OTA/Minicamp Stories and Such

[August4th]

 

[bigben07MVP]

Malik Hooker in Pittsburgh today. 🙏🏻

[Dcash4]

I would really love it if Hooker signed....but isn’t he from right around Pittsburgh?

I’ve seen the rumors, but I’m not falling for it until I see something substantial from a check Mark in Twitter. 

Also saw trade rumors about us getting LVE over the weekend from largely the same folks.

[Dcash4]

Annnnd now I’m in!

[Steeler Hitman]

On 5/26/2021 at 2:35 PM, August4th said:

I really hope McFarland figures it out.. seeing his speed in some of those drills.. I really hope he becomes RB2 behind Harris, keep snell/samuals off the field as much as possible

The lack of OTA's, mini camp, and training camp definitely hurt McFarland as far as his game timing, speed, coordination.

On 5/26/2021 at 3:29 PM, MOSteelers56 said:

I'm with you on that. McFarland would have broken a couple big ones last year, but he couldn't keep his feet and body moving together. I think things will slow down for him. He's definitely a home run hitter. Give him a series or two a game and he'll break multiple 20 yard carries I'd imagine. 

He looked very out of sync at times and could not maintain his balance or get started sometimes. Reps, reps and more reps should help. You can't substitute speed. 

On 5/27/2021 at 4:36 AM, mwalker said:

I liked that Dotson said the tone had changed. More intense. Said Klemm isn't saying block someone, he's saying "run through their face".

That is the proper mentality of an offensive lineman. Our offensive linemen did not seem to get after people last year. Blocking and moving men against their will is a mindset.

On 5/27/2021 at 6:25 AM, CKSteeler said:

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I don't know. It's what fans like to hear, but the mindset in place before Klemm was the one put in place by Munchack who emphasizes technique and getting the job done over style points. He's probably one of if not the best OL coaches in the league.

No doubt that Munchak is probably the best out their and his loss was sorely missed. I think Klemm is doing the right thing in not trying to duplicate or be Mike Munchack. I don't think the players would buy into it. Adrian Klemm is trying to establish Adrian Klemm. He has a long way to go to reach Mike Munchack level, but he can start by having success through motivating and influencing the players that are here. Physical blocking is a mentality. For whatever reason, the Steelers lost that the past few years. 

With Ben near the end of the road, I'm on board with rebuilding the ground game. I'm in favor of going back to three point stances if that helps. But there's a lot of raw talent on that OL that needs actual coaching. So we'll see if Klemm is the guy to do that.

Agreed. He is earning his respect from current and former players alike. His working with developmental players and Dotson in particular boded well for him. OL Coach Klemm certainly has big shoes to fill. 

On 5/27/2021 at 9:21 PM, bigben07MVP said:

Agreed! He’s running behind Najee and ahead of Snell in RB drills so I’m sure that means something. I think they want McFarland to be the clear #2.

His speed would be the ultimate compliment to Najee's style. A little lumber and lightning from the backfield. Don't sleep on Samuels though. 

I've seen some “rumors” of the Steelers being interested in Malik Hooker and that they might bring him in for a visit soon. Not the position I expected but love the player. Hopefully he could stay healthy in a part time role. They did bring Karl Joseph in for a visit.

Would be a great addition to the secondary. The guy has crazy ball skills and can cover. His issue is health. Can he stay healthy enough to help? 

On 5/28/2021 at 4:43 PM, August4th said:

 

 

On 5/29/2021 at 4:18 AM, 43M said:

For as much flack as I've given Ben and still do believe he should have retired....I'm seriously hoping I have to eat crow, if only because the hate Ben is now getting is just over the top.

He went from hall of fame caliber QB to. he should retire. I think he has more in the tank than given credit for. He was probably the comeback player of the year by week-season. He lost it down the stretch as the team faded.  

My assessments of Ben, however harsh they have been, have never been from a place of disdain towards him, but rather the reality of where his career is at 39 years old.    

Agreed. 

But it seems as if I see alot more people taking shots at him, acting as if any random backup could replace him.

Crazy!!!!

The one guy claimed he was EASILY the worst QB in the AFC North.    Moron was obviously a troll, but 1) Lamar is overall better, but has yet to really show up when it matters, 2) Mayfield has shown little consistency year to year, so lets see what Baker shows up in 2021 before we put him too high and 3) as much as I like Burrow, he had alot of growing to do even before he got hurt, suffered a very serious injury his rookie season, and might be playing behind one of the worst OLines in the league.....so I wouldn't put my eggs in that basket yet, either.

