New Starting Lineup

[Crushzilla]

This thread is pointless. I'll get that out of the way now. If you feel that speculation about starting jobs is moot before the camps even BEGIN, then walk away. Just walk away.

But I thought it would be interesting to get some predictions of where our new picks will fall into the scheme of immidiate fill-ins. Who will get the starting nod if the season began TODAY.

I feel our LB core would still feature Harrison and Haggans on the outside. With Timmons spelling those two.

Foote and Farrior (assuming we were running a 4-3)

Ike, McFadden, Smith, and Polamalu in the secondary

Sepulchura will be punting to start the season.

Holmes and Ward at WR. Tuman and Miller in two TE packages.

The OL is too convoluted for me to figure out right now.

What are your takes?

[dhosmer]

i assume you mean 3-4 but other than that...

i think you're right on with Timmons spelling Harrison, I wouldn't be surprised to see Woodley get his fair share time spelling Haggans as well, since Haggans is entering the last year of his contract.

I hope Ike and Bryant are our starters, but I thought they would be last year as well. Anthony Smith is probably a 50-50 shot at starting over Clark, but that will depend on Tomlin, LeBeau and the new secondary coach. Foote and Farrior are locks on the inside jobs. Our front three are probably all set in stone as well, but who knows with the new top dog.

Ward and Holmes will start. I think Tuman will get a serious push from Spaeth, the coaches are literally glowing about this guy. I don't want to touch the offensive line either, especially with the flexibility of Mahan and Simmons. QB will be Omar Jacobs, of course.......

[OneForTheToe]

I only see two changes to start the season on defense. Harrison will start in Porter's spot. Also, I think McFadden will beat out Townsend at cb. Anthony Smith might be the starter by season end, but not to start the season.

On the offense:

WR- Holmes, Ward -

Oline - Smith, Faneca, Okobi, Mahan, and Starks (very short hook)

Punter - the new kid, you don't draft a punter and then cut him.

Everything else the same.

Expect the new TE to see the most playing time among the draftees with the regulars. The rest of the draft picks, who make he team, play a lot on special teams while they learn the system.

[SteelersTilIDie]

um...ryan clark will put up a fight for the fs spot, baker will serve as a good 3 or 4 receiver, spaeth will definitely see time in short yardage, goal line situations and 3 te sets.

[WWIIOwheelz]

I didn't realize that punter had won the Ray Guy award twice. That's strong! It was a given that Gardoki was history, but I really thought Barr would get his shot.

That's a big guy for a punter.

[Dynasty]

hes big cause he got recruited as a LB

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by WWIIOwheelz

I didn't realize that punter had won the Ray Guy award twice. That's strong! It was a given that Gardoki was history, but I really thought Barr would get his shot.

That's a big guy for a punter.

Not quite as big as Reggie Roby was (6-4, 250), but close at 6-3, 229.

[WWIIOwheelz]

Roby.... he was a Dolphin, wasn't he? That was a busy time in my life, but I remember him from cable television, :)

How did we live without the Interweb?

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by WWIIOwheelz

Roby.... he was a Dolphin, wasn't he? That was a busy time in my life, but I remember him from cable television, :)

How did we live without the Interweb?

Yep, he was with the Dolphins - as I remember, he was also the 4th-string emergency QB for them during most of the Marino era.

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by SteelersTilIDie

um...ryan clark will put up a fight for the fs spot

Yep, but my prediction is he'll lose the starting position to Smith. Smith has something IMHO that Clark doesn't have, and that's a nose for the ball - an uncoachable trait. Couple that with the fact that Clark won't be named the de facto starter simply due to having more experience at the NFL level, and you have a new defensive backfield mate for Taz.