How legit is Colbert

[torpedoshell31]

I agree that the drafting of Santonio Holmes wasn't a bust. I know he wasn't around long with his off the field problems, but that one drive and one catch against the Cards in the Super Bowl made the selection of him worth while. If wasn't for that draft pick we would still have 5 Lombardi's instead of 6. We really missed him on the last drive against the Packers in Super Bowl 45, Ben's go to guy on that last drive was Wallace, who was never a receiver who will come back for the ball or battle a defender for the pass like Holmes.

[austinfrench76]

I think Colbert is fine. We have missed on a ton of 2nd rounders, which seems weird but the 1st rounders have mostly been hits. Also, remember that we pick at the back end of teh 1st round most of the time so it's not like we are looking for starters. The Worilds pick, although not a bust, was definitely unwarranted. We had many more pressing needs and that was a reach. We didn't miss out on Revis, the Jets had the pick in front of us and grabbed him.

[steelfury02]

Originally Posted by torpedoshell31

I agree that the drafting of Santonio Holmes wasn't a bust. I know he wasn't around long with his off the field problems, but that one drive and one catch against the Cards in the Super Bowl made the selection of him worth while. If wasn't for that draft pick we would still have 5 Lombardi's instead of 6. We really missed him on the last drive against the Packers in Super Bowl 45, Ben's go to guy on that last drive was Wallace, who was never a receiver who will come back for the ball or battle a defender for the pass like Holmes.

battle for the pass and possession seem to be an extremely undervalued commodity in a receiver - speed isn't enough - while I don't want to rely on Ben's improv alone, it wouldn't hurt for him to have a backup plan with one of them, on the fly, and could get into that type of rhythm he and Holmes seemd to have had - can't teach it though!

[pete74]

Originally Posted by GMU Steeler

He's good at what he does.Very good at first round picks. If you look at his record compared to others, you'll see that he's done his job by and large. That's not to say that I agree with every decision he's made- Worillds over Sean Lee still grates me but sometimes he knocks it out of the park e.g. Antonio Brown and it looks like Cortez Allen could be someone like that too. He's also good at finding UDFAs. Willie Parker, James Harrison.

I'm not knocking Colbert because I really like him but every team in the NFL finds late round gems and un drafted players who excel. Foster and Brady lead that list. Colbert has been dead on in the 1st round until we decided to draft hood and Heyward. I still don't understand why we took them. They may turn into really good players but the way we use our ends a 1st rounder just isn't needed on them. We don't need super athletic players. Smith and Keisel were both later picks who went super athletic and they held our line for years.
I just never really understood the picks at the time and still don't. Unless were letting our ends get up the field like Houston does then there is no use going after guys considered first round material.
I don't know, that's just how I feel. Maybe I'm wrong but that's the way I look at it. I would of rather of taken.

Du'Quan Bowers and Ray Mauaula or Paul Krueger who were both drafted after Hood and Heyward

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Again, everybody bitches about Ziggy Hood maybe being a bust, but in the same draft the Steelers took Mike Wallace, Keenan Lewis and Kraig Urbik in the 3rd round. Should really be 4 starters with the first 4 picks.

No credit given for finding great players with late 3rd round picks, but tons of criticism for finding a solid 2 gap D lineman with the #32 pick.. I dont understand fans of football....that dont understand football.

[pete74]

Urbik was a bust for us. We didn't do a good job evaluating him because he is doing well in Buffalo.

[steeltheone]

Originally Posted by teegre

My friends and I have always joked that Colbert is good in R1 and then with undrafted rookie free agents... but, terrible in R2-R7. Ergo, we have often suggested that Colbert tradeh his R2-R7 picks for an extra R1 pick.

BUT... recently, he has done really well in R2-R7, but only "decently" in R1.

2003 - 2006
Troy, BB, Heath, & Santonio were home runs... four years in a row. The rest of those drafts were horrible, with one great pick sprinkled in the later rounds of each draft: Ike Taylor in R4, Max Starks in R3, Chris Kemoeatu in R5, & Willie Colon in R4. That is it. Two players from each of those drafts... albeit, two rock-solid players.

2007
Then, there was the 2007 draft. Ugh. Spinny is not a bust, but he is not Ray Rice either. And, the rest of that draft was horrid (even though, at the time, it looked extremely promising).

