Another Coach Type Thread: What To Do With Chickillo

[SteelBuckeye]

Did Chickillo even get any playing time yesterday? I can't remember seeing him in the game. Since becoming the camp darling early during training camp, he really seems to have fallen off. He got some pretty extensive playing time against the Vikings and provided 2 tackles .... no sacks and no hurries. Against the Jaguars, 1 tackle ... no sacks and no hurries. Against the Pack yesterday, nada ... no tackles, sacks or hurries.

So, in true Coach type spirit, I ask, what do they do with Chickillo? Dupree has obviously surpassed him in skill and playing time. And it seems that Shayon Green has too. Do you put him on the practice squad due to his limited ability to contribute?

Edit: Most of this is said with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I think Chick makes the final 53. But I am concerned that it seems like he's slowing down as camp we near the end of preseason.

 

[antdrewjosh]

Pouncey injury effects Chickollo a great deal. The Steelers may not be able to keep 10 LBs now

 

[Spike]

You're good - a coach thread is where you go into a popular thread and steal a headline to start your own attention ***** thread on the same subject.

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Pouncey injury effects Chickollo a great deal. The Steelers may not be able to keep 10 LBs now

Good point. Crazy part is that it may also affect guys like Darby, Fogg and Webb's ability to make a push for the final 53 also. Will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

 

[ZACKB]

Doesn't Finney play Center also? He can backup

 

[steelhurt]

Maybe practice squad for Chicky but I do not seem him making the 53.

 

[Bigappleyinzer]

I have no idea why people think he is going to be snatched off the PS immediately. He was a 6th round pick and really hasn't set the world on fire this preseason. Hell, HoJo has flashed more than Chick. Yea yea I know he looks good in practice, but I think Allen Iverson said it best lol.

Have him sit on the PS this year. Best case scenario is that he becomes our swing OLB next year.

 

[Vader]

This is why people shouldn't get too high during training camp or even pre-season. All those reports by "experts" mean nothing in the regular season.

 

[SteelBuckeye]

I have no idea why people think he is going to be snatched off the PS immediately. He was a 6th round pick and really hasn't set the world on fire this preseason. Hell, HoJo has flashed more than Chick. Yea yea I know he looks good in practice, but I think Allen Iverson said it best lol.

Have him sit on the PS this year. Best case situation is that he becomes our swing OLB next year.

You know as well as I do that we always pick our favorite underdogs at camp and hope and pray that they become the next (*Insert Name*). The problem is that too often we pick our "darling" at the beginning of camp; only to watch them fade as the end is in sight. And while we had our eyes on the guy that flashed early, some other guy(s) has been steadily improving. Maybe even at another position. Chick was the "flash" at the beginning of camp. Guys like Grant, Darby, Fogg, Webb, Murphy (at WR) are the steady improvers.

I'd be more worried about losing Grant, Fogg or Webb if placed on the PS than Chickillo.

 

[Litos]

I think they are "hiding" him, not giving him much playing time on purpose so if he shines on preseason he won't be snatched when sent to PS.

 

[bmoritz]

I think Grant's spot on the 53 is locked up. He looked great yesterday.

 

[Shane Falco]

Doesn't Finney play Center also? He can backup

Yes. He has and has all the attributes to be a descent center. He would (IMO) and should be given reps at center this week to see how he does. Could be an option if Cornhole Cody gets injured.

 

[Wingman]

The loss of an offensive lineman will not affect the linebackers. An offensive lineman will be on the IR designated to return list and then one of the replacements will go back to the practice squad. There are a number of linebackers that have hit the injury box as well which is why there is a safety playing inside linebacker now. If anything since James Harrison is playing this year and might not next year they will likely keep one more outside backer than usual.

I would suspect that some of the under performing defensive backs might be more at risk than other positions because of the talent. Gradkowski might be at risk due to injuries since he had shoulder and now broke a finger. It might affect the chance he has of staying on the team with Murphy playing well and being able to play in two positions and Laundry actually playing better than he has to date in the last game. If he continues to improve he may become the number two guy, and it would be nice if he does as a younger player could fill that spot for a while. As it looks now if anything happens to Ben and any of the backup qbs go in for a long stretch we are likely done for the year anyway.

