Coach’s mid-term grades.

[Coach]

Offense today.TomorrowDefense and Special Teams


QB’s

Roethlisberger.Grade A-The numbers are solid.64.5% completions, 2,560 yards ( on pace forover 5,000 passing yards ) 16 TD’s, 7 interceptions.Ben remains an elite level QB.Sure he throws too many passes high and sometimesdoesn’t see a defender waiting to pick it off over the middle, but his overallability as a QB is excellent and he can still extend a play with the best ofthem.Ben’s running the football a bit moreeffectively than he used to on the sidelines or with the QB sneak.If needed #7 can author another 4[SUP]th[/SUP] quarter comebackin any game.One difference I noticed this year is he’s notforcing plays as much as he used to.

Rudolph looked okay in the pre-season, Dobbs was muchimproved.While neither player playedmuch in the regular season, I was impressed with Dobbs one throw, backed up inthe end zone vs .the Ravens. Landry Jones used to crumble in this situations.Dobbs shined.



RB / FB


Conner.GradeA+.Simply sated Conner is his firstseason as the starter has emerged as a star player. A top 5 running back in theNFL, #1 in areas such as big plays and making a defender miss.He’s a red zone threat an the type that canrun out the clock when preserving a slim lead. The only draw back is ball control, often whenhe’s trying to do to much.He’s on pacefor a 2,000 combined yardage season. My mid-seasonchoice for MVP.

Nix. Grade A. In his role, he’s excellent.A sledge hammer of a full back capable ofclearing out his man, offering the ball carrier a lane to run through.He has been impactful on special teams aswell.

Samules.Grade C+ The rookie is starting to get a chance togive Conner a breather.He’s been solidenough with his few chances which is all I can grade him on. Looks to me more finessethan power, but he has some speed and moves. Samules probably could shine as a pass cachingback when Conner is out.

Ridley.Grade C- Our 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] back does not look fast,or powerful. When his number is called, he’snot going to give you much beyond what the OL gives him.


WR



Brown Grade A- Brown is being targeted less, partly do to doublecoverage.He’s still lighting quick withsticky Spiderman like hands. Every other game he makes a big play that leavesyou asking how did he do it. He’s deeproutes seem to be down. It’s possible he’s on a slow decline due to age. His yards per catch is the worst since hisrookie year at 11.6, and his catch per target ratio is the worst in his career.On the flip side he’s catching a lot moretouchdown passes than usual.

Smith-Schuster. Grade A.He has more catches, a higher average per catch, and a higher catch per targetratio and more yards than Brown. That’s saying a lot.Ju-Ju is also a excellent blocker.

Switzer. Grade B- A quality return man, Swizter has versatility as a running back or short routereceiver.He is perhaps the quickestplayer on the team or tied in that department with Brown.His hands aren’t great as a receiver, but he’sbeing used properly.

Washington.Grade C- Our second round pick has had his share of troubles,and has not got a hat for every game. His deep speed to me was disappointing. Unlike Bryant or Ju-Ju who produced big timeout of the gate as rookies, Washington has a lot to work on.His catch percentage is very low at just 40%per target. Neither tall or fast, perhapshe can evolve into a possession receiver with toughness?

Hunter.Grade D+ He’s big and fast, but hasn’t converted on anythingimpactful all year.If Hunter cancovert deep, our offense will be even harder to stop. Right now, we have nodeep speed receiver we can rely on.


TE

McDonald.Grade A- Finally healthy, McDonald has proven to be athreat after the catch.Difficult tobring down and with good speed, he’s a mis match type.A very powerful blocker too.Teamates respond well to his physical styleof play. Ball security has been hisdrawback.

James Grade B James is having his best season.He’s very reliable and this year is having makingsome big plays.

Grimble Grade B - Inhis limited role. Grimble can surprise a defense every now and then.He can run some after the catch. A seldom used guy who produced when the ballcomes his way.


OL



Villanueva. Grade B+. Perhaps the lone man who can playleft tackle well, Big Al has been very good as a run blocker, and what I would callsolid as a pass blocker.He’ll alwayshave some issues with speed rushers.

DeCastro.Grade A.Excellent on the move, Decastro has sparkedmany long runs.He also excels at comboblocks hitting one the DL player and pushing him out of the play, while at thesame time getting a piece of a defender on the second level.

Pouncey – Grade B As a run blocker he’s looking better than he in the past.As a pass blocker he leads the team in QB pressures.

Foster – Grade B-Outside of being vocal about his contract, Foster is playing fairly well as usual.He’s too slow to feature though.

