Re: Pittsburgh Steelers County - Vol. 2

[Whatarush]

Ladies and Gentlemen...LT is a Pittsburgh Steeler!!! 



Bulger ha le ore contate :figo:

[Rocky]

LaMarr Woodley, DE di Michigan è la nostra seconda scelta. A questo punto direi che lo spettro della 4-3 si avvicina sempre di più, che ne pensate?

[pandu86]

[align=center] LaMarr Woodley 


Da Wood[/align]


:pandu:

[Whatarush]

LaMarr Woodley, DE di Michigan è la nostra seconda scelta. A questo punto direi che lo spettro della 4-3 si avvicina sempre di più, che ne pensate?

Non è detto...è lui il vero sostituto di Porter e non, come erroneamente è stato detto, Timmons.
Timmons lo vedo più come il futuro erede di Farrior se si insiste con la 3-4 o come l'emergente che può mettere pressione a Foote che da sempre è l'anello debole della catena.
 

[Rocky]

Intanto John Clayton di ESPN ci da come una delle squadre "vincitrici" di questo primo giro. Ecco ciò che pensa:

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: It was a bold move to chase away Joey Porter, whom the Steelers believe lost some of the speed that made him the No. 1 linebacker in their 3-4 scheme. The Steelers drafted linebacker Lawrence Timmons in the first round and defensive end LaMarr Woodley in the second round. Woodley could develop into a No. 1 pass-rusher. Tomlin also wanted to get some youth and quickness into the linebacker corps to give him the flexibility to use some 4-3 alignments at times. Timmons has that type of speed and quickness, but he also has experience in the 3-4 with some of the schemes used at Florida State.

[pandu86]

Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians
On Matt Spaeth
Tight End - Minnesota
3rd Round — 77th Overall

What do you like about Matt Spaeth?

He is big, tall and fast. He can block; he is an outstanding, prototypical tight end. At 6'7", he can help stretch the field and he can also handle the point of attack. He gives us good flexibility to take Heath (Miller) and move him around a lot more. Also, I am a three tight-end guy. Jerame Tuman has played extremely well for us the last couple years. I like having three tight ends on the field a lot of times. It gives us a good personnel group, with two tight ends that can stretch the field and all three guys can block the point of attack. He is a very solid guy.

Will this shift the offense away from the I-Back formation?

Well, it gives us that type of flexibility. We have an outstanding fullback and we plan on using him. It gives you more things that can create more problems for the defense, without having to put another receiver in the game. We can have Heath in the slot, Jerame in there and then throw Matt in there. It really gives us a ton of flexibility.

How fast is he?

Fast enough.

Is he more of a wide receiver than tight end?

No, he is pure tight end. He is very similar to Heath. He can stretch the field. I would have to go back and look at it, but I can throw a number out there, maybe a 4.7 or 4.82. He is like Heath, where he can handle those big defensive ends, he can block those outside linebackers and he can also get done the middle. He is a good athlete and can play on all special teams.

Is he 6'8"?

Yeah, 6'7".

Would you compare him to Matt Kranchick at all?

I hope not. I hope he makes our team. He is that type of athlete. He is that type of athlete with a much better blocking background.

In the second round, you missed Dwayne Jarrett by one. Is that a big deal? Were you kind of looking at that?

He's a heck of a player. I don't know if he would have been in our plans or not. You never know.

Would you have pushed for him?

I'll take the fifth.

Tony Hunt would have been a great pick here.

There's a lot of things that can happen tomorrow. I don't see that need as much as what we got. Tony's speed bothers me a little bit, but he is a very productive player. Like I said, there is a need for a bigger back, but Najeh [Davenport] gives us that too. I'm really pleased with him.

Did this guy block LaMarr Woodley (the Steelers second-round pick) at all?

Yeah. There's a great shot on his first highlight of him cracking back. He did an unbelievable job in motion cracking back, trying to kill people. It might have been him (Woodley) on that first play. I'm trying to think who he did crack back on. But on his highlight tape, it was the first play.

He had a shoulder injury. Did you check that out?

Oh yeah. That's been well-documented and taken care of. I think, like Heath [Miller], I think he slid because of not being able to work out until late [and] missing most of the combine. And when he did work out, he got back pretty early. I think we got a steal.

A couple of days ago, Kevin Colbert said that in the first round you would not draft a quarterback or a tight end in the first round. What made a tight end so attractive in the third round?

