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Early thoughts on the open OLB spot.

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I have not seen any practices, so all I can go on is camp reports.

If the season were to start right now, Chickillo might start. He keeps producing on the Steeler Depot reports. Watt is up and down. Showing flashes of why he was the first round pick but isn't consistent yet. No surprise, it's early in camp and he's a rookie.

James Harrison remains out of action. Given his age and inactivity in camp, it's hard to know what the old legend has left. I'd say due to his age, he's a spot duty player only at this point, but I wouldn't say that to his face!

I hope Watt take the job after the 3rd pre-season game, but as of right now I'm not sure who is in the lead. Maybe Chickillo.

While I felt Chickillo was better than Jarvis Jones, he didn't produce enough as the starter when given the chance. Then again, he was a converted DL to OLB player with limited experience too.
 
Have to rely on the coaches for this one. They see it every day. I would imagine Watt will get game one playing time but maybe not a full load right away. Chickillo is serviceable and though probably at his ceiling he does play with heart and knows the defence by now.
 
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Coach said:
Not bored, but if your going to reply, would it be too much to add something football related?
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There is no need at all. You're bored
 
Steelerfan81 said:
There is no open OLB position. It's Dupree and Harrison starting. Harrison splitting time with Watt.
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Harrison is in sweat pants, and not in pads. He's one injury away from retirement. At his age, he needs to prove he still has it. Until that point in the pre-season games, we just don't know what he has left.

When I mean starter, I mean majority of the snaps, not who's out there first on defense to start a game.
 
antdrewjosh said:
There is no need at all. You're bored
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Ah, I forgot. You can read minds. Not bored at all. The off season is too long. There's action going on now. Wake up and notice it.
 
Coach said:
Harrison is in sweat pants, and not in pads. He's one injury away from retirement. At his age, he needs to prove he still has it. Until that point in the pre-season games, we just don't know what he has left.

When I mean starter, I mean majority of the snaps, not who's out there first on defense to start a game.
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He isn't ******* practicing because he doesn't need to. He's lifting like a maniac and does his own thing. He proved he still had it when he was beating the **** out of everyone on the Miami Dolphins in January. Did you even watch that game? Doubtful. Just shut the **** up sometimes.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Steeler Nation mobile app
 
Fowler Predicts T.J. Watt Will Be Hard For Steelers To Keep Off The Field

Training camp is always a long process, but sometimes there are simply things that it doesn’t take long to get a feel for. For Jeremy Fowler, the ESPN writer has a feeling in the early stages of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that is this: rookie first-round draft pick T.J. Watt is going to be hard to keep off the field.

For somebody who is not projected to be a starter, that is not necessarily a statement that you hear all the time. But the outside linebacker has been seriously impressing his coaches, his teammates, and everybody else who has watched him all through the spring and into the first couple of days of padded practices.

While he may have had his hands full with “Big Al” over at left tackle, Watt has shown that his nose has been in the play book and that he is developing an arsenal of pass-rushing moves that does include a speed rush.

“The first-round pass-rusher was a fast learner in the spring”, Fowler writes, “with a quick first step and good discipline in the defense. If he progresses as the Steelers hope he will, the team has the option to rest Harrison early in the season and get Watt valuable snaps alongside Dupree”.

Harrison is, of course, James Harrison, the 39-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year, who regained his starting position by the end of last season. Previously rotating with Jarvis Jones, who was getting the lion’s share of snaps, the veteran was hardly even coming off the field by the time the playoffs arrived.




And Dupree would be referring to Bud Dupree, the other former first-round draft pick at the outside linebacker position that is still on the roster. The third-year pass-rusher is expected to have a big breakout year this season after showing promise at the end of last season, returning from sports hernia surgery that sidelined him for most of the year.

While Harrison may be the starter, the plan has always been that he will get his rest, and even he knows that he needs his rest. He told reporters that he is comfortable playing 45 to 55 snaps per game, but even that is a light workload for the number of snaps that the defense has faced in an average game in recent years.

The coaching staff has also been testing Watt to see how many things they can throw at him. They already have him working in dropping into dynamic coverages and even flipping sides with Dupree. He has of course been afforded the opportunity to work with the first-team defense while Harrison is being held out.

http://www.Invalid Link - Check SN ...s-t-j-watt-will-hard-steelers-keep-off-field/
 
Watt Showing Power In His Game
Jim Wexell - Jul 31, 5:49 PM 7

(Photo: Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports)
LATROBE -- The first time the Steelers tried to replace James Harrison, they drafted Jarvis Jones in the first round in 2013 and let Harrison sign as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals. Harrison retired the following season.
But a few weeks later, Jones was injured and the Steelers brought Harrison back. And he eventually forced Jones out of town.
The Steelers are again trying to replace Harrison, and this time it appears they hit paydirt with first-round pick T.J. Watt.
"What does Mike Mayock say? Plug and play?" Mike Tomlin asked out loud after Watt made a play during the first practice of training camp.
Tomlin may have merely been challenging Harrison's pride, but the coach no doubt has been impressed by Watt's speed, intelligence and a terrific motor throughout the spring and early practices at training camp.
But Watt hadn't had a chance to show off his power or toughness until Sunday, when the team practiced in pads for the first time, and then again on Monday.
"I thought he did well," said outside linebackers coach Joey Porter. "He's got good hand usage, plays heavy-handed. You know how hard he fights to get to the ball. He was disruptive. In the backs-on-backers you could see the power that he plays with. His mistakes were down to a minimum. He understands the concepts of what we're trying to do. I thought he had some good one-on-ones. It was Day One, the first day of pads, but I feel good where he's at."

http://scout.com/nfl/steelers/Artic...rs-to-have-made-the-right-choice-th-105667664
 
Now please Coach post one report stating Chickillo has been impressing so much he should start
 
Huh? There is no open OLB spot. Dupree starts on one side and Deebo and Watt will split time on the other. Deebo is not hurt. He is not practicing just like last year. Unless someone gets injured, that's our lineup. Chiclets and Moats will be the back ups to Bud.
 
