Steelers Source

I am working my way up from the back of the defense and part 2 of my training camp series is on linebackers. The contestants (and there are plenty) in Latrobe this year are:

Last year when the Steelers cut down to their final 53 man roster, then kept 8 linebackers, so a fair number of players listed above are not going to see the regular season. The no brainers are James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley on the outside. The starters at inside linebacker is a little more interesting. I am hoping that this year is really the coming out party for Lawrence Timmons. At the other inside spot there were plenty of screams last season, your truly included, that James Farrior had lost too much speed and could not play on third down any longer. That has to also be on the mind of the Steelers and was in large part the reason for bringing Larry Foote back. I’m going to give Foote the starting nod, and while he’ll make the roster, I wouldn’t be stunned to see this as Farrior’s last year.

For those who are counting that is 5 of 8 spots on the roster filled. Considering their draft positions, it is pretty much a lock that Jason Worilds and Thaddeus Gibson are going to make the team. I see the last spot as a competition between Keyaron Fox, Andre Frazier, and Stevenson Sylvester, with Fox getting the nod. A very real possibility is that the Steelers will put either Worilds or Gibson on the roster as a defensive end and thereby be able to keep Fox plus one.

A couple of weeks ago, I walked through my list of the Top 10 Steelers Draft Busts. Today the compendium volume for Gems and again this list is limited to the past 10 years. My other rule on this one is that I’m not going to look at 1st Round picks. Honestly you should hit on those. If you aren’t sure on someone make a safer pick. The downside is enormous. I don’t remember anyone talking before the 1998 draft about Ryan Leaf being a high character guy, or from back in my day that Walter Abercrombie was the second coming of Jim Brown. All of that being said, the Steelers have be great at this for the past decade. Most impressive is that they have pulled a number of draft day trades to move up a few picks to get their guy. The list is awesome and I’d put it up against anyone else in the league:

• Rashard Mendenhall (so far, so good)
• Lawrence Timmons
• Santonio Holmes
• Heath Miller
• Ben Roethlisberger
• Troy Polamalu
• Casey Hampton

So in gem order going from 1 to 10 with number 10 being the find on draft day:

1. 2006 -- Willie Colon (OT), Hofstra, 4th round. 1,100 yards and 4.6 yards per carry this season
2. 2004 -- Max Starks (OT), Florida, 3rd round. 88 games played with 61 career starts.
3. 2000 -- Clark Haggans (LB), Colorado State, 5th round. Including his past 2 years in Arizona (the Steelers of the Southwest) he has appeared in 134 games with 408 total tackles, and 38.5 sacks.
4. 2005 -- Bryant McFadden (CB), Florida State, 2nd round. Another four year guy in Pittsburgh until a move to (surprise) Arizona but a solid performer.
5. 2002 -- Antwaan Randle El (QB/ATH), Indiana, 2nd round. Only four years in Pittsburgh until a big payday in Washington, but was a game changer in Pittsburgh. Brought a wildcat type offense years before anyone ever used the word wildcat.
6. 2002 -- Larry Foote (LB), Michigan, 4th round. Spent 7 years in Pittsburgh and compiled 431 tackles with 20 passes defended.
7. 1998 -- Deshea Townsend (CB), Alabama, 4th round. 12 year veteran with 369 career tackles and 21 picks.
8. 1999 -- Aaron Smith (DE), Northern Colorado, 4th round. Great pick here. 11 years in Pittsburgh with 385 tackles and 44 sacks. Defensive ends who can play in a 3-4 defense don’t come in the 4th round very often.
9. 1999 -- Joey Porter (LB), Colorado State, 3rd round. 8 years with 60 sacks. Leader on the defense with a nasty attitude. Some were turned of by his bulletin board material, but I loved Joey and he almost always backed it up on the field.
10. 1998 -- Hines Ward (QB/ATH), Georgia, 3rd  round. Hall of fame career spanning 12 years so far and becoming the Steelers all time leading receiver in yards. I will always think of him as striking fear into defenses with guys looking around for the block that is going to knock them out. Let’s re-live the busting on Keith Rivers’ jaw in Cincinnati: