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Kovacevic - Steelers worn path not working out

Part of the issue of why we are where we are now is certainly not playing guys till they are virtually at free agency, and part of it is not giving guys real shots if they dont have the pedigree. But people should realize that LBs have become a valuable commodity in this NFL. The guys we used to be able to get in the 3rd through 5th rounds are now 1st and 2nd rounders because of the way the game changed. When they held onto the core group of the superbowl team as long as they did, they bled the cupboard dry and assured that we would have a lot of holes all at once there. It isnt rare for a team to spend 3 to 4 picks over a couple years trying to find a solid starter at one position, to find 3 or 4 guys at a high value position, this is pretty much the way it had to be.

Reaching for a CB (position of need) over a high end talent on the board is a mistake... most any player is going to need a year or two to truely contribute anyhow, especially on D. its not like there was a surefire instant starter at CB we passed up.... we just have to make sure that when we take one or two of the many developmental corners on the board, we actually develop him/them and give him a shot so we know if its something we have to continue to invest in or if we have answered the issue
 
madinsomniac said:
Part of the issue of why we are where we are now is certainly not playing guys till they are virtually at free agency, and part of it is not giving guys real shots if they dont have the pedigree. But people should realize that LBs have become a valuable commodity in this NFL. The guys we used to be able to get in the 3rd through 5th rounds are now 1st and 2nd rounders because of the way the game changed. When they held onto the core group of the superbowl team as long as they did, they bled the cupboard dry and assured that we would have a lot of holes all at once there. It isnt rare for a team to spend 3 to 4 picks over a couple years trying to find a solid starter at one position, to find 3 or 4 guys at a high value position, this is pretty much the way it had to be.

Reaching for a CB (position of need) over a high end talent on the board is a mistake... most any player is going to need a year or two to truely contribute anyhow, especially on D. its not like there was a surefire instant starter at CB we passed up.... we just have to make sure that when we take one or two of the many developmental corners on the board, we actually develop him/them and give him a shot so we know if its something we have to continue to invest in or if we have answered the issue
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Agree. Best defensive player available and that may well be OLB Eli Harold. Yes, I go OLB again if he's the best player there.
 
I feel like there are a couple of issues at work.

A) You need help in the secondary, but with the way our defense works, it doesn't matter who you draft, he isn't going to see the field for 2 years anyway except on special teams, so what does it matter?

B) Every year we get some new [insert position here] and we're crazy high on him but honestly the last true impact player we drafted was probably Roethlisberger. I know people will argue that Bell and Brown are good cases, and they are excellent players, but Roethlisberger was a gamer from the first moment he stepped on the field. He became a starter in what, game 2 of his rookie season due to injury? He went on to "manage" a nearly undefeated regular season. My point here is, exceptional, game changing players are really rare. Coaching, game-planning and team execution are what matters.

It's up to Butler to take the remnants of what he has to put together some kind of game-plan that can slow down the other team enough to keep the Steelers in the game. That's all he has to do. Will it be challenging? You bet. But hopefully he'll be a bit more open to letting the younger guys get a few more snaps and perhaps reducing the academic requirements to play. (IE you don't have to have a doctorate in Lebeau to get onto the field.)

Although Troy had lost a step and Ike wasn't all he used to be, collectively they did cause QBs and defensive coordinators to plan a bit more. Now that they're gone teams will be gunning more aggressively for the Steelers and it's up to Butler to come up with a decent plan. Since Lebeau had no faith whatsoever in Shamarko, I'm not sure what he has in terms of talent. I hope it's more than what's been implied.
 
I do not follow college football or the draft. So, I cannot comment with any basis on my view of Dupree. However, I have a feeling (again not sure how accurate it is) that in the last several years when we have a player who seems to surprisingly fall to us that he does not work out. In fact, joking with a friend of mine yesterday morning who asked me what I thought about who the Steelers should draft, I said all I want is for the Steelers to avoid whatever player surprisingly falls to them.

