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stillers4me
01-20-2012, 05:10 PM
Aaron Smith looked emaciated the week before the Steelers season ended in Denver. The 13-year veteran had lost 20 pounds after his neck injury and resulting surgery ended yet another season way too short, this one after four games.

It followed a 2010 season that lasted only six games (torn triceps), an '09 season that lasted five (torn rotator cuff) and an '07 season that lasted 11 (torn biceps). He will turn 36 in April, and it has been assumed since he was put on injured reserve that he has seen his last football. Presumed by others, perhaps, but not necessarily by Smith..........


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12020/1204707-66.stm#ixzz1k2ikXQG6

tube517
01-20-2012, 05:18 PM
Hood at NT? Wow.

The Duke
01-20-2012, 05:36 PM
think Aussie Steeler has brought up in the past that possibility too

If neither Hampton nor Hoke come back it's not crazy to think Hood could go in the middle, even if we get a young NT in rounds 1-3. Or allow us to get someone like Jared Crick (a personal favorite) in those rounds

Ziggy would need more snacks in the offseason though :chuckle:

ALLD
01-20-2012, 06:23 PM
It's over for Smith. He needs to recognize the signs before he is paralyzed. Time for Ziggy to do some Golden Corral commercials.

SMR
01-20-2012, 06:55 PM
It's over for Smith. He needs to recognize the signs before he is paralyzed. Time for Ziggy to do some Golden Corral commercials.

Ditto!

7willBheaven
01-20-2012, 09:28 PM
As they said in the article not all NT's have to be short and fat...they can be smaller guys like Hood or McLendon (or Jay Ratliff even). Plus asking someone to add a good bit of weight could hurt they're play too.

Either way I'm sure the Steelers will do the right thing.

Steeldude
01-20-2012, 11:20 PM
i don't think it will be very difficult to find a fat NT until a better replacement is found. IMO, hoke should have been starting the last 2 to 3 years.

ShutDown24
01-21-2012, 09:19 AM
People always act shocked when Evander Hood playing Nose is brought up. But the strengths of his game have always pointed to the fact that he could handle the position. That said, I believe Steve McClendon is just as effective as Ziggy would be. And I don't think Hood should be your long term answer at Nose as he is an even better prospect at 34 End. In my opinion, the team strongly needs to consider taking a pure Nose Tackle early in April's draft.

Pristas
01-21-2012, 10:06 AM
Keep in mind also, that going into this past season, Hood was considered the stongest man on the team. A weight room Junkie.

Bluecoat96
01-21-2012, 10:23 AM
Keep in mind also, that going into this past season, Hood was considered the stongest man on the team. A weight room Junkie.


Isn't there a quote from Hampton saying something to the effect of Hood was weight-room strong, while he was old man strong?

tube517
01-21-2012, 10:24 AM
Isn't there a quote from Hampton saying something to the effect of Hood was weight-room strong, while he was old man buffet plate lifting strong?


Fixed it for ya! :chuckle:

ShutDown24
01-21-2012, 10:35 AM
Isn't there a quote from Hampton saying something to the effect of Hood was weight-room strong, while he was old man strong?

Yeah, Casey said something maybe somewhere during/after Hood's rookie season about Ziggy being "weight strong" while Hampton is "game strong" or something along those lines. By now, I would think/hope the "weight strong" tag has disappeared.

oneforthetoe
01-21-2012, 11:51 AM
I think the exact quote was - "Ziggy is weight room strong, but I am grown-ass man strong." Well, something close in any case.

The Duke
01-21-2012, 12:06 PM
"I got that old-man strength," said Hampton, 32. "I don't really lift too many weights. He got that weight-room strength. He's strong."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10216/1077454-66.stm#ixzz1k7KYw7Ll

Aussie_steeler
01-23-2012, 03:13 AM
think Aussie Steeler has brought up in the past that possibility too

If neither Hampton nor Hoke come back it's not crazy to think Hood could go in the middle, even if we get a young NT in rounds 1-3. Or allow us to get someone like Jared Crick (a personal favorite) in those rounds

Ziggy would need more snacks in the offseason though :chuckle:

This might sound a little funny, but i base a lot of my opinions / hunches on trends and patterns.

The steelers draft war room operates in a way that usually dictates a 3-4 DE will be a 6'5 285+ individual. The NT prospects are usually around 6'1 and 300+. My analytical side always thought that Hood was drafted to cover multiple possibilities.

1. The switch to a 4-3 D that was being thrown around with the combination of a newish Tomlin and the possibility of LeBeau retiring.
2. If that didnt eventuate then Hood could handle the Nose if needed or switch out to the End in needed.

With Cameron Heyward and Brett Keisel around for a minimum of 3 years putting Ziggy in the middle makes a pretty reliable front 3.

I dont believe that a NT will be drafted this year in the early rounds unless Casey is planning to be cut. If Casey is back then I think they go with what they have and bring in a UDFA or UFA to provide depth.

With McClendon ( 6'4 280) , Woods (6'4 307"), Bryant (6'4 300), Antonio Smith (6'4 280") , Kade Weston (6'5 315") & Miguel Chavis ( 6'5 285") I see potentially 3 of those being able to cover NT and all being able to handle DE.

I also believe in evolution in pro sports and I think that the nature of the Pittsburgh D is going to continue to undergo a continual transition to a slightly different style front 3.

lilyoder6
01-23-2012, 03:53 PM
i think the only way hampton would be coming back nxt yr if he takes pay cut and if he is rly to do that, he prob wont want to go below a 1.5/2 mill for the yr, which would be nice to get an extra yr from him while transitioning into either mcclendon or if we draft a nt in the early rounds... i see u noted our other d-line players, but i feel like they prob have tried to put those players at nt during TC, pratice, and so forth.. and thats prob y i think we will take a nt in the early rounds.. they could always get better at that pos, but i would rather have 1 player who is rly good at one pos, rather than a player who is ok at evry pos on the line

suitanim
01-23-2012, 04:04 PM
This is all very Orwellian. When some of us mentioned Hood at NT a couple years ago, the braintrust (yes, I'm resurrecting the term....it's absolutely warranted) shot us all down and told us how inadequate and wrong that was.

Now he's mentioned as NT candidate and we're suddenly supposed to reverse our thought?

I think Hampton gets resigned and we address this in the draft.

One year too late, too...

steelreserve
01-23-2012, 05:01 PM
Keisel is really the only one of the original starters from this year that is playing at a high level. Who knows if Hampton can be counted on for a full season anyway; that knee could give way at any time.

Really, with only one really good ILB and a bunch of linemen who are not true nose tackles, I think our personnel are better suited for a 4-3 than a 3-4 at the moment, not that it'll happen. Pretty much any of our guys could play DT in a 4-3, but with the exception of Hampton, we don't really have the archetypical NT who is built like a bowling ball anymore. Switching schemes would probably create more problems than it would solve, though.