Teams Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steel Curtain

[nahnah]

Flores dismantled the Ravens offense this season

 

[Exe Gesis]

Flores dismantled the Ravens offense this season

Apparently, Flores was the mastermind behind the Patriots total destruction of McVay's offense in the super bowl a few years ago. Read something about how it was his gameplan. He destroyed the Ravens this year. A very astute signing by the Steelers, as their long-time DC retired this year.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Kevin Colbert: Personally and professionally, it’s time to step down​

Posted by Myles Simmons on February 21, 2022, 4:01 PM EST

The Steelers have been conducting interviews for Kevin Colbert’s successor as the team’s General Manager, with Colbert stepping down after the draft.

Given that Colbert has been going year-to-year on his contract for a few seasons, it wasn’t much of a surprise when team owner Art Rooney II confirmed that Colbert would be departing his current position. Speaking with reporters on Monday, Colbert noted he hasn’t been using the word “retire” in part because he may or may not have a role within the team’s front office moving forward.

But Colbert, 65, also said that the timing was right for him to take a step back.

“It’s something my family and I have discussed really over the last few years, and that’s why we’ve been asking to do the year-to-year contracts,” Colbert said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s time from a personal standpoint and I think it’s time from [a] professional standpoint.

“We always have to be open to new ways to do things and more current ways. I encourage my younger scouts to push me in that regard. The better solution might be outside the organization. We have to be open to try to stay ahead of the game.”

Colbert has been with the Steelers since 2000, initially as the director of football operations. He was named the team’s G.M. in 2010.
The Steelers have involved him in the process of interviewing General Manager candidates.

“If there’s a way I can help and not hinder the next person, we’re going to be open to that,” Colbert said. “But nothing has been decided nor will it be till after we get through the interview process.”

Colbert mentioned head coach Mike Tomlin has not sat in on the interviews yet and won’t do so until the Steelers go through a second round of interviews after the draft.

 

[andana]

Steelers hired Brian Flores to 'help us win games,' GM Kevin Colbert says​

As evidenced by the decision to hire Brian Flores, the Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t scared away by the former Miami Dolphins coach’s class-action lawsuit against the NFL, which claims racial discrimination in the league’s hiring practices.
General manager Kevin Colbert, though, said the organization wasn’t making a statement by giving Flores a chance to coach the team’s linebackers in the role of senior defensive assistant.
“It says we hired a very good quality defensive coach that can maybe help us win games,” Colbert said Monday. “Beyond that, there is nothing else to say.”
Flores, 40, was fired by the Dolphins after compiling back-to-back winning seasons that brought his record to 24-25 in three years in Miami. He named the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos and New York Giants in his lawsuit against the NFL.
Such a lawsuit could make a coach untouchable, but the Steelers ended any speculation on whether Flores ever would get another coaching opportunity.
Colbert said he had minimal input in coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to add Flores to the coaching staff. The Steelers had an opening after Keith Butler retired as defensive coordinator and senior defensive assistant Teryl Austin was promoted to take Butler’s place.
“Coach Tomlin makes every coaching hire,” Colbert said. “He will come to me at different times and say, ‘I’m interviewing so and so, do you know anything about him or could you find out some things about him.’ When he brought coach Flores’ name up as a potential (hire), I was excited about it.


JOE RUTTER | Monday, Feb. 21

 

[andana]

On ESPN’s “Get Up” show Tuesday morning, the talking heads bleated about the Steelers having a “great defense.” Casually, factually, definitively and providing no proof.

The Steelers defense finished 20th in points allowed, 24th in yards allowed and 32nd (dead last) in run defense. It allowed 42 points in the playoff loss at Kansas City.

How can that defense possibly be classified as “great”?

“Mean” Joe Greene retired. So did Troy Polamalu. It was in all the papers.

The Steelers defense has a few great players. That’s the only connection to the word “great” on that side of the ball. It’s about the whole, not the parts.

The absences of defensive linemen Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu can be cited. But every team absorbs injuries.

Tuitt was a huge loss. He dealt with a knee injury and the tragic death of his brother. There’s no guarantee he will return.

The Steelers could lose most of their defensive backfield to free agency: Joe Haden, Terrell Edmunds and Ahkello Witherspoon are all unrestricted.

T.J. Watt was great. He won NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He tied the NFL’s single-season sack record.