I think Harrison starts season but gives way to Watts and for good reason. Chico is back up unless multiple injuries.





Salute the nation
 
Steelerfan81 said:
Harrison asked Tomlin to practice and was denied. Tomlin is holding Harrison out. Harrison isn't just lounging around with the kickers.
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He's holding him out because he's ancient by NFL Standards. Don't act like you know how much Harrison has left. NFL players age in dog years in their mid to late 30's and James Harrison is 39.

Last season, Harrison looked much slower. He's still as strong as a bull, but so are most nose tackles. Again, I see him as a spot rush man at this point in his career. He's too slow for coverage, and might have issues catching up to backs breaking to the sidelines.

Nothing I wrote was wrong including he's one injury away from retirement.
 
I see it as a rotation between 2-3 people. Harrison will be the named starter and we will see who gets the most snaps or is the most effective. The hope is Watt is the most effective even though he's going to probably do well in pass rush and struggle in run and pass coverage. Harrison will be on the field and Chickillo will get some reps but probably more over at LOLB than ROLB.
 
Coach said:
He's holding him out because he's ancient by NFL Standards. Don't act like you know how much Harrison has left. NFL players age in dog years in their mid to late 30's and James Harrison is 39.

Last season, Harrison looked much slower. He's still as strong as a bull, but so are most nose tackles. Again, I see him as a spot rush man at this point in his career. He's too slow for coverage, and might have issues catching up to backs breaking to the sidelines.

Nothing I wrote was wrong including he's one injury away from retirement.
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Try again Coach


Though it can be frustrating to see James Harrison drop into coverage as much as he has, there’s justification for it. He’s really good at it. I’m not sure if we’ve talked about this before but Pro Football Focus tweeted out this graphic of Harrison being the best coverage edge rusher last season.

On passing downs, James Harrison doesn't need to be rushing the passer to get the job done. https://t.co/entACb1YAt

http://www.Invalid Link - Check SN Home Page/2017/06/james-harrison-rated-best-cover-olb-2016/
 
antdrewjosh said:
Try again Coach


Though it can be frustrating to see James Harrison drop into coverage as much as he has, there’s justification for it. He’s really good at it. I’m not sure if we’ve talked about this before but Pro Football Focus tweeted out this graphic of Harrison being the best coverage edge rusher last season.

On passing downs, James Harrison doesn't need to be rushing the passer to get the job done. https://t.co/entACb1YAt

http://www.Invalid Link - Check SN Home Page/2017/06/james-harrison-rated-best-cover-olb-2016/
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Oh, so now you like Pro football focus stats?! How convenient for you.

Try reading it before commenting.

I don’t have all the data to compare Harrison to those behind him or to his past seasons but needless to say, that’s a strong number and good place to rank. He’s always been capable dropping into coverage, the proud owner of 33 pass breakups and eight interceptions
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The data they use was for his career. He's 39 now. As they say that was then and this is now.

When I pointed out that former bust of a first round pick Jarvis Jones couldn't add much as a pass rusher or in coverage, you were his biggest fan.

Harrison would be toast in coverage in 2017 outside of say a surprise one drop. He's much slower now.... Our best coverage linebacker is Shazier.
 
I'm going to try to do some fuzzy math here.

in 2016, Deebo had 56.1% of the Defensive Snaps and Jones had 45.3%. Chick was at 30.2%. With JJ as back up to Harrison, Chick still only got 30% of snaps.

Barring a leg amputation, I don't think you will find anyone that doesn't project that the rookie Watt is already better than the veteran JJ.

Now, you have replaced a weak link with a better player. The only way Chick gets significantly more snaps is via injury. Or suspension, I guess.
 
ark steel said:
I'm going to try to do some fuzzy math here.

in 2016, Deebo had 56.1% of the Defensive Snaps and Jones had 45.3%. Chick was at 30.2%. With JJ as back up to Harrison, Chick still only got 30% of snaps.

Barring a leg amputation, I don't think you will find anyone that doesn't project that the rookie Watt is already better than the veteran JJ.

Now, you have replaced a weak link with a better player. The only way Chick gets significantly more snaps is via injury. Or suspension, I guess.
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Well, Harrison is a year older and slower, and Chick still might be an ascending player with a higher ceiling than he exhibited last year.

I think it would be best for the Steelers for Watt to start.

The questions:

How much does Harrison at age 39 have left?

How quickly can Watt learn and is he ready?

How much better will Chickillo get?
 
Coach said:
Oh, so now you like Pro football focus stats?! How convenient for you.

Try reading it before commenting.



The data they use was for his career. He's 39 now. As they say that was then and this is now.

When I pointed out that former bust of a first round pick Jarvis Jones couldn't add much as a pass rusher or in coverage, you were his biggest fan.

Harrison would be toast in coverage in 2017 outside of say a surprise one drop. He's much slower now.... Our best coverage linebacker is Shazier.
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The headline says right there "in 2016 best Edge in Coverage".

Im still waiting for you to post something saying Chickillo has done something worth anything to considered to be a starter in this camp. Im on Depot everyday havent seen it.
 
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Besides your whole premise is stupid if the team thought anything of Chickillo as a starter Watt is not on the team
 
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