Cockrell has never been that bad in his first 2 years with the steelers.Yesterday he gave up a 44-yard pass, his longest pass that Cockrell gave up last year was 37 yards.....Too early to panic in his case.
But our defense in the middle was dreadful.
Agree with most here. Dobber looks impressive because he is aggressive and decisive, but he is not ready to face a legit NFL defense yet. His accuracy needs work and his timing is still off - most like rookie QBs he is still slow on the trigger. I like the mindset and the tools - but he is a ways away.
Golden needs to be given a "rest" next game and lets see what Dangerfield and others can do. Golden has one skill - coming downhill to make a tackle. That's it. And that would be fine for a safety if this was 1987. It isn't - so it's not.
But on a positive note - that D line! This is the potentially most talented position group on the team - giving WR a run for its money.
I hope Tomlin will put the best players on the field this year.I do not want to have another situation like Justin Brown or Antwon Blake ....
Last year, Tomlin finally put the best players on the field in mid season with Harrison, Burns and Davis.
Array title="Rotorhead has a reputation beyond repute">
Maybe it is just me, but I liked what I saw from Bart Houston honestly. He missed on a couple throws, but he was making the right throws. I kind of hope he makes the practice squad.
Secondary was torched in the middle, so that is something we need to address, and do it quickly. Hilton maybe, but not against big TE's so our ILB's better get their jam game going.
That's what Bart Houston does. He teases you with short stretches of competency and then returns to his usual practice of air-mailing throws and trying to fit the ball into spaces he completely lacks the arm strength for.Originally Posted by Rotorhead
If Houston's head for the game could be transplanted into Landry Jones' body - then the Steelers might have something. Alternatively, graft Jones stronger arm onto Houston's body...
I liked that we are giving the players a reality check . We want to be a STOUT defense in today's NFL you have to be able to play great man to man defense. Yesterday I would say we played BELOW AVERAGE man cover . Numerous times we were a step away from getting the QB . We need to focus on this group the most if we really are serious about competing with the best.
And desert I agree with you..Cockrell seemed to be the weak link getting picked on yesrerday
I agree. The Giants and Falcons starting D's gave Dobber some trouble. As someone else said, Dobbs played like he has a coaches' voice in his head. He is definitely being groomed. I liked how he is showing some improvement and displayed none of the jitters of last week, and made none of the same mistakes he made from last week. Of course, he replaced them with some new ones. Still has a ways to go.Agree with most here. Dobber looks impressive because he is aggressive and decisive, but he is not ready to face a legit NFL defense yet. His accuracy needs work and his timing is still off - most like rookie QBs he is still slow on the trigger. I like the mindset and the tools - but he is a ways away.
If something catastrophic happens and Ben is out for any amount of time, I'll still trust him in a game over Landry Jones.
Yesterday I said in the gamethread that Keith Butler is not the right man for the job if the defense wants to take the next step.
I mean, Lebeau stuff like the zone blitz or fire zone no longer works in today's nfl against the great offense.
The Packers with Dom Capers have the same problem, especially in the playoffs where, with Capers, the packers have give up an average of 36 points per game in their 7 defeats with Aaron Rodgers and they were often awful in the 4th quarter(and overtime) in the playoffs.
I hope to be wrong, but this is a big concern for me.
We are trying to change about 20-30 years of a defensive (zone) culture. This last game made it look like they were trying to play man. The pieces are not there yet.
Why does Keith Butler have that perma red face like an alcoholic?
Array title="Craic has a reputation beyond repute">
Have you seen our DBs over the last few years?
Array title="Craic has a reputation beyond repute">
lolwat? Dobbs was better in this game than I've every seen Landry play, and that was only Dobbs's second game in an NFL jersey. Moreover, several passes hit receivers or RBs right in the hands, and then were dropped. Honestly, Dobbs threw only three bad passes last night, and only one of those was costly. The other two were errors, but they were errors that couldn't be capitalized on.
I think what we really saw last night was an Offensive Coordinator who got his newest RB back for the first time and decided to use the game to see how he could play, rather than play the game to win. There were running plays in there at times that made me shake my head, until I realized that it was all about seeing what Conner could do.
Array title="GBMelBlount has a reputation beyond repute">
As constituted, this defense is built to stop the Patriots.
They are young and largely inexperienced.
It is the preseason, and they need time to gel as a unit imo.
Hopefully they will by the playoffs...when it matters most.
"With love, with patience, and with Faith
....She'll make her way" ~ Natalie Merchant
From what I saw yesterday, this defense was still perfect for the patriots since this defense was still dreadful in the middle of the field, which is the strength of the Patriots offense.
The steelers need to find a way for that the opponents throw the ball outside more often.