Gilbert. Grade B. He’s having injury issues again. Not having his best season, the talent is there. The consistency is not.

Finney. Grade B- Better in some areas than Foster is, when Finney plays there is no drop off what so ever at guard.

Feiler. Grade B-. Forced to start due to Gilbert’s injures, Feiler has proven himself to be quite capable.A house of a man, he’s a top run blocker thatsurvives on technique vs. the pass. A bit of a revelation, we had no idea whathe could do as the starter.Good enoughto win with is what I see.

Okorafor.Grade C-. Used as an extra Tight end he’s tooinconsistent and would be badly exposed if he started a full game. The rookie has a lot to learn. His physicality seems average.

 

[Stryker]

Good assessments Coach.

For his role Okrafor has to be given credit at the extra tackle. It's not like Feiler is taking his role, even when he isn't starting. Nice surprises for Feiler and Finney in backup roles.

Also, this may be Pounceys best season for pulling and getting down field on blocks. He's a pro bowler for sure on film, and still hasn't allowed a sack.

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Foster has actually surprised me this year with how quickly he's getting around when he's been called on to pull on traps. He's never been a Pro Bowl type, but he's always held his own and given his best. It's Finney's job next year and I expect (hope) that he'll provide the consistency in effort and performance that Foster has over the years.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

I thought this was for us to give Coach his mid season thread grades. C, some are ok some are stupid some just are....

 

[Drink IRON City]

Pretty good assessment Coach but I'd give Roethlesberger an A
I'd also give Swiss Army knife a solid B
Might have to move AB down even though I understand the doubles on him to a B+
(Due to his start of the season antics and MEMEME type behaivior, he is turning it around and will rate
Out at a solid A by the end of the season)

Thanks for the post Coach.






Salute the nation

 

[slashsteel]

I thought this was for us to give Coach his mid season thread grades. C, some are ok some are stupid some just are....

I would have picked another poster in the 5th. As I think coach is slow out of the gates and walks around often with a big head. He seems athletic enough, as he bounces around thread to thread to thread in quick fluid motion. But his read and diagnose ability often makes him a step late when the plays are being discussed.

I am all for trading him at this point in the season.


D+

 

[Coach]

I would have picked another poster in the 5th. As I think coach is slow out of the gates and walks around often with a big head. He seems athletic enough, as he bounces around thread to thread to thread in quick fluid motion. But his read and diagnose ability often makes him a step late when the plays are being discussed.

I am all for trading him at this point in the season.


D+

Thanks for the support!


Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app

 

[Litos]

Coach's grade this season: currently a C+, he hasn't pushed his agenda so much as years before, nor has been so redundant with starting new threads. Still waiting for his Defense assesment to push him up to B- or downgrading him to C-

 

[Bigappleyinzer]

Coach's grade this season: currently a C+, he hasn't pushed his agenda so much as years before, nor has been so redundant with starting new threads. Still waiting for his Defense assesment to push him up to B- or downgrading him to C-

If we are grading on a curve? Coach receives a solid 'B-' for his posts this year. Not quite honor roll just yet, but much improved.

He still wont let go of Sean Davis, but at least i'm not rolling my eyes after EVERY one of his posts.

Keep up the good work! lol.

 

[Litos]

If we are grading on a curve? Coach receives a solid 'B-' for his posts this year. Not quite honor roll just yet, but much improved.

He still wont let go of Sean Davis, but at least i'm not rolling my eyes after EVERY one of his posts.

Keep up the good work! lol.

he just ignores Davis, until he screws up and then jumps on how he said om draft day that the pick sucked.

 

[Stryker]

he just ignores Davis, until he screws up and then jumps on how he said om draft day that the pick sucked.

I saw 2 plays where Davis flew in from the deep safety position to make 5 yard tackles at the catch point, when Flacco dumped off underneath. One saved a first down on 3rd and 8. Dude is starting to ball. He's also hitting players HARD. That ball is going to pop out soon!

 

[Coach]

If we are grading on a curve? Coach receives a solid 'B-' for his posts this year. Not quite honor roll just yet, but much improved.

He still wont let go of Sean Davis, but at least i'm not rolling my eyes after EVERY one of his posts.

Keep up the good work! lol.

And on that cue, I'm going to start with the mid term grades, including the aforementioned Sean Davis.