But Watt missed two games, left three more early and was compromised by injury in at least two others.

For the defense to be great, Watt has to be 100% (or close to it) more often. Stars aren’t paid to win awards or set records. They’re paid to impact winning as much as possible.

So the Steelers defense wasn’t great. It was a lot closer to terrible. It won’t be great in 2022, either.

 

[andana]

Tim Benz: Throwing bodies at the depth chart won't answer Steelers' quarterback questions — it will create them​

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation, there are many theories as to what the organization should do.

A.) Make a big trade for an established veteran like Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr or Russell Wilson.

B.) Draft a potential future star in the first round.

C.) Do nothing and ride it out with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins so they can throw money and draft picks at other holes on the roster.

I’ve advocated for the first approach, with little public support.

But one thing I wouldn’t do is attempt to solve the Steelers quarterback issue by simply throwing a volume of bodies at the position.

In other words, don’t bring back Haskins, Rudolph, Josh Dobbs and another mid-tier, backup veteran quarterback. Or Haskins, Rudolph, a mid-round draft choice and Dobbs.

That’s not being decisive. That’s being cluttered.

You can fix other positions of need on a football team by merely accumulating numbers on the depth chart and employing a survival-of-the-fittest mentality.

Perhaps wide receiver. Secondary. Defensive line. Along the interior of the offensive line.

Quarterback doesn’t work that way. The less clear the plan is, the less likely you are to see the potential of whoever happens to be the quarterback at the time.

Because at the first sign of trouble, it’s easy to bench a player that has no commitment behind him and go to Plan B.

Or C. Or D.

For the Steelers, they always seem to do that when they don’t have a lot of good options to choose from in the first place.


“Word right now is Pittsburgh is targeting Malik Willis in the 2022 NFL Draft. And though I cannot confirm Pittsburgh is targeting Willis, I do know they like him an awful lot. As far as free agents, I am told they are targeting three signal-callers: Mitch Trubisky, Teddy Bridgewater and Jameis Winston.

“The combination of one of those three QBs plus selecting Willis in the NFL Draft would set the Steelers up both short and long-term.”

Willis in the draft along with Trubisky or Bridgewater or Winston?

Let’s be clear, if a franchise is “targeting” at least two of four quarterbacks at once, it isn’t “targeting” any at all. That’s like throwing every dart at the board at once and just hoping one hits the bullseye by luck.

Why do that when you can take close aim one-by-one?

I mean, “set the Steelers up” for what, exactly? A year-long game of drunken Jello Twister at the position? Especially since this franchise already has Rudolph, Haskins and Dobbs at their disposal to start camp if they need them as options to buffer the depth chart.

To me, nothing about that approach indicates a commitment to a plan. Nothing about that strategy suggests a focus. That plan of attack sounds more like going to sea with plenty of life jackets because you know the boat is leaky.

 

[Andonis1997]

A.) Make a big trade for an established veteran like Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr or Russell Wilson.

B.) Draft a potential future star in the first round.

C.) Do nothing and ride it out with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins so they can throw money and draft picks at other holes on the roster.

What's the preference for everyone here? I'm very new to NFL so I'm not sure which is the best way forward

 

[Exe Gesis]

What's the preference for everyone here? I'm very new to NFL so I'm not sure which is the best way forward

QB 1st - there are three I really like
OL and LB

 

[andana]

What's the preference for everyone here? I'm very new to NFL so I'm not sure which is the best way forward

Steelers have lots of needs. OL especially

I'd be looking for a QB in the second round if there is a slider. Not that impressed with this drafts QBs.

Lots of talk about steelers trying to get Malik Willis. They would have to trade down tho and they need all the picks they can get. Willis is in some mock drafts at #1

INDIANAPOLIS -- One of the top arms in the 2022 NFL Draft won't show off his legs this week.
Liberty signal-caller Malik Willis told reporters Wednesday that he will throw at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he will not run or participate in other drills.
Willis, viewed to be a first-round pick in April's draft in many mock drafts, said he'd probably run at his pro day, which is scheduled for March 24.
Thankfully for NFL talent evaluators, Willis has already put his game on tape this draft circuit. The Liberty QB stood out at the Senior Bowl last month, displaying arm strength and escapability, leading both teams in Mobile in rushing.

