What about Shade Tree?

[awe1028]

http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/02/25/is-a-lighter-mccullers-a-better-mccullers-for-the-steelers/

In the article it talks about McCullers losing 15 - 20 lbs to get down to 335 to 340. Anyone has hope that losing weight will unlock McCullers's potential?

[AtlantaDan]

http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/02/25/is-a-lighter-mccullers-a-better-mccullers-for-the-steelers/

In the article it talks about McCullers losing 15 - 20 lbs to get down to 335 to 340. Anyone has hope that losing weight will unlock McCullers's potential?

Needs to do something - 2017 is the last year of his contract before free agency and I do not see him being retained after that based on production to date

Fear is a powerful motivator to changing your approach

[Psycho Ward 86]

Dan's best games are extremely good. Even if this is his last season i hope he shows that on a more consistent basis. Who knows if were able to keep him around for cheap

[steelreserve]

I don't think weight has much to do with his performance; as the article says (and we all wondered since the day he was drafted), there's a good reason you don't see many 3-4 nose tackles who are 6-foot-7, and that's largely played out the way we expected on the field.

I've always thought he was somewhat miscast as a "Nose Tackle" with a capital N and a capital T. McCullers is the immovable object, not the irresistable force. For that, you want a guy who's built like a bowling ball, like 6-0, 330 pounds.

There's definitely a place for a guy like McCullers on a defensive line, just not a 3-4 defensive line like we run. He might be a great 4-3 defensive tackle if paired with a guy like Tuitt or Hargreaves; one is the space-consumer while the other is the disruptor. The best example I keep coming back to is Gilbert Brown, that super-annoying fatass who played for Green Bay in the 1990s. Not a great pass rusher, but damned if he didn't do his job well.

In a 3-4, you need one guy who's both a space-clogger and a disruptor at once, which McCullers is not and probably never will be, just because that's not his strength. And that's not to dump on him, because it really is something that only a handful of guys in the entire league can do. But in a 3-4, his role is going to be limited because there's not another DT to go with him, and clogging up the middle with no disruption only applies on obvious running plays. If we start running more hybrid packages that play to his strengths, I could see him having some good success here, but otherwise, while I think he could still be a good player, his ideal situation is probably not in Pittsburgh.

[awe1028]

I don't think weight has much to do with his performance; as the article says (and we all wondered since the day he was drafted), there's a good reason you don't see many 3-4 nose tackles who are 6-foot-7, and that's largely played out the way we expected on the field.

I've always thought he was somewhat miscast as a "Nose Tackle" with a capital N and a capital T. McCullers is the immovable object, not the irresistable force. For that, you want a guy who's built like a bowling ball, like 6-0, 330 pounds.

There's definitely a place for a guy like McCullers on a defensive line, just not a 3-4 defensive line like we run. He might be a great 4-3 defensive tackle if paired with a guy like Tuitt or Hargreaves; one is the space-consumer while the other is the disruptor. The best example I keep coming back to is Gilbert Brown, that super-annoying fatass who played for Green Bay in the 1990s. Not a great pass rusher, but damned if he didn't do his job well.

In a 3-4, you need one guy who's both a space-clogger and a disruptor at once, which McCullers is not and probably never will be, just because that's not his strength. And that's not to dump on him, because it really is something that only a handful of guys in the entire league can do. But in a 3-4, his role is going to be limited because there's not another DT to go with him, and clogging up the middle with no disruption only applies on obvious running plays. If we start running more hybrid packages that play to his strengths, I could see him having some good success here, but otherwise, while I think he could still be a good player, his ideal situation is probably not in Pittsburgh.

The bolded is certainly correct and in fact the main point of the article. McCullers believes that by losing some weight, he can retain his space clogging ability while at the same time improving his ability to be disruptive. This sentiment is clearly reflected in McCullers's quote from the article referenced below:

"if I can be around 335-340 pounds, I can have the movement that I want. I feel like I can be a much better player, if I get that quickness and explosion"

Whether weight loss will result in the desired quickness, explosion and by extension disruptiveness is of course the million dollar question.

