Steelers!

[dbostedo]

So I see that Haskins really has signed with the Pittsburgh Football Team. Think we'll see him actually play?

If Ben retires, anything is possible. (But I don't think Ben is retiring.)

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Jim Kenney called it. Word is he has the talent but lacked maturity. The rap is he never learned to do his check downs so if first read was covered didn't know where to go. He signed a futures contract, no cap hit. He could be Ben's replacement is Mason doesn't work out and Haskins puts in real work.

 

[Jim Kenney]

RIP Marty Schottenheimer. Not a Steeler, but had a big impact as mentor of Bill Cowher.
Until reading this I did not know Schottenheimer came from Western PA: https://wtop.com/nfl/2021/02/marty-schottenheimer-nfl-coach-with-200-wins-dies-at-77/

Washington Football Team had Marty as coach for one year, then consistent with our disfunction, let him go.
It seems like there is such an unbelievably strong thread of W. PA people throughout the history of the NFL (Cowher is one too).

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Hmm, must be deep into a decent ski season for Stiller fans to go with no mention of the Steelers' two latest Hall Of Fame inductees, Alan Faneca and Bill Nunn. Most of us know of Alan's accomplishments that earned him this honor but to recap from an article by Ray Fittipaldo from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Faneca, who played for the Steelers from 1998-2007, got the call in his sixth year as a finalist. He made nine Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro six times in his 13-year career. He is a member of the NFL’s 2000s all-decade team and was on the Steelers’ Super Bowl XL team. His block sprung Willie Parker on a 75-yard touchdown run, the longest rushing play in Super Bowl history that helped the Steelers secure a 21-10 victory and their fifth Super Bowl title.

I wonder how many of us know about Bill Nunn? I knew very little about the man that made a huge contribution to the Steelers' first 4 Super Bowl teams. This from the same article:

Nunn was the lone finalist in the contributor’s category this year, and his induction was a long time coming. The Steelers worked behind the scenes for years to get Nunn into the Hall of Fame.

It’s fitting Nunn will be enshrined with Shell, who was many of the great players from the Steelers dynasty of the 1970s that he discovered. It was Nunn who was in charge of finding talent for the Steelers at the historically black universities across the South, and he did it better than anyone else.

In addition to Shell, Nunn also was the point man in the drafting of two other Hall of Famers from HBCUs – Mel Blount and John Stallworth. Other Steelers from HBCUs included L.C. Greenwood, Ernie “Fats” Holmes, and Glen Edwards, among others.

"You cannot write the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers without Bill Nunn," said Blount, a cornerback who was part of the 1989 Hall of Fame class...

...Nunn’s connections to small black college coaches provided the inside track on so many black athletes who developed into great players for the Steelers.

“The one doggone thing I'm proud of is the way I might have been a part of opening some doors to pro football for black men, not just as players, but as coaches and front-office personnel,” Nunn told the Post-Gazette in 2007. “I've been able to see progress.”

Nunn worked for the Steelers for 46 years and is one of three people in the organization to earn six Super Bowl rings. Joe Greene and Dan Rooney are the others.

The latest big news from the Steelers, Maurkice Pouncey announced his retirement today.

 

[Coach13]

So I see that Haskins really has signed with the Pittsburgh Football Team. Think we'll see him actually play?

I think he has a very good chance of replacing Ben when he retires. It all depends on his development of course but I can assure you he has the strongest arm on the roster and he’s very accurate to an open receiver. Learning the progressions thru the pass options and learning to throw receivers open will be key. Maturity wise, he’ll come around.

 

[Coach13]

The Steelers may have just drafted the most talented running back they’ve ever had. Yes-I did just say that!

 

[scott43]

Did I see Tomlin got a three year extension?

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Try and find a picture of #36 making a mean face.

 

[Coach13]

Try and find a picture of #36 making a mean face.

Lol I was thinking of Betts and Franco. Harris is the whole package. The line blocks, it will be exciting.

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Lol I was thinking of Betts and Franco. Harris is the whole package. The line blocks, it will be exciting.

We still need a left tackle and a center, also a TE.

We need back up at OLB and CB how about an ILB that can stop the run and cover?

 

[scott43]

Yeah but not every team has everything. You do the best you can and work with what you have. Otherwise it's an excuse machine.

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Da Stillers did what da Stillers do in the off-season. They signed a few of their own and found cap room to make another run. They say the draft is deep for OL. Maybe find a kick-ass center that can pull and steamroll? That'll be nice.

 

[scott43]

There are so many positions and just not enough top talent to go around. Is there a post big Ben plan?

 

[dbostedo]

We still need a left tackle

They say the draft is deep for OL.

Agreed and I hope so. I was actually hoping they'd take Darrisaw instead of Harris, as I think you're more likely to find a good RB later than a good OT later, in most drafts. And RBs tend to mostly be worth it for their first contracts, where tackles can be longer lasting/better value. (And as a Virginia Tech alum, seeing a Hokie go to the Steelers would have been cool.)

But Harris could be great... I saw him described in one article as Darrick Henry potential with better pass catching. Let's hope that turns out to be accurate!

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

There are so many positions and just not enough top talent to go around. Is there a post big Ben plan?

Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph in agreement on contract extension

Rudolph, a third-round pick in 2018, will be signed through the 2022 season.

www.post-gazette.com

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Lol I was thinking of Betts and Franco. Harris is the whole package. The line blocks, it will be exciting.

Who are any of us to argue with Franco Harris, the greatest running back in Steelers history?

This was Franco to CBS Sports on the eve of the NFL draft Thursday night, before the Steelers made Alabama running back Najee Harris their No. 1 selection:

“If he’s available, I would like to see another Harris in the backfield. We need a running back. I can’t tell you how disappointing it was last year, we get to within the 5-yard line going into the end zone and we’re throwing all the time. We’re not pounding it in there and having running backs do their thing. We need a running back that can really make a difference. This Harris kid is a tough kid. I feel he could really make a difference.”

From Franco’s lips to Kevin Colbert’s and Mike Tomlin’s ears.

From Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...ck-running-back-ron-cook/stories/202104300088

 

[dbostedo]

Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph in agreement on contract extension

Rudolph, a third-round pick in 2018, will be signed through the 2022 season.

www.post-gazette.com

Ugh. That's not a plan. That's a prayer that's very unlikely to be answered at this point.

 

[Tex]

Try and find a picture of #36 making a mean face.

Always liked The Bus. Fat and Happy, and one hell of a motor!

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Villaneuva to the Ravens.

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Troy!!!! Welcome home. We've missed you.