Rookie defenders Terrell Edmunds and Matthew Thomas shine in third preseason game

[stillers4me]

The Steelers aren’t expected to start any rookies when they visit the Cleveland Browns for the regular season opener in two weeks. But in their dress rehearsal for the regular season Saturday afternoon against the Titans, two rookies showed they’ll be ready if called upon.


First-round pick Terrell Edmunds started at strong safety for an injured Morgan Burnett and intercepted a pass to go along with four tackles. Edmunds making an impact shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given his draft slot. But the usage of undrafted rookie free agent Matthew Thomas was a bit more revealing..........

read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2018/08/25/steelers-Rookie-defenders-Terrell-Edmunds-Matthew-Thomas-preseason-game-Titans-Mike-Tomlin/stories/201808250077

[43Hitman]

Impressive showing by both Edmunds and Thomas last night, I don't know how Thomas cannot make the 53 at this point. I really like what I'm seeing out of him, he doesn't seem as mentally challenged as he's portrayed to be.

[teegre]

The Steelers created a package/alignment called Seminole, where VW plays OLB and Matthew Thomas plays ILB.

SUMMATION:
When they create a special package/alignment for you... it’s a pretty good sign that you’ll make the 53 man roster.

[Mojouw]

The Steelers created a package/alignment called Seminole, where VW plays OLB and Matthew Thomas plays ILB.

SUMMATION:
When they create a special package/alignment for you... it’s a pretty good sign that you’ll make the 53 man roster.

This type of thinking has been missing from late Lebeau and early Butler coaching.

I hope this kind of creativity and scheming to the players you have rather than round pegs for square holes continues into the regular season and only multiplies as guys show they can handle it.

NFL teams are so expectation driven, that when you show them something they don't expect they freak out and the machine breaks down. Remember that Cleveland game like 2 seasons ago where simply moving Timmons to the outside completely dissolved the Browns o-line protections? Or years ago when the Steelers broke out that amoeba formation and no one could figure out how to block it for like 3 weeks?

Most NFL teams/players are not good at "on the fly" responses. If they haven't drilled it the week leading up to the game, they are not going to execute it well on Sunday. Hopefully Butler will use the young guys on the defense to throw a new wrinkle out every week.

[GBMelBlount]

Impressive showing by both Edmunds and Thomas last night, I don't know how Thomas cannot make the 53 at this point.

I really like what I'm seeing out of him, he doesn't seem as mentally challenged as he's portrayed to be.

I wonder if their advice helped.


Thomas received some advice from the coaches before the game and tried to follow it.

“Don’t think; just play,” they said.

“I just went out there and played ball, focused on my assignments,” Thomas said. ““It definitely feels good. I guess that doesn’t happen a lot of times. I know I can help out to some extent. Wherever they feel comfortable I have to do that.”

Personally, I believe a good coach coaches each player individually based on what type of coaching they best respond to.

Some people respond better to positive reinforcement, others to negative...

In this case, perhaps "Don't think, just play" may be the best way.
Regardless, what a story it would be if this undrafted player ended up being a valuable contributor at our biggest position of need. :crossed:

[teegre]

This type of thinking has been missing from late Lebeau and early Butler coaching.

I hope this kind of creativity and scheming to the players you have rather than round pegs for square holes continues into the regular season and only multiplies as guys show they can handle it.

NFL teams are so expectation driven, that when you show them something they don't expect they freak out and the machine breaks down. Remember that Cleveland game like 2 seasons ago where simply moving Timmons to the outside completely dissolved the Browns o-line protections? Or years ago when the Steelers broke out that amoeba formation and no one could figure out how to block it for like 3 weeks?

Most NFL teams/players are not good at "on the fly" responses. If they haven't drilled it the week leading up to the game, they are not going to execute it well on Sunday. Hopefully Butler will use the young guys on the defense to throw a new wrinkle out every week.

That is partially why Troy was so great. On any given play, he could create havoc before the snap, by merely lining up in an unorthodox spot (e.g. at NT).

I remember that MNF game where he & Peyton Manning played chess pre-snap: Troy moved, Peyton audibled, Troy moved again, Peyton audibled again, Troy moved a third time, Payton called a time out. (Note: Peyton gave Troy a little nod & a smile as the walked towards their respective sidelines, as if to say: “You won”).

[Mojouw]

That is partially why Troy was so great. On any given play, he could create havoc before the snap, by merely lining up in an unorthodox spot (e.g. at NT).

