Stiller Players Grades -- 2002 Season
Foreword: These grades are based on a player's play during
the entire season, as I personally watched and re-watched (via videotape), as
well as took notes on, each and every play of the season.� In fact, being that no analyst covering the
Stillers has watched as much tape as this one has, these are the most accurate,
comprehensive grades you'll see issued anywhere, because the rigor and study
put into these grades far outnumbers anything done from any other source.� (Coaches' grades will be issued in the near
future.)�� Bear in mind that a player's
grade is based not only on what he did, but also his years of experience in the
league, his salary, and any expectations of him (to include the round he was
drafted in, if applicable). In other words, more is expected from, say, a
seasoned 6-year veteran making $4 million per year, than of an undrafted rookie
free agent making the league minimum. Every year, I hear various gripes and
yelps about some of the grades, so to reiterate -- the grades are very dependent
upon experience and the amount of money the player is consuming relative to his
teammates.� Furthermore, gripe-ees
should be limited to only those who have actually watched as much tape as this
particular analyst.� Note: players not
playing enough get an incomplete grade ("I").�� R = regular season; P = playoffs
In last-name alpha order, here are the final grades:
Alexander: Brent had a solid season in '01,
and even received a B+ grade from this writer.�
Although his run support was ok at times in '02, his play on pass
defense dropped off considerably this season.�
Brent made a play on a passed football about as often as you see 60-yard
field goals.� He rarely ever was near a
pass-catcher as the ball arrived, and as such, very rarely broke up a pass with
a jarring hit or a bat/deflection.� He
finished with a paltry 5 passes defensed, which is utterly piss poor for a
starting FS in the NFL.� His work in the
playoffs was no better.� Don't let his 4
reg. season INTs fool you, because these were from horribly errant passes that
Alex practically fair caught.� Clearly,
Alex needs to be sent to the bench next season and permitted to play only in
case of injury.� R= D.� P=D.
Allred: The former Buc TE came here this past offseason
amidst high hopes of chipping in as a key backup TE.� Instead, John's bottom got all red (no pun intended) from sitting
on the bench for the vast majority of the season, often nagged and limp from
one malady after another.� Allred's lack
of contributing anything remotely meaningful should spell the end of his short,
1-year stay with the Stillers.�
R=C-.� P=I.
Bailey: The 2nd year DE from Ohio State emerged to be the
team's #1 backup D-lineman.� He most
often spelled Kimo at RDE, although he also spelled Hampton a few times to rush
the passer on obvious passing downs.�
I'd like to see Bailey bulk up just a bit more in order to be stouter
against the run, but overall Bailey has been a very solid value for a 6th round
pick.� R=B+.� P=B.�
Batch: Acquired late this past offseason, Batch wasn't able
to win the backup job over Maddox, and never got to throw a single pass in the
regular season.� With the impedning
departure of Kordell Stewart, Batch automatically becomes the #2 QB behind
Maddox, although he is now a UFA and could poke around the league to see if any
offers come in for a chance at a starting job.�
Because of his lack of play in '02 and the league's overall lack of
interest in him last offseason, I highly doubt Batch will get avalanched with
offers from other teams.� His cap hit is
low and I have admiration for Batch's skills, so I hope he can be
retained.� R= I.� P=I.
