Steelers sign QB Russell Wilson

[warfelg]

3 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

Sure! Feel free to land there. I am not offering only two side to a coin, but ends of a spectrum of opinion.

You are going to defend Tomlin at every turn. Others will blame him for everything. Both ends of a spectrum -- in which the answer likely falls somewhere in between. 

 

I defend against the one sidedness, it’s turned into defending him at every turn because that what it comes to every time, this is a perfect example of giving the middle ground and still getting the “defend him” clause.

4 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

We have been at this all too long with the Tomlin thing, so I know you don't see it -- but again, the inverse of this is also a thing. 

That I don’t see what? Everything I agree to but make sure there’s context?

5 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

What if he has? Only thing I have ever heard out of national reports who have had access inside of the rooms is that this team has only been one of the most collaborative groups within the NFL in determining personnel. What if that's the thing that's changed?

Sure that could happen. The thing on that is it circles back to the thing Colbert, Tomlin, and ARII would say to media, they worked together and if Colbert and Tomlin weren’t in disagreement then ARII would be the tie breaker.  But that’s just what they choose to say and make sure national reports know.  We just truly won’t know.

7 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

He was the veteran of the team and only one experienced in the offense, sold on an "open competition for QB" which was blasted externally everywhere you could find, only to immediately be made the #2 behind failed Trubisky then demoted to 3rd string after - from all accounts of those who attended - having the best start to camp of the three. Only to be cemented in his role despite poor play at the position and validated in the second year by immediately being the best of the bunch when they played him. 

You can't tell people they are in a competition and not mean it. My biggest guess (key word, guess) is a similar thing happened with Pickett as to the reason why he asked to leave. 

I mean -- a Friday trade (the day folks who drive media try to hide stories) and a beat team no one can trust to get insider intel all of a sudden parroting the same information? I am not a conspiracy theorist, but that felt very "PR team wants to bury something" to me. 

In that vein of opinion for me:

52 minutes ago, warfelg said:

only one way the poor communication or bad expectations happen - as a unit the coaching, FO, and Ownership

My opinion is that these two highlighted features are not in as close a lockstep as others. I can see Tomlin as the uncle backing players "Kenny, you are going to be in a competition. We like you to be our starter" and the FO being your dad "There's no competition, Russ is starting". 

So this block is good and why I struggle to put the blame on something like that. (Also by all reports Kenny didn’t ask for that trade until late Thursday/Early Friday when Russell actually signed, and the Eagles reached out right away, were reportedly one of the teams that believed he’s better than he’s looked, tell me something fishy isn’t there).

But, the italicized is something I like.  Because that often drives divide because some the Mason vs Mitch vs Kenny.  For all intensive purposes they could have decided and the top down voice became we spent $10MM on Mitch so he needs to start, then Kenny is a 1st round pick and we don’t know is Mason will even return after the year so he needs the edge.

According to Alan Saunders, Tomlin’s policy is that every position is up for battle every year, but the bigger body of work, and the more you’ve proven, the better leg up you’ll have.  So it wouldn’t surprise me in if Kenny V Russell, it would be a battle, but Russells 10+ years in the league, Super Bowl ring, and past performance was a lean to “this guy is getting first crack, Kenny needs to show he can do better”.

Like, right now, all these things are coming out the Fields should start, likely will start, we could move Wilson before the season, all right on the heels of “Wilson and the Steelers are interested in a longer term deal”.  Like, look at Tomlin’s history of camp battles, look at their resumes, and convince me why Fields should have the inside track other than “Russ Old”.

And I look back at some of these spots of players saying they were jerked around:

Mason - Didn’t look good before, was behind higher paid and bigger pick investment.  I don’t agree but I could see why someone (not sure why you left ownership out of that) would want Mason repressed on the depth chart.

Melvin Ingram - Thought he should start over Highsmith and was convinced that Watt was the one who should take plays off for Highsmith should come in.  Clearly a regressing player who had an overinflated ego.

James Harrison - I know this is hard to hear for a legend like him, but he was over the hill when his stuff happened.  Dupree was coming into his own and Watt was just starting.  Maybe Harrison should have rotated in more, but he was very disruptive about how he made his displeasure known.  I feel comfortable in saying his career was basically over, and at the point of the season where that happened Dupree and Watt should have been out there more than Harrison.

LeGarrette Blount - Ok, this is the one that still chafes me on the sold one thing reality another.  It was known at this point Tomlin was more of a workhorse back kind of coach and that he liked backs who could do it all along with rode the hot hand.  At that time Bell was on the verge of a huge breakout.  Blount was sold on getting 40+% of carries and it was going to be a true time share.  IIRC his last game was a game we ran the ball in a blowout with Bell a ton and Blount was barely in the game despite being 3 scores up in the 4th quarter.

All in all that’s why I find Wexell’s comment of “Tomlin’s offseason” interesting.  We likely won’t know but is he getting players he’s asking for?  Is he the one pitching to guys what there role is?  From Queen and Elliotts pressers it sounds like Tomlin was used as the pitch rather than the closer.

My long story short is something feels really different about this offseason, and even last offseason, where things seem to be aligning different.  One of the two sides (FO/Coaching) has come around to the other side.

[warfelg]

1 minute ago, warfelg said:

27 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

Sure! Feel free to land there. I am not offering only two side to a coin, but ends of a spectrum of opinion.

You are going to defend Tomlin at every turn. Others will blame him for everything. Both ends of a spectrum -- in which the answer likely falls somewhere in between. 

 

I defend against the one sidedness, it’s turned into defending him at every turn because that what it comes to every time, this is a perfect example of giving the middle ground and still getting the “defend him” clause.

27 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

Sorry want to give an example of where something like this, I know, goes off the rails.

IGTs often get something like we have a blown coverage TD given up, and someone posts something like “Why does Tomlin have that guy in there he sucks”, and I offer up, “coaches can’t make a player go to a certain spot”.  The rebuttal is almost always “Well it’s the coaches job to make sure players don’t make mistakes”, and I offer up “well players have a mind of their own and make mistakes, that’s not the coaches fault a player does that”.  Next thing you know here I am defending Tomlin’s scheme because players can’t just - you know make a bad play here and there.