That said, we have a need and, based on what I have read today, this guy seems to be a good fit for it. Here we go.
 
That's kind of the point that, unfortunately, some missed. Wasn't passing judgment on Dupree. Just observing that the permanent linebacker project isn't exactly advancing the cause.
 
And a truly aggressive approach doesn't leave a team sitting at 1:22. Thanks for reading.
 
I don't advocate at any point in the column taking Jones over Dupree. It's about a generally more aggressive approach to filling a long-glaring need.
 
Hoping you can expound upon "Who really cares about the past!" If you think reexamining recent drafts and their effect on the depth chart is 'whiny,' then guilty as charged. Each draft does NOT represent a clean slate.
 
We're agreeing far more than you suggest. I wanted to see a more aggressive approach for a corner. That's all.
 
Count all the corners taken in the second, third and fourth rounds in the same span you cite.
 
He contradicts himself and he doesn't even realize it:

I’m sick of starting linebackers retiring at age 27.

I’m sick of linebackers un-retiring at age 36, then somehow starting.
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This is it in a nutshell. Throw in a bust like Jar Jar and this is why they still have need at LB. If they didn't get one, then maybe he can enlighten me as to who the hell was going to play the position for them? They've got Beating Father Time and Moats.......and a total waste of space in Jar Jar. Here's the sad reality, this team needs desperate defensive help EVERYWHERE on D with exception of maybe MLB. So I wouldn't panic until the draft is all over and they didn't get any bodies for the secondary.
 
Dejan said:
Count all the corners taken in the second, third and fourth rounds in the same span you cite.
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Totally off-topic,

But is your first name pronounced the same way as the mustard?
 
One thing not addressed in the article dealt with how the draft fell and what was there to pick from. No matter how much you desire a number one corner you can not draft what is not there. The three best corners according to some were off the board. There was one corner left that I wanted but when looking at him next to Alvin, Alvin is the pick. I would have been ok with a corner even if they took Jones over Dupree and maybe taken Owa in the second who is similar to Dupree. There is no guarantee he will be there and the only things needed to beat any corner is time, and with no pass rush they will have it.

We have so many holes on our defense and next year we will have another likely maybe two at linebacker so I would not be surprised if we take a second pass rusher in the second round. Butler said the last time we did that we got Timmons and Woodley who were both good for a while. We still have Timmons but we do not know how much longer he will last.

At the corner position now we have big play Willie Gay who is a good corner. Allen may have a good year and could become decent. Not a lot there but there is potential on the team.

There are also enough holes on our defense that it will likely take more than one year to fix them. We knew that we would not have been able to get everything in one draft so get the best that is available to help the team.
 
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I think Dupree was the best pick they could have made but I agree it shows how bad they've been at drafting LB's and anyone else on defense lately. LB's drafted at #1 three years in a row and the last two are backups to journeymen? BTW, Worilds was gone either way so there's no sense worrying about it. I come down on the side that he only retired because teams weren't beating a path to his door with bushels of money. I would have liked a CB too but yeah, the best ones were gone. I still think Colbert needs to find 5 immediate impact players out of his 8 picks or it should be his ***.

Steelerfan81 said:
On bottom right there is a reply with quote. Try that, then they'll know who you're talking to .
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I was gonna say....

Dejan said:
That's kind of the point that, unfortunately, some missed. Wasn't passing judgment on Dupree. Just observing that the permanent linebacker project isn't exactly advancing the cause.
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The Spence pick was kind of wasted too through no fault of the Steelers although he hasn't played in so long and so little when he did that I honestly don't remember if he plays ILB or OLB.
 
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Ron Burgundy said:
The Spence pick was kind of wasted too through no fault of the Steelers although he hasn't played in so long and so little when he did that I honestly don't remember if he plays ILB or OLB.
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Spence came back and played a ton last season. He and Williams rotated when Shazier was out.
 
Steelerfan81 said:
Spence came back and played a ton last season. He and Williams rotated when Shazier was out.
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Yeah, but didn't he end up not playing the last four games or so?
 
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