Pay Attention, Jason Licht!
December 21st, 2015
Joe is absolutely loving what the Steelers are doing with their explosive offense, highlighted by absolutely shredding the vaunted Broncos defense yesterday.
The Steelers have a franchise quarterback, a solid offensive line, and four legitimate receiving threats. What a concept!
Joe hopes the Steelers win the damn Super Bowl, supporting the theory Warren Sapp has repeated many times: Defense doesn’t win championships anymore.
Joe looks at Steelers wide receivers Antonio Brown (sixth-round pick in 2010), Markus Wheaton (third-rounder in 2013) and Martavis Bryant (fourth-rounder last year), plus reliable tight end Heath Miller, and Joe hopes Jason Licht and Lovie Smith are paying attention.
Neglecting America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, in the 2016 offseason would be a crime against Bucs humanity. Sure, the Bucs have serious defensive deficiencies, but not making conditions ideal for your franchise quarterback would be ludicrous.
Perhaps a Steelers glory year behind a high-flying offense would help drive that point home.
Consider the Bucs’ receivers: Mike Evans is a good player with issues. Father Time is ravaging Vincent Jackson. Louis Murphy just had his knee carved up. Donteea Dye would struggle to make any other NFL roster. Russell Shepard can’t beat out Dye. And Adam Humphries is a wonderful story, a quality No. 5 NFL receiver. Kenny Bell? He didn’t catch a pass in preseason.
At tight end? Well, the Bucs don’t have anything that resembles Heath Miller or a top-15 tight end.
Better depth at receiver, as well as better hands, likely would have put the Bucs in the 2015 playoff hunt right now. Joe has no problem claiming drops, incapable replacements and garbage tight end production cost the Bucs two games this season.
December 21st, 2015 at 7:52 am
To add to what you wrote, Joe, I want to mention the Giants and Colts. Eli is a good not great QB, but they took care of him and gave him help year after year and kept giving him help, and they won a couple Super Bowls. The Colts got a great QB and pretty much sharted on the O-line. If they are in any division besides the AFC south, they dont make the playoffs the last few years, and this year you could argue it cost them the health of Luck.
Tom Terrific is the only exception. But I’m certain he made a deal with the devil to be so good, he needs almost no help.
December 21st, 2015 at 7:56 am
Would be nice if they locked Doug in for another 3-4 yrs and worked on bringing in some WR/TE talent via the mid rounds of the draft. Defense core is there with David and Kwon but secondary needs a major overall first pick needs to be a pass rusher.
December 21st, 2015 at 7:56 am
I don’t have a problem drafting more offensive players and building a lot of talent around Jameis. But the first two draft picks need to be a DE and a CB. The dire need for a DL player is evident in seeing Cheeseburger Bowers continue to be on the field. Simple as that.
December 21st, 2015 at 8:08 am
Yeah, we need a WR and continue to build the line, but the defense has to get off the field other than the other team putting points on the board or relying on a turnover. I like 3 and out for our opponents
December 21st, 2015 at 8:13 am
Those teams have good defense though, that’s a big difference between a good team and the Bucs.
December 21st, 2015 at 8:13 am
Steelers would have lost yesterday if the Broncos had a good coach. Once again highlighting the need to not settle for mediocre coaches, especially retreads. If you guys think Lovie makes no halftime adjustments, Kubiak might actually be even worse. Either way they both are outdated and not good enough to win you anything significant.
The Bucs need more variety in weapons more than anything. Evans, VJax and Captain Dunce are all pretty much the same thing as pass catchers. We need more variety than that. That’s why when people say go after Alshon Jeffrey, I just don’t get it. We don’t need another tall possession receiver, we need speed, we need shiftiness.
December 21st, 2015 at 8:21 am
We need the other offense to step out of the field first. Draft defense first
December 21st, 2015 at 8:43 am
We desperately need some speed at WR…..most available FAs aren’t burners….and I want our first 3 draft picks to be DE, CB, S….
We can use later round picks to move up for better players….we have plenty of money to bring in a top-tier WR and quality depth.
The good news is that our younger players will be much more developed next year. The future is looking good!!!
December 21st, 2015 at 8:53 am
I’d like to try FA one more time with either Von Miller or Josh Norman if either becomes available.
December 21st, 2015 at 9:44 am
You guys understand we do have Kenny Bell. I’m not saying we shouldn’t go after people, but man. You guys are quick to call a bust. Kid was awesome at Nebraska. Just give him some time. I’m sure another off season will help.
December 21st, 2015 at 9:50 am
I agree Joe, we need a legit threat receiver (speed & hands) or 2. I thought the offense performed better with Brate than ASJ. Not sure why. We also need pass rusher & I’m not sure if safety or corner is the bigger issue.
December 21st, 2015 at 10:04 am
Joe, you act as though the Steelers don’t have a good defense.
I don’t want them in the superbowl. I want the top two teams there, and its obvious those two teams are the Pats and the Panthers.
