April 20, 2010
*By the time this week’s edition is published, the NFL draft will be at least one day, if not two days, old. However, that being said, it is still prudent to take a look at the draft and how the Steelers may end up approaching it. Given the situation regarding Ben Roethlisberger and his punishment from the NFL, not to mention what the Rooney family may end up doing, and Santonio Holmes being traded because of his problems, this draft is shaping up to be very interesting.
It was initially speculated that the Steelers may end up going with an offensive lineman or perhaps a cornerback. That may still be the direction they end up heading. But, now that the receiver position is shy one, there is renewed interest in filling that void. Speculation is that Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate is on the Steelers radar screen.
Could the Steelers still be thinking about dealing Roethlisberger? That is something that may happen, given the circumstances. Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Jimmy Clausen, Tony Pike, and Tim Tebow are the top quarterbacks in the draft, although only Bradford and Clausen are projected as first round picks. Could one of the others fall far enough that the Steelers take one of them in the later rounds? Rumor is that the Steelers may take a look at Tebow if he is available later on in the draft.
(At press time, the Steelers traded a seventh round pick to Tampa Bay to reacquire quarterback Byron Leftwich).
The Steelers have their assortment of six picks in the seven round draft, plus three compensatory picks, giving them, now, 10 total. This gives them flexibility and allows them to explore numerous options. Don’t be surprised to see a Pike or a Tebow in a Steeler uniform if it falls that way.
The needs on the Steelers are rather obvious. This is an aging team no matter how it’s sliced. Willie Parker is now a Redskin, so the depth behind Rashard Mendenhall needs to be addressed. With Holmes gone, the receiver position needs a look. The quarterback situation is not resolved. There are needs along the offensive and defensive lines and at corner. The Steelers might also look at a safety for more depth in the secondary.
This is a deep draft and will be perhaps the Steelers most interesting draft in a long time. Had the Roethlisberger situation not taken place, and if Holmes had learned to also stay out of trouble, this draft may have been standard issue. Now, those two incidents change everything. Also, with the signings of Antwaan Randle El and Larry Foote bringing these former Steelers back in the fold, this team is actually preparing for an uncapped year. More teams may end up spending less money rather than more because 2011 could be a lockout year. That seems to be the strategy.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin wants to get his team younger, but it doesn’t appear to be heading in that direction. Roethlisberger should be entering the prime of his career, having already won two Super Bowls, and preparing to win at least a couple more. However, with everything that has gone on, this team is at a crossroads and in a transition. Where do the 2010 Steelers go from here and what do they do in the draft to address their needs? The first round pick is always the sexy pick and the face of the draft. The remaining picks are where the depth is built and the core of your football team. How this plays out could prove to be very interesting.
Next week, we’ll wrap up the draft and analyze each pick as it relates to the Steelers needs.
*As of this writing, the Penguins are up 2 – 1 in their best of seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Ottawa Senators. During the season, there was a lot of speculation that perhaps the Pens were just going through the motions and maybe not giving their best effort. First, there are 82 games during the regular season, so some nights are going to be off when considering the length of the season. Second, the Pens finished with their fifth highest point total in franchise history. Perhaps too much greed from the masses who expect something more unrealistic?
After the first game, resulting in a 5 – 4 Senators win, it was a wakeup call for the Pens. Since then, it has been all business and the Pens have gotten back on track with solid and nearly dominating performances. Captain Sidney Crosby is playing with a fire in his eyes, as if one Stanley Cup is not nearly enough. He clearly wants more and his teammates are following his lead.
Evgeni Malkin has picked up the pace and is flying on the ice, scoring two goals in the losing effort in the first game, but making his presence felt. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has found his game and has been playing nearly lights out. As Fleury goes, so go the Pens. The Stanley Cup playoffs are all about goaltending and Fleury might, arguably, be the best goaltender in the playoffs right now.
Game Four will have been played on Tuesday in Ottawa (at press time, the Pens beat Ottawa 7 – 4 for a 3 – 1 lead in the series) and then Game Five in Pittsburgh on Thursday. At the rate these games have been played, it is likely that the Pens swept their way to the series win after dropping game one and earning a trip into the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Make no mistake, this team hits its stride in the playoffs and knows what it has to do to make happen what it wants to make happen. Three straight years in the playoffs, two straight trips to the Final, and a Stanley Cup championship. As young as this team is, it is gaining valuable experience and continues to grow into a formidable force. This could be a dynasty in the making.
Another aspect of these playoffs is that home ice advantage is a bit overrated. While it is nice to have for the fans as well as the profit margin to have that one extra game, if necessary, it really doesn’t matter if a team is playing to its capability and has the talent to get the job done. Teams that aren’t supposed to win may end up stealing a game on the road and can build some momentum for its home games.
The Pens have been guaranteed home ice advantage for one round only. After that, anything is possible, but it probably won’t make much of a difference. The playoffs are a different breed altogether from the regular season. Teams and players pick up their games and the games themselves are magnified. Everyone is going to be cautious playing the defending Stanley Cup champions because they are the kings of the hill until someone knocks them off.
Based on what happens by this weekend and into next week, we’ll also take a look at where the Pens stand in the playoffs and who they could possibly be facing in the semifinal round of the conference playoffs. A team peaking in the playoffs is very dangerous and the Pens are well on their way to peaking at just the right time and playing in Head Coach Dan Bylsma’s uptempo system, pushing the puck north and spending much time in the opponent’s zone. Two updates for next week: the Steelers draft and where the Pens stand in the playoffs.
