Carolina 15, Steelers....ah, who cares
I'm still waiting for the NFL Network to re-play the Steelers' final preseason game, but I'm not doing so with any enthusiasm. For obvious reasons, I hope: the Steelers were a part of the growing trend of holding important veterans out of the final preseason game. The result? The verb in today's Post-Gazette is "slapsticked," as in, "The Steelers and Panthers slapsticked their way...." Sounds like a real thriller.
From what I've seen so far, a few things stand out:
1. Duce got his shot. He carried the ball 19 times for 46 yards, a 2.4-ypc average. Of course, most of that came behind the second-team line; reports are that Staley looked livelier, as though the threat to his career was beginning to seem real to him. But the question remains: Has Duce put the "stale" in Staley?
2. QB3? Omar Jacobs and Shane Boyd made their final pitches for the third QB spot. The tale of the tape? Shane Boyd went 1-3 for 12 yards; Omar Jacobs ended up 13-19 for 179, including a pretty 46-yarder to soon-to-be-former Steeler Walter Young. The Jacobs era seemed to come to an abrupt end when, against the Eagles, he fumbled on his first play and was promptly yanked. His ability to rebound the next week is certainly encouraging; it seems clear that Jacobs has the skills but needs confidence. And maybe a tutor to help him learn the offense.
3. Rico Colclough is suave. Colclough put himself around the ball last night, and consistently made plays. While some have questioned his status on the roster, Colclough should battle Bryant McFadden for the third CB spot. If either plays well enough, Ike Taylor will be elsewhere next year.
4. The Steelers are well-centered. Remarkably, Chukky Okobi played last night, less than a month after having surgery on his neck. I can't fathom this. But there he is. Okobi's return takes pressure off of Kendall Simmons (who stunk as a center in a short-lived experiment), and likely relegates 7th-round draft pick Marvin Philip to the practice squad.
In the coming days, the Steelers will cut their roster down to 53. Here's my best guess:
QB: Big Ben, Charlie Batch
RB: Willie Parker, Duce Staley, Verron Haynes
FB: Dan Kreider
TE: Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman, Tim Euhus
WR: Hines Ward, Cedric Wilson, Santonio Holmes, Willie Reid, Nate Washington, Sean Morey
OT: Marvel Smith, Trai Essex, Max Starks, Willie Colon
OG: Kendall Simmons, Alan Faneca, Chris Kemoeatu
C: Jeff Hartings, Chukky Okobi
DE: Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel, Travis Kirschke, Rodney Bailey
NT: Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke
OLB: Clark Haggans, Joey Porter, James Harrison, Andre Frazier
ILB: James Farrior, Larry Foote, Clint Kreidwaldt, Rian Wallace
CB: DeShea Townsend, Ike Taylor, Rico Colclough, Bryant McFadden, Chidi Iwuoma
S: Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ty Carter, Anthony Smith, Mike Logan
Special Teams: Greg Warren, Chris Gardocki, Jeff Reed
Plus two of the following: OLB Arnold Harrison, ILB Richard Seigler, RB John Kuhn, WR Quincy Morgan, QB Omar Jacobs, DE Shaun Nua.
The practice squad will be comprised of the five listed above who don't make the squad (minus Morgan, who is too old), plus: Marvin Philip, Mike Lorello, and Jon Dekker. If Morgan gets cut, add Cedric Humes.
Note the absence of second-day picks Charles Davis (TE) and Orien Harris (DE), neither of whom are likely to make the cut. Humes may not, either. It is likely that the only second-day pick to make the final roster will be OT Willie Colon. This speaks to the Steelers' depth, I think--there isn't much room for the new kids--but it may also say something about the quality of this year's draft class. Davis, Humes and Harris have been surpassed by undrafted free agents (though John Kuhn was on the practice squad last year), and Jacobs hasn't been able to lock down the job he was drafted to take. Of the UDFAs, Mike Lorello is perhaps my favorite. He seems like the perfect Steeler, reminiscient of players like Jerry Olsavsky: not terribly skilled, but aggressive, courageous, and proud. I hope Pittsburgh keeps him around.
Update: ESPN has just announced that the Steelers have traded a draft pick to the Pats for Patrick Cobbs, the 5'9", 210# rookie from North Texas. I most recently saw Patrick Cobbs in an ESPN highlight when he fumbled after taking the handoff from Troy Brown. So I guess the Steelers weren't too comfortable with their depth at running back. To me, this means that John Kuhn is headed for his second season on the practice squad, and that Cedric Humes is headed to an Arena League stadium near you.