I think this is the time that we wanted one. And this was a guy that we had targeted and really liked. We were ecstatic that he fell to us. We had three names. They were popping off like firecrackers right there and we just held our breath that he'd stay there.

Does he satisfy your pass-catching needs?

Totally.

So much so that you might not seek a receiver the rest of the way?

For a receiver to make our squad, and there are some that can make our squad, they are going to have to be able to play special teams and do some other things. Just to be a pure receiver, this is a tough group to crack.

Was Yamon Figurs in that three?

Yeah. He can do a lot of things. You know, you've got to have some other skills to come in – rather than just play receiver – and break into this lineup. I probably have a higher regard of our receivers than most people, since I coached them.


fonte

[pandu86]

un altro draft-obiettivo è stato raggiunto...Daniel Sepulveda...il P del futuro...ha un cannone al posto della gamba e nn fa i film porno 

[pandu86]

DANIEL WADE SEPULVEDA
Punter
Baylor University Bears
#37
6:02.7-229
Dallas, Texas
Highland Park High School

OVERVIEW:

Sepulveda has been one of the most consistent punters in college football history, so it was only fitting that he became the first two-time winner of the Ray Guy Award, given to the top punter in the nation. He earned the award as a sophomore in 2004 and was selected again after the 2006 season. Sepulveda joins Mike Singletary (Davey O'Brien Award; 1979, 1980) as the only Baylor players to win a national award twice. Thomas Everett (Jim Thorpe Award; 1986) was Baylor's only other national award recipient. Sepulveda is one of only the 13 players in NCAA Division I history to earn a major national award twice. He is the first to do so in non-consecutive seasons. His career punting average (45.24 yards per punt) is the best in the history of Division I football for players with at least 250 punts. He also established an NCAA record with 94 career punts of 50-plus yards. At Highland Park High School, Sepulveda battled through injuries while earning second-team academic All-State honors as a senior linebacker. The team posted a 22-3 record in his final two seasons, as he helped the Scots advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs and capture a district title his final year. He was a National Honor Society member and competed on the school's track team. After he was not recruited out of high school, Sepulveda enrolled at Baylor and joined the team as a walk-on outside linebacker. He competed on the scout team at that position in 2002, but despite not handling any punting duties since his junior high school days, he took over those duties for Baylor in 2003. He earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors from College Football News and second-team recognition from league coaches, in addition to being selected first-team Academic All-Big 12. That year, he set a school single-season record with 26 punts of 50 yards or longer. He ranked 23rd in the nation with 87 punts for 3,750 yards (43.1 avg), including 23 kicks that were downed inside the 20-yard line. However, he did have four of his attempts blocked and teams averaged 11.0 yards per return against the Bears. With an off-season to hone his punting skills, the aspiring linebacker knew he met his calling in 2004 -- he is now a punter, and an elite one at that. Sepulveda earned Ray Guy Award honors as he ranked third in the nation with a 45.97-yard average on 62 punts totaling 2,850 yards. He had 26 of his attempts downed inside the 20-yard line and opponents managed just 217 yards on 23 returns as the Bears finished fifth nationally with a 40.56-yard net average. Sepulveda became only the sixth two-time All-American in school history and first since free safety Thomas Everett in 1985 and 1986 after ranking second in the Big 12 and third in the nation with a 46.18-yard punting average, kicking 62 times for 2,863 yards in 2005. That figure also ranked as the second-best single-season average in Baylor history. Nineteen of his punts were for 50 yards or longer, as he had 13 attempts downed inside the 20-yard line. The Bears finished 16th nationally with a 36.78-net yard average. As a senior, Sepulveda became a consensus All-American and two-time Ray Guy Award recipient. He led the nation in punting with an average of 46.48 yards, the highest single-season average in school history. Baylor ranked third nationally in net punting at 39.01 yards per punt. Baylor opponents started no better than their own 20-yard line on 52 percent of Sepulveda's punts (34 of 66), including 26 punts inside the 20 (39 percent) and eight inside the 10 (12 percent). He also had 25 of his attempts gain 50 yards or longer. In 45 games as the team's punter, Sepulveda had 277 attempts for 12,531 yards (45.24 avg), with four blocked. Thirty-nine of his punts were touchbacks and 82 were downed inside the 20-yard line. He had 94 gain at least 50 yards, including 21 from 60 yards out, with a career-long of 78 yards.

