• Please be aware we've switched the forums to their own URL. (again) You'll find the new website address to be www.steelernationforum.com Thanks
  • Please clear your private messages. Your inbox is close to being full.

So who goes this offseason?

...Butler -- Id lean more moving him than Todd... If I make a move Id go Romeo Crennel or Wade Phillips....

Crennel was bumped up by the Texans to assistant head coach/defense, and Phillips is the new DC of the Rams.

And for whoever mentioned Whiz, he's the OC of the Chargers.
 
Believe me, I think more highly of Wade Phillips than most. I think he is the best DC of this era, maybe of all time, next to DL. I'd love to have him here running the defensive ship.

HOWEVER, he just took the job with the Rams. He wouldn't spurn them before even starting his first training camp would he?
 
If the D was as "unprepared" and "surprised" as they say they were in New England, then someone needs to be ****-canned and that would be Butler or Tomlin and Tomlin ain't going anywhere. But, my guess is nothing will change.
 
Nothing will happen. The only other def whiz to routinely piss of Brady is Rex Ryan, and I doubt we bring him in. He would, however, install the tough, pass rushing, man defense we would probably need.
 
OLB coach Joey Porter, ST coach Danny Smith, QB coach Randy Fichtner, and conditioning coach Garrett Giemont. All need to go. Munchak has shown what a good position coach can do and these guys don't come close!

Porter? No way. He's made more plays for this team, as a coach, than some on the active roster have made. I will never forget him drawing the personal foul on the Bengals which ultimately helped us win. That was a great play.
 
If you measure 2016 by not winning the SB then we failed. Now on the other hand making the playoffs and reaching the conference title game was accomplished so you could say it was a successful season from that perspective. I suppose you could apply the half full/empty concept here.

My question is simply stated; do we make coaching changes and who might these changes affect?

First of all lets get this out of the way. Tomlin is going nowhere so we can dispense with that topic. Now, does Butler get replaced after a few years on the job or maybe the ST coach where we've not exactly had much success.
Haley, I think would be a tough call since he and Ben have established a rapport and I don't think they want to disrupt that or piss Ben off.

What about Carnell Lake who I think did a nice job with the young CB and Safety but could he be the sacrificial lamb? Or Joey Porter aside from his off field issues what has he really brought to the table?


As for who stays no matter what, it's a short list.

Colbert who has done a good job in the last two drafts and Munchak who could be the best Offensive line coach in the game STAY.

As for who goes, its start with Ben first. After that, we can pick the best course of action.

My dream scenario, which will likely never happen it to it this.

1 ) Ben stays!


2 ) Tomlin is traded for draft picks. Bill Cowher offered the role of head coach with a three year deal, if he declines, give Munchak a few interviews. If Munchak is not deemed ready, we get the pick of the litter for coaches to hire.


3 ) Bell is re-signed to a 1-2 year franchise tag deal with incentives that say no suspension and 14 games played = a bonus


4 ) Haley leaves. Had it with him. He's a money on a racehorse who can look great due to the talent, but if his stallion gets into trouble early, he can not guide him out of it.


5 ) Bryant gets his life back and passes all drug tests. He is a true back breaker type with Randy Moss type of talent.


6 ) Brown? I'm divided. He's great, but only proven great with Ben ( he's Joe average with Landry ) and has become a diva level type of distraction. Brown's game isn't built on size or speed, its quickness, and that can go first with age.

If someone offers two first round pick, and a third with the 1st and 3rd being a top 12 pick in the round for 2017 for Brown...I'd really have to think about it.


7 ) Draft for defense again, unless Brown leaves, then pick a WRwith one of the first round picks.
 
Last edited:
Im not done with the emotion over the loss---its not been 48 hrs.

Here's where I am currently:

Haley-- I don't replace him....YET. Unless you can find an innovative, offensive mind like Norv Turner or Tom Clements (Green Bay). Todd is still rated top 5 in all of the NFL as for OCs.
Norv is available right now.

Butler -- Id lean more moving him than Todd. He's a clone of LeBeau using that same philosophy employed by Dick, which Tom devours. If I make a move Id go Romeo Crennel or Wade Phillips....

I think Wade Phillips would make a good DC for the Steelers. A perfect combination of speed and strength for the front 7 and with Davis and Burns and if Mitchell can keep his head straight.
 
Hope the zone D goes bye bye

Looking at the end of the Jarvis Jones era

Haven't looked at all of our UFA's and what our cap scenario is going to look like for next year.

To me we need an OLB starter, ILB depth, CB depth (gotta replace Gay).

