Maybe next year

fer69 wrote:

Heath
Troy
Harrison
Woodley
Keisel
Ike
Clark
Hampton
Big Ben

and we lost Farrior Smith and Ward last year

who do you replace all these players with?
correct me if i'm wrong but i think these guys were here before Tomlin got the job and that's all i have to say about that

Harrison made a name for himself under Tomlin, Woodley was part of a Tomlin draft. Hampton was a HEAVILY seasoned veteran, as was Keisel, and Troy played the best years of his career under Tomlin.

Gotassman wrote:

Tomlin inherited a very good football team. For the past several seasons, this team is essentially unchanged but getting older and older. Slowing down, injuries that just linger, no team leadership. Sure there are some young guys but generally, they're not great players. I look at some of the players drafted by other teams and I'm envious.

Tomlin is a crappy coach. he spouts the words like Standard is the Standard.....what a load of horse-hooey. If the 2nd team guys were as good as the 1st team guys, they wouldn't be the 2nd team. He talks the talk, says all the nonsense phrases but ultimately just doesn't know how to deliver when things got tough.

Sure, Cowher had some tough seasons (Kordell for QB anyone) but at least the guy was always trying, always scheming, always manipulating. I really don't think Tomlin is the guy for a team that needs some serious rebuilding.

And if anyone doesn't think that Steelers need a rebuilding, give your head a shake. Half the players are done. Lot of others are not near what they used to be.....Polumalu, Harrison, just a shadow of their former glory.

Although I would say that, under Cowher, we drafted some all-time Steeler greats who will end up in the Hall of Fame, Mike Tomlin has found some nice players too. Admittedly, I don't think his guys have stacked up to Cowher's yet, but there is still some potential there. Tomlin has been the coach during drafts for Timmons, Woodley, Keenan Lewis, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, and Maurkice Pouncey who have proven themselves to be good to great players. We also have some young guys who have some potential and haven't had many opportunities to prove themselves in staring or regular roles yet like Cam Heyward, Chris Rainey, David DeCastro, Mike Adams, Sean Spence, Cortez Allen, Jason Worilds, and Steve McLendon whether it be because of injuries or lack of playing time, so the jury's still out on them.

Looking at those lists and comparing the talent to Cowher's, it's easy to say that Cowher's guys were better, but they have been around for awhile and proven themselves a long time ago. It's hard to take guys off the field who have been Pro Bowlers and future Hall of Famers to let younger guys get the in-game reps they need to begin to shine. A lot of those vets are just now starting to lose steam and it is time to try to replace them and we are seeing the start of that with some of them being let go last year and almost assuredly this year. It will be really hard to find guys who will measure up to players like Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, Ike Taylor, James Farrior, Hines Ward, Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith and the like. They were/are special players and won't be easy to replace.

We can't lay all of the blame/credit on Tomlin for players that have been drafted under his watch either. A lot of that falls on Kevin Colbert and the front office. They are just as responsible, if not more, for the decisions made on draft day. Sometimes they miss, but often times they hit. I'm not sure we're in a total rebuilding phase. I'd say it's more of a transitional period where guys are going to finally get their opportunities and need to make the most of them. Some will fail and others will excel. It will be interesting to see.

We just have to remember that we can't win a Super Bowl every year and we won't make the playoffs every year. No team does, it's the nature of the NFL, especially now with a shift towards greater parity in the league and salary caps. The great organizations will minimize the down times and reload quickly to stay in contention and that's what the Pittsburgh Steelers are and have been for over 15 years now with 4 Super Bowl appearances since 1996 (winning 2) and more often in the playoffs than not.

Gotassman wrote:

Tomlin inherited a very good football team. For the past several seasons, this team is essentially unchanged but getting older and older. Slowing down, injuries that just linger, no team leadership. Sure there are some young guys but generally, they're not great players. I look at some of the players drafted by other teams and I'm envious.

Tomlin is a crappy coach. he spouts the words like Standard is the Standard.....what a load of horse-hooey. If the 2nd team guys were as good as the 1st team guys, they wouldn't be the 2nd team. He talks the talk, says all the nonsense phrases but ultimately just doesn't know how to deliver when things got tough.

Sure, Cowher had some tough seasons (Kordell for QB anyone) but at least the guy was always trying, always scheming, always manipulating. I really don't think Tomlin is the guy for a team that needs some serious rebuilding.

And if anyone doesn't think that Steelers need a rebuilding, give your head a shake. Half the players are done. Lot of others are not near what they used to be.....Polumalu, Harrison, just a shadow of their former glory.

IMO, Cowher inherited the foundation with which he built a great team. The biggest complaint against Cowher was his inability to win the big game (several games against NE come to mind), but even during his tenure he had struggles with maintiaining the player's motivation levels. Then again I believe that at the NFL level, players shouldn't have to be motivated to play to their highest potential.

I will agree that Tomlin inherited a solid foundation of a football team, but he's also been able to win consistently over the years. And like Cowher, he's going to have some bad years. But think about this, to a Steelers fan, 9-7 or even 8-8 is a bad year. Half the league would love to have 8-8 or 9-7 on a consistent basis.

And yes, the core of our team is getting older, but that's what the draft is for, and while it looks bleak that we'll find suitable replacements to maintain the level of play we as fans are use to seeing, I think we've got to go through these valleys in order to appreciate the mountain tops. But I trust in the FO to do what is right when it comes time to reload our team. I think they're doing a wonderful job of it right now as some of the younger players are starting to show their talents. Gives me hope that this team won't miss a beat when the older players start falling off the roster.

It's exactly why EVERY SINGLE NFL CONTRACT should have an incentive bonus clause. PLAY TO YOUR POTENTIAL.

Earn it.

Drizztbob wrote:

It's exactly why EVERY SINGLE NFL CONTRACT should have an incentive bonus clause. PLAY TO YOUR POTENTIAL.

Earn it.

bayz101 wrote:

fer69 wrote:

Heath
Troy
Harrison
Woodley
Keisel
Ike
Clark
Hampton
Big Ben

and we lost Farrior Smith and Ward last year

who do you replace all these players with?
correct me if i'm wrong but i think these guys were here before Tomlin got the job and that's all i have to say about that

Harrison made a name for himself under Tomlin, Woodley was part of a Tomlin draft. Hampton was a HEAVILY seasoned veteran, as was Keisel, and Troy played the best years of his career under Tomlin.

Had this same argument on over at another site. Harrison came in under the chin and even though he was cut many times by the time we cut Joey he was well past that and was very much ready to fill the void. I could understand if he was a complete unknown but he wasn't and it wasn't such a stretch that he would fill in the void left by us getting rid of Joey. Sorry but I have to give credit to the Chin for James. Just sayin'.