Andy Weidl Says Steelers Will Be Going Back To Their Roots ‘We Are Gonna Break The Will Of Other Teams’
https://steelersdepot.com/2023/05/an...medium=twitter
I prefer that than seeing 40-50 passes per game and most of the time it was excessive dink and dunk with around only 6 YPA or under, but if the steelers want that it's a success, the passing game need to have way more big play
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I don't care about style. A win is a win. What I do care about is that they play to the strengths of the team and the weaknesses of the league. Right now, as I've mentioned in other posts, having a very strong run game is very important. In five to ten years when (if) our QB is solidly mid-career and has proven he can put the team on his back and win games over and over, then I'm very happy moving to a pass-happy offense. Again, it's the pattern for SB winning Steelers teams.Originally Posted by polamalubeast
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He said, "we're going to be big, physical and tough. We're going to break the will of the opponent." That's the whole article if anyone wants to avoid clicking the link.
Nice! The Bengals have more talent than we do. So let's punch them in the mouth! Kind of like Mike Tyson's "everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" quote.
SB winning teams in general...first you incubate and insulate your QB; then you let him elevate the entire roster.
We NEED to see some "Goon Squad" T-Shirts soon. I love that description.
You are right but not many teams have a Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady as QB....But of course you need at some point your QB to step up in crucial moment,no matter what
Love that quote. This team wanted an identity and they went out to get the pieces to hopefully make it happen. I'm intrigued where this team is headed.
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The quote is fine and I love that mentality. I hope that's the end of the talking though. I don't want to see this become one of those teams that talks trash all offseason. That's what the Browns have been. And we see how the league has responded to them. Their beatdown started early and continued even when 'The Watson' returned.
A more physical mindset is definitely what this entire team needs, IMO. Gentry and Washington can both definitely bring that part as well. PF has been improving but is better suited to downfield dominance, again my opinion. Najee and Warren both run with physicality and the OL seems to be built around helping with the run game. I love all those things.
Did the defense get more physical in the middle? Time will tell. I think our front 7 will be visibly improved, wait and see how the secondary plays together. Rookie CBs tend to get picked on a bit, even JPjr will have his struggles I'm sure. I like the roster to this point. Just a bit unsure how it all gels come gameday.
I'm more 'old school' I guess. Less talk, less attention whoring, and more focus on getting better as a team. I love reading about players getting together in the offseason and working out, going fishing, team bonding type stuff. Telling the rest of the league that we are gonna break their will, Nah, not a big fan.
I might need to take my annual post-draft break from the Steelers internet. Every year about this time, the hype train starts chugging out of the station and it gets a bit much.
Remember when Klemm was going to make it a dreamland for offensive linemen to come to work and the team was going to be physical? That worked so well that Klemm got fired. Almost every year there are a series of quotes that either inspire the fanbase or enrage it. But it doesn't matter. It is all noise.
In the same series of comments that Weidl talked about roots and will breaking (what is this guy the Conan of the front office?) -- Andy, What is the riddle of the GM?....to drive the opponents front seven before you and hear the lamentations of their trainers..." ------- Weidl talked about talent as well.
That is what it all comes down to. This is the NFL. You can be as physical as you want, but if the other team is just flat-out more talented than you, you are going to lose. The Steelers need to have one of the top 5 most talented overall rosters in the league to be consistently in contention. That is what it takes. The end. There is no shortcut to that result.
The last several years, the most talented overall rosters have been making the last weekend of the playoffs.
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I agree with everything you said. However, I'd point out the big difference between the Klemm situation and what Weidl is saying is that this time they tried to match the players to the talk, by signing free agents and drafting players that theoretically can do what Weidle is talking about. The biggest acquisition in the Klemm era, (to Klemm's area of influence at least) was an undersized and underpowered guard we tried to make into a center. But, as you stated, actions mean everything and talk ultimately means nothing.
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A much more in depth interview from the Gazette.
Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl knows the landscape of the AFC. The conference is stacked with talented quarterbacks and high-powered offenses that are capable of running teams out of stadiums.
He also has a vision for the Steelers. And if it happens to run counter to what the rest of the conference is doing, then so be it.