I remember that MNF game where he & Peyton Manning played chess pre-snap: Troy moved, Peyton audibled, Troy moved again, Peyton audibled again, Troy moved a third time, Payton called a time out. (Note: Peyton gave Troy a little nod & a smile as the walked towards their respective sidelines, as if to say: “You won”).

Yeah, that was great.

I think guys like Dupree, Watt, Thomas, Edmunds, and Davis are all such athletic marvels that they should be able to provide Butler some pieces he can swap into odd or weird formations/alignments to throw teams off. Throw Sutton, Allen, and Burnett into that mix as well -- and you can really start to see guys moving all over and doing unexpected things.

But that would mean that Butler and his staff would have to commit to consistently playing defense with about 15-16 guys each week rather than the standard 12-14. I know that doesn't seem like much of a difference, but they have not really ever done it.

[AtlantaDan]

This type of thinking has been missing from late Lebeau and early Butler coaching.

I hope this kind of creativity and scheming to the players you have rather than round pegs for square holes continues into the regular season and only multiplies as guys show they can handle it.

NFL teams are so expectation driven, that when you show them something they don't expect they freak out and the machine breaks down. Remember that Cleveland game like 2 seasons ago where simply moving Timmons to the outside completely dissolved the Browns o-line protections? Or years ago when the Steelers broke out that amoeba formation and no one could figure out how to block it for like 3 weeks?

Most NFL teams/players are not good at "on the fly" responses. If they haven't drilled it the week leading up to the game, they are not going to execute it well on Sunday. Hopefully Butler will use the young guys on the defense to throw a new wrinkle out every week.

Of course given the communications problems under Butler (the Jax playoff game was a world class cluster in many ways but blown assignments on defense were a feature, not a glitch, in that game) getting the correct personnel on the field that know their assignments could result in adding too much scheming at some point. And it helps to be playing against the hapless Marcus Mariota rather than the top shelf QBs (especially you know who in New England) the Steelers will be playing this season.

But I was impressed with how the defensive starters played in the first half yesterday even if it was preseason and it was the Titans.

[Hawkman]

I wonder if Bradley is helping to throw some wrinkles in the defense. He’s a smart guy.

[AtlantaDan]

I wonder if Bradley is helping to throw some wrinkles in the defense. He’s a smart guy.

Hope so

The defensive coaching staff needed a rework after there was no answer for the Shazier injury. Shazier was the key to the defense but less catastrophic season ending injuries happen all the time and not every defense abjectly collapses.

IMO Lake was encouraged to leave and John Mitchell was kicked upstairs after Jax abused the defense last January. Tomlin is far more involved with the defense than he was under LeBeau (which given its performance does not reflect well on Tomlin) and presumably knew he needed some fresh eyes on the coaching staff.

[Edman]

Hope so

The defensive coaching staff needed a rework after there was no answer for the Shazier injury. Shazier was the key to the defense but less catastrophic season ending injuries happen all the time and not every defense abjectly collapses.

This was a problem with Steelers Defenses for years under Tomlin. One player goes down and the Defense falls apart.

Aaron Smith in 2007, and we don't need to go over the countless times Troy went down due to Injury and the Defense completely crumbled without him, and then we have Shazier last year. Defense went from decent to just crashing and burning.

[teegre]

Yeah, that was great.

I think guys like Dupree, Watt, Thomas, Edmunds, and Davis are all such athletic marvels that they should be able to provide Butler some pieces he can swap into odd or weird formations/alignments to throw teams off. Throw Sutton, Allen, and Burnett into that mix as well -- and you can really start to see guys moving all over and doing unexpected things.

But that would mean that Butler and his staff would have to commit to consistently playing defense with about 15-16 guys each week rather than the standard 12-14. I know that doesn't seem like much of a difference, but they have not really ever done it.

As Atlanta Dan said: Butler has a hard enough time even getting the correct personnel on the field.

[BlackAndGold]

Thomas looks real good. He's showing the read and react abilty that he lacked in college. Not ready for a full time stater job by any means but he can play.

[Mojouw]

As Atlanta Dan said: Butler has a hard enough time even getting the correct personnel on the field.

Shouldn't that be on the position coaches? They all have headsets on.

Butler calls a defense and then New Alabama DL guy, Porter, and New Penn State DB Guy all make sure their particular band of idiots has switched out guys and lined up right.

