Steelers @ Broncos - The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Well, the Pittsburgh Steelers opened their season last night in Denver against Peyton Manning and the Broncos with a loss. I absolutely hate playing in Denver, because that means the team has to hold FS Ryan Clark out of the game because he has sickle cell trait. The last time he played a game in Denver, he had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed, therefore he doesn't play there as a precaution.

Also missing from the game was Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison due to a knee injury.

So here we go with it...The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The Good

1. The offense wasn't horrible. This was a fear that many fans had going into this game, that the offense would be completely inept. The Steelers changed offensive coordinators during the offseason with Bruce Arians either retiring or being fired (whichever you believe) and Todd Haley being brought in to make the offense more efficient. Well, the efficiency wasn't where they would want it to be, but I saw an offense that once they get in sync should be nearly unstoppable.
2. The no huddle is going to be used in Pittsburgh. With Arians, there was a lot of talk of using the no huddle offense more often, but normally it was just used when the Steelers were trailing or when it was the end of the half. The offense seems to be better in the no huddle, so I like the fact that it's being used in situations that do not absolutely call for it. 
3. I am optimistic about the Steelers receivers after this week. It looks like Heath Miller is finally going to be used as a red zone weapon instead of an extra blocker. It's going to take Mike Wallace a week or so to get into "game shape," but he caught a touchdown last night and I think once he gets into sync with Big Ben, he'll have a typical Wallace season. Antonio Brown is going to have a really big season and might possibly become Ben's favorite target. He's going to be making big plays all season long. 

The Bad

1. The offensive line suffered another injury last night when RT Marcus Gilbert went down with a knee injury. It has not been announced what the injury is or might be, and according to ESPN  he is currently listed as questionable. In the preseason we lost our first round pick, OG David Decastro, to a devastating knee injury. Last season and the season before we lost Pro Bowl Center Maurkice Pouncey to ankle injuries. If the Steelers are going to go anywhere this season, the line has to stay relatively healthy. Luckily, second round pick Mike Adams stepped in for Gilbert and played well. 
2. Ben Roethlisberger made a bad decision on the pick-six that he threw towards the end of the game that sealed it for the Broncos. This has been a problem for Big Ben his entire career, sometimes he just gets a brain fart and makes a dumb throw. Hopefully there are less of them this season because Todd Haley will be holding Ben responsible for his mistakes, something people feel Bruce Arians did not do.

The Ugly

1. The defense just simply looked bad last night. They had trouble stopping the run, and they damn sure couldn't stop Peyton Manning once he knocked the rust off. I know the defense was without Ryan Clark and James Harrison, but I still expected a better showing from our defense. I mean, Demaryius Thomas scored a long touchdown on a screen pass! Manning ended up just toying with us, he even ran for a first down. 
2. The offensive line as a whole couldn't open holes for our running backs and gave up five sacks last night. This has been a problem for years that we hoped would be fixed with the drafting of David Decastro who is out for the season, and Mike Adams who lost the starting left tackle job and might be playing right tackle if Marcus Gilbert's injury causes him to miss some time. If any other quarterback played behind this line, he would be on IR or retired before being killed during a football game. It looks like this season the offensive line will be as ugly as it's ever been...and will find itself in this section of my blog on a weekly basis.

Next week, the Steelers open their home schedule at Heinz Field against the New York Jets. Let's hope that they end next week at an even 1-1.

Steelers Draft Grade: A

I know that you cannot truly grade a draft until after three years, but just going off of potential, I give this year's Steelers' draft an A-. So from here, let's look at each player that the Pittsburgh Steelers took in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Needs: Offensive Guard, Inside Linebacker, Offensive Tackle, Nose Tackle, Cornerback

First Round, 24th Overall: David DeCastro, OG/Stanford - I still cannot believe that the best guard prospect since Steve Hutchinson in 2001 fell all the way down to us. He was the one player that I felt would have been worth trading up to select in the first round if he fell, but the Steelers didn't have to. Now he helps solidify the offensive line, putting an All-Pro caliber guard next to our All-Pro center.

Second Round, 56th Overall: Mike Adams, OT/Ohio State - When the Steelers made this selection on Friday, it became obvious that the team's goal in this draft was to build a legitimate offensive line to protect franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. While the Steelers normally don't take players with character concerns, Adams requested that the Steelers bring him in for a pre-draft visit and he explained himself and told them that he wanted to be a Steeler and would do anything to make things right. He did everything they asked him to do, before the draft, including counseling. So they put him back on their board with a first round grade and got him at their pick in the second round. Best chance scenario is that he becomes the franchise left tackle, and I truly feel that at worst he will be an excellent bookend right tackle with our 2011 second round pick Marcus Gilbert at left tackle.

