April 30, 2007

So Much Action, So Little Time...


for blogging that is.

But I do want to discuss one thing, hit on by the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette in this morning's paper - The Steelers traded up in the 4th round to get a punter but made no attempts to add depth at Running Back. Now, Ed's column seems to suggest this was a mistake, but as tough as it is for me to disagree with such a football savaant, I have to think that the Steelers know what they're doing.

In his column, Bouchette mentions that Head Coach Mike Tomlin said they "considered some backs in this draft but the value just was not there." Michael, I wholeheartedly agree. After you got through the top 3 or 4 backs, there really wasn't a super impressive lineup to choose from, especially bigger backs that would complement Fast Willie's finesse running style. The guys I thought would have made sense were Tony Hunt and Michael Bush, who went in the 3rd and 4th rounds respectively - positions we obviously weren't comfortable drafting a running back in vs. other positions which we needed more (Punter, ahem ahem).

The value of a good punter cannot be understated. Gardocki has been the best for a long time, but after 16 years in the league, his leg is bound to have lost some power. Sepulveda was the top guy in this draft at the position, a two-time Ray Guy award winner, and although one really can't tell how good a guy will be until he's put in the situation, I think he'll be a good fit.

Plus, Punter is definitely a more pressing need than tailback. We resigned Najeh, and his job really should be to complement Willie. That doesn't mean I wasn't underwhelmed by his play last year, because I was. It's just that Punter was a more immediate need for us - let's face it, Mike Barr ain't exactly Gardocki incarnate.

So I like it, I know it's a high spot to draft that position and we gave up a 6th round pick to get him, but as usual, I gotta think the Steelers know what they're doing.

PS - why do I get the feeling I'll be talking about the draft for at least the next week?

5 comments:

Mean Rob said...

wow, you actually made me somewhat interested in the Steelers drafting a punter. well done. now if you can explain taking a TE in the third when we're already underutilizing a young Heath Miller and Jerame Tuman. nothing like using a first-day pick to shore up that third-string tight end slot. of course, i'm usually wrong, so hopefully that'll be the case once again.

domski43 said...

At first I was upset at the Steelers draft, moving up for a punter and drafting a tight end, but when I lay my head on my pillow at night I can sleep peacefully. Why? Because now we have a coffing corner, hard hitting punter who not only will put our opponents in worse field positions, but will serve as a worthy adversary if a kick returner gets loose. Anything is better than Gardocki's floaters that travel 35 yards, which puts our special teams in a terrible position, and allows our opponent to get a good return. But, who gives a shit about a punter anyway? Now the tight end blew my mind! First off, I never heard of this kid. Second, why the hell do we need a tight end, heath miller is "underutilized" like mean rob said, and tuman gets the job done. But, looking at this kid's measurements (6'7"), speed 4.85 40 yard dash, and ability to be a 4 down guy this might be a rewarding venture. These intangibles could really help the Steelers' offense throw in a lot more wrinkles, while helping our offensive line use more jumbo sets to combat defenses like the Ravens. His height can pay large dividends in the red zone and his speed and blocking ability will aide our screen passes. His ablility to get vertical will draw linebackers and safety attention, which leaves underneath routes to Heath wide open and single coverage for Hines Ward and Santonio. So, all in all am I happy? We'll see..But, I'm still not satisfied with our running backs behind Willie...lets hope free agency pays off again.

Cotter said...

Are you suggesting it's time Kevin Colbert asks "What would Jon Kitna do?" (WWJK...)

domski43 said...

everyone needs to ponder the question..'05 or '06? ...please think before you answer

Cotter said...

keep in mind 07 is out of the question