 

[madinsomniac]

Whebn I was out in Tulsa last week, I was listening to NFL talk on sirus. they were interviewing one of the ex gm's or coaches at some point, and he straight up said that at times when you knew you didnt have room for a guy on the 53 and he needed some work, you didnt play him in the preseason much and hoped no one noticed him... he said every team has a database of players they think may be cut and that they use preseason stats to find guys they may have overlooked on that list. if you do not let them make an impact, its likely that teams dodnt steal them away...

 

[Coach]

Did Chickillo even get any playing time yesterday? I can't remember seeing him in the game. Since becoming the camp darling early during training camp, he really seems to have fallen off. He got some pretty extensive playing time against the Vikings and provided 2 tackles .... no sacks and no hurries. Against the Jaguars, 1 tackle ... no sacks and no hurries. Against the Pack yesterday, nada ... no tackles, sacks or hurries.

So, in true Coach type spirit, I ask, what do they do with Chickillo? Dupree has obviously surpassed him in skill and playing time. And it seems that Shayon Green has too. Do you put him on the practice squad due to his limited ability to contribute?

Edit: Most of this is said with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I think Chick makes the final 53. But I am concerned that it seems like he's slowing down as camp we near the end of preseason.

I pondered this too. Sometimes teams try to " hide " their talents in the pre-season by limiting their snap count in hopes of letting a player go, and putting him on the practice squad.

If it comes down to special teams, Ian Wild is the better player.

 

[SteelerAl]

The loss of an offensive lineman will not affect the linebackers. An offensive lineman will be on the IR designated to return list and then one of the replacements will go back to the practice squad. There are a number of linebackers that have hit the injury box as well which is why there is a safety playing inside linebacker now. If anything since James Harrison is playing this year and might not next year they will likely keep one more outside backer than usual.

I would suspect that some of the under performing defensive backs might be more at risk than other positions because of the talent. Gradkowski might be at risk due to injuries since he had shoulder and now broke a finger. It might affect the chance he has of staying on the team with Murphy playing well and being able to play in two positions and Laundry actually playing better than he has to date in the last game. If he continues to improve he may become the number two guy, and it would be nice if he does as a younger player could fill that spot for a while. As it looks now if anything happens to Ben and any of the backup qbs go in for a long stretch we are likely done for the year anyway.

This is not correct. Pouncey has to be on the final 53-man roster on cut-down day. A couple days later he can be moved to the IR - Designated to Return list. That's the way it works, I suppose so teams don't try and stash a promising player on the "short-term" IR list. So all that said, we probably have to keep an extra O-lineman on the final 53. Then we can add a guy back who was cut and cleared waivers (perhaps Chickillo).

 

[antdrewjosh]

The loss of an offensive lineman will not affect the linebackers. An offensive lineman will be on the IR designated to return list and then one of the replacements will go back to the practice squad. There are a number of linebackers that have hit the injury box as well which is why there is a safety playing inside linebacker now. If anything since James Harrison is playing this year and might not next year they will likely keep one more outside backer than usual.

I would suspect that some of the under performing defensive backs might be more at risk than other positions because of the talent. Gradkowski might be at risk due to injuries since he had shoulder and now broke a finger. It might affect the chance he has of staying on the team with Murphy playing well and being able to play in two positions and Laundry actually playing better than he has to date in the last game. If he continues to improve he may become the number two guy, and it would be nice if he does as a younger player could fill that spot for a while. As it looks now if anything happens to Ben and any of the backup qbs go in for a long stretch we are likely done for the year anyway.

http://www.Invalid Link - Check SN ...own-effect-on-steelers-initial-53-man-roster/

 

[SteelerSask2]

Every year there is an early camp darling who flashes. And inevitably he shrinks down as the complexity and competition increases. Now that is not to say he won't take a big jump next year or the year after that. however, he clearly isn't making the roster this year. Now every team has their own Chickillos to deal with. I can't anticipate this guy getting picked up. Howard Jones on the other hand is a different story. He flashed a few times yesterday. Plus he has a lot more game film on him from last year. He might get interest.