Bataglia: Marco was signed to alleviate the
rash of injuries at the TE spot.� He
didn't contribute much.� In fact, his
sole moment of mention was in the Clev playoff game, in which he was pancaked
to the ground by ILB Earl Holmes on a short crossing route on the play that
Tuman caught the short TD pass.� R=I.� P=I
Kendrell Bell: Last season's rookie phenom hurt
his ankle in the pre-season, and the foolish decision was made to rush him back
into the lineup for the season opener.�
Bell aggravated the injury and then went through a long stretch of being
hampered or deactivated altogether.� Of
course, when his services were available, his brilliant coaching staff kept
pulling him off the field in their infamous dime defense.� Bell came on toward the end of the season
and chipped in quite a bit.� In the
playoff win over Clev, Bell was clearly hampered by the ankle injury, yet had
one of the greatest playoff linebacking efforts in the history of this
franchise.� Unfortunately, he played
only a handful of play in the loss to Tenn.�
R=B.� P=A.�
Bettis: The Doughboy was hobbled throughout the season from
a long malady of injuries, and had his lowest output since he joined the
Stillers in '96.� Obviously, a large
part of the problem was the enormous girth he carried around, which pushed his
weight easily over 280 pounds and not only slowed him down, but served as a
major factor in the injuries.� In the
playoffs, the one-dimensional Tubby Tailback was a major non-factor, carrying
the ball a total of 4 times for a whopping 4 yards.� Not only does The Fatback eat everything in sight at the supper
table, but he also eats an enormous amount of cap money and gives the team
relatively little in return.� Clearly,
Bettis is a major salary cap albatross that needs to be issued the ultimatum to
either trim down to a legitimate 250 pounds or, in the immortal words of Coach
Chaz Noll, move on to his life's work.�
R=D-.� P=F.�
Bruener: Often referred to as the "19-catch per year
wonderboy" and The God of Blocking, the brittle, bootfooted,
butter-fingered Bruener was on his way to yet another 19-catch season, when he
once again ended the season prematurely with yet another injury.� Yes, he blocked well. La di da. For a man
who chews up millions in cap money, his production was woefully
unacceptable.� It's high time this team
departed with this salary cap albatross and start anew with a TE who will
actually give at least a modicum of production to the passing game and a threat
to opposing pass defenses.� R=C, P=Inc.
Plaxico Burress:�
Plex picked up where he left off in '01, and had a pretty strong season,
grabbing 78 passes for 1325 yards (an impressive 17 YPC) and 7 TDs.� Plex really caught fire when Maddox took
over the starting job, and used his size and athleticism to team with Maddox on
many sterling downfield plays.� Plex showed
enormous progress in terms of using his hands to catch the ball.� On the down side, Plex had a few fits of
dropped balls, caused by his penchant of allowing balls to thump into his chest
or facemask, or merely lazy inattentiveness.�
Burress really blossomed, but he could be even a bit better if he
tightens up on the simple things like attention to detail and using his
hands.� R=A.�� P=B+.�
Clancy:� The 3rd-year
NT spent most of the season watching in street clothes on the sideline, because
the team chose to dress only 5 DL and he was the odd man out.� He's an RFA now, and obviously this team
needs to make a decision on whether this smallish NT is worth keeping around or
allowed to depart to another squad.�
R=I.� P=I.
Cushing: Cushing seems to have been with the team forever,
although it's often been a sporadic on-and-off relationship, with Cushing
rejoining the team when injuries ravage the TE spot.� He actually grabbed 1 pass for 4 yards.� Cushing blocks tough at the point of attack and, given his low cap
hit and the total lack of integration of the TE in the Stiller passing game, he
could just as well serve as our starting TE if it were up to me.� R=B.��
P=I.��
Faneca:� Big Al had
yet another hard-nosed season and rightfully received quite a bit of
recognition and accolades.� His most
memorable moment was probably in the New Orleans game, in which he suffered a
hideous bloody gash in his forehead, but got it wrapped with tape and came back
into the game and played the remainder of the contest.� Faneca is clearly the Rock of Gibraltar on
this offensive line.� R=A.� P=A-.
