2009 Stillers Roster Overview

2009 Stillers Roster Overview

 

- A brief look of the final Stillers roster (subject to change, of course) as they embark on the �09 season this Thur. versus Tennessee.�

 

Offense

 

QB:� Ben is fine, and Batch is back at the helm.� Dixon started to impress early in the preseason; then injured a shoulder and missed a good chunk of what would have been critical PT for him to sharpen his game. Just as bad, Dixon�s injury means the vanilla coaching staff won�t even consider -- just like last season -- using his athleticism as a Wildcat QB, a kick returner, a slot back, etc.�

 

RB:� Parker was nagged by a small injury but appears to be fine.� The slight concern is Mendenhall, who, frankly, showed far more flashes of brilliance last preseason than this one.� Maybe the real season will bring out the best in Mendy, but his burst and explosive was rather humdrum.� Mewelde Moore remains a brilliant 3rd down back.� Stefan Logan would be a nifty 3D back as well, although the coaching staff has seemed Cavanaugh-like in their lethargic approach to seize & implement this man as a weapon.� Rookie sensation Isaac Redman, who really impressed me with his savvy, churning, and vision, was signed to the prac squad.�

 

FB:� Carey Davis was cut, supplanted by rookie Tank Summers.� Let�s hope The Tank lives up to his vaunted nickname.�

 

TE: Miller is again backed up by Spaeth, the NFL�s leading paradox of being a huge, monstrous TE who is rarely ever involved in the passing game and can�t block worth a tinker�s damn.� Rookie David Johnson is a big boy and will serve as the 3rd TE and backup FB.�

 

WR: Ward and Tonio will start, with Sweed presumably being the #3 man for now.� Tomlin hasn�t formally announced the #3 wideout, but based on pedigree, camp, and preseason, Sweed would seem to be the shoe-in for the job.� The bigger question is the #4 WR; will it be Mike Wallace or Shaun McDonald?� The bet here is that it�ll be McDonald, based on his veteran savvy and reliability.� Logan could also see limited time at WR for very specific plays designed solely for him, such as bubble screens, end around, and reverses.� Given his speed, shiftiness, moves, and awareness around him, it is imperative the Stillers get the ball into Logan�s hands at least 6 times a game, and of course that does not include fair catches or KO�s fielded 8 yards deep in the EZ.�

 

OL: The season-ending injury to Stapleton really decimated the depth and versatility on this line.� �Hartwig is backed up at center by greenhorn Doug Legursky, a 2nd-year man who has never played an NFL game.� Pray that Hartwig stays healthy all season.� Guards will be Essex and Kemo, the former being more than adequate for the job and the latter being the most under-performing man on this team right now in terms of experience & ability.� Rookie guard Keith Urbik did little to impress and is just a body at this point in time, yet he is the lone depth at guard.� Starks and The Colon will man the tackles, and with Essex pressed into guard duty, the depth is just atrocious behind them.� Tony Hills was utterly pitiful in preseason, mimicking a traffic cone on almost every pass play.� Rookie Ramon Foster is the other OT, and like I said, the depth behind Starks/Colon is enough to keep me awake at night.�

 

Defense:

 

DL:� Hampton, Smith and Keisel will again start on the line.� Rookie 1sst rounder Ziggy Hood showed some flashes of quickness and brawn, and we can only pray that LeBeau will ALLOW Hood to get a few snaps by the 7th or 8th game of the season.� Hoke ably backs up at NT and can chip in at DE.� I would have preferred that rookie draftee Ra�Shon Harris have been kept over aging greybeard Travis Kirschke, but the Stillers kept the veteran at the expense of infusing some youth into a very, very old D-line depth chart.� Nick Eason remains as a versatile backup at all 3 spots.�

 

LB:� With Larry Foote finally jettisoned, Larry Timmons finally joined the starting lineup.� Then he got a high ankle sprain late in preseason and is doubtful for the opener.� If he can�t go, Key Fox, who had a solid preseason, will get the start.� Farrior, Harrison, and Woodley remain as starters.� Frazier & Arny Harrison again serve as OLB backups, and special teams maven Pat Bailey will presumably backup at ILB if it gets that ugly with injuries.�

 

DB: Pola, Clark, Ike and Gay will start, with Gay replacing the departed McFadden (Gay split time with him anyway late in the �08 season).� Clark, of course, remains the enormous weak link in this secondary.� The depth through the secondary is superb; perhaps the best I�ve seen it at any point in the past 20-some years. Veterans Townsend and Ratliff will back up at CB.� We don�t know exactly what we have in Ratliff, but we all know about Town�s reliability and savvy.� Ty Carter is acceptable in limited amounts of PT, and highly regarded Ryan Mundy will push to overtake Carter as the top safety backup.� Rookies Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett give the team some athleticism and youth at corner.�

�

Spec Teams:

 

P: Sepulveda returns after missing all of �08 with the knee injury.� Even if he sustains another knee injury, he can�t punt any worse than the ragbags the Stillers employed last season.� He had a good preseason and his leg looks quite fine.�

 

PK:� Reed returns, with the additional aura of being the team�s #1 upcoming UFA following this season.� Reed, in my opinion, is a much higher signing priority than Fat Casey, Parker, or any of the other upcoming UFAs, and was more of a priority than even the recently-signed Keisel.�

 

LS: Greg Warren returns after being lost for the season in the infamous loss to the Giants last year, in which Jamie Harrison was pressed into long-snapping duty and promptly sailed his first snap 7 feet over the head of the punter for a critical safety.� We don�t know who the emergency backup LS is this season, but whoever it might be, he�d better snap off 20 good snaps a day at practice just to stay sharp.�

 

KR: Stefan Logan was the huge hit of preseason.� I myself proclaimed his roster spot EARLY in the Washington game after a couple of relatively short (6-8 yard) punt returns, as I�d seen well enough of his superb shiftiness, dime-stopping, and acceleration.� Mewelde Moore will probably see some duty as a tandem on KO returns, along with Wally getting some work as well.� Burnett, Wallace and even Holmes will be at the ready in case Logan gets hurt.�

 

Synopsis:� This roster is, in many ways, superior to the one that won the Sup Bowl 7 months ago.� These following positions have been vastly improved:

 

����������� - kick/punt returner

����������� - punter

����������� - depth at safety

����������� - depth at DE (Hood)

����������� - starting ILB (Timmons vice Foote) �

�����������

There are some question marks &/or areas of obvious concern:

 

����������� - OL depth at all 3 positions (C, G, and T)

����������� - Chris Kemoeatu and his pervasive shitty play��

����������� - 4th WR (not that the Stillers got anything from this spot last season)

����������� - inexperience at FB (although it�s a spot not used much by Idiot Arians anyway)

 

 

Still Mill and Stillers.com -- �When it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close�.