Next phase of Steelers defensive facelift hinges on upcoming draft

[stillers4me]

Bill Cowher, who helped build the great 21st century defenses the Steelers are now trying to rebuild, had a plan in the late 1990s when he helped put together a defense for the second time here.


“When we were building in the 2000s, we were going to be a defensive team and one that runs the football,” Cowher said. “We had to win games like that. We had to build a defense.”


The previous defense that helped carry the Steelers in his early years was disappearing through the mid to late 1990s — Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Joel Steed, Thomas Everett, et al...........

read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201504230017

[TD's & Beer]

“You’d like to upgrade the secondary and find a pass-rusher,” Cowher said. “It comes down to those two things. If they can get those two things, they’re not that far away from being a good team.”


So what's Tomlin's plan?

[steelreserve]

“You’d like to upgrade the secondary and find a pass-rusher,” Cowher said. “It comes down to those two things. If they can get those two things, they’re not that far away from being a good team.”


So what's Tomlin's plan?

Near as I can guess, this is it:

Keep drafting linebackers and linemen (except for nose tackle, of course).

In the middle rounds, select a random WR and a DE/OLB conversion project that isn't going to work and it's obvious from the first day of training camp.

Wait until rounds 4-5 to draft your one and only DB, who doesn't make the team.

Round 6 - Draft a defensive lineman for someone else's practice squad.

Round 7* - Take the obligatory useless fourth-string TE while you pass over several good punters and placekickers. For that, sign a punter you've never heard of for "competition" and then it turns out he can only kick the ball 20 yards.

*In alternating years, you are released from the TE obligation, so swap picks 6 and 7, and replace the TE with another player at a random position; the only requirement is that he doesn't make the team. Since we drafted a TE in round 7 last year, this is probably what we'll do.

[salamander]

Near as I can guess, this is it:

Keep drafting linebackers and linemen (except for nose tackle, of course).

In the middle rounds, select a random WR and a DE/OLB conversion project that isn't going to work and it's obvious from the first day of training camp.

Wait until rounds 4-5 to draft your one and only DB, who doesn't make the team.

Round 6 - Draft a defensive lineman for someone else's practice squad.

Round 7* - Take the obligatory useless fourth-string TE while you pass over several good punters and placekickers. For that, sign a punter you've never heard of for "competition" and then it turns out he can only kick the ball 20 yards.

*In alternating years, you are released from the TE obligation, so swap picks 6 and 7, and replace the TE with another player at a random position; the only requirement is that he doesn't make the team. Since we drafted a TE in round 7 last year, this is probably what we'll do.

Nailed it.

And it would not surprise me in the least if they followed that mantra this year as well.

[ALLD]

We still need a 3rd round scatback that needs a step stool to get on the team bus.