It's not surprising the middle was soft. No Shaz, No Mitchell. Not to mention there was probably little to no game planning. Usually they just kinda let the guys run. I'm only concerned about our #2 CB spot. If Cockrell can't step it up. I think you have no choice but to replace him with Coty, or Sutton. These guys will mesh as the season goes along.
Anybody know what it'll take to pry Joe Haden from the Browns?
- - - Updated - - -
AMEN!!
I'm sure it's annoying that I keep noting this but, this was mostly against starters, other rookie QB's that are getting hype are playing against 2nd, and 3rd stringers.
For a 4th round pick who is obviously considered a project he has impressed. I know this is a case of "could've, would've" or "what if" but if Conner caught those two wide open passes, fans would be praising Dobbs. He made one mistake that deserves blame, and that was the interception.
Last edited by BlackAndGold; 08-21-2017 at 11:19 PM. Reason: Grammar
1. Graham Barton, C, Duke 2. Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida 3. Maason Smith, DT, LSU 3. Max Melton, CB, Rutgers 4. Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame 6. Tommy Eichenberg, ILB, Ohio State 6. MJ Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh
Truth!!Have you seen our DBs over the last few years?
- - - Updated - - -
I agree. Solid 4th round pick.
Array title="Craic has a reputation beyond repute">
Don't know what context that is in, but I find it amazing that 30-some passes into his career, he's already better than Landry.
I watched the second third and fourth quarters (Haven't watched the first yet) and Dobbs consistently throws bad passes. Some connect, some don't. He definitely hasn't surpassed Jones on the depth chart. Not yet at least. Hopefully he's on his way, but he hasn't surpassed him yet. Jones made some nice throws last preseason as well, made some crappy ones but he did improve over the season before. Jones isn't close to the answer for back up, but Dobbs isn't that answer right now either. For every pass Dobbs throws that hits a receiver in the hand he throws at least one that is too high, too low, behind or just in general, "off target" and receivers have made plays on it.
10 of 19 for 70 yards? Less than impressive. Give it time...
for what it is worth , IMO Landry has regressed as a pro , was and always will be a better college player than pro player .
the pro game does not fit him well , he is slow to diagnose and has trouble reading defenses so instead of using the big arm he has he checks it down to the safe play that doesn't get him the required yardage to be successful , its not that he " can't" throw downfield but instead he is afraid to ...
- - - Updated - - -
[QUOTE=86WARD;598541
10 of 19 for 70 yards? Less than impressive. Give it time...[/QUOTE]
3 drops ...
should have been 13-19 - 130 ish ... 2 drops by Conner alone would have been solid to big gains nobody near him and blockers out in front easily 20 yards on the one pass alone maybe more ...
that being said every QB has some dropped balls his just seemed magnified both coming on 3rd down were drive killers and the one would have put us in scoring range
Last edited by Dwinsgames; 08-22-2017 at 12:51 PM.
None of this matters in a morbid sort of way. Neither Jones nor Dobbs is currently ready to lead a diverse offense on multiple successful scoring drives against even a moderately competent defense.
Secondaryconcerns hit the nail on the head with Jones. His lack of mental ability to deal with the NFL level means that he cannot use his natural physical abilities. The few times that Jones just lets instinct take over and lets it rip - good things usually happen (Think late in the Browns game last year).
Dobbs appears to have the opposite problem. I think he has a head for the NFL game and seems to identify the proper place to go with the ball in a timely fashion - but while accurate down the field, he seems to struggle on short and intermediate routes. Now, some guys are able to fix that (Eli Manning is an example. Not always the most accurate guy but gets the job done and done well) and some never get it corrected (see Bortles, Blake).
If we could field a QB named Landry Dobbs, the Steelers might have something. Still, I am far more optimistic about Dobber than Jonesy.
It would be nice if both of them had actually played so far. A fair assessment could be made then.
I guess I am gambling on Landry Jones not suddenly being a different guy. Last preseason he was force-fed more game snaps than anyone I've ever seen before.
But, you're right there is also a sliver of hope that he figured out how to read and react to an NFL defense over the off-season.
Chances aren't good but stranger things have happened.
Array title="ALLD has a reputation beyond repute">
Dobbs and Jones could be perfect candidates for the St. Lucie Mets. Neither is an NFL caliber starter. They are both more like 3rd string QBs or camp arms.
All Defense!
Pretty much wraps it up perfectly. Good post.
Last year he did show improvement over the previous year. Still not at a level you want it to be, but he did play better...so there's that...
he did play better , that improvement enabled him to elevate his game to the TRASH level .... still not good enough to merit a paycheck IMO .....
when your chances of winning with some random guy off the street is only 10 % less than a guy who has been on the team for 4 years , you need to make a change
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
