View topic - Center hottest battle & RT, ILB news from NFL.com

[thesteelhammer Profile]

As the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp enters its third week, coach Mike Tomlin is still looking to find a starting center.

Offseason free-agent acquisition Justin Hartwig will start Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto after last season's starter, Sean Mahan, started the preseason opener against Philadelphia last week.

"I'd like to have it solved yesterday," Tomlin said Tuesday. "But you don't always get what you want. We'll have clarity, certainly, when we do make that decision."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d809f7810&template=with-video&confirm=true

Ostensibly, starting spots are still up for grabs at right tackle (Willie Colon and Max Starks) and inside linebacker (Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons), but all indications are that incumbents Colon and Foote have those jobs wrapped up.

Is that they way you see those battles?

[steelerette Profile]

Hartwig will be the starting center. I'm not so sure Foote has it all wrapped up. I would like to see Timmons being the starter, or at least splitting the job with Foote, but it's my understanding that Tomlin made a comment early in training camp that Foote has the job wrapped up.

[indysteel Profile]

Geez....'ole Larry "Slow A " Foote has the job wrapped up? C'mon. I'm not saying Timmons is ready, but let's at least have a contest.

[Deadguy Profile]

"The linebackers here are required to do a lot. Just the fire zone (defense) concept. You think you've got one man, but (if) they do something else, you've got somebody else. You've got to really be able to think on the run."

I'm small. Some people say I'm slow. I keep thriving. My numbers stack up with any linebacker, and I'm on the field probably (only) 70 percent of the plays. In this defense, if you know what you're doing, you're going to make your numbers."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_582754.html

As soon as Timmons is able to do this, he will start. He has way more talent than Foote... Foote just knows where to be, and that's why the coaches trust him. I see Timmons getting a lot of playing time though. Just not as the starting ILB. That will be later in this year or next.

Lawrence Timmons, last year’s No. 1 draft pick, will see plenty of action, mostly on passing downs. But Foote, the better runstopper of the two, remains the starter.

[thesteelhammer Profile]

More on the battle for Center

http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2008/08/13/sports/steelers/doc48a3b1f3646ac832120339.txt

[lynchcowher Profile]

I can't believe the 15th overall pick of the 07 draft, STILL can't beat out the mediocre Larry Foote.

Can Alonzo Timmons now be labeled a bust????

[stillerinkc Profile]

Lynch, I hope you're being sarcastic. I'm not sure if you saw last night's game (or last week's game for that matter). Timmons was everywhere. He was laying hits that I haven't seen from one of our linebackers since early Kendrell Bell. He made good plays in the flat where a back had tons of open area to run. He was there in a blink. I am guessing the coaches want to see him do it in a regular season game before they hand over the starting role. It is only a matter of time.

[Deadguy Profile]

I can't believe the 15th overall pick of the 07 draft, STILL can't beat out the mediocre Larry Foote

He was drafted on potential... he's a high ceiling guy. Remember, he only started one year in college. He's improving and show's flashes of being great, but I'd like to see him take on blockers a lot more. Can't be dancing around them all the time or playing patty cake. If he starts hitting the hole with purpose, you'll see why he was drafted 15th.

He should be productive for the steelers in all the sub packages... obvious passing plays. I'm looking forward to seeing what Lebeau can do with #94 and #43 in the game... not to mention the rest of the bunch.

Off topic, how shitty of a game did willie Reid have? He has to be cut!