I agree with the points that you brought up, but none of them have a resume even close to Ben's or the hardware. Lamar does have a league MVP, but that was due as much to his legs than his arm. Better is a relative term. All of these guys are younger and are heading into the prime of their career as Ben is heading to the sunset of his. Ben can win with the proper help and he can still carry the team for a few games. It can't be one-dimensional every week. 

Even with all my rants about Ben coming back and how washed up he looked in 2021, I still acknowledged that the entire offense around him was abysmal and that a 38 year old guy coming off of major elbow surgery never should've been asked to throw the ball 600 times.

Bingo!

Bottom line....I will gladly eat my crow about Ben if it means shutting the haters up.    I know he isn't capable of being the Ben of ole....but I think there is a chance he can still be a quality game manager and field general with the right support.     

I think Ben has more gas in the tank than many think. The disrespect from fans, media, and others will privately motivate him. Publicly, he seems to have grown and matured as a player, man and even with regards to the media and comments. 

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Backyard Ben is done...but with a running game and defense, I think he could potentially still be a winning QB. 

I think we all hope so from the standpoint of 65 passes a game Backyard Ben. I have been saying that the Steelers need to incorporate a similar style as the Broncos did with John and Peyton (very solid ground attack and good defense). Hopefully Najee will shoulder the load of the rushing attack and McFarland, Snell and company can offer some role support. Ben also has a severely underutilized weapon in FB Derek Watt. Hopefully he stays healthy as well. 

  I just don't trust the running game and/or defense will be where they need to be for that to happen.  

The Steelers have more than a puncher's chance. No one expected them to win 11 in a row, let alone 11 games all season. Although the team was tired, whipped, and in a funk at the end of 2020, in 2021, they can be better and again start doing some damage in December, January, and prayerfully February! 

[bigben07MVP]

3 hours ago, Dcash4 said:

Annnnd now I’m in!

He would be an awesome signing. Still need depth at OLB but Hooker would be a perfect addition. Would allow Minkah to potentially take over some of Hilton’s duties in some 3 safety looks. Maybe he could actually stay healthy in more of a part-time role. 

[Dcash4]

7 minutes ago, bigben07MVP said:

He would be an awesome signing. Still need depth at OLB but Hooker would be a perfect addition. Would allow Minkah to potentially take over some of Hilton’s duties in some 3 safety looks. Maybe he could actually stay healthy in more of a part-time role. 

Absolutely. Allows you to have Hooker and Minkah covering half the field in C2. You can move Edmunds into the box where he is a more natural fit. You can move Minkah all around on passing situations so people cannot just avoid him. So much flexibility. I love it.

Having said that....if it hasn't happened by now, it most likely isn't. Steelers seem to not let you out of the building without signing. So kinda feels like its not happening, unfortunately. 

[43M]

1 hour ago, Dcash4 said:

Absolutely. Allows you to have Hooker and Minkah covering half the field in C2. You can move Edmunds into the box where he is a more natural fit. You can move Minkah all around on passing situations so people cannot just avoid him. So much flexibility. I love it.

Having said that....if it hasn't happened by now, it most likely isn't. Steelers seem to not let you out of the building without signing. So kinda feels like its not happening, unfortunately. 

Only reason Im not too disappointed is because we have bigger needs Id like to see us address before the season.

[AFF]

57 minutes ago, 43M said:

Only reason Im not too disappointed is because we have bigger needs Id like to see us address before the season.

They’re 1 injury away from having Dangerfield get serious snaps at S...it’s right up there with edge and CB.

I would’ve tried to keep Sean Davis but he went for a 1/$2 mill deal with the Colts IIRC.

[Steeler Hitman]

On 6/4/2021 at 5:18 PM, AFF said:

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They’re 1 injury away from having Dangerfield get serious snaps at S...it’s right up there with edge and CB.

Excellent point. They do have Arthur Maulet before it gets to Dangerfield, Allen and Brooks, but they could use another true centerfielder. Injuries are his only concern. Hopefully, he would be willing to play on a fairly cap friendly deal for a year. Former #1, but has a history of  injuries. He is from my hometown, New Castle, PA. I am definitely rooting for him to sign with the Steelers. Perhaps it will come closer to pre-season. 

