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Who should start at Strong Safety?

Coach said:
Shazier is our best cover LB by far. And he has would be our fastest DB. Probably could be a safety is he wanted to, but switching at this point is not an option.
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Isnt he about the same size/speed as Chancellor?

Why is it too late? If our current safeties suck, could he be worse? for the record, I think Mitchell and Will Allen will be OK back there. Like Punx, I'm really disappointed, so far, with Thomas. I thought he was a great pick in the fourth and would be a quality starter by now.

We have ILB's that could play if Shazier moved to Safety.
 
ark steel said:
Isnt he about the same size/speed as Chancellor?

Why is it too late? If our current safeties suck, could he be worse? for the record, I think Mitchell and Will Allen will be OK back there. Like Punx, I'm really disappointed, so far, with Thomas. I thought he was a great pick in the fourth and would be a quality starter by now.

We have ILB's that could play if Shazier moved to Safety.
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I don't see them moving Shazier. Why not move Spence? He's 5'11 231.
 
Vader said:
I don't see them moving Shazier. Why not move Spence? He's 5'11 231.
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Oh, I don't either, just hypothesizing, mostly because of his similarities to chancellor in size and speed (although I may be wrong about them being close).
 
I honestly think the Steelers need to call Polamalu now so he is in shape to start the season because we need a veteran guy back there to groom this young secondary! I've said that all along since he retired and I still feel that way!
 
At this point I would start Allen over Thomas. When we drafted him, Thomas seemed like he could develop into a playmaker who would perform well near the line, force some turnovers and cover well out of the slot. The only real concern was his length when covering tight ends and tall receivers, but as hard as he works, it just doesn't come across on the field. Only getting a handful of defensive snaps last season was eye opening.
 
The whole defense just needs snaps together. this is a lot of change to process. Safety tandems tend not to look great till they get a feel for how everyone plays off of each other... we are basically revamping 3/5ths of the main players here, maybe more... its like when you put a new oline together, they sometimes have to gel
 
Punxsutawney said:
He just does not process the pro game quickly enough, which is surprising, given how alert and instinctive he was in college. He also showed a lot of man coverage skills as a rookie.
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Allen. My time clock is kind of running out on Sharknado, on the other hand he may respond well to Butler's simpler defense.
 
Chicoman said:
I honestly think the Steelers need to call Polamalu now so he is in shape to start the season because we need a veteran guy back there to groom this young secondary! I've said that all along since he retired and I still feel that way!
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Unlike other veterans that returned Troy was done a few years before he retired.

For how much I love Troy as a Steeler, I would have to say no thank you.

Another veteran come available final cuts? That might be a little more attractive.
 
I don't think Thomas has shown he can't play the position. Whether it's injuries or inexperience he hasn't gotten the opportunity. I think I let him start the season before I think about moving anyone from their natural position. Also a wild card in this maybe Ian Wild. A guy who maybe a tough cut over the next couple of weeks..has been playing everywhere exceptionally well. Safety and inside linebacker because of injuries at both positions. I say let Thomas play let him determine if he can't hack it. One mistake in a brand new scheme is not enough to say he can't play..
 
Chicoman said:
I honestly think the Steelers need to call Polamalu now so he is in shape to start the season because we need a veteran guy back there to groom this young secondary! I've said that all along since he retired and I still feel that way!
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Its time to move on. No one is calling Troy, and even if someone called, I highly doubt he would reneg on his choice to retire. Lets move on from such pie-in-the-sky fantasies
 
Omar10213245 said:
Its time to move on. No one is calling Troy, and even if someone called, I highly doubt he would reneg on his choice to retire. Lets move on from such pie-in-the-sky fantasies
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Troy and Ike were the two main pass defenders on a defense that was ranked 27th against the pass last year.
 
Yeah, the past is the past. We aren't talking about replacing Troy and Ike in 2009 here. Ike was horrible two years ago and Troy hasn't been healthy in 4-5 years. Last year he barely made a play. Furthermore, this isn't about needing the Steel Curtain or the defenses of the mid to late 2000's. This is about giving up around 18-21 points and generating some more turnovers. Middle of the pack defense will make this team a championship contender if the offense does what it should.
 
As an aside, Ian Wild is having a hell of a training camp (shout out to Coach for his camp crush). Kid is everywhere making tackles; Safety, ILB, Special Teams. If he can show in the remaining games that he can man the spot better than Shamarko, I'd hope they give him a chance.
 
Agreed. Wild has played two seasons of professional football. Of course the CFL doesn't compare, but if you don't have the mentality of the best man wins the position, you have a big problem. a lot of people were excited about Thomas, but clearly he has much to prove.
 
Thomas might be the Jarvis Jones of the secondary
 
Wingman said:
Thomas might be the Jarvis Jones of the secondary
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4th round versus 1st round. Not close to the same expectations, but yeah he hasn't shown improvement since drafted
 
My point was IF Shazier was playing SS, that would allow us to play 5 LB's against the run and still have someone who could also cover from the middle of the field. Man to man on the outside with one high safety and 5 LB's in the middle.

I agree it would take some time to get it to work, but it looks as if we are going to be waiting for things to work anyway.
 
Does it really matter if they're playing a cover/Tampa 2?
 
Wingman said:
This guy might be a find. It is my understanding that the field is bigger in Canada so perhaps he is used to covering lots of ground quickly.
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Wild has stood out. He reacts quickly ,hits hard, and gets in on a lot of players. I think he can make the team as the 5th safety. In Canada, I think he had 27 special teams tackles last year. This is impressive. Covering kicks in the CFL due to the wider field and rules is not an easy task.
 
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Obviously I would want Thomas to be the guy. young guy who you gave up what a4th AND a 3rd? But I think it will be Allen to start the season. Since Allen has been back,I think the defense has been better with him in there. Hopefully something clicks with Thomas and he takes over sometime this season
 
BLITZ said:
Obviously I would want Thomas to be the guy. young guy who you gave up what a4th AND a 3rd? But I think it will be Allen to start the season. Since Allen has been back,I think the defense has been better with him in there. Hopefully something clicks with Thomas and he takes over sometime this season
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Thomas does not look like the answer. He's short, suspect in coverage, doesn't make any plays on the ball, and lacks awareness. He's also the type that might draw flags for what was viewed as legal hits a few years ago.

I think Will Allen is the best choice for now. Will Allen doesn't cost his team much. He's assignment sound and holds his own.
 
Coach said:
Thomas does not look like the answer. He's short, suspect in coverage, doesn't make any plays on the ball, and lacks awareness. He's also the type that might draw flags for what was viewed as legal hits a few years ago.

I think Will Allen is the best choice for now. Will Allen doesn't cost his team much. He's assignment sound and holds his own.
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agreed with what you say. But again with giving up a fourth and third for Thomas, hopefully he gets it. start with Allen and still work on developing Thomas
 
Coach said:
Thomas does not look like the answer. He's short, suspect in coverage, doesn't make any plays on the ball, and lacks awareness. He's also the type that might draw flags for what was viewed as legal hits a few years ago.

I think Will Allen is the best choice for now. Will Allen doesn't cost his team much. He's assignment sound and holds his own.
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Besides the obvious of him being short what plays were you able to look at to draw these conclusions. I haven't seen him enough to draw any
 
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