Steelers position-by-position review: safeties
This is part 11 in our position-by-position review of the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers. If you haven’t read the previous installments, please click below:
If you haven’t read Part 1 (offensive tackles), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 2 (guards), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 3 (centers), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 4 (tight ends), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 5 (wide receivers), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 6 (running backs), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 7 (quarterbacks), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 8 (nose tackles), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 9 (defensive ends), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 10 (linebackers), click here.
If you haven’t read Part 11 (linebackers part 2), click here.
Today we talk about a position that is one of the most dire needs for the Steelers; safeties.
Some of you are probably saying, “Safeties aren’t a need for the Steelers. We have good safeties.” And you’d be partially right, and partially wrong.
The Steelers have a pair of very good starting safeties in Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark. However, age is starting to creep up on them. If we don’t want the Steelers to have the same situation at safety as they have at nose tackle, then we need to start drafting young replacements. And we need to do it now.
Lets look at the Steelers’ safeties, starting with…….
Troy Polamalu
Troy is still All-Universe when it comes to NFL safeties. I don’t have to spend much time explaining to anyone how good Troy is. Moreover, Troy had a pretty good season in 2011. His interceptions were down drastically from what we’ve come to expect from Troy, but he had a very good season in just about every other statistical category.
The only problem that I see with Troy is that he’ll be 31 during the 2012 season. That’s not ancient, but Troy is getting older. And that may become a real problem based on the way Troy plays the game. We all know that Troy throws his body around like a human wrecking machine. Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to do that when you’re in your 20′s than it is to do it in your 30′s. And Troy paid the price for his style of play even when he was in his 20′s.
Troy Polamalu
2011 was only the second time that Troy has managed to stay healthy for all 16 regular season games since 2006. That’s right, Troy rarely makes it through an entire season without getting hurt. I know that fans hate hearing that, but it’s true. And we all have to start preparing for the day when Troy’s body just won’t be able to handle the physical pounding anymore. I may be wrong, but I can’t imagine Troy doing what he currently does when he’s 34 or 35. Few players can play at a high level at that age, regardless of how good they were when they were younger (e.g. consider Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Hines Ward, and James Farrior).
Knowing that Troy’s career is winding down, I’m concerned that his replacement isn’t currently on the roster.
Ryan Clark
2011 was probably the best statistical season of Ryan Clark’s career. He was a tackling machine out there. Moreover, the Steelers had the #1 passing defense in the NFL. So Ryan Clark’s production was undeniable.
A part of Ryan’s increase in tackles was due to the decline of the Steelers’ run defense. More guys were getting to the second level, and Ryan had to help stop them. But regardless of why his stats were up, Ryan still had a great season.
However, like Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark is getting up there in age. He’ll be 33 years old next season. That’s pretty old for an NFL player.
While his statistics say that he’s playing as well as he ever has, Ryan has nevertheless looked like he’s starting to lose a step to me.
And just like with Troy Polamalu, I don’t think that his replacement is currently on the roster.
Now are you starting to see why I think safety is a dire need for the Steelers?
Ryan Mundy
Ryan Mundy has been a solid backup for the Steelers since 2009. But the key is that he’s been a backup. Ryan has made some good plays, but he’s never done anything spectacular. He’s never made me feel like he was ready to step in and be the starter.
Some might argue that he’s only been in the league for 3 years, so he’s still a young player. But that wouldn’t be true. Mundy was older than most players when he came out of college. He was 24 when he joined the team. So now he’s a 3rd year player who is already 27 years old. See the problem?
At 27 years old, Mundy should already be in the prime of his career. If he’s ever going to be a starter, he should be one now. But he’s not.
Ryan Mundy reminds me a lot of Cliff Stoudt. Some of you may be too young to remember Cliff Stoudt, but trust me on this one. Cliff Stoudt was a guy who I felt very comfortable with as a dependable backup. But I didn’t want to see him called upon to be the full-time starter. A backup simply has to be able to go in and make sure that he doesn’t screw up. But a starter has to be able to make things happen. And I’m still not convinced that Mundy can do that.
I hope that Mundy proves me wrong. But with Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark both in their 30′s, and Ryan Mundy as the top backup at safety, I think Steelers fans have a legitimate cause for concern.
Will Allen
Will Allen is basically a career backup. He was a full-time starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2006, but that was a long time ago. Now, he’s primarily a special teams player.
Allen will be 30 years old when the 2012 season begins. I highly doubt that he’s suddenly going to emerge as a potential starter at age 30. So let’s assume that his future contribution to the team will primarily be on special teams.
Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith
Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith was undrafted when he came out of UTEP, and he was signed to the Steelers’ practice squad as an undrafted free agent. The fact that nobody drafted him may say something about how much potential scouts felt that Cromartie-Smith showed in college.
Cromartie-Smith spent most of 2011 on the Steelers’ practice squad, but he did get to dress for 4 games, and he made a total of 3 tackles. So obviously the jury is still out on him.
So to summarize, the Steelers have two aging veterans as starters, a pair of aging backups who haven’t shown the potential to be starters, and an undrafted practice squad player. Now do you see why I think safety needs to be a position of concern in the upcoming NFL Draft?
What about Myron Rolle? He has some potential to play safety for the Steelers.
1I agree that we need a safety, but I’m not sure if the Steelers will get anyone. This safety class isn’t that great, and the Steelers don’t reach for prospects based on position alone.
I think when Troy leaves, the defense will have to drastically change. Nobody can replicate what Troy does. We need to replace Clark as well, though his replacement should come easier. Still, we need those young players here, as Mundy and Allen are special teamers, nothing more.
2I think they have already changed, to a lesser degree, their style of defense based on what Troy can and can’t too.
If you look back a few years, at the best safeties in the game, Bob Sanders at Indy, Ed Reed at Balti, and Polamalu — all those guys were/are often hurt. Its a tough position and adds to the need for an emerging star (which I agree, we don’t have) at the position.
But like Dan said, the Steelers don’t reach, which is a good thing.
Any chance some of the young CBs move over to safety? There’s going to be a shake up with Gay gone…
3Mark,
4I liked Myron Rolle coming out of college. He’s obviously a very bright kid. But he’s been out of the game for a while. I’m excited to see what he does in training camp.
Dan,
I actually disagree with you that this is a bad year for safeties. There’s no Earl Thomas in this year’s draft, but that’s pretty typical. When was the last time you heard of a strong class of safeties?
Mark Barron may be the only 1st rounder in this year’s draft, but there will be plenty of kids who will make NFL rosters. And that’s all we really need.
With the spread offenses that we see in college today, there are tons of talented cornerbacks in college. And many of them won’t be playing CB in the pros. But some may have the skills to switch to safety. That’s where I think there are a few gems to be mined. For example, when we drafted Keenan Lewis, you may recall that I said that he also had the potential to make a great safety.
BTW, does anyone know what round Ryan Clark was drafted in?
5Dan & Jim,
Yes, Troy is a unique talent. And the Steelers will never be able to replace him. We all know that the next guy won’t be able to do what Troy does.
And yes, Dick LeBeau has made “what Troy does” a moving target. Sometimes he plays him like a linebacker, sometimes he plays him like a safety, and sometimes he plays him like a cornerback. And when Troy is hurt, he completely changes what everyone else does.
It’s unfortunate that Troy can’t play forever. Watching him play through his entire career has been a joy. But I remember wondering how the Steelers were ever going to replace Mel Blount, or Rod Woodson, or Carnell Lake. So I know that the Steelers will be just fine when Troy retires. It just doesn’t seem like it right now.
6The key to the Steelers defense being top instead of merely solid is having disruptive players who play with enough discipline to maintain the Steelers’ system. Casey used to be disruptive as was Joey P. Now it is Troy and James but they are getting older and Harrison may be hindered by the new rules. I thought Timmons might develop into such a player but that is still an open question.
7Clark was undrafted
8With the change in the TE position in the NFL, Safeties are being asked to be able to do more and be equally good at coverage as well as run support. The crazy pass happy offenses dictate that teams need great cover guys 4 & 5 deep on many plays. IMO, after O & D lines then ILB, I think Safety is our next biggest need. We not only need to be thinking about eventual replacements for our starters; we need guys who may be called on to play this year. Mundy is solid as you said (love the Cliff Stoudt reference; Kent Graham too!) He is not the answer as an impact starter (see Denver game.)
9BTW, really like Markelle Martin & George Iloka in this draft.
Well we got 3 more 7th rounds picks. Maybe we can find a safety with one
10John#21,
You’re exactly right. The tight end position is evolving rapidly, and it’s primarily the safeties that are called upon to guard the tight end. So as tight ends become nothing more than “big wide receivers”, the safeties are going to have to become “big cornerbacks”.
What I find to be interesting is that I can’t find a single publication or website that says that safety is a need for the Steelers. They’re all saying that CB is our big need. I guess they don’t realize that we drafted two last year, and both have lots of potential.
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