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I would’ve tried to keep Sean Davis but he went for a 1/$2 mill deal with the Colts IIRC.

I have probably been the biggest Sean Davis supporter out there, but I think that it was time to move on for both parties. He never developed into what I honestly thought he could have. He's a smart kid, good teammate, and good athlete, but it never went to the next level. He didn't look that good in his limited action against the Browns in the season finale nor did he step up to play even special teams. I definitely expected more from him, but Maulet has replaced him. 

 

[43M]

On 6/4/2021 at 5:18 PM, AFF said:

They’re 1 injury away from having Dangerfield get serious snaps at S...it’s right up there with edge and CB.

I would’ve tried to keep Sean Davis but he went for a 1/$2 mill deal with the Colts IIRC.

We're one injury away from having Mason Rudolph as our starting QB.

We're one injury away from having Henry Mandeaux as our starting DE.

Every team is "one injury away" from having a bad player starting at any given position.

We're ZERO injuries away from having Justin Lane and/or James Pierre getting serious snaps at CB.

I agree we could use safety depth....but its not as big of a need as CB is right now.     Not even close, really.

[bigben07MVP]

1 hour ago, 43M said:

We're ZERO injuries away from having Justin Lane and/or James Pierre getting serious snaps at CB.

I agree we could use safety depth....but its not as big of a need as CB is right now.     Not even close, really.

Signing Hooker allows us to keep Sutton outside by letting Minkah take care of NB duties, thus it would help our safety and corner depth simultaneously (less snaps going to Pierre/Layne) while also allowing us to be more versatile. Signing Hooker would be more valuable than signing any available outside corners IMO.

Also, they are high on Pierre and so am I. He looked legitimately good when on the field last year. Obviously he’s very unproven but I think they are content with him being the top backup boundary corner this year.

Edited June 6, 2021 by bigben07MVP

[AFF]

3 hours ago, 43M said:

We're one injury away from having Mason Rudolph as our starting QB.

We're one injury away from having Henry Mandeaux as our starting DE.

Every team is "one injury away" from having a bad player starting at any given position.

We're ZERO injuries away from having Justin Lane and/or James Pierre getting serious snaps at CB.

I agree we could use safety depth....but its not as big of a need as CB is right now.     Not even close, really.

I said it’s up in the same area  but I guess we’ll just agree to disagree on that one.

Steelers have Wormley and Loudermilk in front of Henry.

Im guessing Maulet might be that 3rd S...the back 7 minus ILB is very thin.

[43M]

7 hours ago, bigben07MVP said:

Signing Hooker allows us to keep Sutton outside by letting Minkah take care of NB duties, thus it would help our safety and corner depth simultaneously (less snaps going to Pierre/Layne) while also allowing us to be more versatile. Signing Hooker would be more valuable than signing any available outside corners IMO.

Also, they are high on Pierre and so am I. He looked legitimately good when on the field last year. Obviously he’s very unproven but I think they are content with him being the top backup boundary corner this year.

Hooker really isnt that good, though.   He started off great but never really lived up to the promise he showed as a rookie.   Is he better than our current safety depth?   Absolutely....but Id honestly rather bring Nelson back and maybe add another bargain bin safety.

I wont complain if we bring him in.  Just not sure he is the best option for our secondary.

[bigben07MVP]

11 hours ago, 43M said:

Hooker really isnt that good, though.   He started off great but never really lived up to the promise he showed as a rookie.   Is he better than our current safety depth?   Absolutely....but Id honestly rather bring Nelson back and maybe add another bargain bin safety.

I wont complain if we bring him in.  Just not sure he is the best option for our secondary.

Yea, it would certainly be a "buy-low, hope he returns to previous form" signing for sure. He looked like a future all-pro as a rookie. I don't think he'll ever live up to that but he's still young and I think he can still be a good ball-hawking type cover safety. 

Bringing Nelson back would be awesome and solve a lot of issues but I think that ship has sailed. I think they are set with Sutton being the outside corner. There was a report a few weeks ago that up to 14 teams had reached out to him. If he's generating that kind of interest I'd say it's a very very small chance he chooses to come back here. 

Personally I'd rather sign an Edge like Houston or Ingram over a safety or corner anyways but it's definitely fun to think about the possibilities of having 3 capable safeties with complimentary skill sets like Minkah, Hooker, and Edmunds.