It was initially speculated that the Steelers may end up going with an offensive lineman or perhaps a cornerback. That may still be the direction they end up heading. But, now that the receiver position is shy one, there is renewed interest in filling that void. Speculation is that Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate is on the Steelers radar screen.
Could the Steelers still be thinking about dealing Roethlisberger? That is something that may happen, given the circumstances. Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Jimmy Clausen, Tony Pike, and Tim Tebow are the top quarterbacks in the draft, although only Bradford and Clausen are projected as first round picks. Could one of the others fall far enough that the Steelers take one of them in the later rounds? Rumor is that the Steelers may take a look at Tebow if he is available later on in the draft.
(At press time, the Steelers traded a seventh round pick to Tampa Bay to reacquire quarterback Byron Leftwich).
The Steelers have their assortment of six picks in the seven round draft, plus three compensatory picks, giving them, now, 10 total. This gives them flexibility and allows them to explore numerous options. Don’t be surprised to see a Pike or a Tebow in a Steeler uniform if it falls that way.
The needs on the Steelers are rather obvious. This is an aging team no matter how it’s sliced. Willie Parker is now a Redskin, so the depth behind Rashard Mendenhall needs to be addressed. With Holmes gone, the receiver position needs a look. The quarterback situation is not resolved. There are needs along the offensive and defensive lines and at corner. The Steelers might also look at a safety for more depth in the secondary.
This is a deep draft and will be perhaps the Steelers most interesting draft in a long time. Had the Roethlisberger situation not taken place, and if Holmes had learned to also stay out of trouble, this draft may have been standard issue. Now, those two incidents change everything. Also, with the signings of Antwaan Randle El and Larry Foote bringing these former Steelers back in the fold, this team is actually preparing for an uncapped year. More teams may end up spending less money rather than more because 2011 could be a lockout year. That seems to be the strategy.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin wants to get his team younger, but it doesn’t appear to be heading in that direction. Roethlisberger should be entering the prime of his career, having already won two Super Bowls, and preparing to win at least a couple more. However, with everything that has gone on, this team is at a crossroads and in a transition. Where do the 2010 Steelers go from here and what do they do in the draft to address their needs? The first round pick is always the sexy pick and the face of the draft. The remaining picks are where the depth is built and the core of your football team. How this plays out could prove to be very interesting.
Next week, we’ll wrap up the draft and analyze each pick as it relates to the Steelers needs.
*As of this writing, the Penguins are up 2 – 1 in their best of seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Ottawa Senators. During the season, there was a lot of speculation that perhaps the Pens were just going through the motions and maybe not giving their best effort. First, there are 82 games during the regular season, so some nights are going to be off when considering the length of the season. Second, the Pens finished with their fifth highest point total in franchise history. Perhaps too much greed from the masses who expect something more unrealistic?
After the first game, resulting in a 5 – 4 Senators win, it was a wakeup call for the Pens. Since then, it has been all business and the Pens have gotten back on track with solid and nearly dominating performances. Captain Sidney Crosby is playing with a fire in his eyes, as if one Stanley Cup is not nearly enough. He clearly wants more and his teammates are following his lead.
Evgeni Malkin has picked up the pace and is flying on the ice, scoring two goals in the losing effort in the first game, but making his presence felt. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has found his game and has been playing nearly lights out. As Fleury goes, so go the Pens. The Stanley Cup playoffs are all about goaltending and Fleury might, arguably, be the best goaltender in the playoffs right now.
Game Four will have been played on Tuesday in Ottawa (at press time, the Pens beat Ottawa 7 – 4 for a 3 – 1 lead in the series) and then Game Five in Pittsburgh on Thursday. At the rate these games have been played, it is likely that the Pens swept their way to the series win after dropping game one and earning a trip into the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Make no mistake, this team hits its stride in the playoffs and knows what it has to do to make happen what it wants to make happen. Three straight years in the playoffs, two straight trips to the Final, and a Stanley Cup championship. As young as this team is, it is gaining valuable experience and continues to grow into a formidable force. This could be a dynasty in the making.
Another aspect of these playoffs is that home ice advantage is a bit overrated. While it is nice to have for the fans as well as the profit margin to have that one extra game, if necessary, it really doesn’t matter if a team is playing to its capability and has the talent to get the job done. Teams that aren’t supposed to win may end up stealing a game on the road and can build some momentum for its home games.
The Pens have been guaranteed home ice advantage for one round only. After that, anything is possible, but it probably won’t make much of a difference. The playoffs are a different breed altogether from the regular season. Teams and players pick up their games and the games themselves are magnified. Everyone is going to be cautious playing the defending Stanley Cup champions because they are the kings of the hill until someone knocks them off.
Based on what happens by this weekend and into next week, we’ll also take a look at where the Pens stand in the playoffs and who they could possibly be facing in the semifinal round of the conference playoffs. A team peaking in the playoffs is very dangerous and the Pens are well on their way to peaking at just the right time and playing in Head Coach Dan Bylsma’s uptempo system, pushing the puck north and spending much time in the opponent’s zone. Two updates for next week: the Steelers draft and where the Pens stand in the playoffs.
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