ANALYSIS:

Positives: Former linebacker, and looks the part with good chest thickness, muscular arms, tight waist, tapered thighs and calves...Has excellent leg strength to kick the ball for good distance...Good coverage support specialist who has excellent quickness to get down field ands prevent the long return...Shows very good leg extension and overall body flexibility...Has large, soft and natural hands, making proper adjustments to the off-target snap...Holds for placements and field goals...Adjusts to pressure well and can improvise when his protection breaks down...Three-step kicker with an average of 1.21 in his touch-to-toe mechanics...Gets very good rise and turnover behind his kicks...Strikes the ball with power, but needs to improve the height on his kicks (prone to long drives)...Has solid control with good hang time (4.2 second average) and is efficient at getting the ball to bounce right in order for the coverage team to get down field and keep the ball inside the 20-yard line...Shows accuracy placing his attempts near the sticks and is a mentally tough sort who is not afraid to run with the ball...Shows functional aggression getting downfield to lend support for the coverage unit...Has good lower body flexibility and hip rotation with flexibility in his ball release...Well-coordinated and shows solid control and mechanics in attempts to angle his kicks...Shows good hand mechanics fielding the ball and getting it ready for the place-kicker while serving as a holder. Negatives: Has all the intangibles, but will on occasion kick across his body, causing his ball position to be off a little bit...Tends to rush his kicks at times when pressured, losing his adequate height and causing the coverage unit to not be in position to prevent the return...Relies too much on his leg strength and will punish the ball, causing him to out-kick his coverage unit...Needs to show better leg extension and toe direction in his kicks (sometimes goes off the side of the foot)...Hang times are just adequate, as he has the leg strength, but fails to generate consistent trajectory. Compares To: DAVE ZASTUDIL-Cleveland...Sepulveda is a fine athlete who just happens to have a strong kicking leg. He is a former linebacker who should do well on the coverage unit at the next level. He has the leg strength to launch rockets off his leg, but needs to improve the trajectory on some of his kicks, as he will hit line drives on more than a few occasions, resulting in the coverage team not being set up to prevent the long return. You can teach a player how to angle his punts, and with a little technique refinement he should replace a veteran punter in the NFL next year.

INJURY REPORT:

2006: Tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right (non-kicking) knee during a pick-up basketball game over the Easter holiday weekend, and underwent successful surgery April 27 to repair the damage.

CAREER NOTES:

Holds the school and Big 12 Conference career record with 277 punts, topping the old league mark of 268 by Shane Lechler of Texas A&M (1996-99)...His season averages of 45.97 yards in 2004 (eighth), 46.18 yards in 2005 (seventh) and 46.48 yards in 2006 (tied for third) are all listed on the Big 12 Top Ten single-season record chart... His career average of 45.24 yards rank second in conference annals behind Mark Mariscal of Colorado (46.4 avg, 2000-02)...Sepulveda's 277 punts for 12,531 yards broke the previous school career records of 252 attempts for 10,339 yards by Ron Stowe (1979-82)...His 45.24-yard average topped the previous school all-time record of 43.44 yards on 170 tries by Buzzy Sawyer (1983-85)...Had 21 punts for 60 yards or longer, topping the previous Baylor record of 10 by Kyle Atteberry (1997-99)...His 93 punts for 50 yards or longer surpassed the old school record of 47 by Stowe...His 87 punts in 2003 broke the school and Big 12 single-season record...His average of 52.1 yards on nine punts vs. Kansas State in 2006 set a school game-record (minimum eight kicks).

AGILITY TESTS

Campus: 4.41 in the 40-yard dash (wind-aided)...4.57 40-yard dash (against the wind)...335-pound bench press...331-pound power clean...31-inch vertical jump...31 3/4-inch arm length...9 7/8-inch hands...Left-footed conventional style kicker...Right-handed...Wears contacts...35/42 Wonderlic score.

PERSONAL:

Accounting major, earning Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors four times and Academic All-American recognition three times...Brother of former Baylor linebacker Stephen Sepulveda (2000-03)...Son of Susan and Carlos Sepulveda...Born Daniel Wade Sepulveda on 1/12/84 in Austin, Texas...Resides in Dallas, Texas.