 

[Wingman]

Dave Bryan's opinions not withstanding, The guy that is likely to be on the practice squad until the IR designation kicks in will be a lineman. They already have a couple of interior guys that are likely to be practice squad safe on the team. Adams will not count till he is ready to come back so it will be easy enough to keep him out of the line up till then and by doing so free up a spot for a lineman. In looking at the team it is likely that they take a chance with their 9th or 10th offensive lineman more so than a linebacker they might wish to keep as the difference between them is one has flashed and shown potential and the others have not.

There is also the possibility that the addition to the Steelers offensive line after Pouncey is on IR will come from another teams cut downs and not the guys we have. They only dress 7 to 8 lineman per game so it is likely they can activate one of them from the practice squad before the first game.

 

[stillwright]

Maybe practice squad for Chicky but I do not seem him making the 53.

WHAT!!!!!!! Practice squad? Practice squad? Are you talking about the practice squad?

I thought he was suppose to be a week one starter?


/Half the board

 

[stillwright]

I pondered this too. Sometimes teams try to " hide " their talents in the pre-season by limiting their snap count in hopes of letting a player go, and putting him on the practice squad.

If it comes down to special teams, Ian Wild is the better player.

So they might be trying to stash him.....hmmm. He I thought he was going to push JJ off the team.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Yeah he played and was on the kick return team early in the game.

 

[SteelerAl]

I don't buy the idea that we are "hiding" or "stashing" Chickillo for a minute. What has he done other than get local beat-writers excited by beating 3rd string OTs in practice? Have you guys seen what our 3rd string OTs look like in these preseason games?

It seems like this is just another story of fans reading training camp reports and hyping someone up well beyond all reasonable expectations. Wasn't Howard Jones the same guy last year? HoJo is clearly athletic, but I don't think he has much of a chance of making the final 53.

 

[Coach]

I don't buy the idea that we are "hiding" or "stashing" Chickillo for a minute. What has he done other than get local beat-writers excited by beating 3rd string OTs in practice? Have you guys seen what our 3rd string OTs look like in these preseason games?

It seems like this is just another story of fans reading training camp reports and hyping someone up well beyond all reasonable expectations. Wasn't Howard Jones the same guy last year? HoJo is clearly athletic, but I don't think he has much of a chance of making the final 53.

Chickillo has had a good camp. He's making a position switch from DL to 3-4 OLB and has NFL upside, and smarts. Because Jones and Dupree are ahead of him on the depth chart, Chickillo wasn't going to get much time vs the #1's in the pre-season game.

While Jarvis Jones had his best play in a steelers uniform in my opinion last weekend, he did it vs a back up. Just saying... I wish we could trade Jones for something, but the depth behind him is unproven, so it would be a gamble.

You could say Ian Wild has out played every rookie we have on defense, but he's a long shot to make the team. With a shaky defense, I'd load up on special teams. So maybe Wild will has a chance ( 1 in 3 ) to make the team.

 

[slashsteel]

I don't buy the idea that we are "hiding" or "stashing" Chickillo for a minute. What has he done other than get local beat-writers excited by beating 3rd string OTs in practice? Have you guys seen what our 3rd string OTs look like in these preseason games?

It seems like this is just another story of fans reading training camp reports and hyping someone up well beyond all reasonable expectations. Wasn't Howard Jones the same guy last year? HoJo is clearly athletic, but I don't think he has much of a chance of making the final 53.

Depends some players get snatched up when they get sent to the PS. They are not "hiding" anyone there. But damn sure can miss out on a potential future / solid player by exposing him to it. I would be somewhat surprised if the Steelers went this route.