I don’t want the Panthers to win though. I want to see them get there and not win…hehe.
If anything this year, we’ve seen that we need at least a top 15 offense and fewer penalties to succeed.
As to the penalties, I firmly believe the refs have had it in for the Bucs since Goldson and Schiano.
December 21st, 2015 at 10:07 am
It sounds like there is no way Mario Williams goes back to Buffalo, he wants to rush the passer 100% of the time, sound like something we need? I say give him anything he wants. We need to draft secondary help rounds 1 and 2. The article proves that quality recievers can be had in later rounds, college football is flooded with WR talent its a product of all the pass happy spread offenses.
December 21st, 2015 at 10:23 am
destro44 Says:
December 21st, 2015 at 10:07 am
It sounds like there is no way Mario Williams goes back to Buffalo, he wants to rush the passer 100% of the time, sound like something we need? I say give him anything he wants
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Yup, giving FAs “whatever they want” has certainly worked out amazingly for the Bucs recent. Especially when you’re talking a guy who is going to be 31 on opening day. What could go wrong giving him a massive deal?
December 21st, 2015 at 10:40 am
Can we finally get some speed here for the love of Jameis!
December 21st, 2015 at 11:11 am
The Steelers always have good speedy receivers, that’s a constant. Sanders for Denver had a big game,another Steeler receiver that got away. Where is the Bucs speedy receiver?
December 21st, 2015 at 11:54 am
We haven’t had speed at WR since Joey Galloway was here.
December 21st, 2015 at 11:55 am
There are a lot of ‘needs’ for the Bucs in the coming year but I say that the Bucs should invest in a sports therapist for their players. Evans is a great talent. He gets the ball thrown to him so much in large part because he gets open! Unfortunately, he tends to drop passes thrown to him and usually on key plays. Since that wasn’t an issue with him last year and I don’t recall anyone saying he whined constantly last year either, there must be something else going on. Spending time talking with a therapist could help. It did wonders for Braves’ pitcher John Smoltz.
There are other Bucs players who could likely use some help in that way too (ASJ? McCoy?). There are very good players within the Bucs team. Rather than thrown away that talent (and watch them blossom on another team) it could be much more beneficial to the Bucs to help their player resolve any issues that could be causing head games.
More and more it’s become a system of instant gratification. If you don’t get it done, get it right and do it now, you’re gone but that attitude has lost the Bucs (and other teams) some wonderful players. A lot has been invested in players already and not just money. A little more investment on the personal side could result in huge payoffs (playoff?!)
December 21st, 2015 at 12:41 pm
@NCbucfan Says:
December 21st, 2015 at 9:44 am
You guys understand we do have Kenny Bell. I’m not saying we shouldn’t go after people, but man. You guys are quick to call a bust. Kid was awesome at Nebraska. Just give him some time. I’m sure another off season will help
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I don’t really see him as a burner, but he is a heck of a number 3 or 4. It would be great if he changed that perception. It is a shame that injury/injured reserve stopped him from getting rolling in the preseason.
December 21st, 2015 at 12:58 pm
Joe,
I’ve watched a lot of steelers football the past few years and it has as much to do w the system and culture there as it does the talent. Big Ben is a great QB, top 5. He throws accurately, is dependable, does not fluster in the pocket, and steps up to throw his passes. All things JW can become under the right tutelage (word of the day).
They remind me of the Pats. They take a guy with a certain “set of skills” and are able to plug him into the system in a way which he can succeed. Anytime you lose a guy like Levon Bell and you don’t miss a beat when you plug in a vet like Deangelo Williams, it’s about more than the individual player.
It’s no coincidence that a group of 4th to 6th rd receivers are succeeding. Who remembers the Pittsburgh stud Mike Wallace? Lol How’s his blazing speed doing elsewhere?
December 21st, 2015 at 7:42 pm
What do Jameis Winston, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady all have in common? Pocket passers. What do these types of QB have to have? An OL good enough to give the QB time to throw from the pocket. Winston had no time when the game was on the line Thursday. In everyone of our loses there was one thing in common, Winston was under pressure. There is a glaring need at both tackle positions. Until we face the truth with our OL, it doesn’t matter how many speedy receivers we get Winston. Kenny Bell is not the answer either. Are you trying to tell me he has a hamstring injury that put him on IR for the season? The truth is he wasn’t ready and hopefully he can put some meat on them bones.
December 21st, 2015 at 9:13 pm
FIRE LOVIE HIRE JIMBO
December 21st, 2015 at 10:35 pm
Look at pats and panthers receivers. I say add 1 receiver in fa and draft ol guy like 4th rd resign Martin – done. We have a defensive coach with mediocre talent. That’s a waste. They hired lovie so I say give him some players and see if he can build a top 10 defense. If he can’t then he should go. But right now I’d say if we add 1 legit receiver that decent for jw: me Vjax fa asj/beaten that’s decent.