Farrior: The former Jet OLB arrived this past offseason to
replace Earl Holmes at ILB.� Farrior
started slowly, but came on as the season progressed and had a solid
season.� He showed a good nose for the
ball and pretty good athleticism.�
Unfortunately, his reputation as The Great Winged God of Linebacker
Coverage who "can cover sideline to sideline" was never remotely
approached.� Farrior more often than not
was a total non-factor in pass coverage, and finished the season with a
whopping 3 PDs.� In the playoffs, he got
personally tooled by Frank Wycheck for one TD plus another TD that Wycheck
dropped, along with a tooling by Clev TE Mark Campbell on a nice gainer.� Additionally, Farrior didn't quite approach
the nasty presence of run-stuffing the way Holmes had the past 5 seasons.� Still, Farrior is a good LB with a lot of
grit, ability, and toughness, and is clearly the 3rd best starting LB on the
team.� R=B.� P=B-.�
Fiala: Little John Boy got a good bit of PT when KenBell
was hobbled early on, and responded with weak, inadequate ILB play.� He was injured later in the season and
placed on IR, and given his total lack of upside, the team would be better off
sending him packing and grooming a younger player to back up at LB and help on
ST.� However, Fiala was foolishly signed
to a fatty 3-year deal last offseason, so the team is probably stuck with him
for at least another season.� R=C-.�� P=I.
Flowers:� Lee had a
quiet season.� His tackling was often
sloppy and shoddy.� Worse, his pass
coverage was reprehensible.� Very rarely
was Lee ever near a caught pass, and he finished with a pathetic total of 1
(one) pass defensed all season.� For a
guy who talks as big as Flowers, his overall production and contribution was
incredibly small.� As a UFA, Flowers
hopefully won't be brought back, because clearly this defense needs a
significant upgrade at SS.� R=D.� P=D.�
Foote: The rookie 4th rounder from Michigan ended up
getting far more PT than anyone could have imagined, due to the injury to Bell
and then Fiala.� Foote was victimized
badly in the N.O. loss, giving up a long TD to McAllister off of a poor over
pursuit.� Still, for a 4th rounder,
Foote gave some tough play.� He is
currently undersized to handle the rigors of ILB, and clearly needs to bulk up
if is he ever going to contribute in the long run.� Of course, he could easily lose his spot next summer if the
Stillers draft a LB in the 3rd-5th round in April.� R=B-.� P=B-.�
Fuamatu-Ma'afala:�
Fu went through yet another season of one malady after another, and
spent more time in the whirlpool than a little old lady at a nursing home.� He got healty at season's end and gave the
team a good boost -- both on the ground as well as through the air -- in the
season finale against Balt.� But Fu was
then planted firmly on the bench in the vast majority of both playoff games,
carrying the ball just twice.��
R=B-.� P=I.�
Gandy: Despite ridiculous, grossly exaggerated criticism by
the Pgh. media on Gandy, the big LT had another solid, steady season.�� He held down Maddox's blind side and also
provided decent run blocking.�� Gandy
may not have been dominating and overpowering, but he was solid, steady, and
effective.� Poor play at LT can
literally cripple an offense and its QB, but clearly Gandy gave much better
play than the imbecilic media gave him credit for.� It's possible the team won't aggressively re-sign this 32-year
old tackle as a UFA this offseason, but the team should make every attempt to
get a smart, 3-year deal inked by Gandy.�
R=A-.�� P=A-.�
Gildon:� Regular
readers should have a very good feel for Gildon's grade, what with the weekly
GilDong Report and year-end
GilDong Report that inherently serve as input for his final grade.� Armed with a ridiculously fatty $23M deal
that was foolishly awarded before the free agent period even began,
Joggin' Jason went out and had as soft and sorry a season as any OLB in the
history of this proud franchise.� Known
around the league as Jason The Gimcrack, GilDong made almost no impact
whatsoever; hit opposing players infrequently; stood around like a pylon in
pass coverage; and caused harassment on the QB about as often as Brent Alex
defended a pass.� The Flopper also led
all NFL linebackers in flailing whiffs, as well as the number of time he
literally turned his back when a menacing blocker approached.� Added to that was the acute fact that, not
only was The Titan of Tittyfighting the worst pass-rusher among the starting 4
LBs, but also the worst coverage man among those 4 LBs.� Jason had a couple of "big games",
in which he feasted on the pathetic likes of Houston and Carolina, who were the
worst and 2nd worst offenses in all of pro football.� In fact, Houston, an expansion team, had such a wretched
offensive line that rookie QB David Carr set an NFL record by getting sacked an
incredible 76 times.� Despite the
pathetic opposition in this "big breakout games", the Pgh. media
fawned all over Big Jason with articles about how "Jason is
back".� Laughably enough, Def.
