Steelers sign TE Leonard Pope...

[NSMaster56]

I liked Pope when he was in college (GA).

He's a big target. Not sure if his speed/hands ever developed (I've seen few Cards games and stats don't tell the whole story in the NFL).

Nice to see the Steelers nab someone from AZ for a change.

[mesaSteeler]

Steelers sign first free agent of the year
April, 10, 2012
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/pos...nt-of-the-year
By Jamison Hensley | ESPN.com

It's taken 28 days and their usual amount of patience but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally signed their first free agent, reaching a one-year deal with tight end/lockout hero Leonard Pope.

While Pope is hardly a high-profile addition, he will serve a couple of important roles for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh needed a No. 2 tight end behind Heath Miller. Weslye Saunders has been suspended for the first four games of 2012 for violating the league's rule on the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Pope is also someone who knows offensive coordinator Todd Haley's system as well as anyone in the league. He played under Haley for two seasons in Arizona (2007 and 2008) and followed him in 2009 to Kansas City where he played three seasons. Pope can certainly help teammates in the transition to Haley's style of offense.

In 16 games last season, including 10 starts, Pope caught a career-high 24 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown.

Pope is more known for what he did off the field last season. In June, during the NFL lockout, Pope saved 6-year-old boy Bryson Moore from drowning at a pool party. "All of a sudden, I saw Bryson going down in the water and I started screaming," the boy's mother said last year. "Leonard was inside, and he came out of nowhere and dove into the water without any hesitation, cell phone in his pocket and all. He saved my son’s life."

[ricardisimo]

Speaking as a lapsed Catholic, I'm very much against Pope. [insert rimshot here]

Speaking as a Steeler fan, I have to say it smacks of some other recent sort of vanity roster additions for the benefit of newly hired coaches, like Jonathan Scott and Arnaz Battle, guys we probably could have done without perfectly well. Hopefully this whole "helping to teach the new system" theory actually bears fruit.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by ricardisimo

Speaking as a lapsed Catholic, I'm very much against Pope. [insert rimshot here]

Speaking as a Steeler fan, I have to say it smacks of some other recent sort of vanity roster additions for the benefit of newly hired coaches, like Jonathan Scott and Arnaz Battle, guys we probably could have done without perfectly well. Hopefully this whole "helping to teach the new system" theory actually bears fruit.

...tomlin brought in mewelde.

in defense of ST coverage and returns, our unit went from one of the worst to one of the best and a battle was the captain...

not that it means anything for or against the pope (other than we have 1 true TE on the roster to open the season with, and this years draft class is weak)..

[Millers the sh!t]

Originally Posted by harrison'samonster

Exactly. We need to give Miller some chances, he needs to be a piece that makes this offense as perfect as possible. Haley's going to need to get him the ball more.

Millers' got the best hands on the team. He should be getting the ball thrown his way 10 times more than it currently is. The Guys an Ox too, built ford tough.

[Bayz101]

Originally Posted by Millers the sh!t

Millers' got the best hands on the team. He should be getting the ball thrown his way 10 times more than it currently is. The Guys an Ox too, built ford tough.

If Miller's built anything like a Ford I have bad news for you

[mesaSteeler]

Originally Posted by Bayz101

If Miller's built anything like a Ford I have bad news for you

The last thing we need is a " Fix Or Repair Daily" or "Found On Road Dead", and in reverse "Driver Returns On Foot".

[Kingmagyar]

Hey all it will take is one clutch red zone TD catch by Pope at some critical point in the season in a meaningful game for it to be worth signing him. And the guy is a class act all the way.

Keeping 3 Tight Ends on the roster is not out of the question in regards to keeping Saunders as well. We shouldn't give up on Saunders so soon with his size and pass catching ability and youth.

And Finally with the signing of Will Johnson, retaining David Johnson at least for camp, and having Jamie McCoy on the roster it appears the H-back is going nowhere in the Steeler's offense. An H-back and 3 Tight Ends all could end up on the roster.

And I wasn't aware David Johnson whiffed on that block in the Super Bowl. I'm still mad he dropped the ball against Baltimore that would have helped run the clock down sealing the win, and another drop in Denver last post season. Get rid of him.

[ANDYMISIU]

I'm not sure what to make of the signing. I personally thought Saunders and Johnson were making solid contributions to the team. Pope better be one hell of a blocker because Saunders and Johnson were already good offensive weapons. According to the post above, Pope isn't a very good blocker. I personally think the signing is a lateral move.

[Myounger55]

I don't understand why Saunders gets so much hate for his suspension. He wasn't taking PED's or smoking up. The kid had to take medication for ADHD that while on the NFL's banned substance list if claimed and backed up with a Dr's prescription would have been approved by the league. It was a clerical mistake. The kid had this script for years so it's not like he just started taking it to gain an edge. He was a rookie and made an honest mistake. He has the tools to be a strong TE. I hope he comes back motivated and brings his A game. Heath and Saunders would be a nice pair of TE's. Go Stillers!