all that special.

But maybe I don't kiss *** enough like he did with the Rooneys and Cowher or whatever owner I ended up working with to stick around.

I'm convinced the NFL is just about making yourself look good, staying part of the "good old boys club" by not pissing off your bosses or having strong opinions. And I also think 50% of general manager work is just getting plain lucking on the quarterback front. I have see NOTHING to suggest some GM's are that much better at scouting QB's than others. In fact Colbert plain sucks at scouting quarterbacks. He's so far off it's pathetic.

But he got incredibly lucky when he yes-manned the owner over Cowher (what a surprise) and agreed with Rooney to draft Roethlisberger, thus changing this organization for a 15 year stretch and all of a sudden giving Colbert some sort of credibility he neither deserves nor earned.

If you think it's so hard to put a winning team around a franchise quarterback like Roethlisberger, you are more of an idiot than I thought and selling your football knowledge WAY short of where it actually it. Most intellectual, motivated people could learn it in about 3-4 years. They might not be SCOUTS, but that is not what a GM is. A GM takes that information (and if you have good scouts you have good information) and uses it correctly to build a roster.

It's almost embarrassingly easy what a general manager really needs to do compared to other highly stressful, quick-thinking jobs. You don't think a lead project manager on a $100 million construction project doesn't have more variables and problems and people to shuffle than Kevin Colbert? Or an emergency room nurse? Or a investment banker?

Christ people, quit thinking this is HARD. Just because there are only 32 NFL general managers does not make is HARD!!! It just makes it exclusive. They are not the same things.

I like yinz but damn lulz

 

[insaniti]

Actually, if the Steelers had me since I was 25 or 30 and I LEARNED and devoted 100% of my energy to being the best general manager possible, and I had access to all the information he has that I don't, we would have more success under me than Kevin Colbert. Yes.

I just don't think Colbert is all that special.

But maybe I don't kiss *** enough like he did with the Rooneys and Cowher or whatever owner I ended up working with to stick around.

I'm convinced the NFL is just about making yourself look good, staying part of the "good old boys club" by not pissing off your bosses or having strong opinions. And I also think 50% of general manager work is just getting plain lucking on the quarterback front. I have see NOTHING to suggest some GM's are that much better at scouting QB's than others. In fact Colbert plain sucks at scouting quarterbacks. He's so far off it's pathetic.

But he got incredibly lucky when he yes-manned the owner over Cowher (what a surprise) and agreed with Rooney to draft Roethlisberger, thus changing this organization for a 15 year stretch and all of a sudden giving Colbert some sort of credibility he neither deserves nor earned.

If you think it's so hard to put a winning team around a franchise quarterback like Roethlisberger, you are more of an idiot than I thought and selling your football knowledge WAY short of where it actually it. Most intellectual, motivated people could learn it in about 3-4 years. They might not be SCOUTS, but that is not what a GM is. A GM takes that information (and if you have good scouts you have good information) and uses it correctly to build a roster.

It's almost embarrassingly easy what a general manager really needs to do compared to other highly stressful, quick-thinking jobs. You don't think a lead project manager on a $100 million construction project doesn't have more variables and problems and people to shuffle than Kevin Colbert? Or an emergency room nurse? Or a investment banker?

Christ people, quit thinking this is HARD. Just because there are only 32 NFL general managers does not make is HARD!!! It just makes it exclusive. They are not the same things.

Then by golly boy, get on with your lifes work. CLEARLY any joe schmoe with a computer who happens to watch football can do what these guys do right? I think you are selling your football intellect just a bit high. I'm not saying Colbert is the best GM in the NFL, but I can say with certainty that he is not an idiot. You on the other hand...

 

[Bigappleyinzer]

When I look back at some of our major fuckups, like Hood, Starks, Rainey, Adams, Jarvis, lack of CBs - I'm really kind of stunned because I originally thought all of these Tombert moves were the correct ones. Then, I came here and read the analysis from many who really studied the film and had well thought out alternative opinions and thought "**** me, our GM team seems to do some shallow player analysys and don't seem to really grasp how all of the different parts of the player acquisition/salary cap all interconnect." Often times, it seems that we have message board qualiy (folks like me who read the blogs, watch some highlights, but don't really have a plan or spend hours looking at film doing the player selections and the personnel planing - for this draft and the impact of this draft on the next few years on field product/salary cap impact) making Steeler personnel decisions.