While there is no consensus yet on who should be the top signal-caller to come off the board, Willis said he feels his name should be the first called among quarterbacks.
"I think so, but I don't make those decisions," Willis told reporters. " I hate that for me."
Even though Willis isn't running the gauntlet of drills, he's still making the most of the week in Indianapolis. Willis said he's already met with all 32 teams during the draft process.

Among the popular pairings for Willis are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are in the market for a QB after Ben Roethlisberger retired this offseason; NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Lance Zierlein all have Willis going to the Steel City in the first round in their latest mocks. Pittsburgh brass has indicated it's interested in adding a more mobile QB after years with the lead-footed Big Ben under center, making Willis potentially a top target. (Unfortunately for the Steelers and other clubs, they won't be able to get a good read of Willis' speed this week.)
Willis said Wednesday that he liked the Steelers coaching staff when he met with them, but doesn't know enough about the offense to know if he'd be a good fit with the club. The QB joked he prefers to play in an offense that "scores points."

 

[andana]

INDIANAPOLIS — In his five years at Pitt, Kenny Pickett spent enough time on the practice fields the Panthers share with the Steelers that he developed a rapport with coach Mike Tomlin.

He remembers the first time Tomlin plopped down on the benches outside UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and struck up a conversation with the nervous freshman quarterback who was awestruck by Ben Roethlisberger throwing passes to Antonio Brown.

“He would come and sit down and hang out,” Pickett said Wednesday at the NFL Combine. “I wouldn’t leave the bench until he would leave, obviously. I’ve known coach for a long time. It’s been a pretty special relationship.”

It’s one that could dovetail into a coach-quarterback relationship if the Steelers use the No. 20 pick in the NFL Draft on a quarterback and Pickett, perhaps the top passer in his class, somehow slips that far in the opening round.

Stranger things have happened, and Pickett wouldn’t mind if the stars aligned so he wouldn’t have to stray from the place he called his college football home since 2017.

“It would be unbelievable to play in the city I played college football in,” he said.

Although Pickett believes the Steelers have done more advanced scouting work on him than any of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class, general manager Kevin Colbert said a day earlier that there is no built-in advantage for his organization. Just because the Steelers share the same work space as Pitt doesn’t mean Colbert’s scouts are scrutinizing the Panthers players more closely than those at other schools.

“We never see those players more than (others) because we have scouts all over the country,” Colbert said. “We never take for granted that we know that player better than a player from the west or anything like that. We try to treat them all equally so as not to prejudice our evaluation. Sometimes it’s a little bit harder because people expect us to know more about the Pitt players than maybe the players at USC. Honestly, we really don’t.”



...................................


INDIANAPOLIS — Some NFL prospects might shy away from the thought of immediately replacing a Hall of Fame quarterback.

Matt Corral isn’t of that mindset.

Corral, the redshirt junior from Mississippi, is prepared to follow in the footsteps of Ben Roethlisberger provided he is drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Who wouldn’t want to step in after a Hall of Fame quarterback?” Corral said Wednesday at the NFL Combine. “It’s definitely a blessing just to be considered that a team wants you after having a quarterback such as Ben Roethlisberger.”

“Definitely a great group of guys,” Corral said about the Steelers. “I’d love to be a part of that organization, for sure.”

JOE RUTTER triblive.com

 

[Exe Gesis]

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

 

[AJ_2000]

Crazy you can stink it up at the Bears, get run out of town, sit a year in Buffalo, throw 43 yards with 1 INT and they toss you tge keys in Pittsburg

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Crazy you can stink it up at the Bears, get run out of town, sit a year in Buffalo, throw 43 yards with 1 INT and they toss you tge keys in Pittsburg

Think it was more a case of Matt Nagy showing everyone last year that he ruins QBs and cant develop them. Worked out well for Mitch. Nice landing spot to try and reignite his career.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Mitchell Trubisky could be the very short-term bridge quarterback in Pittsburgh​

