2022 GDT Da Steelers 3-6 host Da Bengals 5-4

[August4th]

Pat might end up in the pro bowl this yr. He's 3rd in the AFC among tight ends in yards and receptions. that's promising considering the offense and how young he is. Tight ends usually take a minute to develop. the biggest concern for him is concussions. if he can stay healthy, we might have another heath miller long term option at TE

Edited November 21, 2022 by August4th

[warfelg]

Good point by Chris Carter that Burrow/Bengals used motion and movement to key in on coverage type and to force Minkah to a certain spot on the field that opened up a ton of other things. Created a bunch of chances by scheming to get their playmakers away from ours. 
 

To me this speaks to the issue of CB by committee. Then you don’t have a CB1, and try to cap things with FS, they just need the FS to move. Their move was to put Perine, Hurst, and Boyd on the same side of the field and force Minkah to shift there, leaving Higgins one on one with Sutton often. Minkah can’t rotate like that because Sutton isn’t that dude and Wallace isn’t solid enough to even stop a guy like Boyd comfortably and regularly without help. 

[warfelg]

Interesting dichotomy between two player comments after the game:

Diontae

Quote

[on lack of targets] Any football player would be frustrated but I just have to keep playing. […] I don’t really want to speak too much on that.  A lot of stuff is out of my control.  I don’t like to not be involved like that, but it is what it is and it’s the situation I am in. And I’ve got to deal with it.

Kenny

Quote

With the coverage they were playing, I felt like they weren’t letting Diontae get singled up.  That’s frustrating when he’s that good of a player, that talented, and they try to take him out of the game plan.  There’s some things, maybe move him around more and get him in different spots to try and get him the ball but when they are playing a two-high shell and they got a safety over the top, it’s hard.

 

[August4th]

 

[bigben07MVP]

37 minutes ago, warfelg said:

Good point by Chris Carter that Burrow/Bengals used motion and movement to key in on coverage type and to force Minkah to a certain spot on the field that opened up a ton of other things. Created a bunch of chances by scheming to get their playmakers away from ours. 
 

To me this speaks to the issue of CB by committee. Then you don’t have a CB1, and try to cap things with FS, they just need the FS to move. Their move was to put Perine, Hurst, and Boyd on the same side of the field and force Minkah to shift there, leaving Higgins one on one with Sutton often. Minkah can’t rotate like that because Sutton isn’t that dude and Wallace isn’t solid enough to even stop a guy like Boyd comfortably and regularly without help. 

It was very clear to me watching the game yesterday that we need to go after a CB1 this offseason. A guy you can leave on an island with guys like Higgins and Chase.

Is there a Sauce Gardner in this draft? I am high on Ringo and JPJ but are either of those guys up to par with a guy like Sauce? He has been incredible for the Jets this year I think he makes the all-pro team.

[warfelg]

1 minute ago, bigben07MVP said:

It was very clear to me watching the game yesterday that we need to go after a CB1 this offseason. A guy you can leave on an island with guys like Higgins and Chase.

Is there a Sauce Gardner in this draft? I am high on Ringo and JPJ but are either of those guys up to par with a guy like Sauce? He has been incredible for the Jets this year I think he makes the all-pro team.

Sauce was a once a decade type corner IMO.  But, Ringo and JPJ will be guys you can leave on an island IMO.  

The difference to me:

Sauce is a guy you know you can let a FS rotate away from.  Ringo will be a guy you know you don’t have to rotate help to.

[MOSteelers56]

Just now, warfelg said:

Sauce is a guy you know you can let a FS rotate away from.  Ringo will be a guy you know you don’t have to rotate help to

Can you explain this a little further? I'm not awesome at the nitty gritty football stuff. 

[bigben07MVP]

1 hour ago, August4th said:

His post-game comments were embarrassing. complete opposite from what Kenny said yesterday. Wilson won't be in the NFL for long imo

 

 

I was shocked that it was a no brainer they were taking Wilson at #2 for months leading up to the draft. It’s like they just took a shot in the dark praying they were getting the next Pat Mahomes and didn’t even do their due diligence on Fields and Lance.

I still stand by my opinion leading up to that draft that Fields was the 2nd best prospect after Lawrence. I was also surprised the 49ers took Lance over Fields, we will see what happens with Lance but nothing too promising so far. 

[August4th]

Ringo is rising up as a guy I'd like for them to take. He looks like a alpha type corner. at 6'2, he has the size that could match up with a Higgins

[bigben07MVP]

11 hours ago, AFF said:

He’s up for a massive pay day and the Vikes might be in more of a rebuild mode with Cousins contract voiding and Cook another year older…I don’t know, just a thought….plus it’s the guy Weidl supposedly pounded the table for with the Eagles til he get his legs cut out from him by the coaches.

