Spence fully cleared, will participate in OTAs

[Steelerette]

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/7554


Steelers ILB Sean Spence (knee) has been fully cleared and will participate in OTAs.
"He’s healthy and working," said coach Mike Tomlin. "So we can’t wait to watch him take the next step in this process, which is play football. He's been given a clean bill of health." Spence suffered a gruesome knee injury in the 2012 preseason and has yet to play an NFL down. His return would be a bonus. May 5 - 9:50 PM


http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10886324/sean-spence-pittsburgh-steelers-gets-clean-bill-health

[Shoes]

I'm really pulling for this young man.

[Dwinsgames]

I am just glad he can walk normal .......

[Psycho Ward 86]

just remarkable.

[GBMelBlount]

This could be an amazing story.

Fingers crossed.

[Steelman]

This is great news for him, but especially for us right before the draft. He's essentially a rookie with two years of playbook experience. No telling how he'll perform at game-level or post-rehab, but if he turns out to even be a good backup that would be huge for the LB corps.

What a fighter though. I don't know if I could've kept my hope up to soldier through something like that and return to the field two years later.

[Mojouw]

If what speed an agility he had can return, then the rest should come back. Biggest thing for a player like Spence and the style he needs to play to be successful (based on what I have read about him) will be trusting the new to hold up when he needs to make a shapr/severe cut off of it.

[steelreserve]

I am just glad he can walk normal .......


I don't think he ever will walk normally, because his balls are fucking HUGE.

[Count Steeler]

I don't think he ever will walk normally, because his balls are fucking HUGE.

This. MVP just for persevering and making it this far. What an inspiration to his teammates.

[Iron Steeler]

This is great news!! I've been real high on this kid since day one ... I would love to see him crack the lineup and get some playing time . Best of luck Sean !

[ALLD]

Show us the tape.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Good news indeed! I can't wait to see what he can do.

[dislocatedday]

If he ends up playing significant time this year and being productive, he should unequivocally get the NFL's "Comeback Player of the Year" award.

[steelerdude15]

I definitely hope things work out for him.

[HollywoodSteel]

It's an interesting development. I wonder if his progress will have any affect on the draft. With the FA signing of Moats and the possibility that Spence can play, does that eliminate LB as an immediate "need" in this year's draft? Obviously if a best player available scenario presents itself somewhere and a LB looks like a steal, I'm sure we'll take him. But sort of loosely, I think I'd put our needs in this basic order: Secondary, WR/TE, D-line, O-line, LB and then maybe RB somewhere in there, hopefully as a late round pick or UFA. Do you guys think I have this order right? Maybe the Spence thing doesn't really affect that order at all if we think that Moats is at least the one year answer at ILB and we are confident that Jones will be a greatly improved OLB pass rusher.

If a steal of a LB doesn't fall into our laps I think I'd be okay heading into the season without drafting a new one, but maybe I'm biased because I'm still hoping we re-sign Harrison to end his career where he belongs, and if we take a LB reasonably high that probably won't happen.

[Steelerette]

I think this makes Moats truly the swingman. We can get one good LB in the draft but whether he plays ILB or OLB won't be as important.

[steelreserve]

It's an interesting development. I wonder if his progress will have any affect on the draft. With the FA signing of Moats and the possibility that Spence can play, does that eliminate LB as an immediate "need" in this year's draft? Obviously if a best player available scenario presents itself somewhere and a LB looks like a steal, I'm sure we'll take him. But sort of loosely, I think I'd put our needs in this basic order: Secondary, WR/TE, D-line, O-line, LB and then maybe RB somewhere in there, hopefully as a late round pick or UFA. Do you guys think I have this order right? Maybe the Spence thing doesn't really affect that order at all if we think that Moats is at least the one year answer at ILB and we are confident that Jones will be a greatly improved OLB pass rusher.

If a steal of a LB doesn't fall into our laps I think I'd be okay heading into the season without drafting a new one, but maybe I'm biased because I'm still hoping we re-sign Harrison to end his career where he belongs, and if we take a LB reasonably high that probably won't happen.

