The DL dilemma

[maddog78]

Originally Posted by Steeldude

If the Steelers decided to with a 4-3 it would probably look like this...

DE - Heyward
DT - Mclendon
DT - Hood
DE - Woodley

How much does Heyward weigh? Maybe if he slims down a tad. I think Worilds would be a more prototypical 4-3 DE.

[maddog78]

Originally Posted by Quackjack

LE - Heyward
DT- Hampton/Ta'amu/Hood
DT- McClendon
RE- Keisel

There, shut up. Many teams would die for our D-Line.

Keisel as a pass rushing DE?

[lloydwoodson]

Originally Posted by maddog78

How much does Heyward weigh? Maybe if he slims down a tad. I think Worilds would be a more prototypical 4-3 DE.

Heyward weighs about the same as Reggie White.

[tanda10506]

Originally Posted by Quackjack

LE - Heyward
DT- Hampton/Ta'amu/Hood
DT- McClendon
RE- Keisel

There, shut up. Many teams would die for our D-Line.

First off, we're a 3-4 team not a 4-3. If we were a 4-3 team and those were our starters then no, nobody would really want our D line. You have demonstrated a blind following of Keisel in many of your posts, but he is not a pass rusher and went downhill quite a bit this year. Hampton improved as the season went on, but nobody else would take a 35 year old NT who comes into camp over weight and has just had his ACL repaired. Ta'Amu is gone. McClendon played well when he got in, but nobody would be ready to spend much on him to take him away from us. Same as Hood.

As a 3-4 D line, we'll likely be ok if we get one more player. Hood and MccClendon seem to have transitioned to this style of defense well, but I don't see Heyward being able to fill Keisel's shoes. Keisel definitely took a step back this year from the last, but he's a real 3-4 D lineman and Heyward just doesn't seem to be. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I think we still need to add one more starting quality player on the D line.

[pete74]

Originally Posted by tanda10506

First off, we're a 3-4 team not a 4-3. If we were a 4-3 team and those were our starters then no, nobody would really want our D line. You have demonstrated a blind following of Keisel in many of your posts, but he is not a pass rusher and went downhill quite a bit this year. Hampton improved as the season went on, but nobody else would take a 35 year old NT who comes into camp over weight and has just had his ACL repaired. Ta'Amu is gone. McClendon played well when he got in, but nobody would be ready to spend much on him to take him away from us. Same as Hood.

As a 3-4 D line, we'll likely be ok if we get one more player. Hood and MccClendon seem to have transitioned to this style of defense well, but I don't see Heyward being able to fill Keisel's shoes. Keisel definitely took a step back this year from the last, but he's a real 3-4 D lineman and Heyward just doesn't seem to be. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I think we still need to add one more starting quality player on the D line.

From seeing Heyward play, what makes you think he couldn't make it as a 3-4 end?

[DanRooney]

Move Hood to nose tackle, cut him, or convert to 4-3. He sucks as a 3-4 DE. Heyward will be much better at his spot.

Keisel still plays balls to the wall. Hampton is expendable with McLendon who is every bit as talented.

[DanRooney]

Originally Posted by tanda10506

As a 3-4 D line, we'll likely be ok if we get one more player. Hood and MccClendon seem to have transitioned to this style of defense well, but I don't see Heyward being able to fill Keisel's shoes. Keisel definitely took a step back this year from the last, but he's a real 3-4 D lineman and Heyward just doesn't seem to be. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I think we still need to add one more starting quality player on the D line.

what the ???

I think you mixed up Evander Hood (sucks in our system) and Cameron Heyward (so much potential to be rotting behind someone).

[maddog78]

Originally Posted by lloydwoodson

Heyward weighs about the same as Reggie White.

He doesn't have RW's skill set. I see him as more of a penetrating DT than a pure edge rusher.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Originally Posted by maddog78

He doesn't have RW's skill set. I see him as more of a penetrating DT than a pure edge rusher.

True. Heyward does not have the agility, athletic ablity and array of pass rush moves that Reggie White did. Coming out of college, the NFL scouts didnt peg Heyward at a 4-3 DE because of his skill set.

Its like saying that Stevenson Sylvester is the same weight as Jack Lambert, so he could be a great MLB.

[Killer]

Hood, a 2009 first-rounder, will be going into the final season of his rookie-year contract as one of the NFL‘s least-productive players at his position.

Hood was, by far, the league‘s worst-rated pass-rushing defensive end, based on Pro Football Focus‘ every-down grading, yet he was on the field for more than three times as many snaps (833) as Heyward (267).

Their stats were similar: Hood had three sacks and three quarterback hurries; Heyward had 11⁄2 sacks and five hurries.

Hood has been in the NFL for four seasons, yet still hasn‘t forced a single fumble.

Hood is one of the Steelers‘ strongest players, yet questions persist among NFL scouts about his down-to-down effort and the frequency with which he disappears for long stretches.

Heyward, a 2011 first-rounder, has only 21⁄2 sacks in two seasons and, at times, seems to watch plays rather than take part in them after he gets moved off the line of scrimmage.

Hood won‘t be playing in 2013 just for a big contract, but a contract, period; Heyward, in his third NFL season, will be trying to establish for the first time that he is an every-snap player.

The Steelers need to find out if it‘s finally their time — or if it‘s time to move on.

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#axzz2HW6zRMUu