Jefferson is a top 2 receiver in the league at worst and most probably don’t have him at #2. Would require a Tyreek Hill type draft haul to go get him (1st, 2nd, two 4ths and a 6th) and then you have to pay him 30+ million per year. You can only make a move like this while Kenny is on a rookie deal.

I am not against making a move like this though, assuming we have a top OC in the league who wouldn’t let it go to waste. We have seen what Diggs has done for Allen’s development, AJ Brown has done for Hurts, Chase for Burrow, Tyreek for Tua, etc.

[warfelg]

2 minutes ago, MOSteelers56 said:

Can you explain this a little further? I'm not awesome at the nitty gritty football stuff. 

Just to make this example simple, assume the ball is between the hashes.

With Sauce, you can put your WR1 to the QB’s right, TE and WR2 to the QB’s left.  The safety can comfortably shade to the QB’s left knowing that Sauce isn’t a liability to be beat.  So let’s say it was the Steelers defense and you replace Wallace with Sauce; Minkah can line up on the hash mark opposite of Sauce knowing it’s unlikely the ball goes Sauces way since QB’s will want to avoid him.

With Ringo, you can put your WR1 to the QB’s right, TE and WR2 to the QB’s left.  The safety needs to sit in the MOF still because Ringo might still make some mistakes.  So you replace Wallace with Ringo, Minkah can line up MOF, and you don’t have to worry about rotating anyone back there.

 

Contrast with the current design.  If you go single high, someone will likely get open because all our CB’s make enough mistakes.  Yesterday is a prime example.  Maulet is getting beat a bunch so Minkah has to hold MOF, then Sutton (height mismatch) and Wallace (skill mismatch) are exposed to Higgins.  So you call two-high shells with Kazee/Edmunds and Minkah, and now the MOF is vacated for Maulet (terrible) to be abused by WR’s.  Without even a Ringo quality corner, you have to play too much two-high looks of you go single high and your sidelines are exposed because Minkah can’t cover both at the same time.

[warfelg]

I can’t remember the specifics of this play but that’s embarrassing.  I dunno why these guys dance as much instead of just getting there.  I think that delay is what hurts our screen game so much.  If the WR just starts going on Moores inside shoulder, this is maybe a 5+ yards gain.

[MOSteelers56]

1 hour ago, warfelg said:

Just to make this example simple, assume the ball is between the hashes.

With Sauce, you can put your WR1 to the QB’s right, TE and WR2 to the QB’s left.  The safety can comfortably shade to the QB’s left knowing that Sauce isn’t a liability to be beat.  So let’s say it was the Steelers defense and you replace Wallace with Sauce; Minkah can line up on the hash mark opposite of Sauce knowing it’s unlikely the ball goes Sauces way since QB’s will want to avoid him.

With Ringo, you can put your WR1 to the QB’s right, TE and WR2 to the QB’s left.  The safety needs to sit in the MOF still because Ringo might still make some mistakes.  So you replace Wallace with Ringo, Minkah can line up MOF, and you don’t have to worry about rotating anyone back there.

 

Contrast with the current design.  If you go single high, someone will likely get open because all our CB’s make enough mistakes.  Yesterday is a prime example.  Maulet is getting beat a bunch so Minkah has to hold MOF, then Sutton (height mismatch) and Wallace (skill mismatch) are exposed to Higgins.  So you call two-high shells with Kazee/Edmunds and Minkah, and now the MOF is vacated for Maulet (terrible) to be abused by WR’s.  Without even a Ringo quality corner, you have to play too much two-high looks of you go single high and your sidelines are exposed because Minkah can’t cover both at the same time.

That makes sense. I'm thinking CB is rising to the top of our priority list quickly. It'd be tough to pass on a beastly DL, but there are usually solid DL prospects in the 2nd. 

[warfelg]

Also I see the scuttlebutt on twitter today is the $108mil defense from a Madden article.  Man what a misguided article that crap yinzers are falling for hand over fist.

 

First off, the high paid parts worked.  TJ was causing havoc and opening things up for other front 7 players.  The Bengals even admitted they were doing what they could to avoid throwing in Minkah’s direction.  The front-7 shut down the running game.

The parts of the defense that cost us?  Low pair guys (for a reason) that you didn’t count on playing as much.  Robert Spillane when you expected Bush to take the next step.  Arthur Maulet who would barely see the field if Witherspoon played well and Jackson weren’t hurt.  

What amazes me is this wasn’t a talking point when PS quality players were playing.  When Josh Johnson and James Pierre played at CB and turned in a great performance, Maulet and Spillane made the same mistakes.  

[DR43]

My Current Mock:

Round 1: Kelee Ringo CB Georgia
Round 2a: Broderick Jones OT Georgia
Round 2b: Henry To'o To'o ILB Alabama
Round 3: Sedrick Van Pran OL Georgia
Round 4: Mazi Smith NT Michigan
Round 7a: Loic Ngassam Nya G Wake Forest
Round 7b: Sam Hartman QB Wake Forest