Dance04 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 In contrast to OldFan's thread about how the Pats built their team, I wanted to look at a different team that is always one of the better teams and compare it to our Washington Redskins. THIS IS NOT A BASH. JUST A COMPARISON. Today I heard Hines Ward say they never sign Big time Free Agents. They always build from within. I thought, "that's BS". Well, I wanted to test that claim. So I decided to check out the Steelers. The Pittsburgh Steelers are always an elite organization. Sometimes they fall into obscurity, maybe for 2 seasons. However, they quickly return to elite status. For starters I decided to look at this year's 22 starters. Here is how they were acquired: 3 undrafted 3 free agent 16 drafted Offense: 2 undrafted 1 free agent 8 drafted Defense: 1 undrafted 2 free agent 8 drafted The 3 players signed are free agents: They are: Ryan Clark, James Farrior, Justin Hartwig Do any of these strike you as blockbuster free agents? nope. The 3 undrafted players: Carey Davis, Willie Parker, James Harrison 2 of there 3 undrafted players are in the upper echelon of their repsective positions. Since 2004, The Pittsburgh steelers have let many of their more recognized players leave the team, to sign Massive contracts with other teams. Players such as Plaxico Burress, Atwaan Randle El, Joey Porter and Alan Fanaca. No big deal. They lost plaxico, so they drafted Nate Washington. They lost Randle El, so they drafted Santanio Holmes. They lost Porter, so they drafted Lamarr Woodley. They lost Alan Faneca, no problem. they drafted Darnell Stapleton the year before. What I'm trying to get at is, over the last 4 years they have lost some notable players to free agency. It hasn't mattered. Here they sit, about to play in there 2nd superbowl in that same 4 year span They didn't go out and sign some high priced player to replace them. They found their replacements in the draft. They saved their money to pay the players already on their team. Players like Troy Polamalu. Now let's look at 2 of their starters who they signed off the street. James Harrison, 2008-09 DPOY. 'nuff said. Willie Parker, can start for 32 teams out of 32. How do they find these gems? Let's look at 2 of their players signed via FA. James Farrior, Had one full year as starter before he went to Pitts. Part of the best 3-4 linebacking core in the game. Not a big time splash Ryan Clark, perfect compliment to Polamalu. Players fear the middle of the field with him back there. Not a big time splash. Most skins fans weren't sad to see him leave. Drafting: Here is a list of their 1st round draft pics over the last 10 years 1999: Troy Edwards, WR 2000: Plaxico Burress, WR 2001: Casey Hampton, NT 2002: Kendall Simmons, G 2003: Troy Polamalu, S 2004: Big Ben, QB 2005: Heath Miller, TE 2006: Santonio Holmes, WR 2007: Lawrence Timmons, LB 2008: Rashard Mendenhall, RB Got to say I'm surprised at the amount of pass catchers, but they also drafted 6 players who are starters in this league. Also, 6 of them are still with the team. We are still waiting on Rashard Mendenhall. Could be 7 players. I'm not even going to elaborate on how they have had only 3 coaches. Now fellow ES'ers, I ask you. When was the last time they Steelers aggresively pursued a bit time player? I seriously think you have to go all the way back to 1996 when they got Jerome Bettis. Am I wrong? Am i forgetting someone? Instead, it looks like Hines was right. In conclusion, Im not going to sit here and tell you I know everything about the Steelers FO. But, from looking at the data collected, it is obvious that they have the right people in the right places. It starts with the owner. He hires people to run his company. He sits back and enjoys the ride. The scouting is superb. 16 of their starters they drafted. Another 3 were undrafted. They have people in place who realize that while someone may not be completely finished, they are not willing to pay the big bucks they command. (Burress, Porter) It is a mentality that every player and person involved in the organization believes in. They resist the temptation to go out and throw money at players, ALA Nate Clements, Terrell OWens to fill their roster. They reward the young players who perform well. (Polamalu) I'm sure some of you will say I cherry picked this, or cherry picked that. I "left" out key info. Not true. I included all the info I looked at. For example, I didn't look at how many picks they had each year, how much under the cap they are, etc. I don't have that much patience. Besides, I think what I have just shown you gets the point across. Thanks for reading, hope you guys read it and enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 One of the Rooney's found Willie Parker, who hardly even played in college. Had it not been for Steelers scout Dan Rooney Jr., who had come across Parker when he was a star in high school, Parker's much-needed break may have come and gone.Despite having amazing speed (around 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash), scouts knocked Parker's size (5-foot-10, 208 pounds) and overall lack of production heading into the 2004 draft. If anything, he was viewed as a project that would likely turn into little more than a special teams player or third-down back. But while scouting North Carolina before the draft, Rooney Jr. decided to invite Parker to work out with Pittsburgh, largely on his memories of a high school player who had led his team to a state championship as a junior. Ultimately, Rooney's report had the Steelers offering a free agent contract after Parker went undrafted. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-parker020306&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilsburypgh Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I see what you are saying, what i think they do is when one player leaves they get another cheaper player that is exactly like the player they lost. But lets not get so high on their players, because dick lebeau is a beast, and they can say what they want about tomlin but i think hes overrated to this point, Though we will see what hes made of when Lebeau is gone. The only reason why this team has been successful is because of Lebeau's return to the team though they have been competetive, Lebeau and that defense is sick and its put them in championship status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins PR Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Bettis wasn't a free agent. They traded a 2nd round pick for him on draft day (the Rams took Lawrence Phillips with a very high first round pick that year). Awesome analysis. The Steelers are a quality organization with a tremendous owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance04 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Bettis wasn't a free agent. They traded a 2nd round pick for him on draft day (the Rams took Lawrence Phillips with a very high first round pick that year).Awesome analysis. The Steelers are a quality organization with a tremendous owner. thanks, sorry about that mix up. I researched quickly and that info did not come up. I will edit my post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejaydana Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 the really are THE CLASS organization league-wide. It all starts at the top. Today's WSJ (sorry don't have the link) stated that Rooney doesn't pay top dollar to all his players but he treats them all like men and like equals and in so doing builds an enormous amount of loyalty and comradeship in the locker room. The players really buy into the fact that this team has an amazing tradition. They don't look stoopid for letting Plax walk now, do they? Or Fanaeca. I love that approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbleedBnG83 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Key to the Steelers has always been the defense coming from strong pressure up front, and the ability to run the ball with a solid offensive line. Pattern...TWO DOMINANT LINES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaRonDontLikeUgly Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Canada IS closer to Pittsburgh than DC.... ... If they hadn't waxed us this year while taking over our stadium, I probably wouldn't hate this thread so much. But it's very true. These numbers prove how much better the Squeelers are at evaluating talent than we are. They have made great moves while we seem to get stuck in the mud each off-season. Here is our '08 breakdown... just for comparison. Offense: Drafted: 4 Free Agent: 7 Undrafted: 0 Defense: Drafted: 4 Free Agent: 7 Undrafted: 0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozskin Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 James Harrison To me he's the major difference. Obviously they have better players than just Harrison, but it's the fact that could get someone like that undrafted is the difference. We don't seem to have a front office that can spot that kind of talent. Horton was a good late pick but he'll never be to that level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheREALJBird Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 If only Vinny could look at this thread and take some notes. Nice breakdown Dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwich Hog Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Key to the Steelers has always been the defense coming from strong pressure up front, and the ability to run the ball with a solid offensive line. Pattern...TWO DOMINANT LINES! The Pittsburgh Steelers do not have a dominant offensive line by any stretch of the imagination!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Maybe not dominiant, but good enough apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbleedBnG83 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 The Pittsburgh Steelers do not have a dominant offensive line by any stretch of the imagination!! This has been the first year their line has not been as good as it has in the past, in large part due to injuries. There is no denying that they have had strong offensive lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwich Hog Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Maybe not dominiant, but good enough apparently. Good enough to support an offence ranked 22nd? On any other team inc. the Ravens in my opinion that offence doesn't make it to the Superbowl. Unless you're planning on kidnapping Dick LeBeau and bringing half his defensive personnel with you, I wouldn't start trying to emulate the Pittsburgh Steelers offensively. This has been the first year their line has not been as good as it has in the past, in large part due to injuries. There is no denying that they have had strong offensive lines. 2007 was worse - and that line included Faneca. Perhaps in the past they have been traditionally strong but the last two years they certainly haven't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwich Hog Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Apologies. Double post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoot Point Really Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Their players stick around... They have continuity... That's the difference. They also have a franchise quarterback. They weren't anything until they got Ben Roethlisberger. People forget the Steelers of the 80s, 90s and early party of 00s were middle of the pack. Occasionally they would go 13-3 and lose out in the playoffs when they were expected to win it all, but they weren't this "jewel" people seem to be touting now. In a few years, their fans will be complaining about how "old" their roster is and how their drafts sucked. Do you think last year they thought replacing Plaxico Burress with Nate Washington was a good idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Great thread and I agree with it. The Steelers are thee class of the NFL and have been for decades. It's hard to knock the way they do things, it just is. One thing though, they did pay Hines Ward to stay. He is a classy person (albeit a bit of a dirty player) as opposed to Buress, who is just a scumbag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Their players stick around... They have continuity... That's the difference.They also have a franchise quarterback. They weren't anything until they got Ben Roethlisberger. People forget the Steelers of the 80s, 90s and early party of 00s were middle of the pack. They make a habit of cutting their "core" guys. Porter may win DPOY this year for Miami. The Jets line was much improved this year. It's what they do. They may have been average in the 90's, but they were never once a team you looked forward to playing. Especially not in Pitt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief skin Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Both there lines kickd the crap out of our pisspoor lines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbleedBnG83 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Both there lines kickd the crap out of our pisspoor lines :applause: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbleedBnG83 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Another huge point is continuity as pointed out earlier. Getting a strong coaching staff and strong FO is the first and foremost important piece. Everyone needs to be on the same page in terms of team building philosophy. Then you have a good coaching staff which is able to stay in tact for years so the new players continually are able to get on pace with an already capable veteran team that knows the system well. Then when a coach leaves, you can hire within and keep continuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldfan Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Key to the Steelers has always been the defense coming from strong pressure up front, and the ability to run the ball with a solid offensive line. Pattern...TWO DOMINANT LINES! Redskins #24 5.0 average per offensive play Steelers #25 4.9 Although the O line improved at year's end, Big Ben was pounded for much of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wysknz1 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 he treats them all like men and like equals This is a key point I hope wasn't lost in your post. You have to draft "MEN". If you get a bunch of attention whores you can't treat them this way. I'm not a fan of the Steelers, but I do like thier organization as much as any other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pounds Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Thanks for reading, hope you guys read it and enjoy it! I did; you did a great job of compiling this info and giving us something constructive to discuss. I've long thought that the Steelers represent the model for perennial winning in today's NFL. They do their winning in the front office by adept scouting and fiscal responsibility. There is no spending done from a blind-ego-driven-power stupor. When you make bad personnel dscisions and compound them by attaching bad contracts to them, you pay for a long, long time. Like us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pounds Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Although the O line improved at year's end, Big Ben was pounded for much of the year. Yeah, but that may also be a function of Ben's playing style. He holds the ball too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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