Ross Cockrell

props covering AJ Green all day long and giving up very little. This guy has come in and been nothing but a solid professional.

watched first two quarters to me he looked good I tell ya if the other three out of four young DBs come on in time the Steelers are going to have a great secondary.

Hes like the 2nd ike taylor, he can cover AJ Green but is really good at dropping INTs :P

Fire Arians wrote:

Hes like the 2nd ike taylor, he can cover AJ Green but is really good at dropping INTs :P

I will take that all day.

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Fire Arians wrote:

Hes like the 2nd ike taylor, he can cover AJ Green but is really good at dropping INTs :P

I will take that all day.

so will I, I as he gets more comfy with his cover skills his hand might get better. cover first and not give up the big play.

Fire Arians wrote:

Hes like the 2nd ike taylor, he can cover AJ Green but is really good at dropping INTs :P

He's the career leader in INT at Duke. I was surprised he didn't pick that one, but still feel good about his coverage skills. Am completely fine with him in the zone scheme.

He did have a really good game and he wasn't the only one who dropped an int. I thought Mike Mitchell played a smart game too. There was 2-3 times he could have drawn a flag for late hits and he pulled up.

The Bengals are a much cleaner team without Burfict.

In another thread I posted that I thought he was a bit overvalued....I love to eat crow when it comes to the Steelers.

He had a great game shutting down Green.  I guess I undervalued him.  

FrancoLambert wrote:

In another thread I posted that I thought he was a bit overvalued....I love to eat crow when it comes to the Steelers.

He had a great game shutting down Green.  I guess I undervalued him.  

Yep. Same here. Although he did have help in covering Green, the stats speak for themselves.

FrancoLambert wrote:

In another thread I posted that I thought he was a bit overvalued....I love to eat crow when it comes to the Steelers.

He had a great game shutting down Green.  I guess I undervalued him.  

In fairness they bracketed Green with both Cockrell and Mitchell, so its not like he was Pat Petersen. Still had a good game and can keep getting better.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

FrancoLambert wrote:

In another thread I posted that I thought he was a bit overvalued....I love to eat crow when it comes to the Steelers.

He had a great game shutting down Green.  I guess I undervalued him.  

In fairness they bracketed Green with both Cockrell and Mitchell, so its not like he was Pat Petersen.  Still had a good game and can keep getting better.

True but the results were a lot better than when we tried to cover him with Blake with safety help

Fire Arians wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

FrancoLambert wrote:

In another thread I posted that I thought he was a bit overvalued....I love to eat crow when it comes to the Steelers.

He had a great game shutting down Green.  I guess I undervalued him.  

In fairness they bracketed Green with both Cockrell and Mitchell, so its not like he was Pat Petersen.  Still had a good game and can keep getting better.

True but the results were a lot better than when we tried to cover him with Blake with safety help

No argument from me there!!

I was hopeful of the Steelers drafting Cockrell 3 years ago, so its nice to see him be effective for the Steelers. He has enough size, 4.45 speed, football IQ and ball skills to be productive and yesterday he was.

Not a "great" performance by Cockrell today against Marshall but a pretty damn good one considering how many times Marshall got away with blatantly pushing off. He has done damn good taking on some of the best in the NFL week in and out.

On the Steelers: Ross Cockrell is another gift from the Buffalo Bills

By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


The Steelers should have sent Buffalo players a nice post-holiday gift after the Bills upset the New York Jets in the 2015 season finale in January. They have one more reason to still do so.

That Bills victory kept the Jets out of the playoffs and allowed the Steelers to squeeze in past them. Another helping hand from Buffalo played a big part in the Jets losing again, only this time directly, to the Steelers Sunday at Heinz Field.

The Bills released cornerback Ross Cockrell, their fourth-round draft pick in 2014, before the start of the 2015 regular season. Six days later, he signed with the Steelers and started seven games for them last season. Sunday, he again covered the opponent’s best receiver, Brandon Marshall.

While Marshall did catch eight passes for 114 yards and one touchdown, his longest reception was 19 yards and he had only two receptions for 28 yards in the second half, when the game was decided. Cockrell led his defense with three pass break-ups.

Marshall is a six-time Pro Bowl player. Cincinnati’s A.J. Green is a five-time Pro Bowl player, and Cockrell followed him around at times Sept. 18, when Green caught two passes for 38 yards.

Cockrell did miss what would have been the secondary’s first interception of the season when it tipped off his hands and into those of Marshall for a 15-yard touchdown. He owned up to that.

“The touchdown was a drop,” Cockrell said. “Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way. It definitely was a drop, though. No excuse, I got to make that play. All of a sudden it’s a touchdown. That’s life in the NFL.”

Generally, Cockrell has played good football at a time when the Steelers were desperate for just that at cornerback. They drafted them, they traded for them, they plied them with big contracts, and because of injuries or disappointing play, many did not make it except for rookie first-round pick Artie Burns, who plays in the nickel.

Senquez Golson, their second-round pick last season, went on injured reserve Saturday and is unlikely to get in a game for the second year in a row. Justin Gilbert was scratched Sunday because of an injury. Cortez Allen, Brandon Boykin, Doran Grant — gone, gone and gone.

Sometimes, an unexpected gift falls into your lap in the guise of Cockrell.

“I know what my role is,” Cockrell said Sunday. “My role is going to be to a guy who disrupts guys at the line of scrimmage, and I’m working hard at it.”
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2016/10/11/On-the-Steelers-Ross-Cockrell-another-gift-by-way-of-the-Buffalo-Bills/stories/201610110011

I like Cockrell. Great attitude and work ethic, and he only seems to be getting better. I don't think he's even his his ceiling yet.

There's a scrappiness about him, and he plays with no fear. That is huge at the position of CB.

He doesn't talk smack to try to make himself feel tough or look like a bad man to others. He plays the game tough so he doesn't have to talk trash. He doesn't give an inch to the best receivers on the other teams. You can't teach that. It is something he has within him.

I'm not sure how good he will become, but he had good hands in college. He has a high football IQ, and he picks things up very quickly. I also like that he has become a more physical player this year. He added some muscle, and you can see the dividends of that hard work.

He was a terrific addition to the team, and I suspect he'll be here for a long time.