Posted by Mike Florio on March 14, 2022, 6:19 PM EDT

Five years ago in Chicago, the Bears signed quarterback Mike Glennon in free agency. The significance of the move was undermined by the decision to make Mitchell Trubisky the second overall pick in the draft.
This year, Trubisky could be playing the role of Glennon.
With no numbers leaked yet on the deal Trubisky will sign with the Steelers, the implication is that the contract isn’t a big-money, earth-shattering transaction. If the actual numbers (and they’ll inevitably be released) prove that, Trubisky could be more than just an upgrade to Mason Rudolph. Trubisky potentially may be cover for a potential effort to draft a new franchise quarterback in round one.
Before Ben Roethlisberger arrived, the Steelers went 20 long years between franchise quarterbacks. If there’s an incoming rookie they like, maybe they make the move with the 20th overall pick in the draft. And if there’s an incoming rookie they really like, maybe they do what they’ve done with other prospects they really liked (Troy Polamalu, Santonio Holmes, Devin Bush) and trade up.
Whatever the plan, the Steelers won’t be sharing it. They’ll be keeping the cards very close to the vest, as they always do. And we’ll find out what their strategy is whenever they execute it.
Don’t be surprised if that strategy entails snaring one of the top quarterbacks with the 20th pick in round one, or something higher if need be.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Imo, i reckon theyll draft a QB like Howell (maybe Corral). Someone in the same body type and play style as Trubisky/Rudolph/young-Roethlisbetger

 

[andana]

Trubinsky not being paid much but having incentives looks like a good deal for steelers. Gives them options.
Trubinsky could work out for them. He's mobile and did ok at what was an ordinary bears team.

 

[Big Unit 30]

Trubinsky not being paid much but having incentives looks like a good deal for steelers. Gives them options.
Trubinsky could work out for them. He's mobile and did ok at what was an ordinary bears team.

He made the pro bowl for us after a 12-4 season, but was horrible after that.
What was down to his terrible inaccuracy or Nagys atrocious play calling remains to be seen.

 

[Exe Gesis]

 

[andana]

Over the first 24 hours of the legal tampering period of NFL free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers came to agreements with three potential starting offensive linemen.

The third came Tuesday when former Chicago Bears interior lineman James Daniels agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Steelers, according to multiple national reports. Daniels’ contract will be signed Wednesday and is for $26.5 million, per ESPN and the NFL Network.

The Steelers on Monday signed former Vikings interior lineman Mason Cole and re-signed their own starting right tackle, Chuks Okorafor.

The 6-foot-4, 327-pound Daniels arguably is the most accomplished of the group, having started 48 games at three positions since Chicago selected him with the 39th pick of the 2018 draft. Daniels, 24, was the Bears starter at right guard last season, but most of his action his first three NFL seasons was at left guard. He did, though, start the first eight games of the 2019 season at center.

 

[andana]

Steelers 3 hours into free agency: OL James Daniels ($26.5 million) OL Mason Cole ($15 million) OL Chuks Okorafor ($30 million) CB Levi Wallace ($8 million) QB Mitchell Trubisky ($14 million) LB Myles Jack ($16 million)

 

[andana]

NFL free agency 2022: Picking early winners​

Winners: Pittsburgh Steelers​

I'll throw another AFC North team into the mix here. The Steelers don't often shop in free agency, but with a black hole at quarterback and one of the league's worst offensive lines, Pittsburgh really had no choice but to take a swing or two on the open market. I'm not sure they've found superstars, but they haven't paid over the odds to add players.

The most significant addition the Steelers made was quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, whose two-year deal has a base value of $14.25 million. All the chatter about how Trubisky was being seen as a starting quarterback with significant upside after his year on the bench in Buffalo turned out to be agent bluster; in the end, Trubisky got what amounts to high-end backup money to compete for a starting job. That's a fair price, which is often hard for a desperate team to get when there aren't many QB options in free agency. And Trubisky's deal shouldn't stop the Steelers from drafting a signal-caller, but this locks in an upgrade on Mason Rudolph.

Pittsburgh then went for another former Bears player by inking guard James Daniels to a three-year, $26.5 million deal. Daniels is one of the youngest unrestricted free agents on the market at 24 years old, and the 2018 second-round pick is coming off his best season as a pro after moving to right guard.

I'm assuming Daniels stays at that spot in Pittsburgh, where he'll link up with right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, who signed a three-year, $29.25 million deal to stay with the team. I'm not as enthralled with the deal for Okorafor, who ranked outside the top 50 in both pass block win rate and run block win rate last season. With center Mason Cole joining from the Vikings, the Steelers could have a pair of new starters up front in 2022.

 

[andana]

 

[Exe Gesis]

 

[Exe Gesis]