HIGH SCHOOL:

Attended Highland Park (Dallas, Tex.) High School, playing football for head coach Randy Allen...Battled through injuries while earning second-team academic All-State honors as a senior linebacker...The team posted a 22-3 in his last two seasons, as he helped the Scots advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs and capture a district title his final year...National Honor Society member and competed on the school's track team.

[Jason Fly]

un altro draft-obiettivo è stato raggiunto...Daniel Sepulveda...il P del futuro...ha un cannone al posto della gamba e nn fa i film porno 

Non l'ho capita  :sbadat:

[pandu86]

Non l'ho capita  :sbadat:

ha un cannone, ma nn fa i film porno 

[Jason Fly]

ha un cannone, ma nn fa i film porno 

Pensavo che non ti riferissi solo a lui ma a qualche altro punter-pornoattore...

[Whatarush]

Parliamo di OLine. Il draft mi ha lasciato alcuni dubbi (su chi si poteva/voleva prendere), ma qualcosa l'ha chiarita (su chi già abbiamo a roster).
Era stata pronosticata come una need da primo giorno.
E' arrivata una guardia Cameron Stephenson al quinto giro, il cui scouting report dice sostanzialmente che si tratta di un giocatore con qualche potenzialità, ma tutto da costruire. Forse pensavamo di prendere Beekman con la 4b, ma due spot prima di noi l'hanno preso i Bears e noi siamo andati su Ryan McBean.
La trade up per Sepulveda dimostra che per un obiettivo ben delineato e quasi annunciato il front office era disposto a concedere qualcosa; i vari Sears, Blalock, Ugoh - tutti potenziali candidati - sono andati via quando c'era ancora da prendere il pass rusher puro. Magari si poteva andare di trade down al primo giro, ricavarvi due scelte di secondo giro, con una delle quali prendere un uomo di linea offensiva e con l'altra Woodley o chi per lui. Questo scenario era stato largamente pronosticato, ma:
1) o non si voleva correre il rischio di perdere Timmons, giocatore al cui Pro Day Tomlin aveva assistito personalmente - unico head coach NFL se non erro;
2) oppure non si è trovato il partner adeguato.
In generale mi viene da dire che all'interno dello staff dei PS non si stanno fasciando la testa per non essere arrivati al giocatore X, perchè tutto sommato c'erano tutte le opportunità di arrivarci...abbiamo scelto di NON farlo.

Da qui passo ad alcune considerazioni su chi è a roster attualmente.
Due giocatori - trattive per prolungare i contratti sono ufficialmente in corso - sono all'ultimo anno di contratto: due starters, Faneca e Starks. A proposito, Starks ha firmato venerdì la sua tender offer di 1,85 mln $ link.
Il valore dei giocatori, quindi la difficoltà nel trovare dei sostituti, è leggermente :hehe: diversa.
Dei due Starks ha maggiori probabilità di rimanere oltre il 2007, perchè ha infinitamente meno mercato e non potrà chiedere la luna...il tutto condizionato alla stagione che farà, visto che già adesso il suo posto è in discussione.
Di Faneca i media, locali e non, le han dette tutte...dalla trade all'hold out.
Ad oggi la sua situazione resta spinosa, ma per come è andato il draft, mi son convinto di una cosa: Sean Mahan non è stato preso per fare il centro, Mahan sarà il sostituto di Faneca, dal 2008 nella migliore delle ipotesi, da subito se le cose dovessero precipitare.
Okobi sarà il centro titolare, i soldi che prende non sono da back-up, con Simmons e Philip - non necessariamente in quest'ordine - come alternative. Il posto di RG se lo giocano ancora Simmons e Kemoeatu. Max, come detto, dovrà muovere il culo, perchè il ragazzo del Bronx, Willie Colon, è affamato e gioca duro. A sinistra c'è ancora Marvel Smith con Trai Essex come back-up. Stephenson si spera abbia le qualità per fare il roster.
Non ci saranno tagli, perchè i giocatori sono contati...lo stesso Okobi, fin qui il più a rischio, vede le sue quotazioni rialzarsi all'indomani del draft; ha una enorme opportunità, o la sfrutta o viene cestinato.

Quindi chi tagliamo...beh Gardocki e Kirschke probabilmente.

