Things to watch - Pro football focus

[Steelerfan81]

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pr...ocial&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=nfl

Three biggest things to know
1. The Steelers have the best running back in the game—and a pretty good backup.

There’s no doubt that RB Le’Veon Bell is the best in the business. Last year, he finished as the highest-graded running back in the NFL, with a 90.0 grade (nobody else was over 86.2; keep in mind, however, that Bell played just six games). He had the third-best elusive rating in the league, and was fourth in breakaway percentage. After his injury, DeAngelo Williams stepped in and finished the season with an 84.2 grade, fifth-best among running backs.

2. Ben Roethlisberger is still among the league’s best quarterbacks.

In fact, he may be the best. Last year, Roethlisberger finished with the highest passing grade among NFL QBs. His adjusted completion of 72.6 was a top-10 mark in the league, and only three quarterbacks were more accurate on deep throws than Big Ben. It definitely helps that he gets to throw to the league’s best receiver, Antonio Brown (96.4 grade last season), but Roethlisberger is showing no signs of decline and should be among the top of the league again this season.

3. The defense is a work-in-progress that will need to step up from last season.

The Steelers’ offense is so strong that they don’t need their defense to be the best in the league. However, they do need it to improve upon last year’s play. Linebackers Ryan Shazier (51.5 grade in 2015) and Lawrence Timmons (37.9) earned disappointing grades season, and sophomore Bud Dupree (43.5) will need to improve. There are pieces to like, however, such as interior defenders Cameron Heyward (84.3) and Stephon Tuitt (80.4).



Key arrivals and departures
Top three draft picks: CB Artie Burns (Round 1, pick No. 25 overall, University of Miami), CB Sean Davis (Round 2, pick No. 58 overall, Maryland), DT Javon Hargrave (Round 3, pick No. 89 overall, South Carolina State)

Signed in free agency: OT Ryan Harris (Broncos), TE Ladarius Green (Chargers), DE Ricardo Mathews (Chargers)

Left via free agency: CB Antwon Blake (Titans), DT Steve McLendon (Jets), CB Cortez Allen (UFA), LB Sean Spence (Titans), CB Brandon Boykin (Bears)

Retired: TE Heath Miller



Rookie to watch
Artie Burns, CB, Miami (Round 1, pick No. 25 overall)

The selection of CB Artie Burns by the Steelers was met with some skepticism by PFF analysts. He’s a good athlete with a combination of size and speed, but his production in college didn’t really match up to a first-round selection. The Steelers are hoping that he can put it all together and become a strong member in an otherwise relatively weak secondary.



Highest-graded player of 2015
Antonio Brown, WR, 96.5 overall grade

Brown is currently the premier receiver in the league. He’s not the tallest or fastest, but he runs incredible routes, has strong hands, and can make plays after the catch. He dropped just four passes on 131 catchable balls last season, and his 23 missed tackles forced were the third-most among NFL receivers. He averaged 2.69 yards per route run, which was the highest mark in the league.



Breakout player watch
Ross Cockrell, CB

Cockrell was just a fourth-round selection in 2014 and played almost no snaps in his rookie season. Last year, however, he took off, playing over 60 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps at the corner spot. He was targeted 74 times last season and allowed 47 receptions for 619 yards and four touchdowns. He also recorded two picks and nine pass defenses, however. His coverage grade of 81.8 was in the top-20 among corners last year.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Yep, check and check...nice write up. Ready for some meaningful games, tired of holding my breath for the inevitable injury in the last preseason game vs the Panthers.I

Hopeful that Jesse James and Eli Rogers add their names to the breakout players to watch list. High hopes for Hargrave and would love for Jarvis to blow up an 8+ sack season to force us into a tough decision (can't hold my breath on JJ though).

 

[Coach]

The Steelers’ offense is so strong that they don’t need their defense to be the best in the league. However, they do need it to improve upon last year’s play. Linebackers Ryan Shazier (51.5 grade in 2015) and Lawrence Timmons (37.9) earned disappointing grades season, and sophomore Bud Dupree (43.5) will need to improve. There are pieces to like, however, such as interior defenders Cameron Heyward (84.3) and Stephon Tuitt (80.4).

Why was Shazier's grade so low? When he played he was decent. Can anyone explain?

As for Dupree, he hit the rookie wall. His soft tissue damage is keeping him out of action. How serious is it?

 

[Litos]

Why was Shazier's grade so low? When he played he was decent. Can anyone explain?

As for Dupree, he hit the rookie wall. His soft tissue damage is keeping him out of action. How serious is it?

I don't know but blaming him for being injured doesn't make much sense. He plays balls out and that causes a lot of bang on his body

 

[ark steel]

Why was Shazier's grade so low? When he played he was decent. Can anyone explain?

As for Dupree, he hit the rookie wall. His soft tissue damage is keeping him out of action. How serious is it?