 

[Coach]

Coach’s mid term grades, Defense and Special teams


DL


Heyward.Grade B- Let’s start out with the elephant in the room,Heyward by his standards is having a poor season. This year, he’s just better than average.His tackles,sacks, QB hits, and passes defended are way down. If one were to double his numbers after 8 games, Heyward ends the year with 42 tackles, and 5 sacks and 0 PD’s.Double teams are nothing new Heyward.Last year, he would have received an A+

Tuitt.Grade B. Tuitt has been coming on as of lately. He’s got Arron Smith type of ability to move people, and has been more active in terms of making tackles.

Hargrave. Grade B- Hargrave is having his best season asa pass rusher. While 3 sacks isn’t eye popping, he does it playing approximately 50% of the snaps. His run defense interms of occupying blockers remains a bit of a weakness.

Alualu. Grade D+. Alualu was much better last season.This year his production has dropped quite a bit.He averages less than one tackle a game and has 0 QB hits, or sacks. Why he and other players on the DL are underachieving is a bit of a mystery to me .Perhaps it’s the coaching.

McCullers. Grade D. I’m the type of fanatic that can map any current Steeler to his Jerseynumber but I must admit, sometimes I forget who #93 is. Big Dan is like Mr.Snuffleupagus. Rarely seen.

Walton. Grade D-. Played in just one of 8 games. A zero on special teams. Looking at the roster, our depth on DL is rather thin.


LB

Watt Grade A+ Watt is his own man.He’s al all-round type of talent, leading the team in sacks ( 7 ), Qb hits( 12), andis 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] overall in total tackles. He also saves us from a loss vs theBrowns. Watt has been solid in coverage too. Extrapolated over a full this is 14 sacks, 24 QB hits, and 84 tackles. A pro bowl player.

Bostic.Grade B- I must admit Bostic is more athletic than I thought with the ability to blitz. He is decent supporting the run, but below average in coverage. Not a 3 down player,but a usable chess piece with its advantages when used properly.

Williams.Grade C+ Williams is a fine run defender inthe box, and a good guy in the locker room, but he’s just terrible in coverage,and this is a passing type of league right now. His value to the team is on thedecline

Dupree Grade B Dupree can offer a did you see that speedtype of rush, but he’ll never be very good vs. the run.The surprise this season is his pass coverage ability, with the interception and 3 passes defended. Never a gifted student, I think he has a bit morepotential to fill.3[SUP]rd[/SUP] on the team in QB hits, 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] in sacks.

Chickillo – Grade C+ A fine back up, who can start a game or two if needed, Chickillo will never be a starter by design.

Fort. Grade B-. Fort is perhaps out best coveragelinebacker.He should be playing more inthe nickel, and his value is on the rise.When he’s on the field, he’s productive. A better option on 2[SUP]nd[/SUP]and long and 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] and long over our staring ILB’s, I think the coachesare finally staring to use him correctly.

Thomas Grade Inc. An extremely athletic linebacker who shined in the pre-season, Thomas hasn’t seen the field much in the base defense.Is he not ready, or did the coaches underestimate his value like they did with say Fort? That question can only be answered if he plays. I think he has 3 down ability. Would love to see him get a chance in the nickel or on the blitz.



DB


Haden Grade A Our best coverage DB by far, Haden can breakup passes or offer solid coverage vs #1 type of receivers. Without him, our entire defense takes two steps backward. He’s the man theSteelers can least afford to lose on defense.

Davis. Grade B-Davis makes a lot of tackles ( 4[SUP]th[/SUP]on the team ) , but where he makes them is what I focus on. Heseems to be a steady and reliable type for the most part, outside of a keymissed tackle or two, but he’s not a guy who makes many plays on the ball. MostNFL starting safeties have a bit more than 3 passes defended. Excellent on the blitz, perhaps he lost that role with the shift to free safety.

Edmunds C+ The rookie has flashed speed and playmaking skills, but he needs more work in coverage, keeping better track of the football, and tackling.He has the toolsto be our best safety on the team. If he develops toward the end of the season,our chances to win a playoff game go up.

Hilton. Grade A. One of the best slot corner in the NFL,Hilton has been excellent again this season. He’s tied for the lead in interceptions and second in passes defended. Hilton who tackles above his weight class mightalso be the team’s best open field tackler.

Burns. Grade C-. A first round pick, Burns has badly regressed and perhaps lost some confidence.He’s football IQ and awareness is lacking andhe doesn’t have elite level speed to makeup for his mistakes.Currently a reserve DB. I wouldn’t start him unless I have to, and Tomlin and Butler seem to think the same. Best in man coverage,very suspect in zone. It might make sense to let him cover the guys Sensabuagh can’t in certain occasions on the outside. Situational football stuff.

