Bell1.jpg Heading into the offseason, after watching the Steelers tailspin to 8-8 to finish off the 2012 season, it felt like the beginning of a multi-year rebuilding phase was upon us. There was no reason to believe that there was going to be any quick fixes to the way Kevin Colbert ran this team into the ground with his inability to draft and replace Bill Cowher's players, some of which were allowed to hang around for far to long past their prime. Many fans chose to place blame, for this team's failures, on Todd Haley and his "anemic'' offense and some blamed Dick LeBeau, saying that the game had passed him by, when in truth, the main reason for the failures of 2012 were injuries and an overall lack of talent. The first step in replenishing this roster was not through free agency, but in the 2013 NFL Draft.
After letting the young talent, that did work out, leave, over the last few years in favor of the overpriced, past their prime vets, Kevin Colbert just about had to nail the 2013 Draft to get the infusion of young talent that the Steelers roster desperately needed and that's just about what happened. In last springs draft, Kevin Colbert and Co. added 5 players who are more than capable of being part of a valuable core of players who can be critical of future success of the Steelers for years to come. Of these rookies, the biggest impact was made by LeVeon Bell, who missed the first few weeks of the season, but came on and proved to be the do it all feature back that has been missing from the Steelers offense since Jerome Bettis retired. His presence allows guys like Jonathan Dwyer, Felix Jones and maybe still LaRod Stephens-Howling to be more effective in relief, rather than being relied on to carry the load. BigDawg.jpg
The Steelers first round pick, Jarvis Jones, didn't have the impact that I initially thought he would, but what he did do was gain valuable experience as a rookie and showed several flashes of what he is going to consistently be in the near future. Personally, I like the idea of Jones lining up at ROLB, opposite of another young linebacker who broke out this year, Jason Worilds, who I believe should take over for always injured LaMarr Woodley, next season. Woodley's is one of those contracts that the Steelers really need to look into dropping. Another Linebacker who got valuable experience was Vince Williams who did better in coverage than I anticipated, but he looks to be a longtime fixture on the inside. Don't forget that Sean Spence could still be in the mix as well, provided he can make it all the way back from his horrific knee injury.
RookieHope.jpg
The two other rookies from the 2013 draft class that have a lot of promise, but only had limited playing time due to injuries, were Safety Shamarko Thomas and Wide Receiver Markus Wheaton. Shamarko got on the field early in alot of defensive sub-packages and showed solid coverage skills for the safety position, and provided a physical presence in the running game. Thomas has the ability to team up nicely with Troy next year and upgrade the safety position over an older and declining Ryan Clark, who should have played his last down for the Black and Gold. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ben can do with a healthy Markus Wheaton next season. The guy is flat out fast and a sharp route runner who normally has reliable hands, but had a rough rookie season dealing with a broken finger. With a season of learning the system under his belt, Wheaton should be a nice number two to pair with Antonio Brown.
As a Steelers fan, 8-8 just isn't ever going to cut it, but you have to feel good about this years 8-8 finish as opposed to the one in 2012. There is a lot to look forward to going into the 2014 season based on what some of this years rookies were able contribute, and if Kevin Colbert can have another solid draft this coming spring, the fortunes of this franchise will suddenly look alot better and allow them to part ways with some of the overpriced veterans who have been holding this team back. Watching Seattle's defense beat down the Broncos offense in Super Bowl XLVIII made me yearn for the good old days of the 1995 and 2005 defenses that dominated the NFL and hope that Dick LeBeau gets some shiny new toys to play with next spring.
Sports Magazine
Author's Latest Articles
-
Game Observations
-
Tyler Glasnow Update 8/8/17
-
Game 82: Giants at Pirates 07.02.2017
-
Why No Mike on Tv?
