Count Steeler
06-03-2015, 05:29 AM
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
They have the Big Three on offense, so what to call Cortez Allen, Jarvis Jones, Shamarko Thomas and Ryan Shazier on defense?
The UnFab Four? The Expectant Quartet?
Opinions are all over the place on those four young players, many of them rash, impatient observations from those who do not take into account injuries and/or the learning curve in the NFL. Similar comments were heard when Troy Polamalu did not start a game as a rookie in 2003.
Like Polamalu, perhaps Shazier will blossom in his second pro season. Like Greg Lloyd, Jones could overcome his early injuries to become a dominant right outside linebacker. And like Keenan Lewis, Shamarko Thomas might just be a late bloomer.
The Steelers certainly could use big seasons from those three and would love to make it four-for-four, which would go a long way to rebuilding the kind of defense it had for much of the 21st century.
What of Cortez Allen?
read more http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/06/03/Cortez-Allen-could-give-Steelers-defense-a-big-lift/stories/201506030095
They have the Big Three on offense, so what to call Cortez Allen, Jarvis Jones, Shamarko Thomas and Ryan Shazier on defense?
The UnFab Four? The Expectant Quartet?
Opinions are all over the place on those four young players, many of them rash, impatient observations from those who do not take into account injuries and/or the learning curve in the NFL. Similar comments were heard when Troy Polamalu did not start a game as a rookie in 2003.
Like Polamalu, perhaps Shazier will blossom in his second pro season. Like Greg Lloyd, Jones could overcome his early injuries to become a dominant right outside linebacker. And like Keenan Lewis, Shamarko Thomas might just be a late bloomer.
The Steelers certainly could use big seasons from those three and would love to make it four-for-four, which would go a long way to rebuilding the kind of defense it had for much of the 21st century.
What of Cortez Allen?
read more http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/06/03/Cortez-Allen-could-give-Steelers-defense-a-big-lift/stories/201506030095