From what I've seen so far, a few things stand out:
1. Duce got his shot. He carried the ball 19 times for 46 yards, a 2.4-ypc average. Of course, most of that came behind the second-team line; reports are that Staley looked livelier, as though the threat to his career was beginning to seem real to him. But the question remains: Has Duce put the "stale" in Staley?
2. QB3? Omar Jacobs and Shane Boyd made their final pitches for the third QB spot. The tale of the tape? Shane Boyd went 1-3 for 12 yards; Omar Jacobs ended up 13-19 for 179, including a pretty 46-yarder to soon-to-be-former Steeler Walter Young. The Jacobs era seemed to come to an abrupt end when, against the Eagles, he fumbled on his first play and was promptly yanked. His ability to rebound the next week is certainly encouraging; it seems clear that Jacobs has the skills but needs confidence. And maybe a tutor to help him learn the offense.
3. Rico Colclough is suave. Colclough put himself around the ball last night, and consistently made plays. While some have questioned his status on the roster, Colclough should battle Bryant McFadden for the third CB spot. If either plays well enough, Ike Taylor will be elsewhere next year.
4. The Steelers are well-centered. Remarkably, Chukky Okobi played last night, less than a month after having surgery on his neck. I can't fathom this. But there he is. Okobi's return takes pressure off of Kendall Simmons (who stunk as a center in a short-lived experiment), and likely relegates 7th-round draft pick Marvin Philip to the practice squad.
In the coming days, the Steelers will cut their roster down to 53. Here's my best guess:
QB: Big Ben, Charlie Batch
RB: Willie Parker, Duce Staley, Verron Haynes
FB: Dan Kreider
TE: Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman, Tim Euhus
WR: Hines Ward, Cedric Wilson, Santonio Holmes, Willie Reid, Nate Washington, Sean Morey
OT: Marvel Smith, Trai Essex, Max Starks, Willie Colon
OG: Kendall Simmons, Alan Faneca, Chris Kemoeatu
C: Jeff Hartings, Chukky Okobi
DE: Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel, Travis Kirschke, Rodney Bailey
NT: Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke
OLB: Clark Haggans, Joey Porter, James Harrison, Andre Frazier
ILB: James Farrior, Larry Foote, Clint Kreidwaldt, Rian Wallace
CB: DeShea Townsend, Ike Taylor, Rico Colclough, Bryant McFadden, Chidi Iwuoma
S: Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ty Carter, Anthony Smith, Mike Logan
Special Teams: Greg Warren, Chris Gardocki, Jeff Reed
Plus two of the following: OLB Arnold Harrison, ILB Richard Seigler, RB John Kuhn, WR Quincy Morgan, QB Omar Jacobs, DE Shaun Nua.
The practice squad will be comprised of the five listed above who don't make the squad (minus Morgan, who is too old), plus: Marvin Philip, Mike Lorello, and Jon Dekker. If Morgan gets cut, add Cedric Humes.
Note the absence of second-day picks Charles Davis (TE) and Orien Harris (DE), neither of whom are likely to make the cut. Humes may not, either. It is likely that the only second-day pick to make the final roster will be OT Willie Colon. This speaks to the Steelers' depth, I think--there isn't much room for the new kids--but it may also say something about the quality of this year's draft class. Davis, Humes and Harris have been surpassed by undrafted free agents (though John Kuhn was on the practice squad last year), and Jacobs hasn't been able to lock down the job he was drafted to take. Of the UDFAs, Mike Lorello is perhaps my favorite. He seems like the perfect Steeler, reminiscient of players like Jerry Olsavsky: not terribly skilled, but aggressive, courageous, and proud. I hope Pittsburgh keeps him around.
Update: ESPN has just announced that the Steelers have traded a draft pick to the Pats for Patrick Cobbs, the 5'9", 210# rookie from North Texas. I most recently saw Patrick Cobbs in an ESPN highlight when he fumbled after taking the handoff from Troy Brown. So I guess the Steelers weren't too comfortable with their depth at running back. To me, this means that John Kuhn is headed for his second season on the practice squad, and that Cedric Humes is headed to an Arena League stadium near you.
posted by Shane at 12:50 PM
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