The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t add much to the team last April
Based on what I saw last season I only think that one of the players the Steelers picked last season will make a impact down the road for them and that is Mike Wallace. In the first round the Steelers look DE/DT Ziggy Hood (#32 overall) out of Missouri. He played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season and he made 8 whole tackles, had 1 sack and he defensed 2 passes. Not too impressive. Guard Kraig Urbik came in the 3rd round (#79 overall) out of Wisconsin wasn’t good enough to get on the field as a rookie. WR Mike Wallace (3rd round, #84 overall) out of Mississippi showed that he is more than capable of replacing Hines Ward when he retires but for now he will be the #3 WR on the Steelers. Wallace played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season and he caught 39 passes for 756 yards (19.4 avg) with 6 TD grabs. He also carried the ball 5 times for 48 yards (9.6 ypc). Wallace helped out on special teams too as he returned 1 kickoff for 26 yards and he also had 3 tackles last season. CB Keenan Lewis (3rd round, #96 overall) out of Oregon State was a complete bust last season playing in 4 games in which he had 1 tackle. CB Joe Burnett (5th round, #168 overall) out of Central Florida also didn’t add much to the Steelers last season. He played in 15 games and made 17 tackles last season. RB Frank Summers (5th round, #169 overall) out of UNLV spent his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List. DE Ra’Shon Harris (6th round, #205 overall) out of Oregon didn’t play for the Steelers last season. They cut him and the Panthers picked him up. He played in 2 games for the Panthers but then they cut him and he returned to the Steelers. Center A.Q. Shipley (7th round, #226 overall) out of Penn State didn’t get on the field for the Steelers last season. TE David Johnson (7th round, #241 overall) out of Arkansas State played in 15 games for the Steelers last season and he caught 2 passes for 9 yards.
GRADE FOR 2009: D+
GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: C-
Please stop calling yourself a Steelers’ fan. What team were you watching? Because it wasn’t the Black & Gold. Keenan Lewis had back problems early on in the season which caused his progress to slow after having a very promising camp. Hood did not play significantly in the first approx. 11 games. It was all spot play. In fact, when asked by a reporter when we would see more of Hood, Tomlin’s response was that the rookie was showing promise but just wasn’t quite ready for significant time. Hood didn’t get in for any significant play until about 5 games to go. And then, once he was comfortable in LeBeau’s defense, which everyone knows is a complex one, is when he recorded most of those numbers you mentioned. If he continues to progress, he will be an anchor at DE for years to come. Year one is not a year to grade the previous year’s class anyway. Yes, some do well, even very good, but most need time to aclimate to the NFL. Ones like Joe Burnett could possibly become very good and a staple at CB. Look at Hines Ward’s numbers in his rookie year and tell me you thought he’d be one of the greatest Steelers ever, SB MVP, and a future HOFer. David Johnson didn’t play a lot because he was used, when we did use it, mainly at H-back/Fullback. Besides, he isn’t gonna catcha a lot of passes since he’s behind Spaeth and the inimitable Heath Miller. In summation, I find your blog wanting and completely lacking objectivity.
I just don’t see much potential out of this group of players. Even you can’t argue the fact that not on of these guys made a impact on this season which was the reason for the D+ grade. I would guess that you are one of those guys who still think Limas Sweed was a great pick. Sorry if I don’t praise the Steelers when they deserve to be blasted.