[steelreserve]

The bolded is certainly correct and in fact the main point of the article. McCullers believes that by losing some weight, he can retain his space clogging ability while at the same time improving his ability to be disruptive. This sentiment is clearly reflected in McCullers's quote from the article referenced below:

"if I can be around 335-340 pounds, I can have the movement that I want. I feel like I can be a much better player, if I get that quickness and explosion"

Whether weight loss will result in the desired quickness, explosion and by extension disruptiveness is of course the million dollar question.

Yeah, I'm not counting on it. It just seems like it's going to be difficult no matter what. The guy is a nose tackle with the build of a left tackle. Hoping for the best for him, but not holding my breath that that's the answer.

[Mojouw]

This is McCullers make or break year. 3 NFL seasons to grow and develop as a football player. I think he just came out of school so raw. If the lightbulb is ever going to go of for him, you figure it is 2017.

[awe1028]

Yeah, I'm not counting on it. It just seems like it's going to be difficult no matter what. The guy is a nose tackle with the build of a left tackle. Hoping for the best for him, but not holding my breath that that's the answer.

McCullers realizes that 2017 is a make or break year for him and he is doing whatever he can to make it difficult for the Steelers to move on for him.



I don't think weight has much to do with his performance; as the article says (and we all wondered since the day he was drafted), there's a good reason you don't see many 3-4 nose tackles who are 6-foot-7, and that's largely played out the way we expected on the field.

I've always thought he was somewhat miscast as a "Nose Tackle" with a capital N and a capital T. McCullers is the immovable object, not the irresistable force. For that, you want a guy who's built like a bowling ball, like 6-0, 330 pounds.

There's definitely a place for a guy like McCullers on a defensive line, just not a 3-4 defensive line like we run. He might be a great 4-3 defensive tackle if paired with a guy like Tuitt or Hargreaves; one is the space-consumer while the other is the disruptor. The best example I keep coming back to is Gilbert Brown, that super-annoying fatass who played for Green Bay in the 1990s. Not a great pass rusher, but damned if he didn't do his job well.

In a 3-4, you need one guy who's both a space-clogger and a disruptor at once, which McCullers is not and probably never will be, just because that's not his strength. And that's not to dump on him, because it really is something that only a handful of guys in the entire league can do. But in a 3-4, his role is going to be limited because there's not another DT to go with him, and clogging up the middle with no disruption only applies on obvious running plays. If we start running more hybrid packages that play to his strengths, I could see him having some good success here, but otherwise, while I think he could still be a good player, his ideal situation is probably not in Pittsburgh.


Your point about McCullers being a great fit in a 4 - 3 defense is also a good one. With Hargrave now in the fold, McCullers would be the perfect 1 tech to Javon's 3 tech. Unfortunately for McCullers, Pittsburgh shows no inclination to switch to or even try the 4 - 3.

[steelreserve]

Your point about McCullers being a great fit in a 4 - 3 defense is also a good one. With Hargrave now in the fold, McCullers would be the perfect 1 tech to Javon's 3 tech. Unfortunately for McCullers, Pittsburgh shows no inclination to switch to or even try the 4 - 3.

The brief stretch when Heyward and Tuitt were both injured forced us into an odd alignment kind of like that, and that's when McCullers was at his best last season. He looked like a force to be reckoned with. But yeah, I don't see us doing much of a 4-3 or even a hybrid 4-3 by choice.

I've long maintained that a good helping of 4-3 could solve multiple problems at once for us. We have 3, maybe 4 guys (McCullers, Tuitt, Hargreaves, Heyward) who could play DT at a high level but only one (Hargreaves) who is really a NT, and even he might be better as a DT ... Dupree as a DE would relieve him of the bullshit dropping into coverage 50% of the time, and Jarvis Jones wouldn't even need to see the field (or since it looks like he's gone, we wouldn't need to pay through the nose for a pass rushing OLB to replace him). We have lots of LBs who are fast with lots of range and some coverage abilities, which is what you need in a 4-3 OLB, and all of them can play ILB also. So you take our thinnest position in the front 7 and make it into a position of strength.

The only odd man out in that scheme would be Harrison - but I have a feeling that either his role or the defense could be adjusted when he's on the field to make him effective.

[Drazo85]

Hargrave is not a nose tackle and McCullers doesn't have leverage to be a force in the backfield.

[Steeldude]

He lost weight last year too