“We want to be big. We want to be physical. We want to be tough,” Weidl said Friday afternoon at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, five days after the Steelers front office completed a draft that has earned praise from the industry’s experts. “We want to impose our will on teams. That’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. You go break the other team’s sword in the second half. You go win on the road. That’s what we’re building. That’s what we have here. That’s what we’ve been in the past.
“We want to continue that identity. That works in this business — physical, tough, smart players, strategic thinkers that you can take on the road, guys who can feel good about on your bus going to the stadium. That’s what we’re going to continue to add to our team.”
And in his first draft as assistant GM, the Steelers were able to obtain players that fit Weidl’s mold. The Steelers selected one of the biggest offensive linemen in the draft in Broderick Jones, one of the biggest tight ends in Darnell Washington and stout nose tackle Keeanu Benton, who can anchor the run defense. In addition, they drafted two big and physical corners in Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr.
“I think the way the board set up and the way the draft fell, it really benefitted us,” Weidl said. “We still have to see these guys. They have to come in and perform and produce, but there is toughness, physicality and athleticism.”
Weidl pulled back the curtain a bit on this year’s draft process. The Steelers drafted two players from Georgia and two from Wisconsin. Relationships with coaches and college personnel always play a big role on the scouting trail.Weidl shared the story of how he arrived at the Wisconsin-Ohio State game three hours early and had a chance to chat with Wisconsin special teams coach Chris Haering, who coached Weidl’s three younger brothers at Mt. Lebanon High School.
Weidl was there to scout a number of players from both teams, but he asked Haering specifically about Benton and linebacker Nick Herbig. The Badgers were blown out that night 52-21, but that didn’t dissuade the Steelers from taking Benton in the second round and Herbig in the fourth round.
“He was a great asset,” Weidl said.
Weidl also got to see Jones and Washington play twice in the fall. He watched the Bulldogs play at South Carolina and again in the SEC championship game. The Steelers also had both players in for top-30 visits last month.
Weidl praised GM Omar Khan for trading up three spots to get Jones.
“To watch him grow and to watch his trajectory and how he just kept getting better as the year went on, ... he’s a guy who has tremendous feet and balance, ability to pass protect in space,” Weidl said. “He also has the explosive power to displace people on the line of scrimmage. He can get up on the second level and execute blocks in space. With his range, you can do different things in your offense. He can open up your offense more.”
The Steelers selected Washington with the 93rd overall pick, well after most draft experts believed he would be taken. Washington disclosed Friday night, shortly after he was drafted, that some teams had concerns about his knees.
Two years ago, when Weidl was in a similar role in Philadelphia, the Eagles selected offensive lineman Landon Dickerson in the second round. Like Washington, many teams were scared off by Dickerson’s long injury history.
Dickerson was named to the Pro Bowl last season and has started 30 games the past two seasons.
“We rely on our doctors,” Weidl said. “They’ve been doing this a long time. They’re some of the best in the business. They give the OK, we have the OK. We lean on them. With a player like that, sometimes you catch a falling star. He’s a guy we really liked. For whatever reason, he was there, and we just saw an opportunity to acquire him. We couldn’t be more excited. It’s not only the talent but the person he is — the football character, the personal character, his path, his journey. We think he’ll be a tremendous fit.”
Weidl’s job is to find players to fit coach Mike Tomlin’s system. He said the transition from the Eagles to the Steelers was seamless because Tomlin communicated so well with the scouts throughout the process.
It remains to be seen if the 2023 draft class lives up to its hype, but it is a group of players who were brought in to re-establish the Steelers identity.
“It starts up front,” Weidl said. “It’s football. I was an offensive lineman. When you’re strong up front and can control the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, you have a chance to win games. If you’re strong on your offensive line and your defensive line, they travel well in this business. I’ve seen it.
“If you have to go on the road and win a game late in the season, you have to win a playoff game, they usually show up. I believe in that. We believe in that. You invest in that. That’s football. That’s always going to be football in our mind — the line of scrimmage.”
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published May 5, 2023, 1:15pm
Steelers might be going to lose Weidl this offseason:
https://steelersdepot.com/2023/12/st...anders-gm-job/
Well, damn. I was hoping he would turn the Steelers into the Eagles.
I hope we can keep Weidl for at least another year.
But we thought Kahn would be gone a few times too, just because he gets an interview doesn't mean he will get the job.
Imo the biggest loss would be the scouts and player personnel people that Weidl brought with him, most would likely follow him to his new team.
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