Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

With their second round pick in the 2010 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Jason Worilds, a defensive end from Virginia Tech.

As much as I liked the Steelers’ first round pick (Maurkice Pouncey), I really dislike their second pick.  It’s nothing against Worilds.  He’s a good kid, and I’ll talk about his virtues in a moment.  But he is a highly specialized athlete.  He wasn’t projected to go this early, and because of his physical limitations, there are only a handful of teams that could utilize him.  So there was no need to reach for him.

In college, Worilds played defensive end.  However, at 6’2″, 250 lbs., he is too small to play that position in the NFL, so he projects as a 3-4 rush linebacker.  More and more teams are switching to the 3-4 defense, so there is more competition for the “tweeners” that make the best 3-4 outside linebackers.  However, because of Worilds’ height, many teams would have shied away from him (at least this early in the draft).

In addition to his height, Worilds doesn’t have the fluid hips needed to change directions well, so he is not great against the run.  He also doesn’t hold his position well, and often gets blown out of the play by blockers.

Because of these limitation, he is only suited to a small number of teams.  His skill set is best suited to a zone-blitz team (like the Steelers), or a one-gap 3-4 defense (like the Steelers, Chargers, and 49ers).  So there was never going to be a bidding war for Worilds.  There are no more than 5 teams in the entire NFL that could have utilized him optimally.  That’s why I think he would have been available in the 3rd or even 4th round.  I would have preferred to use such an early pick on a defensive back, or inside linebacker.  There are even a few offensive tackles that would have been a great value at this pick. But the Steelers are making the pick, not me.  So let’s talk about Worilds’ positives.

Jason Worilds

Despite what I just said, Jason Worilds is going to be a good player for the Steelers.  He fills a very real need for the Steelers.  Most fans view outside linebacker as a strength for the Steelers.  But in actuality, the Steelers are weak at the position.

Some of you are thinking, “We have James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley at outside linebacker.  How can this idiot possibly say the Steelers are weak at the position?”  Well, here’s why I say that.  What would happen if LaMarr Woodley got injured in the second game of the season and missed the rest of the season?  Who would replace him?  And James Harrison will be 32 this season.  His career is rapidly drawing to a close.  Who is his eventual replacement?  See what I mean.  The Steelers have great depth at inside linebacker with Larry Foote and Keyaron Fox.  But at outside linebacker, the depth chart is essentially empty.  The Steelers needed to fix that problem.

Despite his shortcomings, Jason Worilds excels at one thing; rushing the quarterback.  This kid probably has the best pursuit skill of any defensive end in this year’s draft.  That is a GREAT skill to have.  Particularly given what the Steelers ask their outside linebackers to do.

Worilds is a phenomenal athlete with elite speed  and explosiveness.  He is very quick off the snap, and his straight-line speed is exceptional.  He is also a weight room fanatic who is extremely muscular.

He is great at running down passers and running backs (so long as he doesn’t have to change directions), and he delivers a crushing blow when he tackles.  So as a pass rushing specialist, he is an excellent pick.

He has a variety of moves, including a nice spin move (ala Dwight Freeney) and a good swim move.  Moreover, he is relentless in pursuit, and doesn’t give up on the play.

Worilds did have a history of injuries in college.  His freshman season was ended early by a shoulder injury.  He missed one game in his sophomore season due to an ankle injury.  He dislocated his shoulder during the 2nd game of his junior year, and the injury resulted in recurring shoulder problems.  The shoulder injury finally caused the trainers to end his season early and sit him out of the Orange Bowl.  It turned out he had torn his labrum.  He had to have the shoulder surgically repaired in 2009.  Since the surgery, he has had no problems with the shoulder.

In summary, I like this pick.  I think he is going to be a terror chasing the quarterback, and he will add much-needed depth at outside linebacker.  However, I think the Steelers could have gotten him in the 3rd or even 4th round.

To read about the Steelers’ other picks, click the name below:

Maurkice Pouncey – C, Florida

Jason Worilds – DE, VA Tech

Emmanuel Sanders – WR, SMU

Thaddeus Gibson – DE, Ohio State

Chris Scott – OT, Tennessee

Crezdon Butler – CB, Clemson

Stevenson Sylvester – LB, Utah

Jonathan Dwyer – RB, Georgia Tech

Antonio Brown – WR, Central Michigan

Doug Worthington – DT, Ohio State

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With the 18th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Maurkice Pouncey, center from Florida.