Coord. Tim Lewis even chimed into the propaganda explosion, claiming
"Jason has re-found the big bullrush."� Turned out, of course, that the "big bullrush" was
nothing but a big bag of wind and a big bag of bullshit.� In the 2 playoff games, Jason was made as
much of an impact as a gnat on the ass of a hippopotamus.� He hit nothing, forced nothing, hurried
nothing, disrupted nothing, and did nothing.�
Thanks to the brilliant fit of stupidity by the Stillers front office,
this sad sack pile o' dung albatross known as Jason GilDong is now a
dead-weight burden on this team through 2006.�
Jason GilDong proved, beyond all doubt, that not only is he a turd, but
also that you cannot polish a turd.� In
the annals of Pittsburgh sports history, to include baseball and hockey, Jason
GilDong might very well be the absolute worst free agent signing -- ever.� R= F.�
P=F-.
Haggans:� The 3rd-year
LB from CSU spent his first 2 NFL season glued firmly to the bench.� He'd have probably spent his 3rd season
mired on the wood, but the injury to Bell really opened the door for Haggans to
get some PT at rush end.�� Haggans had a
pretty quick start and racked up some nice numbers.� His numbers dwindled down the stretch, although defensive
football cannot be measured with pure numbers the way, say, baseball can.� Rushing from the Stiller right side, Haggans
was facing the opponent's best all around blocker, and he gave it all his might
and energy.� The solution to the woes at
LOLB is as big as the "53" on Haggans' jersey, but a myopic,
mule-stubborn coaching staff will never even allow Haggans to platoon over
there, much less start.�� Haggans is a
RFA and hopefully played little enough to attract much interest, because this
guy is a starting caliber NFL OLB that the Stillers would be wise to re-sign
with a RFA tender.� R=B+.� P=B.����
Hampton:� The big NT
followed his solid rookie campaign with a very solid sophomore season.� He stuffed the middle, but just as
importantly, he moved well laterally with good desire, hustle, quickness, and
gusto.� He also provided some adequate
pocket push at times, as well as some knifing rushes that disrupted or knocked
down passers.� In the playoffs, he
really stepped up his game, especially in the Titan game, in which he was
clearly a dominant lineman on the field that day.� The biggest concern for this man is obviously his girth.� He undoubtedly packed on a good 15-20 pounds
from his rookie season.� He was able to
carry that load, but another 20 pounds will turn him into another Joel Steed --
a rotund ball of goo who was slow, lethargic, and injury prone.� R=A.�
P=A.�
James Harrison: Due to the rash of injuries at
LB, Harrison was added to serve as blocking dummy in practice and an emergency
fill-in if more injuries occurred.� He
probably shouldn't invest in any mortgages; rather, he ought to rent and hope
he can stick on in Pgh. or elsewhere.�
R-I.� P=I.�
Hartings: The veteran center had another
solid season for the Black n' Gold.� He
hit a rough spot midway thru the season, when he came back far too quickly from
injury and was a hobbled liability that did the offense no good by being on the
field.� Overall, though, he had a solid
season and moreover, he's likely to be a solid fixture for at least 4 more
seasons.� R=B+.�� P=B.�
Haynes: As marketeering professionals will tell you, high
expectations met with low results produce the worst kind of customer
dissatisfaction.� I myself had high
expectations for the 5th round rookie RB/FB out of Georgia, and I was overall
rather disappointed.� His ball carrying
was mostly soft, wooden, and totally void of alacrity or swiftness.� His blocking was about on par, hitting-wise,
with how Jason Gildon hits.� Even his
pass catching was mediocre.� I expect
much, much more from this man next season, because there's work for him in this
offense if he steps up his play.��
R=C.� P=I.�
Chris Hoke: Hoke the Joke finished another
season in which he did little more than serve as a blocking dummy in
practice.� Clearly, the team needs to
cut bait with a stiff like this who has little talent and no upside.� R=I.�
P=I.
