View topic - 53 Man Roster

[GCCSteel Profile]

Here is my take on the 53 man roster if we had to start the season today...

QB: Ben Roethlisberger
Charlie Batch
Dennis Dixon

The quarterback position is pretty much all but decided. I don't see the FO giving up on Dixon just yet and, barring a veteran signing, Batch will hold the 2 spot.

RB: Willie Parker
Carey Davis
Rashard Mendenhall
Mewelde Moore
Frank Summers

Willie keeps the main back role, but Rashard and Mewelde will push for PT. Unfortunately, Carey Davis will still be the fullback. There is a chance that Frank the Tank and McHugh could assume his duties, but I think Arians keeps him on board for one more season.

WR: Santonio Holmes
Hines Ward
Limas Sweed
Shaun McDonald
Mike Wallace

Santonio and Hines are 1 and 2, for certain. Don't be surprised to see Limas on the field a bit more this season. Hines will probably move to the slot in 3 wide situations. That is a dangerous combo...Holmes and Sweed split, with Hines and Heath running underneath routes and Mewelde out of the backfield for good measure. Shaun McDonald is a veteran receiver who will play 4 wide slot and provide depth in case of injury. I think Mike Wallace makes the team as a kick returner. Martin Nance *could* make the 53, but I feel he is on the wrong side of the bubble.

TE: Heath Miller
Matt Spaeth
Sean McHugh

Hopefully we can lock up Heath for a few more years, he is an animal. I like Spaeth in the redzone and McHugh is a great athlete. He can play TE, H-Back, and Fullback, great pickup last year.

T: Max Starks
Willie Colon
Tony Hills
G: Chris Kemoeatu
Darnell Stapleton
Trai Essex
Kraig Urbik
C: Jeff Hartwig
AQ Shipley

Surprise...the line is the same as last year. No new additions are able to break the lineup. Hopefully Tony Hills is being groomed to take the LT or RT position, we can't afford to pay Max franchise money forever. Inside, Urbik could give Darnell a run for his money, but I don't see him winning that battle just yet. Hartwig will remain at center and I threw in AQ simply because we have little depth. The one thing this unit has is youth, maybe they can keep growing together.

DE: Aaron Smith
Brett Keisel
Nick Eason
Ziggy Hood
Travis Kirschke

Aaron and Brett man the bookends for another year. Eason and Kirschke provide reliable depth. I think it is pretty obvious that some youth is needed in this group, I just hope Ziggy can grow into this position.

NT: Casey Hampton
Chris Hoke

Another position that looks the same as it has since the 2005 Super Bowl. We really could use some youth here, as well.

OLB: James Harrison
Lamarr Woodley
Bruce Davis
Andre Frazier
Arnold Harrison
Donovan Woods

Plenty of roster spots taken by OLB, but only 3 ever see the field. Frazier, Harrison, and Woods are all STers. Bruce plays outside, but supposedly can play inside as well. He may be necessary if a man or 2 go down.

ILB: James Farrior
Lawrence Timmons
Keyaron Fox

Lawrence Timmons finally breaks into the lineup and Foote is given "the boot". Farrior is aging, but he is still a smart player. Keyaron Fox provides a little depth. We will need to groom an eventual replacement for Farrior if we don't already have one in Fox or Davis.

CB: Ike Taylor
Deshea Townsend
William Gay
Keiwan Ratliff
Keenan Lewis
Anthony Madison

This position took a big hit with McFadden skipping town to Pittsburgh South. I see Deshea starting the season, but either Gay or Ratliff could make appearances throughout the season. I hope Keenan makes a good impression and is a Gay/Taylor type pickup. Madison is a special teams ace.

S: Troy Polamalu
Ryan Clark
Tyrone Carter

This is another thin area of the team. Behind Polamalu and Clark is only Carter. I can see Mundy possibly making the 53 for depth, but I don't think he would be ready to step in.

K/P: Jeff Reed
Daniel Sepulveda

Strong kicking unit, Sepulveda is a major upgrade over old man Berger and Reed is money.

LS: Greg Warren

After a long preseason battle, Greg Warren loses the battle for how far over Sepulvedas head he can snap the ball, but eventually beats James Harrison for the LS position.

That is my impression of the roster. Some areas (QB, HB, WR, TE, DE, LB) seem to be pretty strong, while others (OL, CB, S) seem to be a bit thin.

[steelwest Profile]

I like Mundy. I think he has a great chance to make the squad and eventually contribute. Need to remove Smith from the O-Line as he is in SF.

With Foote gone, we need more depth at ILB. Barring some real surprises, I think your selections are quite accurate. It is clear the draft was about depth, the future, and filling a hole here or there.

It would be nice if Urbik could play this year.

[GCCSteel Profile]

I meant Max Starks, not Marvel...oops. I also like Mundy, but he may ride the practice squad another year simply because he is too raw to see the field. I don't think another team would grab him from there. If he can play special teams, he could make the 53. He is a bubble player for certain.

It is not as entertaining, but surely better that the draft isn't some huge fiasco we have to worry about impacting our season. We don't need day 1 contributors. I heard a browns fan say that their draft VASTLY improved their team while ours was just depth, making their draft better. We aren't really in a position to VASTLY improve our team, nor do we need to. We just need to plug depth positions and groom players to step in once our starters skip town or lose a step. This is the way to do it, in my opinion.

On another note, doesn't this icon look like 2 onions drinking beer?

[smheart78 Profile]

You have something against two onions drinking a beer together?! Vegenphobic?

[Witchblade Profile]

Gay starts day one.