Sutton. Grade C A good #4 type of corner, Sutton can offergood coverage and make plays, but he’s just not fast or big enough to developinto a starter.

Sensabaugh Grade C+ For now he’s the starter and less risky than Burns. A feisty type of player who understand hisrole.

Berhe Grade D. Mostly a special teams player. A decenttackler.Likely too slow vs the pass.



ST


Boswell. Grade D+ From the penthouse to the outhouse, Boswellhas been terrible this season, missing 4 extra points, and only converting on 70% of his field goals. The Steelers gave him a 4 year 20 million dollarcontract, If he slumps again near the playoffs, the Steelers might want to add a 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] kicker.

Berry – Grade C- Berry is 25[SUP]th[/SUP] in net punting, and tied for 13[SUP]th[/SUP] in terms of punts inside the 20.His ability to flip a field is an issue at times as is consistency, and his hang time is below average. His return yardage based on his total punts isalso on the high side.

Canaday Grade C. He snaps well enough to the point where you don’t notice the flaws .He could add more in kick coverage. The Steelers looked at other snappers during the season, so obviously they aren’t too happy with him.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

try writing something people want to read. Your explanation about how Tuit is smarter and has more character than Heyward, over in the other thread that YOU STARTED.

 

[Coach]

try writing something people want to read. Your explanation about how Tuit is smarter and has more character than Heyward, over in the other thread that YOU STARTED.

As I said before have you heard the two speak? Is there any doubt why one is captain, and the other is not. Also, read correctly I said Heyward's is smarter and with more character, not the other way around. But this thread about mid season grades. If you disagree or agree, you can comment in this thread.

Thank you,

 

[ark steel]

Seems like a pretty generous grade on Burns.

 

[Coach]

Seems like a pretty generous grade on Burns.

Well a C- is below the needed 2.0 to graduate in college, at least it was where I went. You could argue D+

Burns does have a safety and a forced fumble, so he has made some positive plays a reason I said C-

Do you agree that perhaps Burns should play on the outside vs. a bigger WR's that Sensabaugh ( a former sixth-round pick ) is less equipped to handle in man coverage. Its situational football stuff.

 

[Drink IRON City]

Couple of differences as I see it

Hayward to a B+ Would easily make the A grade if not for continuous being held & doubled.

Thomas needs to see the field. If he can get game experience ILB would be more solid. He is our future.

Davis to a B+ and could improve upon that by end of year

Berry to a C he is a little up and down

Canaday to a B+ as said you don't hear his name, if he contributed more on STs he would definately move up in grade




Maybe the current upwards trend in the team overall will grade most of these guys higher at end and obviously with our SB win we would ONLY need one grade for entire team A+






Salute the nation

 

[Stryker]

Stick to offense Coach, those assessments are accurate. You're not as schooled on D or ST for that matter. Berry started at a D but he's a solid B now.

Canaday, you want to know if your LS is doing their job? They don't **** up, and they don't let up blocked kicks. He's done neither. Mr Perfect who knocked out our drafted LS is an A+, because that is the grade for perfection.

 

[Coach]

Stick to offense Coach, those assessments are accurate. You're not as schooled on D or ST for that matter. Berry started at a D but he's a solid B now.

Canaday, you want to know if your LS is doing their job? They don't **** up, and they don't let up blocked kicks. He's done neither. Mr Perfect who knocked out our drafted LS is an A+, because that is the grade for perfection.

Cope,

" B " is better than average, which Berry is not. He's a below average NFL punter. My call was to keep Matt Wile, and he's averring 45.7 yards per punt, with 19 dropped inside the 20 yard line on the Vikings. Only 2 touch backs. This would also save us a million on the cap. Was I correct in this call? What do you think?

Canady was viewed as suspect, a reason why the Steelers worked out long snappers during the season. To get an A+ he needs to add to kick coverage and tackle people. And if he was A+, there is no way the Steelers would look at replacements during the season.

Those are my special teams observations.

A grade of B+ for Davis? Take a look at what the other free safeties are producing then compare and contrast. He's not that good. If Davis is a B+, the NFL is full of A type of safeties.

I think I know just as much about defense as offense, and something on special teams, though coaching special teams and scouting them is rather easy. For the record, I wanted to draft a punter in round five over Allen. Yes --punter Mike Dickson is that good. The rookie is averring 47.5 yards a punt, ran it once near his own end zone for a first down, and has a special type of leg that can change field positon when you are backed up. . Accurate too with just 2 punts for touchbacks, ( 43.9% of his puns inside the 20 ) and hang time you have to see to appreciate.