Chris Hope: As what happens to nearly every
rookie under the Bill Cowher regime, Hope was never given a shot at all to
compete for a starting job, despite his position being the very weakest in the
entire starting lineups of both offense and defense.� Hope chipped in some on spec teams coverage,
and got some PT late in the season and in the playoffs when injuries ravaged
the secondary.� Obviously, with the
impending departure of Lee Flowers and the hopeful relegation of Brent Alex to
bench duty, Hope will come to camp ready to hunt bear and win a starting safety
job.� R=I.� P=I.���
Iwuoma: Signed in an act of near-desperation due to injuries
to special teamers and the secondary, Iwuoma came on and gave the coverage
teams a tremendous boost.� He showed
good quickness, savvy, and toughness.�
It remains to be seen if he can actually cover worth a damn, but given
his superb efforts on spec teams -- a rarity for a Steeler player -- I'd
welcome him back with open arms.�
R=B+.� P=B.��
Mike Jones: Jonesy was signed later in the
season after injuries ravaged the Stiller LB depth.� He played only sparingly -- only at ILB -- and was fairly
ineffective, as the rest of the NFL learned long ago that Jones is an outside
'backer, not an inside one.� I could
live with Jones being invited to camp, if for nothing else just to show Jason
GilDong some proper technique on how to tackle.� R=I.�� P=I.���
Keisel: The rookie DE from Brigham Young figured to spend
his rookie season waxing his bean on the sidelines, but he caught someone's
eye, and soon was thrust into covering kicks and punts, a la Orpheus Roye from
several years ago.� The experiment
worked.� Keisel brought a good blend of
speed and size to what was otherwise a shabby collection of special
teamers.� Woefully undersized at 279
pounds to play DE in the 3-4, Keisel needs to add 15-20 pounds of muscle if he
has any chance to contribute on the D-line.�
R=A-.� P=B.�
Kreider: Big Dan had another strong season, punishing
opposing tacklers with ferocity and brawn.�
As if his blocking wasn't good enough, Kreider emerged as a viable
outlet option in the passing game, grabbing 18 passes and 1 TD.� R=A.��
P=I, due to such little PT because of the deficits in both games.��
Kurpeikis: For reasons unknown to any
football observer with at least an ounce of common sense, Jurkpeikis somehow
hung around for another season.� This
guy has no talent, no upside, and no business clogging the roster of a supposed
Super Bowl contender.� R=D� P=I.
Logan: Logie emerged as the team's most versatile DB, with
the ability to cover, tackle, hit, and blitz with aplomb.�� Problem was, Logie was hobbled and hampered
during the season, and then was lost for good in the Clev playoff game.� His abensce in the Tenn playoff loss was
quite noticeable, and that's certainly a tribute to his prowess and
versatility.� Logie clearly is a D-back
that you need to have to win in the NFL, but his brittleness and penchant for
injury makes his future somewhat dubious.�
R=B+.� P=I.�
Mays: In the reg. season, the rookie 6th rounder played
very sparingly as a WR and caught no passes.�
He did chip in on KO returns with some adequate work, as well as on KO
coverage.� He impressed me with a nice
burst of speed on a deep route versus Tenn in the playoffs -- a burst that
forced the Titan DB to interfere and draw a flag.� Perhaps Mayes can be groomed to be a backup deep threat.� He showed me enough that he deserves the
chance.� R= I.� P=I.