Those were the words that may have begun the Steelers’ first move towards returning to playing “Steelers football”.

Maurkice Pouncey is one of the players that I was hoping the Steelers would select.  The highest priority on the team was the offensive line (yes, it was more important than defensive back).  The Steelers almost never use high draft picks on offensive linemen, and it was time to change that trend.

And change they did.  The Steelers selected the best center in the draft.  This year’s center class was very weak until Pouncey decided to come out of school early.  He was only a junior.

At 6’4″, 304 lbs., Pouncey is a versatile offensive lineman who can also play guard.  He is an incredible athlete with a very high football IQ.

Maurkice Pouncey

In 2007, as a true freshman, Pouncey started 11 games at guard.  As a sophomore, he moved to center, and as a junior he won the Outland Trophy, which is given each year to the top center in college football.

Pouncey compares very favorably to some of the best centers to come out of college in recent years.  In fact, he is probably a better athlete than either Nick Mangold or Alex Mack.

He played in one of the best programs in the country at Florida, where he won a national championship as a sophomore.  Not only did he play in a great program, but he also played in the SEC, which most experts acknowledge to be the best conference in college football.  Playing in the SEC, Pouncey fared extremely well against Alabama’s Terrence Cody and Tennessee’s Dan Williams.  Those two are probably the best two nose tackles in this year’s draft.  Moreover, Pouncey seldom required help from a guard when facing these behemoths.  His success against such high level competition leaves Pouncey battle tested, and well-prepared to step in and start from Day 1.

If there is one word that describes Pouncey, its “winner”.  The kid is a winner.  Pouncey’s winning ways didn’t just start in college.  In high school, he won 3 state football titles as a guard at prep powerhouse Lakeland (FL).

But lest we paint too rosy a picture, we have to acknowledge some of Pouncey’s shortcomings.  Pouncey played in a finesse offense at Florida.  Most of his snaps were made in the shotgun.  Pouncey is going to have to adjust to primarily doing traditional snaps.  But few scouts believe this is going to be a problem for him.

Pouncey is also going to have to tighten up his technique.  He is so physically talented, that he sometimes lets his technique slip.  He is used to dominating on ability alone, and that won’t be the case in the NFL.

Finally, Pouncey did have a problem with kidney stones while in college.  However, he showed his toughness by starting in the 2010 Sugar Bowl mere hours after receiving four bags of IV fluids and being treated for kidney stones.  That alone showed me that this kid is one tough SOB.

Pouncey will likely start out by replacing Trai Essex at right guard (Thank you, God!!!!).  Then in 2011, he will probably move to center, and man that position for the next decade.

I love the way the Steelers’ 2010 draft is starting out.  Hopefully, Day 2 will be equally successful.  But even if it isn’t, Day 1 was definitely a winner.

To read about the Steelers’ other picks, click the name below:

Maurkice Pouncey – C, Florida

Jason Worilds – DE, VA Tech

Emmanuel Sanders – WR, SMU

Thaddeus Gibson – DE, Ohio State

Chris Scott – OT, Tennessee

Crezdon Butler – CB, Clemson

Stevenson Sylvester – LB, Utah

Jonathan Dwyer – RB, Georgia Tech

Antonio Brown – WR, Central Michigan

Doug Worthington – DT, Ohio State

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This is part 9 in a series evaluating the Steelers’ off-season needs.  So far, we’ve looked at the cornerbacks,  safeties, linebackers,  defensive linemen,  offensive linemen,  tight ends,  quarterbacks, and wide receivers.   The final position that we’re going to look at is running back.

The 2009 Steelers didn’t look much like a Steelers team.  The traditional running emphasis was gone, and the team looked more like the Indianapolis Colts than the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The team threw the ball early and often.  In passing situations, they threw the ball.  In obvious running situations, they threw the ball.  If offensive coordinator Bruce Arians could have found a way to do it, I’m sure that he would have had the team throw the ball when they were on defense too.