Other teams in the league have no problem playing lots of subs in and out on defense and making it work. If the Steelers defensive staff can't do it, then I will finally start joining the "lets fire some people" chorus.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I thought the front 3 of Tuitt, Cam and Hargrave looked really dominant, when in the game. IMO, Hooks continues to flash in game situation on the D line.

Thomas didn't look as hesitant in his initial movement and we know he should be able to cover a RB 1 on 1, but also looked quicker to the LOS in the run game. Adenyi looks like all hustle and relentless (positive) use of hands in the pass rush, while Adams looks like an athlete that can dip and bend around the edge.

Going to be some tough decisions of how many ILB and OLB the team can keep, to possibly retain some developing talent. Also, the Safety position is tough with Burnett, Davis, Edmunds, Berhe and Allen. IMO if they keep 10 LB, they can only keep 4 Safeties. The final cut might be down to Marcus Allen and Berhe.

[teegre]

I think that they keep 10 LBs.

Watt, VW, and Dupree are locks. Big Red may not be a starter, but he’s at the minimum a good special trainer. Bostic likely starts. That is 5.

Four of these will probably remain, but I’d keep five :
-Chickillo
-Adams
-Adenyi
-Thomas
-Fort
-Huguenin

Adams seems to be the primary backup to Dupree, and Chickillo is akin to Big Red: serviceable starter, good special-teamer. Adenyi could easily supplant either of them (but, I’d keep all three). Huguenin looked good early, but he has been surpassed (and likely cut).

Fort always seems to play well and make splash plays, but the coaches just don’t seem to like him. And, Thomas has a much bigger upside... plus, a package named specifically for him.

[Mojouw]

I think that they keep 10 LBs.

Watt, VW, and Dupree are locks. Big Red may not be a starter, but he’s at the minimum a good special trainer. Bostic likely starts. That is 5.

Four of these will probably remain, but I’d keep five :
-Chickillo
-Adams
-Adenyi
-Thomas
-Fort
-Huguenin

Adams seems to be the primary backup to Dupree, and Chickillo is akin to Big Red: serviceable starter, good special-teamer. Adenyi could easily supplant either of them (but, I’d keep all three). Huguenin looked good early, but he has been surpassed (and likely cut).

Fort always seems to play well and make splash plays, but the coaches just don’t seem to like him. And, Thomas has a much bigger upside... plus, a package named specifically for him.

I think you can get either Huguenin or Fort to the practice squad (assuming they are eligible). That might make cuts a bit easier.

[BlackAndGold]

OLB: Watt, Dupree, Chickillo, Adams, Ola
ILB: VW, Bostic, Thomas, Fort, TM

Believe these are locks. They may look at the waiver wire to add an ILB, Fort would be cut if so.

[lipps83]

This was a problem with Steelers Defenses for years under Tomlin. One player goes down and the Defense falls apart.

Aaron Smith in 2007, and we don't need to go over the countless times Troy went down due to Injury and the Defense completely crumbled without him, and then we have Shazier last year. Defense went from decent to just crashing and burning.

If the system is reliant on a specific player being available to be successful, it is not a good system.

Lebeau was not a great coach. He was good coach, not a great one. Way over-hyped.

Great players made Lebeau look great twice with the Steelers. If he was a great coach, he would have had more defensive success with all those years with the Bengals. He did not.

[Mojouw]

This was a problem with Steelers Defenses for years under Tomlin. One player goes down and the Defense falls apart.

Aaron Smith in 2007, and we don't need to go over the countless times Troy went down due to Injury and the Defense completely crumbled without him, and then we have Shazier last year. Defense went from decent to just crashing and burning.


If the system is reliant on a specific player being available to be successful, it is not a good system.

Lebeau was not a great coach. He was good coach, not a great one. Way over-hyped.

Great players made Lebeau look great twice with the Steelers. If he was a great coach, he would have had more defensive success with all those years with the Bengals. He did not.

You guys realize that you are talking about 3 other-worldly physical talents, right?

Aaron Smith was the best 3-4 DE of his era by a country mile. And if the HOF was a righteous place interested in enshrining the best caliber football players of each era, Aaron Smith would walk in immediately upon his eligibility.

I mean, do we even need to discuss Troy P?

Shazier was on a Troy P career arc prior to his injury. And his physical talents at the LB level were similar to the impact that Troy had as a DB.