Maddox: The Madd Ox relived Stewart in game 3 vs. Clev, and
led the team from a deficit to a big win.�
He held onto the starting job until a brief hiatus caused by the ugly
spinal concussion down in Tenn, but he bounced back after sitting out 2 games
and led the team to a strong finish and 2 excellent offensive outings in the
playoffs.� After sitting out of football
and selling insurance, Maddox had an incredible season and was named the NFL
Comeback Player of the Year.� Obviously,
the starting job is his to inherit next season.� Maddox is not without flaws, but he appears to be a good enough
QB and leader to lead this team to a Super Bowl.� R=A+.� P=A.�
Mathis: This veteran receiver was signed to a 1-year deal as
a low-cost free agent this past offseason, and the move turned out pretty
well.� Mathis snared 23 balls and 2
TDs.� More importantly, I believe his
professionalism and work ethic set a good example for Plex and Randle El (not
that El needed it as badly as Plex).� I
lamented the last half of the season about the fact that the Stillers failed to
fully integrate Mathis into the passing offense, and sadly enough, that concern
reared its ugly head in the playoff loss to Tenn, in which the Titans did
everything they could to take away Plex and Ward, and the Stiller offense
wasn't able to capitalize with Mathis.�
Hopefully this trusty veteran can be re-signed.� R=B+.�
P=B.�
Josh Miller: Josh had yet another lukewarm,
mediocre season.� Supposedly The God of
Punting, he was middle of the pack in the AFC before getting hurt and shelved
for the season.� Along with Mark Breuner,
there isn't a player in this league as grossly overrated and overpaid as
Josh Miller.� R=C-.�� P=I.�
Nkwenti: This young 2nd year O-lineman has vast potential,
but as is so often the case under Billy Cowher, played sparingly.� Obviously, if Gandy departs as a UFA,
Nkwenti will be looked at to possibly fill the void.� The scary thing is that he'll enter his third NFL season having
all of about 37 regular-season reps under his belt.� R=Inc.�� P=Inc.�
Okobi:� In his 3rd
NFL season, Okobi was finally allowed to get some meaningful work, and he
responded in solid fashion.� He relieved
the injured Hartings and, despite never having gotten hardly any work at all in
his first 2 season, came in green but energetic, and gave the team some decent
play.� With Okobi set to enter his 4th
NFL season, it's high time this team grooms him to back up at both guard and
center, so that he can provide veteran depth and perhaps save a roster spot.� R=B+.�
P=I.�
Todd Peterson: The ex-Chief was signed in the
offseason to replace Kris Brown.�
Peterson was horrible right from the get-go, and was horrible at both
KOs and FGs.� Luckily, he got injured� making a tackle on a KO return, and then was
shelved for the season.� Unbelievably,
his brilliant head coach says he wants to bring Pete back to camp next
season.� R=D-.� P=I.
Porter: Joey picked up from his stellar play of last season,
contributing a strong season.�� Few fans
will ever forget the incredible evening Porter had in the Sept. loss to
Oakland, in which Porter was making all over the field in one of the truly best
-- if not the best -- linebacking efforts in the rich history of Stiller
linebacking.� Because Porter -- being by
far the best coverage 'backer on the team -- was tasked to drop back into coverage
quite a bit, and because as the team's ROLB he was facing the opposing team's
best blocker in each and every game, Porter didn't garner a boatload of Dong
stats.� Make no mistake, however: Porter
had an awesome season, and there isn't a team in the NFL that wouldn't welcome
him with open arms if they were able to procure his services.� R=A.�
P=A-.
Poteat: Hank rarely ever played CB in his first 2 seasons,
and thrust into heavy-duty work in the 1st round of the playoffs, it
showed.� Hank did little on spec teams
and showed lousy coverage and on-field awareness as a CB.� If Poteat is really as bad as he looked vs.
Clev, the logical question is this: Why was this man wasting a roster spot for
the past 3 seasons??� R=B.� P=C-.