Big Ben threw for a whopping 4,328 yards in 2009.  That’s not going to happen this season.  It won’t happen for two reason.  Firstly, Ben is going to be suspended for a minimum of 4 games, so he isn’t going to have the opportunity to pass as often as he did last season.  Secondly, the Rooney family is insisting that the team return to its running roots.  And when the Rooneys want something, they usually get it.

With that in mind, it looks like the Steelers running backs should play a much larger role this year than they did last year.

Willie Parker is no longer with the team, having signed with the Washington Redskins, so Rashard Mendenhall is going to be in the spotlight even more than he was last season.  Mendenhall seemed to perform well when called upon to be the primary rushing threat.  I expect him to do even better this season.  I just hope that he learns to run straight ahead, and stop spinning like a top.  Am I the only one who gets irritated every time he starts to spin for no apparent reason?

Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall

Mewelde Moore appears to be the top backup behind Mendenhall.  Moore has always performed admirably when called upon, and I expect nothing less from him this year.  Moore is not spectacular, but he is competent in all aspects of the game.  He can run, he can catch the ball, and he is a willing blocker who seldom misses his blocking assignment.

Justin Vincent and Frank Summers are both listed on the roster as running backs.  However, I don’t expect either of them to make a meaningful contribution this year, and both will have to win their positions in training camp.

Isaac Redman was the star of last year’s preseason.  Most fans were surprised when Frank Summers beat Redman out for a position on the Steelers’ roster.  Redman has had a full year to learn the playbook, and to lift weights and get stronger.  I fully expect to see Redman on the Steelers’ roster this year.

Stefan Logan is listed as a running back.  However, he is used almost exclusively as a kick/punt returner, so I am not going to discuss him in the context of the running game.

What  should the Steelers do?

Once you start looking at the Steelers running backs, you quickly realize that they lack quality depth.  It felt good knowing that we had Willie Parker waiting in the wings last year.  We don’t have that luxury this season.  In fact, we don’t have a single running back on the roster who is likely to make Rashard Mendenhall lose sleep at night.  Personally, I don’t like that.

I wish we had a talented young running back who was challenging Mendenhall for playing time.  But we don’t.  Moreover, we don’t have anyone who I feel completely confident in should something happen to Mendenhall.

It would not surprise me if the Steelers selected a young running back in this year’s draft to fill that role.  Here are a few of the names that may be available to the Steelers in the early rounds.

C. J. Spiller (Clemson) – Spiller is the undisputed star of this year’s running back class.  C. J. was the only player in college football to score in every game last year.  That’s impressive.  He is a speed demon, and he reminds a lot of people of the Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.  There have been durability concerns, due to his size and a history of injuries in college.  There is a very real possibility that Spiller will be available at pick #18.

C. J. Spiller

Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech) – Dwyer is the best power back in this year’s draft.  He’s got a powerful frame, and is very hard to bring down.  Despite his running style, he never missed a game due to injury.  He shouldn’t be expected to catch many passes, but he does what he does very well.

Jahvid Best (California) – Like C. J. Spiller, Best is a speed back.  He actually ran a better time than Spiller at the NFL Draft Combine.  However he was not as productive in college as Spiller was.  Best is not a big player, and he should not be expected to excel at running between the tackles.  He also has a history of concussions that may be a concern to some teams.    His college career ended early due to a concussion.

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The NFL has announced that Ben Roethlisberger is going to receive a 6-game suspension for his involvement in the recent sexual assault case in Milledgeville, GA.   With good behavior, the suspension can be reduced to 4 games.

In order for the suspension to be reduced to 4 games, Roethlisberger will have to show good behavior, as well as compliance with clinical evaluators.  Translation: Big Ben has to straighten his act out, and prove to the psychologists that he’s not a sexual predator.

Reports claim that the Steelers organization was actually anticipating an 8-game suspension.  That would help explain the sudden trade for Byron Leftwich.

A 4 game suspension would mean that Ben would miss 25% of the regular season.  A six game suspension would encompass a full 38% of the season.  That’s nothing to sneeze at.

Now that it is clear to other NFL teams how much of the season Roethlisberger will miss, they will probably start making trade offers to the Steelers.

This is part 8 in a series evaluating the Steelers’ off-season needs.  So far, we’ve looked at the cornerbacks,  safeties, linebackers,  defensive linemen,  offensive linemen,  tight ends, and quarterbacks.   The next position that we’re going to look at is wide receiver.