 

[Stryker]

Cope,

" B " is better than average, which Berry is not. He's a below average NFL punter. My call was to keep Matt Wile, and he's averring 45.7 yards per punt, with 19 dropped inside the 20 yard line on the Vikings. Only 2 touch backs. This would also save us a million on the cap. Was I correct in this call? What do you think?

Canady was viewed as suspect, a reason why the Steelers worked out long snappers during the season. To get an A+ he needs to add to kick coverage and tackle people. And if he was A+, there is no way the Steelers would look at replacements during the season.

Those are my special teams observations.

A grade of B+ for Davis? Take a look at what the other free safeties are producing then compare and contrast. He's not that good. If Davis is a B+, the NFL is full of A type of safeties.

I think I know just as much about defense as offense, and something on special teams, though coaching special teams and scouting them is rather easy. For the record, I wanted to draft a punter in round five over Allen. Yes --punter Mike Dickson is that good. The rookie is averring 47.5 yards a punt, ran it once near his own end zone for a first down, and has a special type of leg that can change field positon when you are backed up. . Accurate too with just 2 punts for touchbacks, ( 43.9% of his puns inside the 20 ) and hang time you have to see to appreciate.

Where is Canaday viewed as suspect? The Steelers were worried about an injury, and tried snappers JIC. They didn't take any of them, because it turned out to be nothing. Also LS are not tacklers on ST. They are usually safeties. Their primary job is a clean snap, secondary is making sure the DL don't get a free release up the middle. It's tough to run down field and make tackles when your main focus after snapping, is moving backward and preventing blocks. Plus with Nix, Big Red, DHB, Fort, Davis, Burns, etc flying down the field and making tackles for losses, there isn't time for a LS to run down and make a tackle since they have to wait for 3 seconds before doing so. If the LS is making tackles, somebody ****** up in their lane responsibilities. He's still perfect in protection, and snaps. If you can find one instance where he wasn't, which you won't, I can't consider him anything but a perfect A+ Snapper.

I don't see where I rated Davis at all, but I'd consider him today, the 3rd best DB, so I wouldn't split hairs between a B- and a B+

Interesting points on Mike Dickson, and I too agree he is an excellent punter. An Auzzie punter in fact, just like our very own Berry. The Steelers didn't have a 5th rounder, so they didn't have a shot at him, and I'm not spending a 4th on a punter. But once again you fixate on distance as the measure for punters, when punting distance is actually a product of your offensive prowess. Steelers lead the league in first downs, they ain't punting much. Steelers are 4th in the league in yards per game, so they would be punting, on average, on a shorter field than say Minnesota who ranks 12th and Seattle who ranks 26th.

I will say, if you are rebuilding, and need a field flipping punter, then a 4th/5th rounder is not out of the realm of possibility, but if you're a super bowl roster, looking for depth for another Lombardi run, drafting a punter, anywhere in the draft, would be negligent to winning a championship. With the Wile argument, the only situation where I can agree with your argument, is in the cash value saved. That point seems moot now that we save that amount each week Bell sits, but I hear you there.

So yes Berry is a solid B in my book. Another interesting stat with our punter. On all 4 punts downed inside the 5, the Steelers have 2 safeties, and 2 turnovers. That doesn't show up in the punting stats, but those back spinning Auzzie punts are a weapon for this team.

 

[Steelworth]

I saw 2 plays where Davis flew in from the deep safety position to make 5 yard tackles at the catch point, when Flacco dumped off underneath. One saved a first down on 3rd and 8. Dude is starting to ball. He's also hitting players HARD. That ball is going to pop out soon!

Yep, and he also flew across the field to make that crucial STs tackle late in the game.

 

[Steelworth]

Thanks for the support!


Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app

Oh stop taking yourself so seriously. He was simply using your modus operandi in talking about specific people with a bit of a bias (to put it lightly), and he did it creatively.

And speaking of bias, I see yours is still strong for Pouncey. He and DeCastro are playing at all-pro levels. Hell, the entire OL is playing at a high level.

 

[SteelerSask2]

Ok Ridley fumbles and it was kinda bullshit as I don't think he completely caught a difficult throw. Other than that he is literally A+ for his role on the team.

 

[mr peeples]

he just ignores Davis, until he screws up and then jumps on how he said om draft day that the pick sucked.

He wasn't alone in that assessment after that draft. I not only wasn't a fan of the Davis pick, I didn't like Burns either, felt like a reach.

In retrospect, Burns turned out to be the bigger FAIL and Davis has improved so I don't feel he was a total wasted pick. Burns looks like a bust to me.