Randle El: The rookie 2nd rounder made a big
impact on the Stiller special teams, as well as the offense.� He easily earned the "starting"
punt return job and responded with some good work.� He also chipped in solidly on KO returns, and took one to the
house.� El was quiet at times in the reg
season as the #3 WR working out of the slot, but he really shone bright in the
playoffs, making numerous clutch grabs and adding some good RAC work.� El also ran the ball well out of the
backfield on direct snaps, end arounds, etc, and he completed 7 of 8 passes in
the reg season.� He committed some
boneheaded turnovers on spec teams due to rookie mistakes, but overall El had a
strong season and his future looks extremely bright.� He might never be a true starting caliber WR, but his versatility,
athleticism, and field presence make him an extremely valuable and useful
weapon.� R=B+.� P=A.�
Reed: Brought in with a gaggle of other non-descript,
unemployed kickers to compete for the kicking job, Reed managed to impress
Cowher enough to land the job.� Reed
came through with incredible results, making 17 of 19 FGs in the reg
season.� He had the big missed FG in the
playoff loss to Tenn that might have been the winning margin in regulation, and
his KOs were often a bit shallow, but overall, Reed was a pot of gold that the
Stillers managed to stumble upon.�
R=A.� P=B+.�
O. Ross: Because his head coach couldn't stand the thought of
starting a rookie, the Big O began the season as the starting RG.� Obviously, this was a disaster of
Hindenburg-sized proportions, as Ross was too slow and plodding to play guard
in this offense -- just as this very writer had written about 16 times before
the season began.� In fact, in my player
grades from last season, I wrote, "He played fairly well at tackle, but
struggled immensely at guard, due to his lack of quickness and poor
footwork."� Once Simmons assumed
the starting job, Fat Oliver played sparingly, spelling Smith a few times at
RT.� Ross could be looked at to replace
Gandy at tackle, or replace Smith at RT if Smitty is moved to LT.� R=C+.�
P=I.
Rouen: The former Bronco and Giant was signed when Josh was
lost late in the season to injury.�
Rouen's kicking wasn't horrible, but it wasn't awe-inspiring by any
stretch.� His punting in the playoffs
was rather mediocre.� Good punting may
have gotten Rouen some consideration at full time employment, but due to the
mediocrity combined with the Stillers love affair with Josh Miller, Rouen will
need to look elsewhere for work or file for unemployment.� R=B.�
P=C+.�
Schneck: The trusty long-snapper had another solid, quiet
season.�� Anonymity for a long snapper
is desirable and Schneck does a good job of that.� R=A.�� P=A.�
C. Scott:�
Chad had a solid reg season before injuring his thumb late in the
season.� He missed the first playoff
game but fought off the pain and played in the Titan contest.� His reg season was decent, as he finished
3rd on the team in tackles and had a 2nd-on-the-team 17 PD.� On the other hand, for a veteran CB of his
pedigree and contract, he INTd only 2 balls all season, and many of his tackles
were on pass plays near or in front of him that would be more preferable if
he'd broken up in the first place.� Chad
is above average and a good asset, but it's readily apparent that he'll never
be anywhere near a true shutdown corner nor among the league's best
CBs.� R=B-.�� P=I.�
Kendall Simmons: The rookie 1st rounder was
required to sit the first few games, as is the mandatory rule for first round
rookies under Billy Cowher.� Given the
chance, he replaced Fat Oliver at RG and gave the team some solid play.� His pass blocking was sometimes clumsy and
discombobulated, but he was more than serviceable.� With nearly a full season under his belt (counting the 2 playoff
games), Simmons got some good experience.�
Hopefully he'll develop and progress this summer, as he looks like he
could be a fixture on the line for years to come.� R=B.� P=B.�
A. Smith: Smitty didn't have a spectacular
season, but it's virtually impossible for a DE in the 3-4 to have a spectacular
season.� As such, Smitty was the brunt
of many ignorant claims by fans and media members alike, that he was
"having a down year", yaddy yadda.�
I watched the tapes, and believe me -- Smitty was a tough, nasty,
hustling force.� R=A.� P=B+.
Marvel Smith:�
Smitty struggled at times during the season.� His pass blocking was prone to clumsy awkwardness, and his run
blocking was sometimes soft and ineffective.�
Those who watch a lot of line play will agree that Smith might never pan
out to be anything more than a marginal journeyman.� R=C+.� P=C+.
