Coates is ready to battle for his roster spot.

[Born2Steel]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000817183/article/sammie-coates-receivers-battle-will-be-good-fight

May the odds be ever in your favor. :whistle:

[Steeldude]

He's going to learn how to catch? I'm all for that.

[FrancoLambert]

Here's hoping that his pass catching woes were more related to his mangled fingers than a case of hands of stone.

I hope he sticks; he did show potential and was a big play threat before the injuries.

I think Rogers is a lock to make the team. I think we say bye-bye to Ayers. It's going to come down to Sammie, Hunter, DHB, or Hamilton for the last spot.

Hate to lose DHB but how much longer can he go.

[Steeldude]

I doubt it, Franco. He had poor hands in college too. Hopefully this coming season he will have hands like Steve Largent.

[ALLD]

He will end up on the Ravens or Cards for a season before forced early retirement.

[Born2Steel]

Whoever we cut will end up in Baltimore. I see Hunter as a younger version of DHB, but can actually be on the field as a backup WR. Just don't know why he moves around the league so much. That's a red flag for me. Big, fast receivers need to play cover teams also. I'm seeing DHB staying and maybe replacing Mann as position coach, or DHB getting cut due to age and the fact no other team is likely to sign him, in case we want him back. Sort of the DWill plan, IMO. AB/Hunter left side, Rogers/JuJu slot, Bryant/Coates right side. If the right side fails, Hunter moves to the right. I can also see 4 wide being used more this season. With the size and speed of that roster, somebody's open.

[86WARD]

If DHB replaces Mann as a WR coach, we are all in trouble.

[Mojouw]

If DHB replaces Mann as a WR coach, we are all in trouble.

Why? He was WR coach for most of OTAs. Multiple young players on offense credit DHB with being a massive help in their transition to the NFL. The team and players have acknowledged in several interviews that his contributions and roster spot go far beyond what he can do on the field.

[Craic]

Why? He was WR coach for most of OTAs. Multiple young players on offense credit DHB with being a massive help in their transition to the NFL. The team and players have acknowledged in several interviews that his contributions and roster spot go far beyond what he can do on the field.

Yep. Just because he may not have the physical skills to catch the ball like others doesn't mean he doesn't have the knowledge or the ability to teach others how to do it.

[teegre]

Yep. Just because he may not have the physical skills to catch the ball like others doesn't mean he doesn't have the knowledge or the ability to teach others how to do it.

Those who can, do.
Those who cannot, teach.

[Mojouw]

Those who can, do.
Those who cannot, teach.

Best "do-ers" often make the worst teachers.

So, Coach MJ, how do you drop 63 on the Celtics in Boston in your second year?

Well. You just kinda do.

Thanks, coach.

[86WARD]

Why? He was WR coach for most of OTAs. Multiple young players on offense credit DHB with being a massive help in their transition to the NFL. The team and players have acknowledged in several interviews that his contributions and roster spot go far beyond what he can do on the field.

It's not about the talent he does or doesn't have on the field. I've always been one of his biggest supporters/defenders when the lynch mob comes calling for him to be replaced as a WR. He's probably the best STs player this team has. What it is about...he has no real NFL coaching experience. Being an "OTA Coach" is far different than being a real coach in the NFL and putting in the hours that it takes. Same reason why Hines Ward wouldn't make a great WR coach. There's no NFL Coaching experience there. It's like being an Uncle an watching your siblings kids for the day. You may be good at babysitting and may have a great time but that's not the same as parenting.

[Mojouw]

It's not about the talent he does or doesn't have on the field. I've always been one of his biggest supporters/defenders when the lynch mob comes calling for him to be replaced as a WR. He's probably the best STs player this team has. What it is about...he has no real NFL coaching experience. Being an "OTA Coach" is far different than being a real coach in the NFL and putting in the hours that it takes. Same reason why Hines Ward wouldn't make a great WR coach. There's no NFL Coaching experience there. It's like being an Uncle an watching your siblings kids for the day. You may be good at babysitting and may have a great time but that's not the same as parenting.

May be true. But everyone starts somewhere.

Steelers tend to hire assistants with little experience if they are from the "family":

Lake - 2011 no experience
Olsavsky - 2010 with little college experience (position coach from 2003 to 2010) and no NFL experience
Porter - one year at Colorado State and then hired by the Steelers
Mularkey - one season at NCAA level and one season at NFL level when hired by Steelers as TE coach and then 4 years later promoted to OC
Sarrett - seems to have been hired as a lower level offensive coach after one year of NCAA experience and was almost promoted to take over for which ever joker o-line coach got fired. Still with team.

Can DHB coach? Does he even want to? Is he ready to be done playing on Sundays? Who knows, certainly not me. But to dismiss the idea out of hand ignores a decent amount of precedent both with the Steelers and with other former NFL players at both the NCAA Division I and NFL level who successfully transition from player to coach without a ton of in between steps.

[86WARD]

Not true. Lake had experience in Philadelphia (as a coaching intern along with Lloyd) before he was hired by the Steelers. I think he also coached in high school. I'm not ignoring any previous precedent the Steelers have set. My thinking is actually more in line with the Steelers thought process than taking DHB from the roster to replacing Mann next season as WR coach.

[Mojouw]

Not true. Lake had experience in Philadelphia (as a coaching intern along with Lloyd) before he was hired by the Steelers. I think he also coached in high school. I'm not ignoring any previous precedent the Steelers have set. My thinking is actually more in line with the Steelers thought process than taking DHB from the roster to replacing Mann next season as WR coach.

I'm not really sure what we are arguing about. I don't think that anyone was advocating that the 2017 Steelers WR coach be DHB. I know I said somewhere that if he gets caught in a roster crunch, see if he wants to coach and put him on staff for 2017 with an eye towards taking over in 2018.

That ought to be about the same as a training camp internship...

[Craic]

Those who can, do.
Those who cannot, teach.

Hey now . . . no need to get personal! :chuckle:


Best "do-ers" often make the worst teachers.

So, Coach MJ, how do you drop 63 on the Celtics in Boston in your second year?

Well. You just kinda do.

Thanks, coach.
Exactly. I've always said the best coaches are those who didn't really have the talent to play at the level they played out. They made it because they had to learn every last skill, trick, and technique. For instance, I'd never want Wayne Gretzky as a coach, but I'd take any of the Sutter Brothers.


It's not about the talent he does or doesn't have on the field. I've always been one of his biggest supporters/defenders when the lynch mob comes calling for him to be replaced as a WR. He's probably the best STs player this team has. What it is about...he has no real NFL coaching experience. Being an "OTA Coach" is far different than being a real coach in the NFL and putting in the hours that it takes. Same reason why Hines Ward wouldn't make a great WR coach. There's no NFL Coaching experience there. It's like being an Uncle an watching your siblings kids for the day. You may be good at babysitting and may have a great time but that's not the same as parenting.

Except that, they're already putting in those hours during the season as a player. They're doing the same work on opposing defenses, fixing routes, etcetera.

[86WARD]

And that could be fine. He has to have some sort of coaching experience before he's put on a roster as a position coach IMO. If they were to throw him in there as is to replace Mann, it wouldn't be a great thing...especially if there's other guys out there like Bratkowski without jobs. If Bratkowski were available at the time Mann retires, he would make for a nice replacement.

[86WARD]

Here's a couple good SteelersDepot articles I just came across one on DHB coaching and one on Bratkowski:

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/06/suggestion-replace-richard-mann-whos-not-hines-ward/

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/06/darrius-heyward-bey-short-turnaround-player-coach/