The biggest change to the Steelers’ receiver corps obviously happened when the team decided to trade Santonio Holmes.  Santonio was probably the team’s best playmaker at the position.  Sure, Hines has better hands, and Mike Wallace is faster, but Santonio had the best combination of both attributes, and he was the most elusive when making runs after the catch.

With Holmes gone, the Steelers’ priorities going into the draft may change slightly.  Or maybe not.  Let’s look at who the Steelers have left.

Hines Ward is still the undisputed leader of the group.  He holds practically every Steelers receiving record, and his position is very secure.  But Hines is getting older, and his time with the Steelers is winding down.

Mike Wallace had an incredible rookie season.  He essentially led the league in yards per catch.  Technically, he ended up 5th in the league, but 2 of the players ahead of him only had one reception the entire season (albeit a long reception).  Two others had less than 15 catches and fewer then 250 receiving yards for the season.  So among players who actually played a meaningful role in their team’s passing game, Wallace had the highest average in the league.  Not too bad for a rookie.  I feel very confident that Wallace is ready to step into the #2 receiver role.

Steelers WR Mike Wallace

Antwaan Randle El was not brought back to watch from the sidelines.  However, let’s not deceive ourselves.  Randle El’s position is not guaranteed.  He never lived up to the big contract that the Redskins signed him to, and he lost his starting position last year.   Randle El ended the 2009 season with no touchdowns.  And at only 5’10″, Randle El is not the type of big receiver that Ben Roethlisberger tends to prefer. 

Let’s face it folks, most of us remember Antwaan more as a kick/punt returner, and as a guy who was good at running “trick plays”.  He never lit up the field as a pure wide receiver.  So we probably shouldn’t expect him to do that this time around.

Unlike Randle El, Limas Sweed IS a big target.  Sweed is big and fast.  At 6’4″, he towers over most cornerbacks.  And he has the speed to get separation.  Unfortunately, Sweed doesn’t seem to understand that wide receivers are supposed to catch the football.  Sweed seems to specialize in dropping passes.

But I am not ready to give up on Sweed.  I still remember how bad Nate Washington was his first two seasons with the Steelers.  He was exactly like Sweed.  He would get separation from his defender, but then he’d drop the ball.  It wasn’t until his third season that Nate finally put the drops behind him.  This is Limas Sweed’s third season, and I am hoping that he will make the same progression as Washington.  As they say, “three is a magic number”.  Let’s go, Limas!

Arnaz Battle was brought in to be a special teams player.  He hasn’t started a game at wide receiver for the past 2 seasons.  Battle did catch over 50 passes in both 2006 and 2007 before losing his starting role in 2008.  Battle will have to battle (excuse the pun) for a role in the Steelers’ passing game.

Fans don’t really know much about Tyler Grisham.  But I was the first one to write about him last year at training camp.  I was impressed by him, and featured several reports on him before the local newspapers or any of the  other blogs ever mentioned him.  Grisham is a gritty kid with excellent hands.  The Steelers didn’t keep him on the practice squad for nothing.  He beat out taller, faster players like Dallas Baker.  He reminds me of Hines Ward.  He isn’t tall or fast, but he catches everything thrown his way, and he is a very willing blocker.  I like him, and think he has a good chance of being with the team this year (despite his physical limitations).  What can I say?  I always cheer for the underdog.

What  should the Steelers do?

Wide receiver isn’t a glaring need for the team, but they do need to improve their depth at the position.  I don’t expect them to take a wide receiver in the first two rounds, but after that, the position is a distinct possibility.  With so many teams playing spread offenses, the colleges are developing tons of receivers.  It is possible to get a potential starter very late in the draft.  Miles Austin was probably the Dallas Cowboys’ best wide receiver last season, and he was signed as an undrafted free agent.

I don’t think the Steelers are going to go after one of the high profile wide receivers in this year’s draft like Dez Bryant or Golden Tate.  Moreover, it would probably be impossible to guess which late round wide receiver the Steelers might take.  But I think it is fair to assume that the team will probably take a wide receiver (that none of us has ever heard of) in the later rounds of the upcoming draft.

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