Third Round, 86th Overall: Sean Spence, LB/Miami - It's been said that he will be playing inside linebacker for the Steelers in their 3-4 defense. I think he fits great in the Steelers defense because the job of the defensive line is to tie up blockers allowing the linebackers to fly around and make the plays. Spence is a very athletic linebacker who can deliver the blow to the running back and has fluid hips to be out in pass coverage. He may have to sit a large part if not the entire season and learn the defense, but he should be a future starting linebacker for the Steelers. He reminds me a lot of Lawrence Timmons, the guy who will be lining up next to him when Spence finally gets on the field.

Fourth Round, 109th Overall: Alameda Ta'amu, DT/Washington - At 6'3" and 348 lbs., the Steelers found the man who will be the linchpin of the team's 3-4 defense for the next decade or so. The nose tackle spot on the defensive line is so important, and the Steelers got a steal in the fourth round when they were able to trade up and take the mammoth Washington defensive tackle. He may even see playing time this season. Casey Hampton tore his ACL in the playoff loss to Denver and probably won't be ready for training camp and could miss the start of the season. Ta'amu might be able win the starting job of Hampton cannot start the season, which could relegate Hampton to a backup role in what is likely his final season.

Round Five, 159th Overall: Chris Rainey, RB/Florida - One thing the Steelers really didn't have was a speedy change-of-pace back. The pick of Florida's Rainey changed that. He cannot block a linebacker and he goes down on contact running between the tackles, but in open space he's dangerous and his track star speed translates to the football field. He can also work the slot, and he has good hands for a running back so I can see him being used a bit like Percy Harvin has been used by the Minensota Vikings. There is a chance that he could also be moved to receiver later in his career, in my honest opinion. Also, he can return kicks and punts, saving the mileage that would be put on wide receiver Antonio Brown in that role.

Round Seven, 231st Overall: Toney Clemons, WR/Colorado - The Steelers have recently had some luck drafting wide receiver later in the draft (Mike Wallace - Third Round, Emmanuel Sanders - Third Round, Antonio Brown - Sixth Round) so I like the chances of this pick working out to be at least a solid fourth receiver in a season or two. He's a bigger target who can go over the middle, strong enough to break arm tackles, and has deceptive deep speed. However, he has had a problem with drops and struggles to catch the ball with his hands and bring it into his body. He is a physical blocker, but can sometimes be too aggressive. He's going to have to make the team as a special teams player, otherwise he is likely going to end up on the practice squad.

Round Seven, 240th Overall: David Paulson, TE/Oregon - An underrated pass catcher, he is going to struggle to get open in the NFL. He's a decent blocker also. He's nothing more than a backup player for his NFL career and could possibly be cut in training camp with all of the depth ahead of him. Probably destined for the practice squad.

Round Seven, 246th Overall: Terrance Frederick, CB/Texas A&M - Frederick is an undersized corner who isn't a man-to-man cornerback, but is a good zone corner. So he fits the Steelers' scheme that likes to play zone. He also likes to throw his body around, which isn't something you often see from smaller corners. He will have to show that he can contribute on special teams to make the squad out of training camp because the Steelers are already pretty deep at the position.

Round Seven, 248th Overall: Kelvin Beachum, OT/SMU - Beachum is undersized for the position in the NFL but has good athletic ability, body control, and footwork. He's going to have to show a lot in training camp to make the final roster, but has a shot as a developmental player if he doesn't get eaten up be defensive lineman and linebackers in one-on-one drills. Is likely never going to win a starting job in the NFL, but could be a good depth player. Could be a practice squad candidate.

So out of this draft the Steelers have likely four future starters in David DeCastro (Guard), Mike Adams (Tackle), Sean Spence (Linebacker), and Alameda Ta'amu (Defensive Tackle). That's an extremely good draft, with possibly three of those players starting at some point this season. After those first four picks (the likely future starters) it was all about depth, which is how the draft normally works.

I am ecstatic about the results of this draft and cannot wait for the season to start. It's going to be interesting to see which guard position DeCastro plays, if Mike Adams can win a starting tackle job and if he will be on the left or right side, how quickly Spence can take in what his responsibilities of his position on this defense and take away the starting job (if at all this season), and if Ta'amu can become the starter in training camp if Hampton cannot start this season.