On offense, we need WRs who can catch the ball and run a route. I would see if we can find a scrap heap UFA and go WR in the draft maybe between round 3-5. Don't know if Bryant will be around for more than 1 year if he will even be around. I believe we can get Wheaton for a bargain if we want to bring him back with a short term prove it contract. Coates will more than likely be getting surgery on his hand. We will see what's up with him. He's still going to be under his rookie contract. DHB for depth and special teams will be back.

I would also look into drafting a new backup RB for Bell. Who knows what we have in Bell. Its a physical position and his body got tore up this year with the heavy work.

If Jake Butt slides in the draft, grab him for more TE depth.

Franchise tag Bell. Take a long, long hard look at trading AB if he wants to go all diva on us and they want to rid his ego from the locker room. I wouldn't trade AB for anything less than a 1st this year and maybe a future 2nd or 3rd.
 
Doesn't Wade Philips already have a job with the Rams?
 
I don't know if any coach will be let go, as having them learn a new system or scheme may not be what Tomlin would want with Ben's announcement today. It seems that any moves they make will have to be calculated to give Ben one last chance to get to the SB.

I would think Jarvis comes back one year as a back-up to Deebo for his last season. You don't know how he will hold up at 38/39 years old. Yuck!
Green, see ya. He could have been something special.
Gay is up there in age. i'd look for his replacement in FA.
Shamarko, is he worth keep for ST only?
 
Gay, Thomas, Jarvis, DWill, DHB, McCullers, Butler (should but they won't fire him), Lake, Porter, Smith (but then through a myriad of ST coaches we've never had good ST's. 'Tis the Steeler Way.).
It's clear that we will never see another Super Bowl unless 1) Br*dy and Belicheat retire or 2) someone else takes out the Pats**** in the playoffs.
 
Last edited:
I don't know how we throw a 5-year, $70 million contract at Brown AND a 5-year, $45 million contract at Bell.

In a lot of ways, RB's are on the come. Their salaries have been deflated for so long, when you get a special talent like Bell, you might get him locked up at a very reasonable rate (especially considering how much the cap has/is going up). RB salaries just haven't kept pace or have the same inflation. Might be a "buy" market for RB's.

WR's not so much. AJ Green, Julio Jones, Demarius Thomas and Dez Bryant have set the bar for WR's right now. It's $14-$15 million/season with half the contract guaranteed.

Plus Bell is 3 1/2 years younger than Brown. Remember that as well. Bell will be 25 heading into next season (Brown will be 29). Still a ways away from the dreaded age-30 plateau.....
 
Everyone wants to pat the young defensive backs on the back, so go out snd find a coach that can make them good. There has been no improvement in this area all year. Hard to blame either Haley or Butler with players they work with. To many keep situations on both sides of ball play not made. To many third and longs given up leading to our offense having to move the ball 80 yards or more. We have no one that can return a kick so once more bad field position. No leaders .
 
I would really like to se more of Gilbert and think Gay need to be moved to safety to back up Mitchell. Gay is way to slow. I think Cockrell is also slow and slow twitched. He has size and length, but not the speed and fast twitch that we need. That's where Gilbert comes in. If Golson can be healthy he can man the slot. Why not let Gilbert compete to start opposite Burns? If Gilbert isn't any good, we need to sign or draft a cb that can play.
 
To start with, I'd say Coates and Jarvis Jones. Unless JJ resigns for the league minimum, let him go. Coates = Limas Sweed.
 
I would pass have to say let Green and Coates go, maybe look at trying to keep Wheaton at a reasonable price.

Jarvis Jones will not be back.

Other than that, let it work itself out in Training Camp.
 
I think you have to give Coates an off-season and training camp and see how he rebounds. While he was horrific after his hand injury, he was damn near spot on before and nobody was complaining when he was our main deep threat. Maybe an off-season of working out and catching passes can get his head cleared and back to being a deep threat for us next year. If you bring him to camp and he has not rebounded we lose nothing. If we cut him and he turns it around for someone else we lose a player and someone else gains one. Nothing lost by bringing him to Latrobe.
 
No doubt SP.

When Smokey got suspended a lot of people screamed to cut his *** because Coates could pick up the slack.

Now we're ready to just cut him loose?
 
Last edited:
Coates is too cheap on his rookie contract to cut. At least not until the final cuts the last week of August.

Christ, even if you don't like him, he's in the top-90 players heading into the off-season.
 
Coates is too cheap on his rookie contract to cut. At least not until the final cuts the last week of August.

Christ, even if you don't like him, he's in the top-90 players heading into the off-season.

I'm positive I can come up with 90 NFLers better than Coates
 
I'm positive I can come up with 90 NFLers better than Coates

I'm pretty sure that Del meant top 90 players the Steelers can have under contract to bring in to Latrobe... Whether he make the final cut or not, is not the point. No point throwing out a rough diamond this early that someone else might polish up.
 
Top