If you extend the argument you all are making then the 85 Bears really aren't that good because they depended on Singletary and the Safety guy (forget his name) to make the 46 work. Parcell's era Giants were not really a good defense because it was totally dependent on the transcendent talents of LT to really do much. Don't get me started on those over-rated coaching staffs from the 1970's era Steelers that were simply far too dependent on great players for their success.

Arguing against special schemes for special players is just kind of hard to take seriously.

To attempt to downplay Lebeau's accomplishments either in Pittsburgh or Cincy is again a bit hard to take. Look at the drop-off from Lebeau to Haslett in 1997-1999. Haslett had some good defenses, but Lebeau's were better with similar players. Or look at the turnaround in the defensive rankings from 2003 to 2004, again with a similar roster. But we can leave aside coach Lebeau's legacy for another time.

What exactly is the argument about "one player" defenses? If you have a guy who can do ridiculous things should you not cater your system to let him do ridiculous things? That would be like asking Heyward and Tuitt to play a blocker absorbing role (what Aaron Smith did) rather than a pass-rushing/penetrating role because you wouldn't want your defense to be too dependent on the special talents of Heyward and Tuitt. Seriously, find me a better pair of pass rushing 34 ends in the entire league.

"Ok. Troy, we realize you can do things on a football field that no other human being has ever done before and few will ever do again. However, we really want you to hold those down. Try and dial it back and play a more traditional SS. That way, if you get hurt and we have to put in your back-up, there won't be as much fall-off in the defense overall."

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

OLB: Watt, Dupree, Chickillo, Adams, Ola
ILB: VW, Bostic, Thomas, Fort, TM

Believe these are locks. They may look at the waiver wire to add an ILB, Fort would be cut if so.

If they keep 10 this looks like a likely group. If they keep 9 I think one of the ILB gets clipped and its likely between Thomas and Fort IMO. If Thomas showed more Special Teams prowess, he would be a lock, but IMO he hasn't showed much there and I think Fort would be the 4th ILB.

[BlackAndGold]

If they keep 10 this looks like a likely group. If they keep 9 I think one of the ILB gets clipped and its likely between Thomas and Fort IMO. If Thomas showed more Special Teams prowess, he would be a lock, but IMO he hasn't showed much there and I think Fort would be the 4th ILB.

Thomas looked good on ST yesterday. He Imo, is a lock on the 53 after getting on the field early in the game with other starters.

There's also this.

1033499118751154176

[AtlantaDan]

You guys realize that you are talking about 3 other-worldly physical talents, right?"

But you have a Plan B if they get hurt. Will not have the same level of play but hopefully will not collapse.

Any Mount Rushmore of Steelers defenders includes Joe Greene and Jack Ham. Greene injured his arm in 1975 and was reduced to playing with one arm to the point Steve Furness played a lot of snaps. Ham broke his ankle late in the 1979 season prior to the playoffs and was replaced by Dirt Winston. Lambert and Andy Russell were injured and replaced by Loren Toews and Ed Bradley in SB IX. Nice players but a severe drop off in talent. Those teams without those players still won Lombardis.

Depth obviously is less in the salary cap era but needing to get Sean Spence off his couch to step in was inexcusable, assuming the plan was anything more than hope Shazier does not get hurt or we are fucked, even though Shazier had a history of being injured.

[teegre]

Thomas looked good on ST yesterday. He Imo, is a lock on the 53 after getting on the field early in the game with other starters.

There's also this.

1033499118751154176


:nod:



The Steelers created a package/alignment called Seminole, where VW plays OLB and Matthew Thomas plays ILB.

SUMMATION:
When they create a special package/alignment for you... it’s a pretty good sign that you’ll make the 53 man roster.

[Mojouw]

But you have a Plan B if they get hurt. Will not have the same level of play but hopefully will not collapse.

Any Mount Rushmore of Steelers defenders includes Joe Greene and Jack Ham. Greene injured his arm in 1975 and was reduced to playing with one arm to the point Steve Furness played a lot of snaps. Ham broke his ankle late in the 1979 season prior to the playoffs and was replaced by Dirt Winston. Lambert and Andy Russell were injured and replaced by Loren Toews and Ed Bradley in SB IX. Nice players but a severe drop off in talent. Those teams without those players still won Lombardis.

Depth obviously is less in the salary cap era but needing to get Sean Spence off his couch to step in was inexcusable, assuming the plan was anything more than hope Shazier does not get hurt or we are fucked, even though Shazier had a history of being injured.