Stewart: The Western Union Man started out slowly, as is his
norm.� This year, though, his coach lost
patience, and well into the 3rd game (vs. Clev) Stew was benched and Maddox led
the team to a come-from-behind win. �Stew sat the bench thereafter, although he filled in quite
admirably in the 2-plus games that Maddox missed.� To his credit, Stew didn't sulk or pout, and provided good leadership
and support to his teammates.� Stew's
tumultuous 8-year career with the Stillers comes to an unceremonious end.� R=C.�
P=I.���
Totten: Signed to serve as depth with the rash of injuries
at DB.� Seems to be worth bringing to
camp for a long look.� R=I.� P=I.�
Townsend: DeShea saw a lot of duty in '02,
and gave the team decent play at a #3 CB.�
Despite some small and infrequent struggles , he showed pretty good
one-on-one coverage skills.� Overall, he
chipped in fairly well.�� R=B.�� P=B.
Tuman:� Jerame (not
"Jermane") emerged last season with his first NFL catch and first NFL
block.� This season he saw some work in
2 TE sets, and when Breuner went down with his annual injury, Tuman assumed the
starting chores.� Timan made the most of
his limited grabs, snaring 4 passes for 15.8 YPC.� R=B.� P=B.�
Keydrick Vincent: This young, large O-lineman
didn't get much work, although he saw some limited PT at RG in the reg season
and a fair bit of time in the playoff game vs. Clev.� I believe he has quite a bit of promise as a road-grading guard,
but I'd like to see more reg season reps before I'm fully convinced.� R=I.�
P=I.�
von Oelhoffen: Kimo had a solid season at
RDE.� He's getting a bit long in the
tooth, however, and he wasn't quite as pestering and annoying to opposing teams
as he'd been the past 2 seasons.�
R=B.� P=B.�
Ward: Hines followed up his outstanding '01 season with an
even better season.� He led the team
with 112 grabs (a new Stillers record) and 12 TDs, and walloped many defenders
with good, hard-nosed blocking.� He also
averaged nearly 12 yards per carry on his 12 rushes.� Although he dropped 2 passes in the 2H in the playoff loss, he
played tough football and made some big catches in the playoffs.� Ward was also the winner of the prestigious
2002 Season Hard Hat Award.� R=A+.� P=A-.�
Washington: DeWayne had an adequate season,
but as a highly paid veteran, was beaten and abused a bit too often.� Like his counterpart Scott, he was soft and
passive at times back in coverage, which allowed the easy pitch-and-catch that
we all came to hate and despise.�
DeWayne will go down in Pittsburgh sports lore as the Bill Buckner-kind
of boneheaded idiot who ran into the kicker on the missed OT FG vs. Tenn.� R=B-.�
P=C-.�
Zereoue: Amoz did his share of rotting the past 3 seasons,
but with Bettis' litany of injuries, Amoz got quite a bit of PT in '02.� He carried the ball 193 times and averaged a
decent 3.9 YPR; snared 42 passes for 8 yards a pop; and led the team in
rushing.� AZ didn't put up big numbers
in the playoffs, primarily due to the large deficits in both games.� I'm far from sold that Amoz can be a sole
"feature back", but then again, there's no law or requirement to have
one in order to win a Super Bowl.�
R=A.� P=B.
Last, but not least: a few grades for our trusty readers and
message board posters.� (We
intentionally placed this at the end of the player grades to see who actually
read through the entire grade sheet.)�
Message Board Poster of the Season: Our panel had a superb
pool from which to choose�from the passionate (Nick79, Steel33, and others) to
the cerebral (Anvil, Anthony20, Oregon Steve, and others).� In the end, a late summer newcomer, Steel
Ovie, won out in a very tight voting race.�
Thanks to all of our faithful board posters, all of whom received an �A�
grade from the panel.�
The DippSchitt Poster of the Year went to none other than John Sawski from The Steeler GayNation.� From his pathetic spamming attempts to his brainless drivel, no fan is more of an embarrassment to the legion of Steeler fans, than John �Head of Stone� Sawski.� No brains, no intelligence, and no football knowledge added up to a landslide �win� among the balloters.� For his winning of this honor, Sawski will receive a jar of Vaseline; a tube of KY Jelly; and a rubber dong.����