I gave up on how they "grade" people. Form what it appears, they pay people to sit on a couch and watch games and give a rating to a player on each play. Then use these ratings to calculate a "grade" based upon what they think is important.

Sometimes, I think it is OK to use generalizations from their "grades" but reading them as strictly as Player X is better than Player Y is silly. For example, I'd be willing to assume that the top 20 people on their rankings are better than people ranked 40+ or so, but I'd be pretty leery of how those top 20 fell and who was better than who.

Also, I don't like a statistic to be used for grading when the data and formulas are not known and can't be duplicated.

Oh, and we don't know how much knowledge the people rating the player on a play has or their bias. There are some people here I would trust to do it, but many more I would not. I'd have a hard time trusting myself on it because I (and few people would) might not know what that player's assignment was. He might have executed it perfectly and just not been involved in the play. What should be a good rating for the play turns into a thrown away snap or a rating due to misunderstanding.

 

[Drink IRON City]

I gave up on how they "grade" people. Form what it appears, they pay people to sit on a couch and watch games and give a rating to a player on each play. Then use these ratings to calculate a "grade" based upon what they think is important.

Sometimes, I think it is OK to use generalizations from their "grades" but reading them as strictly as Player X is better than Player Y is silly. For example, I'd be willing to assume that the top 20 people on their rankings are better than people ranked 40+ or so, but I'd be pretty leery of how those top 20 fell and who was better than who.

Also, I don't like a statistic to be used for grading when the data and formulas are not known and can't be duplicated.

Oh, and we don't know how much knowledge the people rating the player on a play has or their bias. There are some people here I would trust to do it, but many more I would not. I'd have a hard time trusting myself on it because I (and few people would) might not know what that player's assignment was. He might have executed it perfectly and just not been involved in the play. What should be a good rating for the play turns into a thrown away snap or a rating due to misunderstanding.

DANG you take the fun. Out of saying.... "so and so SUCKS" !!!! I do get what you are saying and agree to your point.



Salute the nation

 

[deljzc]

Here are my things to watch:

1. Can the Steelers generate pressure on the QB consistently and sometimes without blitzing?

After a season that showed surprising improvement in pressures and sacks (48 sacks, 7.4% sack percentage - 7th in league), can this team maintain that type of pressure and how? Were the sacks a reflection of the poor and young quarterback pool they faced or is it reflective of talent improvement and 1-on-1 dominance? To me, how this team generates pressure, the consistency and by whom will strongly dictate the fortunes of the defense. Forget the back end for now. If the front-7 isn't doing its job the back end doesn't have a shot.

2. How is Heath Miller retiring going to affect the team?

Steeler Nation was excited at the prospect of Ladarius Green and his passing game potential replacing the reliable and steady Heath Miller, but that optimism is on the rocks thanks to lingering health issues and potential concussion symptoms (and breach of contract talk). While 2nd year pro Jesse James is showing potential, he's still an ascending player that at the moment is young, inexperienced and inconsistent. Miller provided an astounding 95%+ participation with this offense over the last decade (no one else even comes close to that) and did so many little things that kept the chains moving, be it in the run game, pass protection or pass catching. Can the Steelers compensate for life without that crutch and who is going to get the 1000 snap counts he consistently game this offense every year? While it is looking like it will be TE by committee in the short term, Miller's versatility to disguise play calls on all down-and-distances might be a harder problem to solve than either Bell or Bryant's suspensions.

3. Can the team avoid playing down to it's competition?

A consistent fact of this team under Tomlin is a surprising number of losses in games as heavy favorites. This schedule looks to be soft, with the Steelers likely favorites in all but two games for the season. In addition there are a number of games that they could be heavy favorites. How the Steelers handle and remain focused when expected to win easily could make or break the season. Especially in a division where Cincinnati has made the playoffs 5 straight years and Baltimore is never to be counted out. While I do not consider this team great, it is good enough with a #1 or #2 seed to make a strong push to a Super Bowl appearance with some luck. But in order to do that it needs to win 12 games. And that means taking care of bad teams on your schedule.

 

[Stryker]

Dupree hit the rookie wall in October. That's not hitting the 'rookie wall' that's not taking your conditioning seriously. Rookie wall is supposed to be in December, not before Halloween.

 

[black and gold apex]

Bell better come back with some humble pie and play his *** off.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Think Del's point #3 is crucial, the Achilles heel of the Tomlin led Steelers.

And injuries of course, this team seems to always suffer an inordinate number of injuries at crucial times.

 

[black and gold apex]

Bell won't be best for three games. He sure can't see the light through all his haze.

 

[Coach]

Think Del's point #3 is crucial, the Achilles heel of the Tomlin led Steelers.

And injuries of course, this team seems to always suffer an inordinate number of injuries at crucial times.

Del's Point number three is why I think Tomlin isn't a good coach. Teams with our level talent should crush .500 and below teams. Tomlin coached teams lose to them too often.