Right. But that's a roster construction issue not a scheme thing. The defensive concepts can be sound and still fail because your depth is crap. That wasn't the argument being made by the original posters.

[AtlantaDan]

Right. But that's a roster construction issue not a scheme thing. The defensive concepts can be sound and still fail because your depth is crap. That wasn't the argument being made by the original posters.

IMO roster construction and scheme are an interdependent single concept. You scheme for your roster (aka not trying to put square pegs in round holes) which includes the ability for the scheme to have the ability to adjust and remain at least functional for the loss of any one player from that roster since players get hurt all the time.

As great a future HOF talent as Troy was, when he missed most of the 2009 season the defense was not what it was in 2008 and 2010 but the drop off was not the train wreck of post-Shazier 2017 compared to when he was on the field.

A defense that is worthless if one player goes down is not a scheme - it is one great player who masks the fatal flaws of a design that was dysfunctional after his injury.

Unfortunately that is how Butler rolls - he has said he knew his defense was going to get shredded by playing zone against New England in the 2016 season AFC championship game but did not attempt (or lacked the coaching ability?) to try to adjust his scheme.

[teegre]

Personally, I believe a good coach coaches each player individually based on what type of coaching they best respond to.

As I've always averred: “Fair isn’t about giving everyone the same thing (that’s equity). Fair is about giving each individual what they need in order to be successful.”

[Mojouw]

IMO roster construction and scheme are an interdependent single concept. You scheme for your roster (aka not trying to put square pegs in round holes) which includes the ability for the scheme to have the ability to adjust and remain at least functional for the loss of any one player from that roster since players get hurt all the time.

As great a future HOF talent as Troy was, when he missed most of the 2009 season the defense was not what it was in 2008 and 2010 but the drop off was not the train wreck of post-Shazier 2017 compared to when he was on the field.

A defense that is worthless if one player goes down is not a scheme - it is one great player who masks the fatal flaws of a design that was dysfunctional after his injury.

Unfortunately that is how Butler rolls - he has said he knew his defense was going to get shredded by playing zone against New England in the 2016 season AFC championship game but did not attempt (or lacked the coaching ability?) to try to adjust his scheme.

It is just really hard to disentangle the two, but if Butler isn't being given the depth or the players with the skill set needed to play multiple schemes or fill in without a drop-off -- whose fault is that? Colbert? Butler? Both?

I don't really know. But I do know that scheming to feature Shazier is not a bad idea - I can't be convinced otherwise.

Building a roster where there is no adequate depth seems to be a problem perhaps unrelated to scheme? Not sure...

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Thomas looked good on ST yesterday. He Imo, is a lock on the 53 after getting on the field early in the game with other starters.

There's also this.

1033499118751154176

Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see him making an impact on ST yesterday. Fort, DHB, Dirty Red and I think I even saw Patterson make a play.

Maybe you are correct, but when I see an UDFA that looked lost in the first 2 games and apparently can only play sub package and not base defense, I don't know that he is a lock. Possibly he is a dime LB, but I think its more likely to see better football players like Burnett, Davis or Edmunds playing dime LB. We will know in a week or so.

[AtlantaDan]

It is just really hard to disentangle the two, but if Butler isn't being given the depth or the players with the skill set needed to play multiple schemes or fill in without a drop-off -- whose fault is that? Colbert? Butler? Both?

I don't really know. But I do know that scheming to feature Shazier is not a bad idea - I can't be convinced otherwise.

Building a roster where there is no adequate depth seems to be a problem perhaps unrelated to scheme? Not sure...

Agreed that you utilize the talents you have and Shazier unquestionably was prime talent - just saying that Butler does not appear to have the ability to adjust with regard to either losing his key player or when facing an opponent where he knew doing business as usual was doomed.

Given that in addition to Haley two defensive position coaches were kicked out after last season (Porter survived but certainly not on performance), there appears to be dissatisfaction with the coaching. I am guessing that comes in large part from AJR II. After axing position coaches, the next to go will likely be the defensive coordinator if the performance level since Butler was promoted continues.

[Mojouw]

Agreed that you utilize the talents you have and Shazier unquestionably was prime talent - just saying that Butler does not appear to have the ability to adjust with regard to either losing his key player or when facing an opponent where he knew doing business as usual was doomed.