Attenzione che all'ultimo giro è arrivato il big target: Dallas Baker 6-3 per 208 da Florida, 4.54 sulle 40. Non so per quale motivo sia sceso così tanto, visto che lo chiamavano "the TD maker" (10 TD nell'ultimo anno di college) :colston:  :figo:

                           

[Whatarush]

The New York Jets traded up to take Revis at No. 14, one pick ahead of the Steelers, who never contacted Revis before he was selected, according to his agent.

The Steelers felt they needed a cornerback so badly they didn't draft one until Louisville's William Gay ... with the 170th pick.

[Whatarush]

Dovremmo aver firmato 4 UDFA - accanto ai nomi dei giocatori c'è il link al loro scouting report:

OT Jason Capizzi (Indiana) 6-9 317lb http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=211&p=8&c=1&nid=2973681&yr=2007 

RB Gary Russell (Minnesota) 5-10 229lb http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/rb/garyrussell.html

C Darnell Stapleton (Rutgers) 6-3 285lb http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/c/darnellstapleton.html

RB Paul Mosley (Baylor) 6-3 235lb
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=211&p=8&c=1&nid=2707069&yr=2007

Alla fine sono 11 gli undrafted firmati link

[Whatarush]

Dei rookie free agent il prospetto più interessante sembra Gary Russell, il RB da Minnesota.
Non è stato scelto perchè non ha giocato per niente la stagione 2006, non a causa di problemi fisici, ma perchè non è stato dichiarato eleggibile dal suo ateneo - brutti voti.
Nel 2005 ha fatto da back-up a Lawrence Maroney; entrambi ebbero una stagione da oltre 1000 yards, con Russell che ne mise insieme 1.274 su 210 portate (6.1 di media) e 18 TD, cui aggiunse 16 passaggi ricevuti per 168 yards e un'altra meta.
Il peso dovrebbe essere un pò inferiore a quanto riportato, più intorno alle 215.

Possesses a well-defined, muscular frame with outstanding quickness and suddenness coming out of his stance … Has the upper-body strength to move the pile and a frame that can carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness … Has precise stop-and-start action with sharp change-of-direction agility, very good vision and coverage anticipation ability … Gets to top speed in a hurry and his explosive acceleration makes him a valid threat to stretch the field … Shows the ability to make the initial tackler miss, thanks to his loose hips and lateral movement … Stays low in his pads and is quick to locate soft areas and clear rushing lanes … Not only explosive coming out of his stance, but it seems like he can get to top speed in just a step or two … His explosion off the snap lets him surprise a lethargic defender and he makes very quick cuts at the holes … Can burst through the hole with good urgency, doing a nice job of keeping his pads down … When he gets into the open, he has that second gear needed to separate … His loose hips allow him to generate the short burst to cut back or bounce outside, where he excels at running away from people … Has good peripheral vision to scan the field and the patience to wait for blocks to develop, doing a nice job of setting up and using those blocks … Slides and hits the seams with great acceleration and good forward body lean … Has the above-average balance to make the jump cuts, but also has the power to get through the smaller creases … Much like Emmitt Smith, his low center of gravity and pad level makes it very rare to see him get high in his stride … Shows good patience to let the toss develop before bursting up the seam or changing direction to turn it up around the corner … Carries people on contact and makes the opponent need to gang-tackle him … Can carry the ball in either arm, and works hard to protect it from the defender … Conscious of securing it tightly to his chest running through traffic … With his speed, some team could reap benefits lining him up in the slot, as he can cut sharply and find ways to get open … Does a decent job squaring to his targets and strikes and cuts effectively … Steps up aggressively to face-up in pass protection … Shows outstanding agility and balance to pick and slide … His breakaway speed makes him an ideal change-of-pace back, but he also has the strength to power through tackles … As soon as he locates the hole, he attacks it with good explosion and urgency … Very effective at maintaining his acceleration and stride in and out of his cuts.

Se questo scouting report non l'ha messo insieme il fratello :lol2:, mi sembra ci sia abbastanza materiale per farne un giocatore di football. Bisogna vedere se l'anno di inattività l'ha arruginito e in che condizioni si presenterà ai camp, a cominciare da quello dei rookie che dovrebbe aprire l'11 maggio.

Attualmente siamo un pò "corti" come backs...Parker, Davenport, Kuhn e Kreider. 
Se Haynes recupera dall'infortunio che ha posto fine alla sua stagione c'è già un accordo con gli Steelers per riportarlo alla base.
Magari Russell è l'ennesimo diamond in the rough