It was a great article. However, the article was pertaining more to the business portion of sports (especially in the NBA where players have MUCH more power). Simmons was arguing that former players or ex-scouts who became GM's, may not be best individuals to negotiate contracts and $$ issues when they are sitting across from Harvard Lawyers and MBA's.

But I bolded the part above because fans develop myopia when discussing drafts:
Rainey- 5th round
Max Starks- 3rd Round

How anyone can describe any of those as busts is beyond me. A bust is someone not playing in the league after 3 years, and normally drafted very high... Even Ziggy, who was underwhelming as hell, is serviceable- the fact that he was quickly picked up in FA is a testament to this.

The problems with drafts and critics is that there is sooo much revisionist history. In fact, Tombert has a really good record with their #1 picks and a decent record with their 1-3 picks. Hell, Beli is praised as the smartest coach in the League and his draft record is relatively unimpressive....

 

[Vader]

The defensive line hasn't played great and McLendon was especially poor against the run. With their athletic linebackers, I hope they make a serious commitment to a real 3-4 NT for their base defense.

McLendon likes to penetrate but that causes problems when they run right where he was. I know it is pre-season but the DL doesn't play on the other side of the ball. They are continually being pushed back. I also noticed that Buffalo didn't double team the nose often at all. That almost never happened when Casey was there.

 

[antdrewjosh]

McLendon likes to penetrate but that causes problems when they run right where he was. I know it is pre-season but the DL doesn't play on the other side of the ball. They are continually being pushed back. I also noticed that Buffalo didn't double team the nose often at all. That almost never happened when Casey was there.

I think thats whats intruiging the team about Big Dan. Once he is a more sound in his play and consistent he will draw more double teams then McClendon. Freeing up the linebackers

 

[Vader]

I think thats whats intruiging the team about Big Dan. Once he is a more sound in his play and consistent he will draw more double teams then McClendon. Freeing up the linebackers

I'd start him now after what I've seen. Just tell him to hold the middle and if he sees a RB just fall on him.

 

[SteelerAl]

Shazier definitely looks good, but its only one game and it was a preseason one. When we play a real QB i think we will be in trouble. Troy, Timmons, Shazier and Tuitt looked good, the rest was just meh. Allen has been disappointing, I had real high hopes for him. Worilds has not made an impact, and what happened to Jarvis (is he injured?) I think we will beat the browns easy, and maybe by that time the D will have had time to gel for the Ravens. I think the O can carry the team this year, but we maybe in our fair share of shootouts.

Worilds played quite well. Yes, Jarvis did not suit up. Carter played ROLB for a series and then was yanked in favor of Arthur Moats.

Aren't we all over-reacting a tad bit to the fact that the Bills kicked a couple field goals in a PRESEASON game, thanks to penalties on the defense that were ticky-tack at best and probably would not be called in the real game?

 

[antdrewjosh]

I'd start him now after what I've seen. Just tell him to hold the middle and if he sees a RB just fall on him.

Yep just like in basketball the saying is you cant teach size.

 

[SteelerSask2]

McLendon likes to penetrate but that causes problems when they run right where he was. I know it is pre-season but the DL doesn't play on the other side of the ball. They are continually being pushed back. I also noticed that Buffalo didn't double team the nose often at all. That almost never happened when Casey was there.

The game is evolving so much that I'm not sure if Casey would be that effective anymore and certainly not worth his first round draft status. good passing teams would just eliminate him from the equation by using multiple receiver sets.

 

[Vader]

The game is evolving so much that I'm not sure if Casey would be that effective anymore and certainly not worth his first round draft status. good passing teams would just eliminate him from the equation by using multiple receiver sets.

I disagree. Hampton would free up our LBs and demand double teams. McLendon was starting last year when a good passing team put up 55 points on the board. If you don't control the middle then all aspects of your defense will suffer.

 

[steelville]

I watched the game and focused on Big Dan - most of the time he was double teamed and he pushed both lineman backwards - he was not able to move when he was triple teamed. One play he was hit sideways while engaged with a lineman (or two cannot remember) and fell down. Get this kid a year under his belt, hit the weight room to get even stronger and I think he has real possibilities.