2008-2011
Like I said, he has done decently with his mid-round picks... but, only one home run in the first round: Pouncey.

Timmons, Hood, Heyward are not the greatest... but, they are not the worst picks. With Timmons, missing out on Revis (or Willis) taints that pick, because honestly, no one after him was much better. Hood has been good, but he is compared with Aaron Smith. And, Heyward has not started yet (the jury's still out).

What these drafts had was a lot of really good mid-round picks: Mike Wallace, Keenan Lewis, Jason Worilds, Emmanual Sanders, Stevenosn Sylvester, Jonothan Dwyer, Antonio Brown, Marcus Gilbert, Cortez Allen, Chris Carter, Baron Batch.

[Note: 2012... too early to tell.]

The 2002 draft was mentioned (on NFL Films) as ebing the draft that set up Pittsburgh's 2005 SuperBowl victory: Antwaan Randle-El, Chris Hope, Larry Foote, & Brett Keisel.

I like the 2010 & the 2011 (and IMO, the 2012) drafts as being just as good.

SUMMATION:
Considering the strength of the 2010, 2011, & 2012 drafts, I would say that the Steelers are about to get young & good... and go on a run of three straight SuperBowls.

People will say that that is blind Homer-ism, but look at this roster on offense: they are loaded with WRs, have a young O-line that could be "special" in a year or so, and they have BB. The defense is & always will be dominant (Cortez & Keenan are going to be a tandem to reckon with). AND, the rest of the AFC is weakening. I look at the list of players from the past three drafts, and I honestly see a juggernaut ebing formed in Pittsburgh.

Loaded with wideouts? Wallace is gone and AB is a question mark number 2, Sanders can be replaced easily.

[steeltheone]

Originally Posted by El-Gonzo Jackson

Again, everybody bitches about Ziggy Hood maybe being a bust, but in the same draft the Steelers took Mike Wallace, Keenan Lewis and Kraig Urbik in the 3rd round. Should really be 4 starters with the first 4 picks.

No credit given for finding great players with late 3rd round picks, but tons of criticism for finding a solid 2 gap D lineman with the #32 pick.. I dont understand fans of football....that dont understand football.

Ziggy is not a bust!

[GMU Steeler]

Originally Posted by pete74

I'm not knocking Colbert because I really like him but every team in the NFL finds late round gems and un drafted players who excel. Foster and Brady lead that list. Colbert has been dead on in the 1st round until we decided to draft hood and Heyward. I still don't understand why we took them. They may turn into really good players but the way we use our ends a 1st rounder just isn't needed on them. We don't need super athletic players. Smith and Keisel were both later picks who went super athletic and they held our line for years.
I just never really understood the picks at the time and still don't. Unless were letting our ends get up the field like Houston does then there is no use going after guys considered first round material.
I don't know, that's just how I feel. Maybe I'm wrong but that's the way I look at it. I would of rather of taken.

Du'Quan Bowers and Ray Mauaula or Paul Krueger who were both drafted after Hood and Heyward

Never said or implied that you were knocking him. Agree with your pov about the ends but do remember when we drafted Smith and Keisel in the late 90's/early 00's it was a lot easier to find guys who positioned well as 3-4 ends later because the 4-3 was more common those days than it is now. Anyhow, I think we go defense first round next year. We seem to alternate D to O from one year to the next. That could be sheer coincidence though. Not sure who we all were looking at in 2009 and 2011 respectively with the first pick. I know a lot of people wanted a corner in 2011. Think the name I saw mentioned most was BSU's Kyle Wilson who hasn't done much with the Jets.

[teegre]

Originally Posted by austinfrench76

We didn't miss out on Revis, the Jets had the pick in front of us and grabbed him.

That's what I was talking about: the NYJets snatched him from the Steelers... and, thus, people have talked about "not getting Revis" for years. It's not Timmons' fault that he is not Revis, but people always compare him to Revis (as well as comparing him to Patrick Willis, who was in that same draft).

Make sense?

Furthermore, my point was that after Timmons was drafted, the rest of R1 was not any better. That draft was great at the top (Joe Thomas, AP, Willis, Revis)... and then just dropped off of a cliff after the 14th pick. Timmons was in that second tier... and, Colbert chose the best of that tier. As in: there really wasn't anyone "better" than Timmons; he was the BAP. It happens in drafts (a drop-off in talent).

Make sense?