For me, it takes the immediate need for ILB off the list ... basically, this is the same thing as if we'd drafted an ILB this year and now we see how he turns out. Of course, "cleared" is not the same as "back to your former self," so it really depends. Maybe he really is back, or maybe he's lost a couple steps for good. Would be nice if the coaches have a good idea of which before the draft, but ... not a whole lot of time for that.

In any case, at least this takes some of the sting out of not having a third-round pick this year.

[HollywoodSteel]

For me, it takes the immediate need for ILB off the list ... basically, this is the same thing as if we'd drafted an ILB this year and now we see how he turns out. Of course, "cleared" is not the same as "back to your former self," so it really depends. Maybe he really is back, or maybe he's lost a couple steps for good. Would be nice if the coaches have a good idea of which before the draft, but ... not a whole lot of time for that.

In any case, at least this takes some of the sting out of not having a third-round pick this year.

Yes, it does take some of the sting out. Funny, but when you put it that way it feels like we're trading our third round pick this year to get back our third round pick from a couple of years ago. And somehow we're happy with that deal. :)

[vader29]

Coach Optimistic About Spence
By Ed Bouchette Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Last year during the draft, Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler said it would be a miracle if injured Sean Spence ever played football again. He added he was rooting for him.

Today, Butler said that miracle may be in the making.

“It is getting really close to being miraculous. He looks real good to me.”

Spence, the team’s third-round draft pick in 2012, sustained a devastating knee injury in the final preseason game as a rookie. The most serious damage was to his peroneal nerve, which needed to regenerate. He spent his first season on injured reserve and last season on the physically unable to perform list.

“We will see how the knee holds up when he starts higgint and things like that,’’ Butler said. “Right now I’m real encouraged by the way he looks. He is such an exceptional young man and you hope that it works out for him and I think it will.’’

http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers-steelers-blog/2014/05/10/Reaching-for-Needs/stories/201405100003

[Steelerette]

Well we drafted Shazier to play beside Timmons and then we picked up Zumwalt too... who I think has what it takes to make this team. So we've got

Timmons.........Shazier
Zumwalt.........Williams

We'd be set with ILBs with just that. So where does that leave Spence?

I seem to be the only one saying this here, but utility player that leads to conversion to strong safety makes a lot of sense to me. On the other side we've got Mitchell and Golden... SS we'll have Troy and Shamarko. Troy has a couple seasons left in him and by then Spence will be ready to compete with Shamarko to take over, and between the two of them, we'll wind up with at least one standout.

Also: When are we going to get a backup interior lineman who can double as a longsnapper? Nothing against Greg Warren but, that extra roster spot would be pretty nice to have...

[HollywoodSteel]

Well we drafted Shazier to play beside Timmons and then we picked up Zumwalt too... who I think has what it takes to make this team. So we've got

Timmons.........Shazier
Zumwalt.........Williams

We'd be set with ILBs with just that. So where does that leave Spence?

I seem to be the only one saying this here, but utility player that leads to conversion to strong safety makes a lot of sense to me. On the other side we've got Mitchell and Golden... SS we'll have Troy and Shamarko. Troy has a couple seasons left in him and by then Spence will be ready to compete with Shamarko to take over, and between the two of them, we'll wind up with at least one standout.

Also: When are we going to get a backup interior lineman who can double as a longsnapper? Nothing against Greg Warren but, that extra roster spot would be pretty nice to have...

Well, we have just the guy to teach him how to make that conversion, who had quite a bit of success with it himself.

There was this kid who played running back at my high school and was unbelievable ( I was still in middle school when he was a senior but even in middle school everyone knew who he was). That kid went to UCLA and they turned him into a linebacker. Then he went to the Steelers and they turned him into a safety. It worked out quite well. Now he is a our DB coach.

Maybe I'm just a homer but Carnell Lake will always be one of my favorite players ever. Certainly my favorite running back to linebacker to safety project. :)

[steelreserve]

Well we drafted Shazier to play beside Timmons and then we picked up Zumwalt too... who I think has what it takes to make this team. So we've got

Timmons.........Shazier
Zumwalt.........Williams

We'd be set with ILBs with just that. So where does that leave Spence?

Or it could be Spence, Zumwalt and Williams competing for two backup spots, and the loser plays special teams or signs with the Cardinals. I don't think there's any such thing as a guarantee with any of those three players.