Given that in addition to Haley two defensive position coaches were kicked out after last season (Porter survived but certainly not on performance), there appears to be dissatisfaction with the coaching. I am guessing that comes in large part from AJR II. After axing position coaches, the next to go will likely be the defensive coordinator if the performance level since Butler was promoted continues.

I think this year will be the true test - at least for me. He finally appears to have more than enough talent at all 3 levels on defense. Admittedly much of it is raw, but that is life in the salary cap era. You gotta get big time performances out of year 1-3 guys. If you can't then you simply will not be winning many football games.

[pczach]

I think this year will be the true test - at least for me. He finally appears to have more than enough talent at all 3 levels on defense. Admittedly much of it is raw, but that is life in the salary cap era. You gotta get big time performances out of year 1-3 guys. If you can't then you simply will not be winning many football games.



I think it's fair to say that this is a big year for Butler. He needs to get the young guys up to speed with the system. He needs to make sure communication issues are a thing of the past. He needs to simplify assignments for young, talented players so that they can just play fast and help the team. He has been better at that than his predecessor, but the performance on the field needs to improve from an overall perspective.

It is time to find out what his defensive mind is capable of and how well he can blend scheme and young talent together. It's show time for Butler IMO.

[SteelMember]

I thought the front 3 of Tuitt, Cam and Hargrave looked really dominant, when in the game. IMO, Hooks continues to flash in game situation on the D line.

Thomas didn't look as hesitant in his initial movement and we know he should be able to cover a RB 1 on 1, but also looked quicker to the LOS in the run game. Adenyi looks like all hustle and relentless (positive) use of hands in the pass rush, while Adams looks like an athlete that can dip and bend around the edge.

Going to be some tough decisions of how many ILB and OLB the team can keep, to possibly retain some developing talent. Also, the Safety position is tough with Burnett, Davis, Edmunds, Berhe and Allen. IMO if they keep 10 LB, they can only keep 4 Safeties. The final cut might be down to Marcus Allen and Berhe.

Imo, Berhe has not done anything to impress any time he's near the ball. Most times, he has made mistakes. Would be an easy cut for me.

[Mojouw]

I think it's fair to say that this is a big year for Butler. He needs to get the young guys up to speed with the system. He needs to make sure communication issues are a thing of the past. He needs to simplify assignments for young, talented players so that they can just play fast and help the team. He has been better at that than his predecessor, but the performance on the field needs to improve from an overall perspective.

It is time to find out what his defensive mind is capable of and how well he can blend scheme and young talent together. It's show time for Butler IMO.

Agreed. It isn't even about fielding a "top X#" defense but putting a defense and a scheme out there each week that seems like something coherent and goal directed.

[SteelMember]

OLB: Watt, Dupree, Chickillo, Adams, Ola
ILB: VW, Bostic, Thomas, Fort, TM

Believe these are locks. They may look at the waiver wire to add an ILB, Fort would be cut if so.

I would agree with this. Kelsey, Galambos & Huguenin out...

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Imo, Berhe has not done anything to impress any time he's near the ball. Most times, he has made mistakes. Would be an easy cut for me.

I agree, but they brought him in to play special teams and somehow I think they want him primarily for that. He is likely getting reps to learn the defense so he can backup if needed. He reminds me of Sensabaugh, who I think is terrible as a CB, but he is still here and likely will make the 53 again.

[SteelMember]

I did think Mendenhall looked pretty good on D in this one...

[st33lersguy]

Let's hope Matthew Thomas' progress translates during the season. Also the rookie OLB #92 who has a long name (can you tell I don't remember it?) looks like he has a good motor

[BlackAndGold]

Let's hope Matthew Thomas' progress translates during the season. Also the rookie OLB #92 who has a long name (can you tell I don't remember it?) looks like he has a good motor

Ola Adeniyi. He is still just 20 years old.

[Fire Goodell]

Let's hope Matthew Thomas' progress translates during the season. Also the rookie OLB #92 who has a long name (can you tell I don't remember it?) looks like he has a good motor

Yeah I'm hoping Thomas can ball out, he did have a good showing with the 1s, so there's hope. I like dirty red but the guy isn't talented enough to play ILB in the big leagues.

Edmunds proves that the Steeler FO knows more than the average armchair QB. I remember people saying "WHO????" after we drafted Ryan Shazier... I think that ended up being a great pick. In any case the FO does their homework. The kid does have a crazy level of athleticism, and can be scary good.

[teegre]

I did think Mendenhall looked pretty good on D in this one...

You win the Internet for tonight. :lol: