Twelve
Days in:
By the time this is up, the Steelers will have done 12 days at Latrobe, give or take.� I haven�t gone and don�t plan to go.� I have read the reports though; here�s a couple projections gleaned from that second hand info.
The Steelers have done goal line drills twice; the first unit defense has stoned the offensive ones on both occasions.� It�s been run only; eight trips, no score.� That�s not surprising considering that the Steeler O was 27th in RZ scoring last year.� Then again the defense was no juggernaut either, finishing just 15th in RZ scoring against.� It�s all very well for the O-side to work on their run game as, presumably, that�s what Coach Cowher (Semper Bill from here) meant when he ground out the usual: �it�s about establishing a mindset�, or words to that effect.� However, if the offense is working on their weak point, the D-side is not.� That unit has been stout against the run, whether in the RZ or elsewhere.� They�ve been bad against the pass though and, RZ specific, they�ve been miserable against TE.� So, something to look for as the exhibition season opens:
- When or if an opponent offense gets down deep, are they gonna run or are they gonna throw, especially at their TE?� Coming to Latrobe, the PS figured to be bad at that position.� With Tuman out since Day One, with Reimersma back in the tub, they have been reduced to the troika: Cushing, Kranchick and Blizzard.� That�s not much of a challenge, at least not to a top tier defense.
Semper Bill�s mystic devotion to intangibles aside, better his defense have a chance to improve on an area weak for some seasons now.� Still, whether in the RZ or outside, the defense is ahead of the offense.� In one hurry-up drill staged at the other end, Maddox�s guys picked up a first down or two then, in the next series: Porter got a sack, then Farrior, then Porter again.� So, that�s 4th and 31, give or take.� Much of the Steelers� fortune rests with a resurgent O-line and, within that, the return of both Marvel Smith and Kendall Simmons.� However:
- Reportedly, Porter was at rush DE, which is to say he beat Marvel on those two sacks.
- Typically, Farrior comes off an inside twist; more likely than not, he came from the open side and turned over Kendall Simmons.�
Maybe that dynamic duo, Marvelous and Kendall, is back, maybe not, but for sure the O-side twos are ahead of their D-complement.� The second units ran those goal line drills too but with opposite results, the offense scoring both times (first Haynes, then the seldom seen Dante Brown).�� The second time, Barrett Brooks and Max Starks were the OT; likely then, Okobi and Vincent were in too leaving Todd Fordham or the Kool-aid Kid, Jim Jones, as the fifth.� That�s not an especially imposing front, which can�t be great news for Coach LeBeau.�� Over the past couple seasons, the Steelers have been fortunate with respect to injury, especially in the Front 7.� Sure, Porter missed a couple at the jump last season and Bell was in and out in 2002.� However, the big 3 (Casey, Smith and Kimo) have started all 16 games each year and the same can be said for both Farrior and the unlamented Jason Gildon.� That�s unlikely to continue and, therefore:
- For a solid D-line rotation, at least 2 of the 4 who got rolled by the Steelers� 2nd O-line have got to emerge.� That�s Keisel, Hoke, Taylor and Upchurch (probably).
- It�s not obvious that the Steelers have a 3rd ILB behind Farrior and Bell.� Likely, Kriewaldt and Foote were part of the group that couldn�t hold out either Haynes or Brown.��
That�s nothing new; depth on the Front 7 has been at issue here for a couple seasons.� The camp phenom is another perennial; last year, that was Dante Brown, now, Dedrick Roper is getting the ink.� Zo Jackson, the Steelers� third choice at LOLB last winter (behind Marcus Washington and Clark Haggans), came into camp as the starter.� After a couple days, he sat down with some back ailment and on came Roper.� Roper, a UDFA out of Michigan State by way of Northwood, ran with the ones for a day or two before hyperextending his knee.� Down went Dedrick; back came Zo.� Of course, Nate Adibi was conspicuously absent in all that; evidently, Roper is outplaying him, at least to this point.��
Typically, the PS has carried 8 LB.� Presuming the top 4 that would leave Jackson, Adibi, Roper and now Adrian Ross to battle for two backup slots at OLB.�� That presumes Foote and Kriewaldt stay on; if Ross figures in-board (bumping one or the other), then it�s two of Zo, Nate and Roper outside.� Now, the PS could carry all 3 youngsters (9 LB in all) but if they do, it�ll be tough to fit 10 DB, the likely complement for all those dime and quarter (7 DB) sets Coach LeBeau is installing.��
Of course, some of those are pretty light.� Reportedly, one of his dime packs has Smith on the nose flanked by Porter and Zo.� Bell is off the LOS, outside of Jackson and Farrior is the ILB.� That�s 3 down, 2 LB off and 6 DB; sounds like a 3-2-6 but unit-wise, it�s a 1-4-6 set.� So maybe the Steelers carry just 5 D-linemen, 9 LB and 10 DB? Well, the defender number generally is 24, but that�s not a likely array.�
Of the DB, well, Chris Hope seems to be the mainstream�s latest discovery as, early in camp, the Tribune-Review had something to the effect that Hope could run and jump with any Steeler.� That�s an exaggeration:� both Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor consistently run under 4.4; no one has claimed that for Hope.� In their respective campus WO, Polamalu jumped over 40�, Taylor 39.5�; as we�ll see, Hope isn�t in the same class.�
Of course, that doesn�t matter.� There�s little doubt that Chris Hope can jump higher and run faster than, say, Brent Alexander.� As for his more recent competition, well, these Combine results from Draft 2002:
Chris Hope, compared to all FS prospects at the 2002 Combine:
|
|
Reps |
40 |
Shuttle |
Cone |
Vertical |
|
Hope�s marks |
28 |
4.46 |
4.40 |
7.35 |
37� |
|
# participating |
12 |
15 |
11 |
11 |
12 |
|
Hope ranked |
First |
T-2 |
11th |
10th |
T-3 |
Hope is as strong as a LB; hell, he�s as strong as many O-linemen.� He has good straight-line speed and leaping ability.� However, those agility drills are abysmal.� This suggests that he�s more SS than FS, as has been stated here previously.� On the plus side, he may have the speed and strength to deal with some of the bigger WR entering the league, though, at 5115, that�s a push; on the downside, he�ll be a poor match against smaller, slot types.�
We all know he can deal a blow: big blocks on ST, a couple nice hits in limited duty late last season.� In fact, Hope knocked Bettis back in one of those goal line drills.� However, that was Wednesday; afterwards, Hope nursed a shoulder problem thru Friday�s practice, maybe beyond.� On the face of it, this suggests that durability may be a factor.� Off that rep tally in the Combine chart above, it�s apparent Hope is jacked up tight; often enough, that kind of physique translates towards a whole of string of nagging type ailments.�
Time will tell and, no doubt, Hope figures to be an upgrade athletically from the Darrin Perry, Travis Davis and Alex trio that has occupied the spot over Semper Bill�s term.��� That said, it�s a long way from slow but brainy to the Pro Bowl.� Further, the state of the art today is FS as 3rd corner, a Brain Dawkins or, for rising stars, Eugene Wilson.� In contrast, today�s PS putative starting safeties more resemble LB, something the team already features.�
It is what it is; IMO, Hope is a swing safety best cast as the 5th in a heavy nickel or the like.� Hopefully, he proves me wrong; fortunately, as to impact, the PS needs less from Hope than from several others.��� Principally, past the UDFA phenoms and the mystery young vets, the PS needs their stalwarts to rebound.� That�s Porter, Bell and Burress among others; that those players are said to be performing well is, to date, the best news out of camp.�
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